Please notice
that the above statement had no mention of Parascender.
This is not a mistake. As with many industries, there is always the misleading
salesman, dealer, or manufacturer. Be cautious and asks lots of questions from
many sources. Check out the credentials of your flight instructor
and powered parachute dealer. Check for tax ID numbers, airframe
registration numbers, and copies of ASC or EAA exemptions.
Be cautious of anyone who asks for wire transfers,
or certified checks, as their only acceptable payment method.
You have little protection or recourse from fraud
in these cases, especially if they are located a long distance
from you and are represented by only a web address with no local business representation.
Are the airframes from the manufacturer that you are planning on doing business
with, pre-registered? Are the parts uses in manufacturing
your air frame traceable and recorded? Don't believe
anyone who says, "this powered parachute is exempt
from any of those FAA rules, you don't need any kind of insurance or helmets or
radios, make some extra money by giving rides, I can teach you to fly in just
a couple of hours, or it's you right to fly out of any public airport". It
is always a good idea to not only contact the Better Business Bureau but also
the Attorney General's Office
having jurisdiction in the area of your manufacturer, or go directly to the investigator
of a claim, or call the Federal Trade Commission. Here is a link to a whole page
of Excuses
from one such manufacturer that extends over several years.
| Parascender
II | | Destiny
XLT |
It's
all in how you look at it. The
powered parachute on the left cost me $15,500 back in 1998. The unit on the right
cost me $13,800 in 2000. Can you guess which one I'm more satisfied with? Obviously,
item for item the one on the right has everything beat. Especially when you look
carefully and discover that the unit on the left doesn't even have an engine or
prop. Funny thing! I ordered it as a complete "Powered Parachute". I
paid for it in full via "wire transfer". Maybe the manufacturer decided
that his unit was so light that it could fly without the engine. |
There
are over 60 pages of excuses and correspondence in the file at the Attorney Generals
office in the Orlando Ocala Florida area and I have a host of e-mail address from
lots of disgruntled, ripped off customers. (Excuse
Page) Please be careful, that your address doesn't get added to the list.
Notice when you did your search that there is no expansive list of Parascender
dealers unlike the list you get back when searching Buckeye, Blue Heron, Sixchuter, Powrachute, etc. Wonder why????
Visit
the web sites of the Aero Sports
Connection and the Experimental
Aircraft Association. These sites will explain the rules of ultralight aircraft,
FAR 103, FAR103 exemptions, and the powered parachute.
