PARAMOTOR vs TRIKES: With or Without Wheels???

Which type of paramotor is BEST for you: Wheels or Foot Launch? Let explore their differences so that you can make an educated purchase that your won't regret!

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro (The Contenders)
01:20 - Cost
01:52 - Physical Demand
03:03 - Practicality and Transportation
04:25 - Flying with a Passenger
05:33 - Solo Flying (ease of use)
06:21 - Takeoff Characteristics and Differences
07:00 - Handling/Experience in the air
08:00 - The Verdict (Final Thoughts)

Trikes are more expensive because there is more material used in manufacturing them. For example, the backpack paramotors that I’ve owned have ranged from $5500 to $8,250. The trike that I own starts at $13,200 however, there are smaller models available that cost a bit less. Point being, trikes cost more and that may make a difference to you.

Trikes are far less taxing on your body than back mounted paramotors; Even if the pilot lands gracefully every time. When learning to fly, trainees often make little mistakes that result in falling during a takeoff of landing usually because their legs simply cannot keep up with the speed combined with the weight. If you’re physically fit, you may be able to take a spill and get back on the horse. However, the majority of folks coming into the sport are older. Someone who experiences chronic pain anywhere along their spine, hips, or lower extremity should strongly consider a trike.

Just how practical are the two versions of paramotors? Unless you live on a large piece of land that you can safely launch and land a trike from, a backpack version of a paramotor will likely be more practical since transporting a trike generally is more challenging and more time consuming. The trike that I own requires another person to help me lift and lower it into and out of the bed of my truck. Transporting my backpack paramotor is easier, faster, and most importantly, I can do it on my own. I can transport my back mounted paramotor in other ways that are even faster than using my truck. More often than not, I ride my ATV or electric scooter to the field while wearing my paramotor on my back.

Flying with a passenger is possible with both versions of a paramotor as well, but it’s unquestionably easier to fly with people using a trike. The back pack foot launch versions can be equipped with a long bar that extends in front of the pilot that a passenger can then be clipped into. Because the pilot and passenger are so close to each other, the takeoff and landing can be, and often is, very difficult. When you own a trike designed for taking another person up, you take off the same way you would if you didn’t have a passenger. It’s much easier!

I have a love/hate relationship with using my legs as landing gear. Though it may not be the case for others my age, I occasionally feel a sharp pain in my feet when I land. This is especially true during the colder times of year. Also, wearing a back pack that weighs upwards of 70-80 pounds with fuel is exhausting, especially when it’s hot outside!

Foot launched paramotors are capable of taking off in smaller areas because they get into the air in a shorter distance than wheeled paramotors. Trikes are heavier, so acceleration is generally slower. A footlaunch paramotor takes off faster than a trike because it reaches the speed required for liftoff sooner than a trike.

All that said, you should fly from location that is much bigger that you actually need whether you’re piloting a foot launch unit or a trike.

Foot launch paramotors and trike paramotors handle very similarly in the air, however, foot launch paramotors typically come with a design feature called swing arms that can allow the pilot to feel more connected to the glider. Trikes don’t have this feature, unless you get a hybrid version of a trike that process some features that are similar to a footlaunch unit. If you’re interested in those, let me know in the comments and I’ll make a video on it.

Since trikes are heavier than foot launch units, they’re typically flown with larger glider. Larger gliders generally don’t possess the same agility that is found in smaller sportier gliders, like my warp. Keep in mind, not everyone wants the fly aggressive. In fact, most paramotor pilots fly conservatively on gliders that don’t behave like a bat out of hell.

What my trike affords me is very relaxing experience in the air where is soak up the views, free of worry about weather my landing is going to hurt my legs. Most of all, I love touch and goes; I feel so accomplished whenever I squeak in a gentle landing.

If you’re in top notch shape, I suggest getting a footlaunch unit while you still have your youth about you. Avoid getting a footlaunch unit simply because they’re more affordable if you have an injury that could get worse by using one. Trikes are incredible. Footlaunch units are incredible.