Welcome to Freedom Flight, Powered Parachutes Light Sport Aircraft and
Flight Training in Upstate New York.
Powered Parachutes offers a safe, easy and affordable way to give wings to your dreams. We are eager to share this exciting sport and product line with you! What's a powered parachute?
A powered parachute is one of the safest aircraft you can fly. It's also one of the fastest growing recreational sports in the United States. You can learn to fly for far less than you probably thought. It's slower than typical aircraft, about 28 to 30 MPH, so the view is fantastic! Powered Parachutes (PPC's) are different than any other type of conventional or ultralight aircraft, fixed wing or rotor wing craft. A large propeller and single or dual seats are integral parts of a framework of aircraft grade steel alloy and aluminum tubes. The parachute is strategically attached to the airframe for maximum stability and aerodynamics. Air flowing into the open cells of the chute from the propeller and forward movement of the airframe, inflates and lifts the chute which in-turn lifts the airframe. Design considerations make a powered parachute virtually impossible to stall, roll, dive or loop, and landing does not even require power. Nothing is easier to Fly! The main differences are its unparalleled safety due to its pendulum like stability and its parachute wing. Having a very stable parachute deployed constantly from the time it leaves the ground, makes it the safest aircraft flying. A stall or structural failure is nearly impossible in a PPC. Even in an engine-out condition, the PPC provides a gentle, soft landing instead of the catastrophe it usually is in other aircraft. When you are taxiing, you move the steering lever, located on the left side of the airframe to go left and right . In the air, you turn left by pushing the left rudder tube with your left foot, and right by pushing the right rudder with your right foot - all this while flying at a constant, slow airspeed of 26-30 mph. When you wish to climb, you increase the throttle and to descend you decrease it. Nearly anyone can learn to fly the Powered Parachute in just a few hours at a flight park. Two classes of PPCs now exists. The single seat "FAR103" ultralight and the more advanced "E-LSA" light sport aircraft. Regarding the FAR103 unit, complicated, lengthy flight training such as is required for general aviation or fixed-wing ultralights is simply not necessary or required for this aircraft. You have no need of spending thousands of dollars on flight instruction, inspections, and maintenance. You can purchase a basic FAR103, PPC for as little as $9,000. Regarding the E-LSA unit, this is considered a Light Sport Aircraft by the FAA and therefore it needs to be an n-numbered aircraft and the pilot needs to hold a Sport Pilot license. Although this may sound involved, it is a simple step by step process, much simpler and less expensive that a General Aviation (GA) license. A top-of-the-line, E-LSA, fully accessorized 65hp two-seater PPC can be acquired for around $20,000.
Recreational pursuits aside, the powered parachute has other uses:
Take unique pictures of wildlife or scenery while flying from this stable hands-free platform.
Survey and maintain large expanses of crop and grazing land.
Fly into "hard to reach" areas for hunting, hiking, fishing, etc.
A full range of flight equipment is available, such as digital and analog flight instruments and instrument decks, digital compass, ceramic coated exhaust, strobe light, helmets, radios Intercom packages for two-seat units, snow skis, air boat conversions, amphibious versions, electric start, "E" and "C" low vibration/high torque gearboxes, various prop and gear box combinations, high altitude or remote mixture carbs, trailers, etc.
