By Jon Eisele, EAA Lifetime 739102
This piece originally ran in the April 2025 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
As winter loosens its grip and the days begin to grow longer, pilots across the ultralight community eagerly await returning to the sky. After months of cold weather and limited flying, spring’s arrival brings anticipation but also introduces various risk factors that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Each year, generally beginning in March and tapering off in June, the paramotor and paragliding communities typically experience an uptick in avoidable accidents. These accidents can be attributed to a variety of factors, including mental rust, skill decay, overconfidence, and unintentional neglect.
As an Oshkosh-based paramotor instructor, I see and experience these challenges firsthand each spring, but they are not unique to Wisconsin nor the sport of powered paragliding. They apply broadly across the diverse ultralight community and throughout the United States. My goal in writing this article is to help pilots recognize the seasonal risks that come with shaking off the winter rust and to provide practical steps for easing back into flying safely. By taking a methodical approach, pilots can reduce unnecessary risks, rebuild skills with confidence, and set the tone for a safe and rewarding flying season.
Beware the Ides of Spring
The first handful of spring flights can feel a lot like riding a bike. Because of this, it can be easy to forget that time away from flying leads to diminished muscle memory, slower reaction times, and a lapse in procedural discipline. As a result, pilots may find themselves making mistakes they wouldn’t have made when they were more proficient at the end of the last flying season. While this can manifest itself in many different forms, this may include overlooking a critical component during preflight, failing to clear a brake toggle after clipping in, or overcontrolling their wing at an insufficient altitude.
Spring weather conditions can also be deceptive and change quickly. While warmer temperatures are inviting, spring often brings gustier winds, dynamic weather patterns, and earlier/increased thermic activity. Unsuspecting pilots who launch in seemingly calm conditions may find themselves in turbulent air they weren’t expecting or aren’t prepared for.
Additionally, after a long winter break, pilots may unintentionally accept more risk than they should. Flying in shorts and a T-shirt feels far different than carefully layering up for winter flights. That seemingly small but meaningful comfort shift can lead to a relaxed, complacent, or overconfident mindset.
Prepping for a Safe Return
The first step to safely transitioning back into flying after a long winter is to develop an action plan. Whether you fly a paramotor, paraglider, powered parachute, or other ultralight, here are some steps to consider before returning to the skies.
- Care for Your Equipment
Before strapping into your harness, take the time to thoroughly inspect your equipment. A preflight inspection is always important, but it becomes even more critical after months of storage. While your wing may have never been taken out of the storage bag you packed it in several months ago, who’s to say that a curious rodent didn’t make themself at home?
Look for wear and tear on your wing’s fabric, structural components, suspension lines, maillons, risers, trimmers, and brake toggles. While airworthiness inspections are not required for ultralight vehicles operating under Part 103, owners are strongly encouraged to have their wing professionally inspected each year or every 80-100 hours. These inspections typically cost no more than a few hundred dollars and are well worth the peace of mind and additional layer of safety they provide.
Regarding safety equipment, in addition to regular visual inspections, most manufacturers of reserve parachutes recommend a repack and inspection every six to 12 months. This typically costs between $50-$100. If you fly with floatation devices, take the time to inspect and test them as well. The water sensor activation units used for automatic inflation have an expiration date, so you should check and replace them before expiration. If you live, fly, or store the floats in a humid environment, then the sensors should be replaced every 12 months due to moisture absorption from the air reducing their usable life. Most automatic floatation devices can be manually inflated and deflated using a tube on the side, allowing you to check the float itself for air leaks.
Engine components, drive belts, rubber motor mounts, tires, propellers, and harnesses should also be closely inspected for damage, deterioration, and rot. Spark plugs will foul, throttle cables can rust, fuel lines can become brittle, and old gas can go bad. Because the flexible diaphragm and membrane materials inside most paramotor carburetors age regardless of use, you should consider cleaning and rebuilding the carburetor once a year or every 100 hours for optimal engine performance. This is especially true if you notice erratic idling or changes in weather significantly impacting your engine’s behavior.
Generally, those who use gasoline with ethanol added will find themselves replacing diaphragms and fuel lines more often. The good news is that modern paramotors use simple carburetors. Therefore, a typical rebuild and cleaning should take no more than half an hour, should cost no more than $25 in materials, and can be performed at the kitchen table by someone with only basic mechanical skills. While you’re at it, spend $4 on a new spark plug.
- Go Back to the Basics
Running straight into the air after spending months on the ground isn’t a good plan. When first learning how to fly, ground handling, also known as “kiting” (for paragliding and powered paragliding) or “taxi practice” (for powered parachutes and trikes), is the fundamental skill set upon which all other skills are built. Long after initial training, ground handling remains an invaluable way to maintain your skills, improve your reaction time, and reacquaint yourself with your flying machine before returning to the sky. Taking a few hours to revisit checklist/clip-in procedures and practice inflating, kiting, controlling, and disabling your wing in different wind conditions will pay dividends on your first flight back.
Better yet, set a personal goal to devote a certain amount of kiting time per flying time throughout the next flying season — a 1-to-1 ratio is an excellent place to start.
Once you’re back in the air, remember to take it easy. Have a plan and clear objectives for each flight — and stick to the plan. Practicing S-turn approaches, precision landings, and ground reference maneuvers (such as rectangular courses, turns around points, and S-turns across a road) are valuable exercises that further refine glider control, coordination, planning, and reaction time in a controlled, measurable way. Even if you plan on departing for a local cross-country flight, make it a goal to practice at least one of these skills before packing up.
