INTRODUCTION TO THE POWERED PARACHUTE

As early as the 12th century, the Chinese used an umbrella-shaped parachute design for recreation. About 300 years later, Leonardo da Vinci blueprinted a pyramid-shaped parachute. In the late 18th century, man jumped from towers and balloons with a parachute. The first parachute jump from an airplane occurred in 1912.

After World War II, sport jumping became a recreational activity. The sport started with round parachutes, ranging in size from 20 to 30 feet in diameter. Parachutes evolved into a steerable, gliding wing smaller than today’s rectangular ram-air powered parachute (PPC) wing which is approximately 38 feet wide.

On October 1, 1964, Domina C. Jalbert applied for a patent for his “Multi-Cell Wing” named “Parafoil” (also known as a “ram-air” wing), which was a new parachute design. His ideas were registered as a U.S. patent on November 15, 1966. [Figure 1-1 A] However

In 1964, Lowell Farrand had already flown a motorized version called “The Irish Flyer” by Nicolaides. [Figure 1-1 B] Farrand was the first person to put an engine on a ram-air-inflated parachute wing, starting the evolution of the powered parachute with the Irish Flyer. This wing evolved into today’s modern powered parachute canopies, which include rectangular, elliptical, semi-elliptical, and hybrid wings.

The United States (U.S.) government had a number of test programs that used the square parachute as a means to glide spacecraft back to earth or glide payloads dropped out of airplanes to a specific location. Two-place powered parachutes have years of testing, development, and evolution. Training exemptions to Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 103, Ultralight Vehicles, permitted individuals to give instruction in two-place ultralight vehicles, instead of being restricted to vehicles intended for single occupants. [Figure 1-1 C] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allowed ultralight vehicles.

Figure 1-1. The evolution of powered parachutes.

Figure 1-2. Two-place powered parachute aircraft.

Pilots to train in two-place ultralights until January 31, 2008. After this date, the ultralight vehicle training exemption expires and only N-numbered aircraft may be used in two-place PPC instruction and flight. [Figure 1-1 D]

Powered Parachute Terms

Different terms have been used throughout the powered parachute community. [Figure 1-2] The terms standardized throughout this book are as follows:

Powered Parachute – The complete aircraft.
Cart – The engine and seats, attached by a structure to wheels; may also be referred to as the fuselage, cockpit, chaise, or airframe.
Wing – Typically a ram-air inflated and pressurized wing including lines that attach to the cart. The wing is not in position to fly until the aircraft is in motion; when not inflated, referred to as a parachute or chute.

Introduction to the Powered Parachute

The powered parachute is a category of aircraft that flies in a manner unique among light-sport aircraft. Three significant differences separate the PPC from other types of light sport aircraft (LSA): [Figure 1-3]

The wing must be inflated and pressurized by ram air prior to each takeoff.
The aircraft uses a pendulum configuration, where the cart hangs about 20 feet below the wing, connected via flexible suspension lines.
The wing is at a relatively fixed angle with the suspension lines and flies at a relatively constant speed. Other aircraft categories allow pilots to change the speed of the aircraft, but the powered parachute airspeed remains within a very small range.

A powered parachute can be a single place ultralight flying vehicle, a single place light-sport aircraft, or a multi-place light-sport aircraft. The common acronyms for this vehicle/aircraft are PPC (powered parachute), PPCL (powered parachute land), or PPCS (powered parachute sea).

A light-sport aircraft PPC used for sport and private flying must be registered with an FAA N-number, have an airworthiness certificate, a pilot’s operating handbook (POH), and/or limitations with a weight and balance document aboard. The aircraft must be maintained properly by the aircraft owner or other qualified personnel and have the aircraft logbooks available for inspection. Dual controls are required in the aircraft for training.

Powered Parachute Pilot Certificate Eligibility Requirements

You may not act as pilot in command (PIC) of a light-sport aircraft-powered parachute unless you hold a pilot certificate with a powered parachute rating issued by the FAA. At this time the only pilot cer-

Figure 1-3. The powered parachute has some unique operating characteristics as compared to other light-sport aircraft. Left, PPC with inflated wing; middle, weight-shift control aircraft; right, fixed-wing LSA.

tificates with powered parachute ratings are Student, Sport and Private. The FAA is empowered by the U.S.

