A recently released report and video by Reuters highlights the start and growth of a “paramotoring” club in the Qassim Desert in Saudi Arabia as “a hobby, curiosity, a change.”
Paramotoring, also referred to as powered paragliding, involves the use of a motor driving propeller that is worn on one’s back. The motor can be stopped and started in the air, enabling the user to adjust to the different flying conditions, the Reuters video notes.
Paramotorers wear a harness as well as a frame that includes the propeller, motor and cage. It can be steered using brake toggles that are similar to that of a parachutist.
The equipment can cost between 40,000 to 55,000 riyals (around $10,000 to $14,000), and with professional gear amounting to more than $26,000, Reuters reports.
[Click here to watch the video of Paramotorers in the Saudi desert]
