Odd Aircraft Explained: Powered Parachute

Veronica!

Member
A few days ago I saw something very odd in the sky, something that I think should be on here just for reference because I was incredibly, overwhelmingly baffled at whatever the hell this thing was. If I was in a low light situation, if it was farther away and if I wasn't of the skeptical persuasion I might think it was some sort of unidentified craft--whether that means little green men with probes or the world's smallest chemtrail depositor or Big Brother doing surveillance I don't know or care.
Anywho, my father and I were out running errands near our small community's rural airport. We heard something very loud and plane-like, as you do in that part of town, and looked outside. What we saw was a powered parachute, and if any of you ever have the opportunity to see one of these things in person I recommend it immensely. It was comical, it looked like something out of a cartoon, and I have no doubt that someday someone might come on here with a juicy UFO/coverup/cropdusting/whatever story that is really due to one of these little things.
I took photos of the little thing floating around, isn't it cute?

The photos, in all their glory:

DSC_0921.JPG
DSC_0922.JPG
DSC_0923.JPG
DSC_0925.JPG
 
Last edited by a moderator:
A few days ago I saw something very odd in the sky, something that I think should be on here just for reference because I was incredibly, overwhelmingly baffled at whatever the hell this thing was. If I was in a low light situation, if it was farther away and if I wasn't of the skeptical persuasion I might think it was some sort of unidentified craft--whether that means little green men with probes or the world's smallest chemtrail depositor or Big Brother doing surveillance I don't know or care.
Anywho, my father and I were out running errands near our small community's rural airport. We heard something very loud and plane-like, as you do in that part of town, and looked outside. What we saw was a powered parachute, and if any of you ever have the opportunity to see one of these things in person I recommend it immensely. It was comical, it looked like something out of a cartoon, and I have no doubt that someday someone might come on here with a juicy UFO/coverup/cropdusting/whatever story that is really due to one of these little things.
I took photos of the little thing floating around, isn't it cute?
Hi Veronica!
We actually have a lot of these here in coastal San Diego.
"Paramotor" (aka "powered paraglider") is the easiest search term.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powered_paragliding

Paramotor.jpg

Here's one up in action...up close & personal


Some of the most fun aerial videos you'll see on YouTube, etc., are done
from these things...


And old timers will remember the bizarro "Fan Man" who crashed his fan glider into the corner of the ring in Nov. '93, during a title fight between Riddick Bowe & Evander Holyfield!
 
Last edited:
And old timers will remember the bizarro "Fan Man" who crashed his fan glider into the corner of the ring in Nov. '93, during a title fight between Riddick Bowe & Evander Holyfield!

It's... beautiful...
Makes me wonder where he is today.
 
Uh, probably much more pleasant to just remember the Simpsons' sweet tribute to James Miller
Screen Shot 2016-02-21 at 2.24.19 PM.png
then to look too closely into "where he is today." :oops:
You were right. A visit to his Wikipedia page was funny and then very grim. Poor guy, what a legend...
 
Back
Top