Instructors

Instructors are your gateway into the sport. One of your first moves should be to go purchase a demo lesson. Find out if that kind of flying is for you. Expect to pay for the demo flight.

Disclaimer: Flying Club 1 has no connection with any of these instructors. We list the nearby instructors here but make no endorsement.

Foot-launched Powered Paragliders (PPGs)

PPGs fly under Part 103 rules, so a license from the FAA is not required. The USPPA (the U.S. Powered Paragliding Association) has a series of ratings — PPG1, PPG2… — that serve the same purpose. To fly at most gatherings you'll need to have a PPG2 rating.

 

Gives demonstration flights?Yes
Gives instruction?Yes
Can you train in his gear?No
Can you solo in his gear?No
Brian Goff
Brian Goff
  • Aviator PPG in Florida
    Website: AviatorPPG.com/

    For full-service PPG trike training, spend two weeks at AviatorPPG.com in Lake Wales, FL. They run one of the most professional schools in the business. They also have affiliates who teach their way.

    • 14 days required.
    • 18-month waiting list
    • Very thorough training
    • U.S. Powered Paragliding Association PPG1 & PPG2 syllabus
    • Both foot-launch and trike
    • All gear rental included
    • $3,640. Food, housing, and travel not included
    • 250lb weight maximum
Gives demonstration flights?Yes
Gives instruction?Yes
Can you train in their gear?Yes
Can you solo in their gear?Yes
Aviator PPG instructor
Aviator PPG

Powered Paraglider (PPG) with Trike

  • Mark Barron
    Phone: 703-629-9606
    Email: mhbjeep@gmail.com

    Mark is just starting as a PPG instructor. So far, he's qualified to give demonstration flights in his 2-seat trike. That will give you a good introduction to the sport.

    Request a tandem flight by filling in this form:  
    Mark Barron Discovery Flight Request Form
Gives demonstration flights?Yes
Gives instruction?No
Can you train in his gear?n/a
Can you solo in his gear?n/a
Mark Barron
Mark Barron
  • Aviator PPG
    A full-service PPG training school in Florida. See details in the section above.

Gives demonstration flights?Yes
Gives instruction?Yes
Can you train in their gear?Yes
Can you solo in their gear?Yes
 

Trikes

  • Lori Keech
    St. Mary's, PA
    Phone: 814-389-2896
    Email: highflight7@yahoo.com
    Website: None

    Lori and Bob Keech teach at the St. Marys Airport (OYM) in northwest Pennsylvania, about 4½ hours from us. They operate under the name Cloud 9 Aerosports. A local newscaster produced this video of flying with Lori.

Give demonstration flights?Yes
Give instruction?Yes
Can you train in their trike?Yes
Can you solo in their trike?No
Lori Keech
Lori Keech and her Northwing Apache trike
Give demonstration flights?Yes
Give instruction?Yes
Can you train in their trike?Yes
Can you solo in their trike?No
Larry Mednick
Larry Mednick of Evolution Trikes

Gyroplanes

Gives demonstration flights?Yes
Gives instruction?Yes
Can you train in his gyro?Yes
Can you solo in his gyro?No
Frank Noe and his AutoGyro MTO gyro
Frank Noe and his AutoGyro MTO gyro

Ultralight Airplanes

These small airplanes definitely behave differently than the Cessna or Piper you may be familiar with. They are much lighter and draggier and they typically require more rudder inputs than larger airplanes.
GET TRAINING. Do not think that because you know how to fly a Cessna that you're good to go in an Aerolite 103 or a Quicksilver.

Unfortunately, there is no nearby place to get trained in ultralight airplanes. Your best bet is to get trained in a Light Sport Airplane, such as at Chesapeake Sport Pilot below. Then get brief transition training in a 2-place Quicksilver. The club can help you with that.

  • Andy Alldredge in Indiana
    Tri-State Kites, Mt. Vernon, Indiana
    Phone: 812-781-9882
    Email: andy@trikite.com
    Website: Trikite.com

    In Mt. Vernon, IN, Tri-State Kites builds and services Quicksilver ultralights. They also train in them.

