Gilo Cardozo: Travel from a unique perspective

Gilo Cardozo is an aviation engineering specialist and seasoned adventurer. He flew to a height of 29,494ft over the summit of Mount Everest with TV-survivalist Bear Grylls. His charismatic “let’s just do it” approach to challenges led him to successfully complete an expedition from London to Timbuktu with the world’s first road-legal flying car. He has been awarded the MBE and has now turned his attention to getting more people to fly as a way of getting a different perspective on their travel destinations.

He speaks to Peter Moore about his latest venture – and why everyone should see the world from above.

Can you tell us a bit about Paramotoring?

Paramotoring, or Powered Paragliding, is a rapidly developing recreational sport which is extremely accessible and brings the dream of personal flight to everyone. This is not only because of the simplicity and low cost of entering the sport, but also due to the fact that it is extremely safe and enormously good fun! The paramotor itself consists of a small engine driving a propeller, worn like a backpack, under a paraglider wing that provides thrust to take off, gain altitude and maintain level flight.

What compelled you to get involved?

I have always been fascinated and interested in anything that flies. I saw a photo of a man with a fan on his back and that image really caught my imagination. The sport was still in its infancy but after a bit of research I found out that it was a paramotor and I knew I had to get one. As soon as I strapped it on and took off I was hooked.

What’s the difference between a Parajet and a Parajet SkyRunner?

The Parajet is a foot-launched aircraft that you place on your back combined with a paraglider wing, whereas the Parajet SkyRunner is an evolution of the Parajet propulsion technology combined with an off-road style car. The SkyRunner utilises a specially designed gearbox that allows drive to the wheels to be re-routed to power the propeller when in flight mode.

You’ve tested both in pretty extreme conditions. You flew to the summit of Mount Everest with Bear Grylls with one. And from London to Timbuktu and back via Senegal with the other. What were biggest challenges you faced?

When Bear Grylls and I entered into Mission Everest the odds were very much against us. The conditions were extreme and we only had a four-day window when these would be ideal to fly. The flying and engineering world said we couldn’t do it; even getting a paramotor off the ground at 4,500m (14,500ft) was deemed impossible, never mind then climbing to 9,000m (29,500ft). The mission was given less than a 30% chance of success.

The most powerful paramotor engine available at the time was barely producing 30hp and was far too heavy to launch at the desired altitude, so the biggest challenge I faced was designing and manufacturing an engine powerful enough to fly to 30,000ft, yet small and lightweight enough to be worn on the pilot’s back and foot-launched at 14,500ft high in the hills beneath Mount Everest.

The answer was to build a revolutionary new rotary engine that produced 100hp, was more compact and 50% lighter than a piston engine equivalent and almost twice the reliable power output for its cubic capacity. After four months of design, development, testing and manufacturing, the engine was finally ready. With just two days before departure, the second engine was completed. Unfortunately, the extreme conditions caused my engine to fail at 28,00ft, but Bear reached 29,500ft and flew over Everest.

For the SkyRunner Expedition, the main challenge was crossing the Sahara, a feat that many find nearly impossible with an off-road vehicle, let alone a flying car. The SkyRunner was virtually an un-tested prototype that we had only flown at low-levels and for a short period of time, so in the vast unpopulated region of the Sahara the risks were not to be underestimated and the team knew that we would be fighting against the elements.

Alongside the inhospitable terrain and challenging weather conditions, we had also been warned about the threat of kidnap in volatile parts of Africa and the possibility of negotiating minefields in Mauritania. It was a really test of endurance both physically and mentally.

What kind of experience do you need to fly these machines? Is it something anyone can do?

Learning to fly a Parajet is quick, easy and safe. Training is progressive and once you have mastered the basic skills, the steps to getting into the air are straightforward. Pilot training takes a minimum of 25 hours spread over several days with the syllabus covering all aspects of flying including equipment, safety, flying theory, navigation, weather and air law.

Parajet offers training courses over six or 12 days run via Europe’s leading paramotoring school. The training takes place in Spain, on a private airfield just 25 minutes from the Costa Brava coastline and just South of the Pyrenees. Alternatively, you can learn to fly your Parajet in the rolling hills of Dorset not far from our factory.

What about the SkyRunner?

Unlike a Parajet paramotor, the SkyRunner requires a license to be able to fly. Parajet will be offering flight training for its customers at affiliated flight schools in the Middle East, Europe and United States. A new pilot needs a minimum of 15 hours flight training plus six hours solo flight time. During this time the pilot will learn the basic skills under the supervision of an instructor before jumping into the SkyRunner. The pilot will complete a number of take offs and landings and pass a General Skills test and complete navigation training.