Learn To Paramotor Course - 14 Days

Paramotoring, or powered paragliding, combines a paraglider wing with a lightweight motor and propeller worn on the pilot’s back. Unlike paragliding, you don’t need a hill or mountain to launch from — the motor provides the thrust needed to take off from flat ground and gives you the freedom to explore from the air.

Like all forms of aviation, paramotoring involves risk, but good training, sound decision-making and appropriate weather conditions all play an important role in managing that risk. At High Adventure, our focus is on developing safe, confident and competent pilots, with a strong foundation in wing control, equipment handling, weather awareness and practical flying skills.

The current minimum age restriction set by the SAFA for paramotoring is 15 years. There is no upper age limit.

Paramotoring does require a certain amount of physical activity. Anyone with a moderate level of fitness should be more than able to complete the training.

There are some training sites where you will walk a short distance uphill after landing to go back to the launch zone. Students need to be comfortable walking uphill carrying paragliding gear weighing approximately 7kg.

When paramotoring, students will need to be able to carry 27kg (approx weight of paramotor) on their back and run a short distance for take off.

We've taught students who are well into their 60s and 70s so the fitness requirements are very manageable.

If you have any health issues or injuries that you think may impact your ability to do the training, please get in touch with us to discuss this before booking.

You have the option of using gear supplied by us or using your own gear (cost differences apply).

• Sturdy closed-toe shoes (e.g. sporting shoes/runners). We suggest bringing a couple of pairs in case they get wet/muddy during training).
• Clothes you can move comfortably in (e.g. active wear / roomy pants that you can easily crouch in). We recommend avoiding jeans.
• A mix of short and long sleeve tops to allow for different weather conditions.
• A light-weight jacket as it can be cooler at higher altitudes, even during summer.
• A heavier / warmer jacket during the cooler months.
• Hat (optional).

There’s no required pre-reading as all theory will be covered during the course. However, if you’re keen to do some optional reading before the course starts, ‘Paragliding: The Beginner’s Guide’ is a great introductory book.

You will need to register with SAFA on a New Student Pilot Membership 7 - 10 days before the start of your course. The cost is $33 (not included in our course fees) and is payable by each student directly to SAFA upon registration. You will be sent information on how to do this via email 2 weeks before the start of your course.

• Each day is completely different and set depending on the day's weather conditions.
• Days typically start between 7am - 9am.
• We take a one hour break for lunch at around midday.
• Days typically end between 4pm - 6pm.
• Most days will be spent at flying sites or our training hill.
• We may move around to different sites throughout the day as the wind direction changes.
• On days when the conditions aren't right for flying, we use this 'down time' for theory classes at our office.

Our courses allow for bad-weather days, with theory completed when conditions aren't suitable for flying. It’s uncommon for weather to prevent course completion, but if you need additional training, you can join a future course within six months at no extra cost.

Typical student numbers per course are:

• Learn to Paraglide: 3 – 5 students
• Learn to Paramotor: 3 – 5 students

As these courses overlap for the first 7 – 9 days, we limit the combined total to 8 students.

During the final 5 days, there will be 3 - 5 paramotoring students only.

With two instructors, this means students typically receive instruction in small groups of just 2 – 4 students per instructor, allowing for personalised coaching and support throughout the course.

It's our duty and professional responsibility to ensure our students are fully competent and safe pilots. We will sign off students for license issuance when they satisfy the SAFA requirements and when we are fully confident in their ability to fly competently and with the highest levels of safety.

We’ve been successfully operating since 2012, training thousands of students within our 9-day paragliding and 14-day paramotoring course structures, so we know that it is absolutely achievable to develop confident, safe, and competent pilots that meet the SAFA PG2 (paragliding) and PPG (paramotoring) licence requirements within these timeframes. 

As with any flight school offering similarly structured courses, license issuance is successful for the vast majority of students, however it does rely on suitable weather conditions and students meeting required competency standards. More information on these situations are explained in our T&Cs.

