A Powered Parachute, also called a PPC, is an unconventional looking aircraft that can take you anywhere a fix wing aircraft can, only slower. It produces lift using an inflatable wing or parachute. Most people associate a parachute with skydiving. However, a powered parachute uses a "Parawing" or airfoil producing aerodynamic lift like any other aircraft.
Most powered parachutes use two-cycle engines for its forward motion. However, some manufactures offer a 4 cycle engines with greater power and economy. To take off, the parachute is placed out behind the machine. When the pilot applies power and starts the take-off role, the parachute rises and rotates overhead. Lift is produced when the parachute cells are pressurized by the forward motion. When all of the cells are inflated and the risers and suspension lines look good, the pilot applies full power and off they go! Steering is low tech and accomplished by a line running from the foot bar to the outside trailing edge of the parachute. When the foot bar is pushed, the line pulls on the parachute producing drag. This causes the machine to turn. Press the right foot bar and go right - press the left to go left. Engine power is used to take off, climb, descend or maintain level flight. Therefore, by using a combination of power settings and foot bar applications, you can control the machine just like any other aircraft, except it’s much easier.
Research and development roots of the Powered Parachute go back to the mid 1960s at the University of Notre Dame. The goal was to develop a special parachute for military pilots. The first test flight by Lowell Farrand was in his gyrocopter with the blades removed. The parachute was attached to a modified airframe as seen in this early picture. Steering was difficult because directional control was accomplished "thrust-vectoring" using a rudder behind the propeller. Eventually it was discovered that using steering lines on the parachute, like skydivers, provided the answer to directional control. Testing went on for a number of years but did not result in a suitable military application. However, valuable data was used later to improve parachute design and performance. The research also lead to the development of the first sport version of a powered parachute.
In the early 1980s one of the former Notre Dame students involved in the project, Steve Snyder, began flight-testing a new design for the ultralight mass market. In 1983, Steve built and marketed the first production powered parachute, called the Paraplane. This PPC launched a grassroots aviation phenomena that has evolved into one of the safest forms of recreational flying. The early models were powered by two twin-solo engines that produce 37 hp. Many of these early models are still flying today. The most important part of the powered parachutes is the wing. A variety of parachutes is manufactured just for powered flying machines. The average is about 500 square feet. Parachute design determines lift capacity, speed and other performance factors.Take off, cruise and landing speed is approximately 30 mph regardless of power settings. Low flying speed is among the chief reasons the sport is so popular. A slower flying speed also accounts for the Powered Parachute's excellent safety record. The slower an aircraft flies, the more time you have to react and make good decision. In addition, just like a car, the occupants are safer at 30 mph than traveling 60 mph. It's pure physics. However, the low speed also makes flying much more enjoyable since you can safely observe the beauty of the earth - low and slow. Another engineering safety factor is the "pendulum effect." This produces a natural tendency for the machine to remain stable in flight even in windy conditions. You can't role it in flight, do loops and the parachute is virtually stall proof. Most of the danger associated with conventional fixed wing flight has been engineered out of the design. If your engine quits, your rescue system is already deployed above you!
Most pilots prefer to fly in calm winds and take advantage of the smooth air found in the morning and late afternoon. However, with experience you can safely fly in 10 to 15 mph winds if they are not gusty or constantly changing direction. With proper training, you can join thousands of other pilots flying the safest form of aviation today.