Beachgoers almost taken out by paramotor pilot flying ‘dangerously’ low
Beachgoers were startled when a ‘reckless’ paramotor pilot came within a few feet of them on a public beach.
The daredevil was using the motorised paraglider when he broke aviation laws by performing low-level fly-pasts over Bournemouth beach.
During one, he came within 12 feet of a group of his mates on the sand as he buzzed past them.
The man, who had a paramotor with an exposed propeller strapped to his back, also came close to other members of the public on the beach.
Civil Aviation Authority laws class paramotors as aircraft and state users cannot fly them within 500ft of any person, vehicle or structure.
Last month, another paramotor pilot was ordered to pay nearly £3,000 in fines and costs when he was filmed landing next to a sunbather on the beach at West Bay.
David Hoare, a persistent offender, was convicted for breaching CAA laws by magistrates in Weymouth.
Marc Asqueth, from the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, slammed the Bournemouth pilot after studying the footage.
He said the majority of pilots are members of the BHGPA, undergo training and fly responsibly.
But he said some rogue pilots buy cheaper second hand paramotors off eBay and teach themselves to fly.
‘It is depressing and irritating to see,’ he said. ‘This man just does not care about the laws of this land. This is clearly illegal and dangerous flying. The 500ft law to keep away from people, vehicles and structures isn’t just upwards it is also sideways.
‘This guy is just a matter of feet from members of the public as well as the lifeguard station. The CAA are busy prosecuting people for this sort of thing and I hope they find this guy and do the same.’
Mr Asqueth said the video may look like it was a smooth landing, but if his canopy had been struck by turbulence, the man would not have been able to manoeuvre and could have crashed into a person.
‘The back of the paramotor is completely exposed and a spinning propeller is absolutely lethal. It is this sort of thing that gives the sport a bad name,’ he said.
In 2019, a YouTuber filmed his own death after a paramotoring accident.
Grant Thompson died aged 38 in a paramotoring accident in Utah after being reported missing previously.
Police said Thompson’s death was caught on camera, although will never be released to the public.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that a camera was mounted to the YouTuber’s paramotor, and shows exactly how he died.
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