Congress to promote aviation safety by prescribing safety standards for pilots and the other civil aviation programs. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs), formerly referred to as Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs), are one of the primary means of conveying these safety standards.

Title 14 CFR, part 61 specifies the requirements to earn a pilot certificate. This regulation also states the pilot applicant must be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language. The FAA Practical Test Standards (PTS) establish the standards for the knowledge and skills necessary for the issuance of a pilot certificate. [Figure 1-4] You should reference both these documents to understand the knowledge, skills and experience required to obtain a pilot certificate to fly a powered parachute.

Figure 1-4. The PTS is used to test the knowledge and skill of a pilot applicant.

Pilot applicants must have a valid U.S. driver’s license or a current third-class medical certificate issued under 14 CFR part 67. If you use your valid driver’s license to exercise the privileges of a Sport Pilot cer-tificate, then you must also adhere to any restrictions on that driver’s license. You must hold a current third-class medical certificate to exercise the privileges of a Private Pilot certificate.

The process of learning to fly includes a combination of ground training (to include successful completion of the FAA Knowledge Exam) and flight training to include dual flights with a certified flight instructor

(CFI), as well as solo flights under the supervision of your CFI.

To be eligible to fly solo in a PPC, you must be at least 16 years of age and demonstrate satisfactory aeronautical knowledge on a test developed by your instructor. You must have received and logged flight training for the maneuvers and procedures in 14 CFR part 61 for the PPC, as well as demonstrated satisfactory proficiency and safety. Only after all of these requirements are met can your instructor endorse your student pilot certificate and logbook for solo flight.

Once you obtain the required aeronautical knowledge and experience required by 14 CFR part 61, your flight instructor will endorse you to take a practical test (of-ten called a “checkride”) with a sport pilot examiner (SPE) or an FAA inspector. After you’ve demonstrated satisfactory aeronautical knowledge and skill in the Areas of Operation and Tasks outlined in the PTS, this examiner or inspector will issue your temporary (paper) pilot certificate. You will receive a plastic certificate in the mail once the results of the practical test are received by the FAA Registration branch.

A sport pilot is certified to fly a light-sport aircraft. To be eligible for a sport pilot certificate with a powered parachute rating, you must be at least 17 years of age, complete the specific training and flight time requirements described in 14 CFR part 61 subpart J, pass the FAA Knowledge Exam, and successfully complete the practical test.

If you hold at least a private pilot certificate, but not a rating for the category and class of PPC LSA, you can operate the powered parachute with a logbook endorsement and passing a proficiency check. [Table

1] If you hold at least a private pilot certificate with a PPC category and class rating, and have a current

Table 1. Definitions concerning the certification, ratings, privileges, and limitations of airmen.

third-class medical, then you may operate any PPC LSA in that category and class, and do not need to hold any of the endorsements required by Sport Pi-lots, nor do you need to comply with the limitations of a Sport Pilot certificate.

Note: If you hold at least a Private pilot certificate, but not a medical certificate, you may operate as a Sport Pilot and must comply with 14 CFR part 61 subpart J.

A Sport Pilot instructor can instruct, endorse logbooks for privileges, and give proficiency check flights in a LSA. To be eligible for a Sport Pilot instructor cer-tificate, you must be at least 18 years of age and hold at least a current and valid Sport Pilot certificate with category and class ratings or endorsements appropriate to the flight instructor privileges sought. You must also pass the Sport Pilot instructor and fundamentals of instructing knowledge exams and meet the experience and knowledge requirements outlined in 14 CFR part 61.

Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM)

Your current attitude or mindset is something you, as PIC, must constantly be alert to in order to maintain your safety and that of the aircraft, your passenger and the general public on the ground. To accomplish sound aeronautical decision making (ADM), you must first be aware of your limitations and well-being (physical and psychological health), even before beginning the first preflight routine. While technology is constantly improving equipment and strengthening materials, safe flight comes down to the decisions made by the human pilot prior to and during flight.

The well-being of the pilot is the starting point for the decision making processes that will occur while in control of the aircraft. Just as physical fatigue and illness will directly affect your judgment, so too will your attitude management, stress management, risk management, personality tendencies, and situational awareness. Hence, it is the awareness of your human factors and the knowledge of the related corrective action that will not only improve the safety of operating a powered parachute, but will also enhance the joy of flying. See Chapter 16 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25) to learn the decision-making process, risk management tech-niques, and hazardous attitude antidotes you should use in all your flight operations.