Gives demonstration flights?Yes
Gives instruction?Yes
Can you train in his plane?Yes
Can you solo in his plane?Yes
State Kites - Aircraft
Tri-State Kites - Aircraft
  • Michigan Ultralight Flying Club in Michigan
    Call Rob Edmunds 248-408-2510 or
    John von Linsowe 810-730-4807
    Email: johnvonlinsowe@gmail.com
    Website: www.michiganultralight.org/

    The Michigan Ultralight Flying Club operates out of Alkay Airport (51G), a grass field north of Flint, Michigan. The club is mainly set up for local pilots, but they will train out-of-towners.

    The club owns two aircraft — an M-Squared Breese 2-seat and a Quicksilver MX ultralight. Because the M-Squared is an SLSA, it can be used for instruction. When you join the club, you become a part owner of the two aircraft. Once you're trained to the satisfaction of the club's instructors, you can fly the ultralight. However, you must carry liability insurance for non-owned aircraft (~$300/year) and you are responsible for repairing any damage to the plane.

Gives demonstration flights?Yes
Gives instruction?Yes
Can you train in his plane?Yes
Can you solo in his plane?Yes
M-Squared Breese airplane
M-Squared Breese airplane
  • Russ Miley in Florida
    Phone: 231-620-0083
    Email: russellmiley@gmail.com
    Website: Gleim CFI directory

    In Port Charlotte, FL, Russ Miley instructs in his Eurofox taildragger. The people at both Kolb and Aerolite recommend him. In January, 2020, he said:

    1. Most of his "clients" are new to aviation. Most are over 50. Most have just bought a Kolb Firefly or an Aerolite or some such.
    2. Russ has a package deal: $2,590 for one week of training in his Eurofox LSA. He says that's a 2-seat LSA (an LSA is required for instruction) that's as near to an ultralight as he can get. It's an outgrowth of the KitFox.
    3. During the week, he'll fly with you mornings and evenings, about 4 hrs/day, with ground school in the middle of the days.
    4. By day 3 or 4 in the Eurofox most people are able to take off and land OK.
    5. If you brought your own ultralight, he'll take you through soloing in your aircraft. After the Eurofox training, he'll take you through an hour of taxiing and then around the pattern under his radio guidance.
    6. So at the end of the week, you'll have the basic stick-and-rudder skills, plus some navigation, airspace, weather, and aeromedical training.
    7. Plus, he'll go over the basics of maintaining your engine. (He has a Rotax 2-cycle credential.)
    8. He's looking (January, 2020) to buy a used Kolb Firefly to solo his students in (a single-seat Part 103 airplane). He says you can't rent them out for training so he'll set up an LLC flying club and sell you a membership share so that you'll be flying your own Firefly.
    9. He has more customers than he can handle.
Gives demonstration flights?Yes
Gives instruction?Yes
Can you train in his plane?Yes
Can you solo in his plane?No
Eurofox Airplane
Eurofox - (manufacturer's photo - not Russ' plane)

Light Sport Airplanes

  • Helen Woods
    Chesapeake Sport Pilot, Stevensville, MD
    Phone: 410-604-1717
    Email: info@chesapeakesportpilot.com
    Website: chesapeakesportpilot.com

    Helen is the owner and manager of Chesapeake Sport Pilot. As you will see on their website, this is an active organization with many instructors and aircraft. They focus on the sport end of aviation, which makes them a good fit for out kind of flying. They're located just outside the Washington security zone, at Bay Bridge Airport at the eastern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Gives demonstration flights?Yes
Gives instruction?Yes
Can you train in her plane?Yes
Can you solo in her plane?Yes
Helen Woods
Helen Woods

Powered Parachutes (PPCs)

  • Frank Noe
    Phone: 443-253-7681
    Email: frankcanfly@yahoo.com
    Website: www.gyromojo.com

    Based in Frederick, MD, Frank is mainly a gyroplane instructor. But he loves PPCs, has one, and will add PPC instruction to his ticket if someone wants instruction.

Gives demonstration flights?Yes
Gives instruction?Yes
Can you train in his gear?Yes
Can you solo in his gear?No
Frank Noe and his PPC
Frank Noe and his PPC at Green Landings in West Virginia.