10 Ways to FLY BEFORE YOU BUY a Paramotor With BlackHawk!

We understand that getting into the sport is a BIG investment for most people. We’ve seen quite a few posts on Social Media lately from people expressing their frustration with being “required to invest thousands into something they haven’t even tried yet.” Purchasing an entire Paramotor Package before getting the chance to explore the sport is (and should be) a concern for potential Pilots. At BlackHawk, we want to make sure that everyone can experience this life-changing form of flight without the “pressure to buy now.” We’ve even seen Dealers offer “free lessons,” while the price of training just gets rolled into the cost of purchasing gear (which is “required” to get the “free” lessons). This just isn’t the way BlackHawk does business. In fact, here’s 10 examples of ways people can get into the sport on their own terms:

1. Day Rate Lessons: If someone wants to just take lessons for a day, we have day-rates available and supply all the equipment at our Headquarters. Then, if someone decides to continue the class, we can just apply the day-rate funds into a full course. It’s a good way to get your feet wet and explore the sport before you commit.

2. Tandem Introductory Flights: If anyone wants to go for a ride to ensure they are comfortable before they invest, we can take care of them. Any money they spend on a Tandem flight will be credited towards the purchase of lessons or equipment if they think the sport is right for them.

3. We provide all the equipment during lessons! We know that not all of our Dealers have the equipment or facilities to provide this, but at our Headquarters or larger Training Centers, BlackHawk provides all the gear needed to train – included in the price of lessons. This means people don’t need to buy equipment prior to learning – OR, they don’t even need to by a BlackHawk if they want something else. As long as they are flying and safe, that’s all we care about =)

4. We offer huge Training Specials throughout the year. The discount is often large enough to cover airfare from anywhere in the Continental US! We can’t offer that all the time out of respect for our Dealers who have set Training prices and who rely on Training as a big part of their livelihood.

5. It’s FREE to stay at the BlackHawk Ranch… We have many students who will bring an RV, or just camp out at our California facility. There’s still a Hotel in town (that offers discounts to our students) in case people want that, but a lot of people will just stay right on the Flight Field.

6. Yes, we offer a large discount on lessons if the student purchases gear, but they don’t have to buy everything BEFORE they train. In fact, as long as a student buys gear within a few months of taking lessons, we still apply that discount to their equipment! This is again to ensure that people can take their time deciding, trying out gear, or saving up. Additionally, we have many students who will start out by purchasing a Paraglider, a Kiting Harness, and lessons so they can practice their ground-handling skills at home before they invest in a motor. Again, as long as they purchase the rest of the equipment in a reasonable time, we can still apply the discount given to those who purchase a Package Deal and lessons at the same time!

7. Supply and demand: The sport is still growing, and fast. As it grows, more Dealerships (of all brands) are starting to build up enough inventory to provide gear for lessons. We know it’s a huge investment for a startup Dealer to get several Foot-Launch units to accommodate all Pilot sizes, several gliders and sizes for people to demo, a Quad setup, a Trike setup, and a 4-Stroke for larger / tandem applications. Dealers could be looking at a $50,000+ investment on just gear to provide it to students during lessons. This is why we still see a lot of Dealers (of all brands) who still require students to purchase their equipment prior to Training. As a Manufacturer, we have a big advantage here, but we are seeing Dealers every day who invest in their business – taking things to the next level. The sport is growing exponentially, so we’re confident more people will provide what we already do =)

8. Breaking up the lessons into several trips… We know that a lot of people can’t take a whole week off of work to do this. We also allow Students to come and go until they complete the course. If they can only train on the weekends, or once a month, we can work that out… As long as it’s a “reasonable” amount of time in between lessons (for example, we don’t want students waiting 6 months or a year in between a day of lessons because they can forget things / get rusty).

9. BlackHawk does have financing available if people want to go that route, and here’s a great article that talks about some “creative ways to pay for a Paramotor” if people are interested: http://blackhawkparamotor.com/6697-2/

10. We also offer discounts to Military, Law Enforcement, Life Savers, or groups that want to take lessons together. BlackHawk Instructors can even travel to another country to train groups of students (which we’ve done many times), if the group is large enough to cover travel costs. We really do everything we can to bring people together in the name of Aviation, and to make this form of flight more accessible to everyone.

I hope this addresses some of the concerns you (and many other people getting into the sport) have. We are very easy-going at BlackHawk and just want people to fly. If you or anyone has suggestions that could make the Industry better, we’d LOVE to hear them. You can comment through Facebook or YouTube, call our office, email us, etc. We can all work together to help more people realize their lifelong dream of flight. It’s “all about the flying”… Nothing more, nothing less. We know some people have lost sight of that, but we really try to make it as easy as possible for our customers to experience the world of PPG =)

-Rob Whittaker, Team BlackHawk

OFFICE: (209) 786-7899
SALES: (209) 481-0493
LESSONS: (707) 688-1100
EMAIL: Team@BlackHawkParamotor.com

(209) 786-7899

Need Help Paying For a Paramotor Package?

Purchasing a Paramotor Package is a big decision for many people. It’s an investment – just like buying a car. Most people who discover Powered Paragliding for the first time are extremely excited by the concept and very anxious to get started! We wanted to take a moment and share some “tricks of the trade” that have helps potential Pilots (just like you) get started right away. Get creative, mix & match these options, and don’t be afraid to ask others for help. If you really want something bad enough – doors will open!

(#1) Can your business write-off the investment? If you own your own business, even if it’s a small part time one, consider putting your logo, phone number, or website on your Paraglider. It doesn’t cost much to do this and you could write-off the entire purchase as a “flying advertisement!” It’s a great way to get a VERY visible business sign in front of countless people! Along those lines, you can also come up with a way to use the Paramotor for business purposes. We’ve seen many people use them for aerial photography, scouting for livestock, filming online commercials for their business, etc. It’s CHEAP to get a business license for most small businesses. Check with your tax professional to see if this could work for you!

(#2) Have a nice boss? Consider talking to your employer about a sponsored trade. If you agree to put the business logo/number on your Glider, we’ve seen employers help purchase the Paramotor or part of it – then letting the employee (you) make payments out of your paycheck until it’s paid for!

(#3) Get around the astronomical credit card rates? Many CC (credit card) companies entice people by offering 0% interest for 6-24 months if you transfer the balance from one CC to another. Consider using a “balance transfer check” to purchase the Paramotor from one or several CC companies. As long as you pay it off in time, you could avoid having any interest!

(#4) Don’t forget – PayPal offers a line of credit: Several customers have had success using PayPal to help finance their purchase, and from what we’ve heard, the interest is lower than most typical credit cards.

(#5) Check with your local Bank or Credit Union… Many of our customers have secured very low interest rates from their local Credit Unions. Consider checking with the financial institutions in your area to see what you might qualify for.

(6) Get half now, and half later… Learning how to kite and control the Paraglider is 90% of the battle! You will learn just about everything required to be a skilled Pilot, before you ever leave the ground! Many customers will purchase a Paraglider and Kiting Harness prior to getting the actual motor. They will take lessons and then practice refining their skills for months – while saving up for the rest of the Paramotor Package Deal. Here is where BlackHawk can help: As long as you purchase the rest of the Complete Package Deal within 3-6 months of your initial purchase, we will still honor whatever our CURRENT Package Deal Price is!

(209) 786-7899