Short answer: possibly.

Here’s how it works:

PPG Licence: The licence students earn on successful completion of the 14-Day Learn To Paramotor course is the SAFA PPG (Powered Paragliding) Licence - this is for paramotoring only.

Paragliding Licence: The licence students earn on successful completion of the 9-Day Learn To Paraglide course is the SAFA PG2 (paragliding) licence - this is for paragliding only.

Because the first part of the 14-day paramotor course covers paragliding training, some PPG students may meet the PG2 requirements during their paramotor course.

However, we cannot guarantee that our PPG students will receive a PG2 licence because:

• Some requirements for the PG2 licence are not required for the PPG licence
• The focus of the 14-day paramotor course is the PPG requirements
• Weather conditions may limit time available for extra PG2 requirements

If achieving the PG2 licence is important to you, let us know and we’ll support you where possible - but it depends on weather conditions and individual progress.

If you get your PPG licence but not a PG2 licence, you can complete a 3-Day Paramotoring to Paragliding Endorsement later to earn your PG2 paragliding licence. This can be done with us and allows you to expand your skills into free-flying in addition to paramotoring. This may be possible immediately after your Learn To Paramotor course, depending on weather conditions and instructor availability.

As a newly licensed PPG pilot, your first 10 hours of flight time must be completed under the supervision of a certified PPG Safety Officer. High Adventure can connect you with a certified PPG Safety Officer in your area to complete your supervised hours. Once these are completed, you are able to fly solo without ongoing oversight.

When you first receive your PPG licence, you’re permitted to fly up to 25 nautical miles from launch. Once you reach 25 hours of total flight time, you can complete a Cross-Country Endorsement, which removes distance limits entirely.

Australia has restricted airspace rulings that any PPG pilot must follow and guidelines for flying in high-density areas. Outside of controlled airspace, you are free to fly anywhere you like. Currently, Australia has a legal height limit for flying PPG which is 12,500 feet.

We can put you in touch with paramotor pilots in your local area after the course.

More information on what's next after achieving your PPG licence can be found in this blog.

No, this is not possible. Our beginner courses are 'straight-through' courses over 9 consecutive days (paragliding) and 14 consecutive days (paramotoring). We believe that training over multiple blocks spread across a longer period or on weekends only can disrupt the continuity of learning, potentially leading to a reduction in skill retention, a dip in confidence, and slower progress. Unsuitable weather conditions are also much more likely to cause delays in course completion. These factors are why we don’t provide the option to split our courses across multiple blocks or on weekends only.

This may be okay, however we cannot guarantee that missing days won't affect a student's ability to meet all the theoretical or practical requirements of their course. Each day's training is tailored to the weather conditions, so missing any part of the course could potentially impact your ability to achieve all the requirements for license issue. We strongly recommend attending every day of the course where possible.

Address - 3 Mill Street, Laurieton, NSW, 2443.

By plane - there are several options:

1) Fly to Port Macquarie Airport then travel by car (35mins).

2) Fly to Sydney Airport then travel by car (4.5hrs) or by train (7hrs).

3) Fly to Newcastle Airport then travel by car (2hrs).

By train - you can travel with NSW TrainLink to our nearest station, Kendall Train Station (15mins from our location).

Pick-Up / Drop-Off Service: If you need transport to/from our school, we can organise transport from Port Macquarie Airport ($80 each way) or Kendall Train Station ($30 each way), subject to availability. If you'd like to book, please send us your flight or train details, including your arrival and departure dates and times.

We offer comfortable and convenient accommodation on-site at our school in Laurieton. Choose from a private cabin, private caravan with shared bathroom facilities, or shared cabin accommodation, each with everything you need for a relaxed stay.

Alternatively, there are a range of hotels, motels, AirBnbs, caravan parks and camping sites nearby.

Yes, you can change or cancel your course booking. Our policies for course changes and cancellations can be found here.