Powered parachute, or PPC, enthusiasts are their own breed, some say. Maybe so, but how is that different than, say, seaplanes or floatplanes, motorgliders, weight-shift trikes, gyroplanes, or hang gliders? Each of these segments also enjoys a loyal following.
Indeed, as Powrachute owner Galen Geigley states in the video below, more than 8,000 powered parachutes are flying in the USA. The high-volume sales from two decades back may have matured but a substantial number of pilots ended up loving their PPCs.
Based in Hastings, Michigan, 
Powrachute delivers a lot of aircraft for the money. In 2023, the high-end AirWolf 912 sells for thousands less than the average price of a new car despite the latter being built by the hundreds of thousands.
He also sold more new powered parachutes than any other dealer for Powrachute, the largest manufacturer in the sport (certificate image). Finally, his YouTube channel emphasizing powered parachute flying obtained more subscribers than anyone else in the niche.
He continues to work on improving training in the sport by working on a second edition to his book (
FAA has two ways to correct that, Roy noted. "One is to create commercial ratings for powered parachute and weight-shift-control (trike) pilots," he claririfed. "Another is to allow powered parachute and weight shift control pilots rated at the private level to perform commercial work in special light sport aircraft. In either case, the FAA would also have to allow powered parachutes and weight shift control aircraft as special light sport to be used for commercial work."
Powered parachutes have a lot of potential uses for agriculture, construction, and surveying, Roy observed. "Hopefully the FAA will allow the industry to tap some of that potential with the final Mosaic rule."
Video interview with owner Galen Geigley was originally recorded in 2021 but has been updated for 2023.
https://youtu.be/9DtoDCmYB-k
Last summer, when EAA AirVenture Oshkosh exploded with news that FAA released Mosaic, nearly all the attention was on increased weight and speed, and capabilities like retractable gear, controllable props, even multiengine or turbine aircraft. Christmas in July, I called it, so plentiful were FAA’s gifts to pilots and industry. While all these items will add capability, they also increase prices. Is that what you want? Let me guess not for most readers. This website thrives on affordable aviation. Features that add substantial cost limit affordability. Mosaic will trigger a bifurcation within the LSA community and it goes something like this: If you like the airplane you have now, you probably will not like the price of a Mosaic LSA. However, if you feel constrained in weight-carrying capacity or speed or if you want multiple engines, then Mosaic may address your wishes. The great news? You can have it both ways.
Some who try eventually hit upon the right formula but no one says this is easy. Technology has been particularly helpful to smaller enterprises, especially those that serve customers widely dispersed across the country. Whatever you think of social media, the fact is they help those with specialized interests find people who can provide services.
One fellow has found his magic carpet. His instruction calendar has a few available slots in 2023 but he has already almost filled this year's schedule book. How did one man succeed and who is this story about?
That work has been gratifying — and helped move the entire LSA industry forward — but Roy's personal choice of flight and his passion is focused on powered parachutes.
While he was working in this field and building his enterprise, Roy and I linked up in a new way in 2014, the 10th anniversary of SP/LSA. Roy had compiled many aspects of the regulation that could be improved. He assembled an impressive booklet of desirable changes complete with suggestions. Working together, Roy and I drew people from industry, from membership associations, and from FAA to a meeting at Sun 'n Fun nine years ago.
Roy's hard work on advocacy for LSA — for which I was honored to be his partner at twisting FAA's arm — has paid off in a big way. The coming regulation incorporates every initiative that Roy and I proposed for Mosaic.
But important as this work may be, that's enough about advocacy. Let's talk about flying machines!
Roy's training program begins before the student gets to the airport. Anyone anywhere can start by studying a book Roy wrote on the subject. Roy’s Powered Parachute Book has 470 pages of content covering every aspect of flying powered parachutes. The inch-thick, large-format book is densely illustrated with many beautiful graphics that help explain everything. Roy admitted, “Writing a book wasn’t nearly as hard as illustrating the book.”
He combines the textbook with online training using the Brainscape app. Roy explained, “There is a lot of material to retain when learning to fly. By starting the ground training at home, students are able to get through the flight training, the knowledge test, and the check ride that much faster and stress-free.”
Thanks to a commitment to the safest practices, in the 30 years that Roy has been training powered parachutes, his program has been injury-free.
One of the key advantages of powered parachutes is their simplicity. These aircraft are designed to be easy to operate, and they require minimal training to fly. This makes them an ideal choice for people who are new to aviation, or who are looking for a more relaxed flying experience. The slow flying speed of powered parachutes makes them ideal low altitude sightseeing aircraft.
As an experiment, this article was triggered by Roy asking ChatGPT to write a draft as though it was written by me. Roy tweaked it and sent it to me for final editing.
Is that still an AI-produced document? Well, yes and no. It certainly changed through human input. However, it was helpful to move things along more quickly and that's one of the benefits many are seeing with this new technology. Since pilots are quite technically interested and adept, I thought readers would enjoy hearing about this use of AI.