The phrase “pilot error” points to the human factors which have caused an incident or accident, including the pilot’s failure to take appropriate action. Typically, it is not a single decision or indecision that leads to an accident, but most likely it is a chain of error-related factors. This inadequate action and poor judgment path is referred to as the human “error chain.” You only need to be aware of a situation and break one link in this error chain to improve the outcome of a sequence of events and return to safe and secure flight. A good instructor will immediately begin teaching

ADM when the student has the ability to confidently control the powered parachute during the most basic maneuvers. During a proficiency or practical test, the instructor or examiner will be evaluating the applicant’s ability to use satisfactory ADM practices as the pilot determines risks and coordinates safe pro-cedures.

Resource Management

Pilots must make effective use of single-pilot resource management (SRM): human resources (pilot, passen-ger, maintenance personnel, and the weather briefer, as applicable), hardware (equipment), and informa-tion. It is similar to crew resource management (CRM) procedures that are being emphasized in multi-crew-member operations except only one crewmember (the pilot) is involved. Resource management is one way of optimizing the risk elements (the pilot, the aircraft, the environment, and the type of flight operation).

This ability to manage the resources available to you is as critical to the successful outcome of the flight as your skills and procedures as a pilot.

Light-sport aircraft are flown by a single pilot. None-theless, there are numerous resources available to that pilot. For instance, even though the passenger is not a pilot, he or she can be asked to assist with scanning the skies and a possible landing location during an emergency. Your knowledge, skills, and consistent use of a checklist are also valuable resources. External resources for the powered parachute pilot include those that can assist with Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and weather information. These resources can include Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS), Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service (HIWAS), and Flight Service Stations (FSS) 800-WX-BRIEF.

Use of Checklists

Checklists have been the foundation of pilot standardization and cockpit safety for many years. The checklist is an aid to the fallible human memory and helps to ensure that critical safety items are not overlooked or forgotten. However, checklists are of no value if the pilot is not committed to their use. Without discipline and dedication in using a checklist, the odds favor the possibility of an error.

The importance of consistent use of checklists cannot be overstated in pilot training. A major objective in primary flight training is to establish habitual patterns that will serve the pilot well throughout their entire flying career. The flight instructor must promote a positive attitude toward the use of checklists, and the student pilot must realize its importance. At a mini-mum, prepared checklists should be referenced for the following phases of flight:

Preflight Inspection
Before Engine Start
Engine Starting
Before Kiting and Taxiing the Wing
During the Takeoff Roll
After Takeoff
Before Landing
After Landing
Engine Shutdown
Postflight Inspection and Securing

Due to the open nature of the cart, you should secure your checklist to ensure it does not get blown through the prop. It should be attached to something (a knee-board strapped to your leg, the instrument panel, etc.) to eliminate the possibility of it being blown away, yet remaining visible and easy to use.

Situational Awareness

Situational awareness is the accurate perception and understanding of all the factors that affect the powered parachute, pilot, passenger, environment and type of operation comprising a given situation. Maintaining situational awareness requires an understanding of the relative significance of these factors and their future impact on the flight. When situationally aware, the pilot has an overview of the total operation and is not fixated on one perceived significant factor.

In addition, an awareness must be maintained of the environmental conditions of the flight, such as spatial orientation of the PPC, and its relationship to terrain, traffic, weather, and airspace.

To maintain situational awareness, all of the skills involved in aeronautical decision making are used. For example, an accurate perception of pilot fitness can be achieved through self-assessment and recognition of hazardous attitudes. Establishing a productive relationship with pattern traffic and traffic control can be accomplished by effective resource use.

Stress Management

Stress is part of the human process. A certain amount of stress can be good as it keeps a person alert and tends to prevent complacency. However, the effects of stress are cumulative. If not coped with adequately, eventually the stress may result in an intolerable burden with negative psychological and perhaps physical consequences. Performance generally increases with the onset of stress, peaks, and then begins to fall off rapidly as stress levels exceed a person’s ability to cope. The ability to make effective decisions during flight is likely to be impaired by stress. Hence, the ability to reduce high levels of cockpit stress will have a direct correlation to aircraft safety.

