Hundreds Experience Sport Flying At Powrachute Extravaganza

The annual Powrachute Extravaganza, held in Columbus, Kan., Sept. 16-19, had a new theme this year as hundreds of powered parachute enthusiasts from across the nation gathered to fly, and showed an eagerness to learn more about the FAA’s new Sport Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft rules. EAA said it answered questions “nonstop” at its tent during the event, and EAA and many others led forums on the topic. On Saturday, more than a hundred powered parachutes took to the early morning air, and 80 of them launched in record time — 11 minutes, 21 seconds. Instructors introduced hundreds of newcomers to powered parachute flight, EAA said, and Powrachute debuted a prototype totally enclosed PPC. Organizers of the event, now its sixth year, say they hope to grow to feature 800 to 1,000 aircraft. “We are gaining on that goal every year,” Powrachute President Eddie Johnson told The Morning Sun.