by Jeff Goin | Jul 22, 2024 | 09: Airspace, Accident Reports, Recent
To my knowledge, this is a first. [Originally published Dec 21, 2021 at 0608] Dec 21 at around 9am a single-engine Cessna 208 (Caravan) flying as a UPS contract carrier, collided with a powered paraglider, killing both pilots. According to this source the aircraft was...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 2, 2022 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace, Recent, Safety
See also: ADS-B Test | ADS-B Out Overview | ADS-B Portable Transponder We tested the UAvionix prototype and it worked. Unfortunately, the market size and regulatory environment is too uncertain, so they won’t be marketing to us. You must have an N-Number. We...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 2, 2022 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
Visual Graphic to Understand Class E Surface Area We normally launch in Class G airspace and climb into Ek which starts at 1200 (or 700′) AGL and goes up to 18,000′. We canNOT fly in or over the “lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 2, 2022 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace, Recent
A question was brought to my attention: Can we fly OVER Class E Surface area designated for an airport? These show some examples of where we can and cannot fly regarding Class E surface areas which are depicted with dashed magenta lines. There’s more here....
by Jeff Goin | Feb 25, 2022 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace, 19: Risk & Safety, 28: Accessories, Safety
Good news. The test was a resounding success! See also: ADS-B Equipment Sales | ADS-B Out Overview | ADS-B Portable We did two flights. On the first, I went up in the paramotor while Tim watched on an aircraft’s traffic display in the hangar. During the entire flight...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 21, 2022 | 09: Airspace, 19: Risk & Safety, 28: Accessories, Recent, Safety
Colliding with an aircraft while paramotoring is obviously disastrous. Avoiding airplane flight paths, and keeping up a good scan are currently our best defenses, but that’s hopefully about to change. Most aircraft have cockpit devices — ADS-B¹ — that warn about...
by Jeff Goin | Jul 22, 2021 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
So what is “congested?” Ultralight pilots cannot fly over congested areas at ANY altitude. Both “over” and “congested” warrant interpretation but here we’ll focus more on congested. The short answer on congested is: it...
by Jeff Goin | Mar 11, 2021 | 09: Airspace, 34: Cool Places to Fly, Recent
Can you fly the grand canyon? Yes, but with huge caveats. Mostly you can fly over the canyon, WAY over, but there are some airports where you’re allowed to takeoff and land from, climbing to the minimum altitudes within 3 miles of their runway’s center....
by Jeff Goin | Oct 31, 2020 | 09: Airspace, 10: Flying Anywhere, Recent
How we Know This is True Understanding Class E surface area can be a pain. And is somewhat controversial. The link above handles the controversy part. Above is a control tower airport (DBQ) and its D in dashed blue lines. X’s show what’s off-limits without...
by Jeff Goin | Oct 21, 2020 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace, Recent
See related article Who Owns the Air | Law Enforcement Run Amok | When Judges Get it Wrong In October, 2020, A Phoenix area pilot, Joshua Stanaland, was cited for flying his paramotor OVER a park in Arizona. I was tagged on a social media post, and after looking at...
by Jeff Goin | Oct 15, 2020 | 09: Airspace, Recent
Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR’s) are off-limits airspace. They carry degrees of repercussion, all the way up to getting shot if you blunder in, especially towards what the TFR is protecting. Don’t fly in TFR’s. But where are they? Finding...
by Jeff Goin | May 29, 2020 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace, 28: Accessories, Instruments
See also: ADS-B Test | ADS-B Out Overview | ADS-B Equipment Status Collision avoidance would sure be nice to have, especially for those of us who fly in airplane-infested skies like near airports. It’s our obligation as FAR 103 pilots to avoid other traffic but...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 30, 2020 | 07: Weather Basics, 09: Airspace
Flight Service Stations (FSS) are funded for pilots by the FAA, might as well use ’em. Here is a quick guide. You do need to use the phone part of your device to call–you know, using the dialer and voice. The number is 1-800-WX-BRIEF (U.S. only) or...
by Jeff Goin | May 15, 2019 | 09: Airspace, 10: Flying Anywhere, Events
If you’re flying an ultralight into OSH it is mandatory to consult the current year’s NOTAM. This is merely an aid that overlays the 2017 procedures onto Google maps. Consider calling the NOTAM-listed phone number for ultralights before committing to find...
by Jeff Goin | May 14, 2019 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace, Recent
Related: Criminal Violation for Flying Over Park? | Law Enforcement Run Amok: Glider Pilot Detained for “Loitering” | When Courts & Judges Get it Wrong Air may be everywhere, but like most aspects of life, it gets regulated. Sometimes municipalities or...
by Jeff Goin | May 14, 2019 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
Hang Gliding or Paragliding Near Airliners at Burbank Airport Questions were raised by a long time hang glider pilot about increased sightings of jets crossing their popular soaring site, Sylmar. It’s about 12 miles northwest of Burbank Airport in CA and has...
by Jeff Goin | May 14, 2019 | 09: Airspace, 10: Flying Anywhere
At airports with Class E Surface area like the one depicted above, you need permission to fly there and inside the dashed magenta lines. These phone numbers may help although the best way is to call Flight Service (1800wxBrief) who will have the correct number or...
by Jeff Goin | May 12, 2019 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace, 10: Flying Anywhere, 11: Controlled Airports
Jan 2020 was the deadline for aircraft (not ultralights) to get equipped with ADS-B. It transmits location, altitude, ID, what you had for lunch, and other bits to every other aircraft and internet eyeball on the planet. If you can deal with the privacy issue,...