Stress management in the aircraft begins by making an assessment of stress in all areas of your life. There are several techniques to help manage the accumulation of life stresses and prevent stress overload.

For example: set realistic goals; manage time more effectively; include relaxation time in a busy sched-ule; maintain a weekly program of physical fitness; and maintain flight proficiency. If stress does strike in flight, you should try to relax, take a deep breath, and then calmly begin to think rationally through the resolution and decision process.

Medical Factors Related to the PPC

Medical factors, regardless of their severity, should never be dismissed without at least a cursory consid-eration. Even a toothache or the common cold can be detrimental to a safe flight, especially when drugs of any sort, even non-prescription, are taken before the flight.

Most medical issues can be easily handled in a PPC, but a few can have severe influences on the safety of the flight. For instance, medical situations might cause the muscles of the limbs to tighten or go into a spasm. These scenarios can be deadly, such as when the legs are pressing against a steering bar during a seizure.

The following medical factors are not listed by impor-tance, but by alphabetical order for easy reference.

Alcohol

Alcohol directly affects the brain and can do so very quickly. Some myths still surround alcohol: drinking coffee can dissipate the effects, or taking a cold shower will “sober” you up quickly. The fact is that becoming intoxicated is determined by the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream. Once consumed, alcohol can enter the bloodstreamand therefore the brain— in as quickly as 10 minutes. Once in the brain, motor skills immediately begin to deteriorate. The common aviation saying is “8 hours bottle to throttle.” However, depending on the metabolism of the indi-vidual, it may be twice as long before some humans can dissipate the negative effects of alcohol. Even in small amounts, alcohol can affect your motor skills, diminish your mental reasoning, decrease your sense of responsibility, and shorten your memory. In addi-tion, the effect of alcohol is greatly multiplied when gaining altitude.

FAA regulations state that no one may act as a crew-member if they have consumed alcohol within 8 hours of flight, are under the influence of alcohol, are using any drug affecting their faculties contrary to safety, or if they have a blood alcohol level greater than 0.04 percent. Part 61 also states that refusal to take a drug or alcohol test, a conviction for a violation of any Federal or State statute relating to the operation of a motor vehicle (that’s right a car) while under the influence of alcohol or a drug, or failure to provide a written report of each motor vehicle action to the FAA (not later than 60 days after the motor vehicle action) are grounds for:

Denial of an application for any certificate, rating, or authorization for a period of up to 1 year after the date of such refusal: or
Suspension or revocation of any certificate, rating, or authorization.

Anxiety

Anxiety can cause humans to act in unpredictable and negative ways. If your future is uncertain or an unpredictable event occurs that forces you into an unknown path, anxiety can appear. Self realization and learned confidence through knowledge and practice are the best ways to prepare for possible anxiety attacks.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is typically not a factor in a powered parachute, as the engine is behind the pilot in the typical PPC pusher configura-tion. However, since CO is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, you need to be alert to exposure prior to flight.

Dehydration

Dehydration is the critical loss of water from the body.

The first noticeable effect of dehydration is fatigue. A powered parachute pilot is particularly susceptible to dehydration, as they normally fly in an open cart, often exposed for hours to the direct rays of the sun. If dehydration occurs and water is not replaced, fatigue will progress to dizziness, weakness, nausea, tingling of hands and feet, abdominal cramps, and extreme thirst. It is highly recommended for PPC pilots, especially those that fly in desert regions, to carry an ample supply of water and to drink regularly, regardless of whether or not you feel thirsty. When you begin to feel thirsty, the beginning stages of dehydration have already started.

Drugs

One of the biggest misconceptions is the myth that over-the-counter drugs may be taken before a flight.

A non-prescription drug does not mean it is free of side effects that may affect your faculties. Consult a physician about mixing flying with any drugs. Many medications such as tranquilizers, sedatives, strong pain relievers, and cough-suppressants have primary effects that may impair judgment, memory, alertness, coordination, vision, and the ability to make calcula-tions. Others, such as antihistamines, blood pressure drugs, muscle relaxants, and agents to control diarrhea and motion sickness, have side effects that may impair the same critical functions.

