Ask Lemmy

especially if you're willing to travel.

No, don't do that. It doesn't work. When you combine weather suitability, instructor availability, aircraft availability, and then filter it by "when I can get away for the hours or days I need to set aside for this" you end up spending the one hour of flight time a month reviewing basic maneuvers over and over and never building proficiency or advancing. I've seen this as both a student as an instructor. You need to be able to call up the airport and say "can I book an hour of instruction tomorrow?"

The real catch is determining the quality of the instruction.

First step: Do not hire an unlicensed instructor. Not since 2004. The Light Sport rule superseded the informal "heavy ultralight" malarky previously intended for non-certified instruction. Ultralight students should seek instruction from a CFI who is qualified in the category and class of aircraft they seek to fly, at the VERY least. Some guy who guesses he'll show you how to handle an aircraft? Nah.

A qualified instructor should be willing and able to present their certificates upon request. It's a credit card sized piece of plastic overall colored teal with an airliner and some Wright Brothers imagery printed on it. It should bear a certificate number, and on the back there should be an Endorsements field that says the kind of aircraft you want to learn to fly. Government speak for paramotors is "powered parachute." The thing that looks like a big hang glider with a little car under it with a propeller on the back? That's a "weight-shift trike." Make a note of this.

The FAA maintains a database of all certified aviators as a matter of public record. Given the instructor's name and especially certificate number, you can look it up in the database to verify that it is not false, expired, or otherwise bogus. Most airman certificates do not expire but flight instructor certificates do.

Second step: Make sure to communicate that you are looking for training to fly ultralight aircraft. Indicate whether or not you are also seeking a sport or private pilot certificate, now or in the future. The ideal instructor will have experience in ultralights (and most powered parachute or weight-shift trike sport pilot instructors will; fixed wing airplane instructors might not). The right instructor for you will be willing to take you through the pre-solo lessons, adding in ground instruction for the legalities and responsibilities of ultralight aviation. The wrong instructor won't listen and insist you pursue an airman certificate. Suggesting pursuing a certificate, and logging instruction given as such, is more than fine, and if you want to solo in the 2-seat trainer you learn in before a single-seat ultralight, you will have to qualify for and get a student airman certificate. But if the instructor will not hear about ultralights and doesn't listen to your needs, he's the wrong instructor for you.

Third step: An introductory lesson/discovery flight/whatever you want to call it. This can be quite the experience for someone who has never flown in a small aircraft before, there's a lot of new stimuli, but pay attention to how the instructor behaves before, during and after the flight. You can tell an instructor who has a cavalier/macho attitude from one who is professional and safety conscious. If you ask about something you see that looks wrong about the aircraft, there's a clear difference between "That is designed to be that way, that weirdly bent piece of metal prevents the lines from tangling in the propeller as we're inflating the parachute" and "don't worry, it's fine." Go with the instructor who wants to show you how safe and stable the aircraft is, not the one who wants to show off wild maneuvers. You're looking for maturity and professionalism, and you'll be able to spot it.