- Set Personal Weather Minimums
As the seasons turn, spring weather can be dynamic and change quickly. On top of that, many regions have their own seasonal quirks and local weather patterns that are important to recognize and respect. For example, along the western shore of Lake Michigan, strong lake breezes are common with high-pressure systems in spring and fall when sunny days enhance the temperature difference between the land and water.
Temperature contrasts of 20 degrees or more combined with predominantly calm winds can create conditions for a strong gust front from the lake, sometimes gusting up to 20 mph and spreading westward for 100-plus miles before weakening. As a result, the deceivingly calm air and clear blue skies of a high-pressure system can lure unsuspecting pilots into a trap if they don’t recognize the conditions or heed the forecast. Once again, this is just one example of many.
Therefore, it’s important to study the weather carefully and set conservative minimums after a long break. If you’re comfortable flying in up to 10 mph surface winds during peak flying season, consider cutting that number down to 5 mph maximum for your first few flights to allow yourself margin for error and time to rebuild skills. Calm morning and evening conditions outside of the daily thermic cycle are ideal for busting off the winter rust.
- Revisit Emergency Procedures
When was the last time you thought through or practiced an emergency scenario? Do you have a clear understanding of what you would do if you encountered an engine-out, wing collapse, oscillation, or “loaded riser twist” scenario at low altitude? Reviewing emergency procedures — both mentally and physically — can be the difference between a controlled landing and a painful lesson. Practice simulated engine-out landings, review how to handle collapses and equipment failures, rehearse reserve throws, and remind yourself of the decision points where you should abort a takeoff or landing. A reputable, qualified instructor can be a vital resource to assist in this process.
If you fly paramotors, remember there are two types of paramotor pilots. There are those who’ve had an engine-out and those who will have an engine-out. Every normal landing is free practice for an eventual loss of power. Be intentional and challenge yourself to spot land each time. Doing so will further refine your planning, glider control, and energy management skills. Plus, it’s fun!
- Fly With a Safety Mindset
Spring fever is real, and the urge to push limits can be strong. I often remind my students that while not completely safe, the sport of powered paragliding is largely as safe as the decisions we make and the level of risk we choose to accept. Especially compared to the more structured process of flying an airplane, every paramotor flight is potentially an “unscripted joyride” that leads us closer to making impulsive decisions and accepting unnecessary risk in pursuit of a temporary feeling of adrenaline.
It’s important to remember that no flight or crowd is worth compromising safety. If the conditions feel off, or if something doesn’t seem right during your preflight, trust your gut and wait for a better opportunity. Remember, there will always be better days to fly. The goal is to enjoy the entire flying season, not just the first few flights back.
The Importance of Community and Mentorship
One of the best ways to ease back into flying is to lean on the experience of others. If you’re returning after an extended break, consider flying with a friend or seeking refresher lessons to brush up on techniques and procedures. Local flying groups and mentors can also offer valuable insights on current weather trends, safe launch sites, and best practices.
Unlike certificated aircraft pilots, ultralight operators are not required to accomplish a periodic or biennial flight review with an instructor. However, an experienced, qualified instructor can help you to develop a personal action plan while guiding your continued progression. Doing so will not only improve your skills but also build your confidence and potentially reveal dangerous blind spots you would’ve never known you had. Additionally, an advanced course, maneuver clinic, or trike transition course could be a great way to bust rust under the supervision of an instructor while gaining new skills.
For instructors, early spring is also a key time to reinforce safety techniques and aeronautical decision-making with students, beginners, and even seasoned pilots. Many new pilots who trained in the fall may be facing their first truly independent flights, while others may need guidance or have never had a meaningful discussion about what it means to fly safely and responsibly.
Meanwhile, experienced pilots aren’t immune to risk. Familiarity often makes us prone to overestimating our abilities, developing bad habits, or becoming complacent. Spring is also a common time for pilots to upgrade their gear. Someone in your flying circle may have recently purchased a higher-performance wing they aren’t fully prepared for while returning to flight. Encouraging all pilots to ease into the season with careful preflights, plenty of ground-handling practice, and conservative decision-making is key to preventing avoidable spring mishaps across our communities. Help pilots make good decisions and build good habits that will serve them all season long.
Most importantly, remember that as an instructor, others are looking to you for leadership. Lead by example. If you don’t, consequences are sure to follow.
As aviators, we’re always learning and capable of making mistakes. When armed with enough humility, even the most experienced aviator can learn from the least experienced. No matter your skill level, we all share a responsibility to look out for our flying friends. A word of caution, helpful tip, simple reminder, or setting a positive example at your local landing zone may be all that it takes to prevent an avoidable consequence.
In Conclusion
Spring is one of the most exciting times in ultralight aviation. The sky opens up again, new flying adventures await, and the joy of personal flight is rekindled. But with that excitement comes responsibility. Taking the time to methodically ease back into flying, refresh skills, and respect the seasonal risks ensures that pilots can enjoy a safe and successful return to the air.
So, as you dust off your gear and prepare for your first flight of the season, remember that patience, preparation, and prudence will keep you soaring safely all year long.
Have fun being safe out there!
Jon Eisele, EAA Lifetime 739102, is the owner of ParAmerica LLC in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the leader of the Airythmia Paramotor Demonstration Team. He is also a United States Powered Paragliding Association instructor administrator and active fixed-wing CFI. Email him at info@paramerica.us.