Pain killers or over-the-counter analgesics, such as Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), Tylenol (acetamino-phen), and Advil ibuprofen), have few side effects when taken in the correct dosage. Flying is usually not restricted when taking these drugs. However, flying is almost always precluded while using prescription analgesics such as Darvon, Percodan, Demerol, and codeine, since these drugs may cause side effects such as mental confusion, dizziness, headaches, nau-sea, and vision problems.

Regulations prohibit pilots from performing duties while using any medication that affects their abilities in any way contrary to safety. The safest rule is not to fly while taking any medication, unless approved to do so by an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).

Middle Ear and Sinus Problems

As powered parachutes are not pressurized, atmospheric pressure changes will affect pilots flying to high altitudes. Atmospheric pressure decreases as you ascend, and increases as you descend. The pilot’s in-ner ear does not always have a means to adjust its contained air pressure to the outside or ambient air pressure. When the pressure in the inner ear is anything different than the outside air pressure, the result can be pain as the eardrum bulges outward or inward in reaction to the pressure differential.

To resolve this condition you need to equalize the pressure via the eustachian tube that leads from the middle ear to your mouth. One method of doing this is to pinch your nostrils shut, close your mouth and lips, and blow slowly and gently in the mouth and nose. This procedure forces air up the eustachian tube into the middle ear. If you have a cold, an ear infec-tion, or sore throat, you may not be able to equalize the pressure in your ears. A flight in this condition can be extremely painful, as well as damaging to your eardrums. Hence, flying is not recommended if you have an illness with symptoms around the ears, nose or mouth.

Fatigue

Fatigue is frequently associated with pilot error. Many pilots do not want to readily admit that fatigue could be a detrimental factor to their flight skills. Some of the effects of fatigue include degradation of attention, degradation of concentration, impaired coordination, and decreased ability to communicate. These factors can seriously influence a pilot’s ability to make effective decisions.

Whether you experience physical fatigue from a lack of sleep or physical work, or mental fatigue from stress, you should consider staying grounded.

Hyperventilation

Hyperventilation occurs when you are experiencing rate tina sten in friest of pain, and aur dioning

(CO,) is already at a reduced level in the blood. The result is an excessive loss of carbon dioxide from your body, which can lead to unconsciousness due to the respiratory system’s overriding mechanism to regain breathing control.

The typical symptoms need to be recognized and should not be confused with hypoxia, which shares some indicators. Lightheadedness, feelings of suffo-cation, and drowsiness can be some of the first signs.

Hyperventilation may produce a pale, clammy appearance and muscle spasms compared to the cyanosis and limp muscles associated with hypoxia. As hyperventilation progresses, you may then feel tingling in the extremities, then muscle cramps; cramps

that can be become severe and painful. If you don’t correct your breathing, your brain will override your consciousness, and cause you to faint, while the brain regains control of your breathing.

Hyperventilation can occur when a pilot feels an excessive amount of stress, fear or anxiety. An unexpected or extreme encounter with a thermal or turbulence may unconsciously increase your breathing rate. These situations and the associated feelings tend to increase the rate and size of breath, which then results in clearing too much CO, from the body.

The solution is to relax and slow down your breathing.

This can be accomplished by talking or singing out loud, or breathing into a paper bag which keeps fresh oxygenated air from further reducing the CO, in your system. Symptoms will rapidly subside after the rate and depth of breathing are brought under control.

Hypoxia

Hypoxia is a lack of oxygen. There are many forms of hypoxia that are beyond the scope and need for discussion in a PPC manual, but the results from oxygen deficiency are the impairment of the functions of the brain and other organs. Symptoms include headache, drowsiness, dizziness, euphoria, and blue fingernails and lips.

The most likely cause for a PPC pilot to experience symptoms of hypoxia would be flying too high. Unless you are a private pilot with a powered parachute rating, you need to stay below 10,000 feet where you will have less chance of experiencing hypoxia in a PPC. However, if you are acclimated to sea level conditions and climb above 8,000 feet, you may feel the effects of hypoxia. The longer you stay at altitude, the greater the effects of hypoxia will be. In addition, recent consumption of alcohol, smoking, and some medications will render a pilot more susceptible to disorientation and hypoxia. If you question your condition and consider hypoxia to be a potential problem, you should fly at lower altitudes and/or use supplemental oxygen.