by Jeff Goin | May 3, 2019 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
Is It Legal to fly in Charted Wilderness Areas? Related: Who Owns the Air? | Criminal Violation Flying Over Park I was working on the airspace video section that deals with wilderness areas — those lines with blue dots as shown at right — and thought it...
by Jeff Goin | May 3, 2019 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
When Airport Managers Don’t Want Us by Scott Adair | Banning at Marion, OH? Yes and no. No if they are private and the owner says so, Yes if they have accepted federal grant money but with caveats. The basic tenet is, “you’re accepting federal money...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 27, 2019 | 09: Airspace, First Flights: Launching
June 27, 2007 | Section III Mastering The Sport | Chapter 17 See also Airspace for Paramotor Pilots These instructions show how to overlay a sectional chart onto a Google Earth map. This allows you to pinpoint your launch site with Google Earth then overlay the...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 09: Airspace
Can you paramotor at an airport whose control tower is closed for the day or night? I’ve always understood that when a control tower closed, the airspace reverted from D to E. That would keep the entire surface area off limits to us without permission from the...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 09: Airspace
To a paramotor, everything is heavy. But this article concentrates on where you can expect airplane traffic including airliners, to fly relative to airports. We know to stay out of the airspace around large airports but must also be vigilant when simply nearby. The...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 09: Airspace, 10: Flying Anywhere
Powered paragliding can be done almost anywhere so careful choices must be made. You want to fly inside the dashed magenta lines? It’s easy in Class D (control tower) because there’s someone to ask. But what about airports like Truth Or Consequences (TCS)...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 22, 2019 | 09: Airspace, 10: Flying Anywhere
If you fly high, look out. A surprising amount of air traffic zips through airspace that we are allowed to use. Making matters worse is that we probably only see a fraction of the airplanes that pass within a mile of us. You can almost count on it that they...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 19, 2019 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
FAR 103 | AC 103 | Preamble to 103 | FAR 91 for Ultralights Secs. 307, 313(a), 601(a), 602, and 603, Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. 1348, 1354(a), 1421(a), 1422, and 1423); sec. 6(c), Department of Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. 1655(c). Source: Docket No....
by Jeff Goin | Apr 18, 2019 | 09: Airspace, 11: Controlled Airports
From Jeff Goin’s 2006 USHPA Magazine Article Our sweetly simple FAR 103 grants enormous flexibility. It gives equally ambiguous restrictions—leaving a lot up to us. The sharp edge of this freedom is how easy we can cause problems or get “violated” by the Federal...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 18, 2019 | 09: Airspace
Exploring new areas by PPG is an experience in freedom seldom even imagined just a few short years ago. As with most freedoms it carries responsibility…which includes making sure you’re in allowable airspace. See also: Finding Legal Sites With Google The PPG Bible has...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 17, 2019 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace, 10: Flying Anywhere
Section III Mastering The Sport | Chapter 17 | See also Airspace for Paramotor Pilots These instructions show how to overlay a sectional chart onto a Google Earth map. This allows you to pinpoint your launch site with Google Earth then overlay the sectional chart to...
by Tim Kaiser | Apr 13, 2019 | 07: Weather Basics, 09: Airspace
Calling a Flight Service Station (FSS) We have an amazing resource only a toll-free dial away—Flight Service. It’s easy to be informed so don’t slough off the call. I know, you look out, winds are light, gear is ready, you’re running late, and you...
by Jeff Goin | Aug 11, 2017 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
If you have a U.S. event, or do training, or towing where there will be a lot of paramotor or paraglider flights, it’s helpful to give general aviation pilots the opportunity to know about it. That’s done by filing a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). It starts by...
by Jeff Goin | Jun 26, 2017 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
Pictures don’t do it justice: airflow on exposed skin, the immediate smells, feeling temperature changes, and yes, playing near the clouds like this make open-air flying irresistible for some of us. But is it legal? Can we fly this close to clouds? For sure we...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 1, 2009 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
Can’t we all just get along? Of course not, but we oughtta try. There is no law that says you can’t fly over tribal lands. We can’t trespass but court cases have well-established federal control over all airspace which, naturally, includes us...
by Jeff Goin | Feb 2, 2009 | 09: Airspace
Know the latest where of your nearby airspace An envelope recently arrived from the FAA. The last time it was a grant of exemption (tandems) so letters from the FAA aren’t all bad. Thankfully, this one was only mildly bad–sort of a two-edged sword for me....
by Jeff Goin | Jan 29, 2009 | 08: the Law, 09: Airspace
A Paramotor Pilot Is Arrested for Merely Overflying Hualapai Nation Tribal Lands | Airspace | Lionel’s Resolution Lionel De Antoni contacted us a week ago after being arrested and having his gear confiscated by Indians. His crime? Merely flying over their land,...
by Jeff Goin | Aug 22, 2008 | 09: Airspace
New Training Requirements for flight within 60 nautical miles of Washington D.C. I have been asked to comment on a recent FAA training requirement for pilots flying within 60 nautical miles of Washington D.C. After the 9/11 attacks, special airspace was created around...
by Jeff Goin | May 3, 2008 | 09: Airspace
There are a lot of lines on sectional charts. It’s confusing to know which ones we must pay attention to or not. This should help demystify those lines. Of course you can look at the sectional chart’s legend to see what the lines are but that doesn’t...