Motion Sickness

Motion sickness, or airsickness, is caused by the brain receiving conflicting messages about the orientation of the body. The inner ear— specifically the vestibular system—is reporting one spatial orientation, and the eyes are communicating a different scenario. This not only causes confusion in your thinking, it may possibly create vertigo or spatial disorientation. It often causes vomiting and a debilitating feeling. Vomiting

is due to a nerve that is connected from the brain to the stomach. When confusion or disagreement occurs between the eyes and the orientating vestibular system, vomiting may erupt.

When symptoms of motion sickness begin, get back on the ground. In the meantime, avoid unnecessary head movements and keep your eyes on the horizon.

As the pilot, you should note if the passenger, who had been talking throughout the flight, gets quiet. You should ask “how are you doing” because getting quiet is sometimes a precursor to feelings of nausea. Inform passengers while still on the ground to let you know if their stomach begins to feel “uneasy.”

Motion sickness can be the result of continued flight stimulation, such as rapid or unexpected turns and swinging through the PPC pendulum. As the pilot, you will find a reduced rate of upset stomachs if you let the passenger know, ahead of time, the flight maneuver you are about to make and avoid abrupt maneuvers.

For new students, anxiety and stress may greatly contribute to motion sickness. However, after a few lessons and some time in the air from the front seat, these feelings/symptoms will usually dissipate.

Medication like Dramamine can be used to prevent motion sickness/nausea in passengers, but since it can cause drowsiness, it is not recommended for the pilot.

Scuba Diving

Taking a flight, especially a high flight, after a deep scuba dive can have some devastating results. This is because the increased pressure of the water during a dive causes nitrogen to be absorbed into the body tissues and bloodstream. Then, when flying at altitudes of reduced atmospheric pressure, the nitrogen will move out of the bloodstream and tissues at a rapid rate. This rapid out-gassing of nitrogen is called the bends (as it is felt in the joints— the bending joints of the limbs) and is painful and incapacitating.

A pilot or passenger who intends to fly after scuba diving should allow the body sufficient time to rid itself of excess nitrogen that was absorbed during the dive. If the appropriate amount of time is not allowed, decompression sickness due to gases released in the blood can result in a serious in-flight emergency.

As an absolute standard safety measure, any pilot flying near a large body of water should ask the passenger during the preflight if he or she has recently been scuba diving.

The following waiting times are recommended:

Spatial Disorientation

Spatial disorientation is not normally associated with slow and low (non-aerobatic) powered parachute flights. However, it is important to know that spatial disorientation is a condition of the body’s confusion relative to the spatial position. This commonly results from the eyes disagreeing with the sense of balance (the vestibular system of the inner ear) which may be disagreeing with the postural nerve impulses from the pressure areas in the skin and muscles. Hence, the brain gets conflicting spatial information. This condition is sometimes called vertigo.

The recommended procedure to deal with spatial disorientation is to maintain constant, straight and level flight via the throttle and remove all control input to the steering controls.

Stress

Stress is a strong factor in pilot error. Stressful situations are very disruptive conditions. There are three categories of stress: environment (physical, such as loud noises), psychological (the loss of a loved one) and physiological (fatigue). Any of these factors can be influential on your mental capacities, and hence should be given consideration when begining your medical self-evaluation prior to preflight inspection.

Any pilot experiencing a high level of stress is not safe and should not fly as PIC.

Stroke and Heart Attack

In the event you feel light-headed or dizzy, you should remove your feet from an input position on the steering controls. When you feel light-headed or dizzy, there is a possibility this could be a prelude to a heart attack or stroke. If you are about to experience a medical problem of this magnitude, then you could have a seizure or leg spasms (due to the pain from the heart attack) and therefore, uncontrollably and without intention, spiral yourself into the ground if the leg spasm induces severe steering input.

If you don’t feel “right”— pull your feet away from those steering controls, at least until you begin to feel better, and then get yourself safely on the ground as soon as possible.

Medical Summary —”The Bottom Line”

Before even approaching the PPC, you must take a moment to reflect upon your current medical, physi-cal, and psychological condition. It is in this reflective moment that you should begin to evaluate your ability to safely conduct the flight. Once satisfied with your self-evaluation, the preflight inspection can then con-tinue. Using the “I’M SAFE” checklist is a smart way to start your preflight before getting to the powered parachute. Prior to flight, assess your fitness as well as the aircraft’s airworthiness. [Figure 1-5]