We tried to be as objective and impartial as possible, and for that reason we followed standard procedures to apply carefully chosen tests that resulted in measurable and comparable parameters, such as weight, noise, thrust or consumption. All the tests were done using high-precision instruments.

Nevertheless, there are many aspects difficult or impossible to control that may affect the paramotor’s performance and introduce slight variations in the readings –like temperature, atmospheric pressure or humidity. Even human factors, both coming from our team or from the participating manufacturers, could have introduced slight deviations in the results. These results are not absolute and must not be taken as so –but they say a lot about each tested PPG and help compare them among each other.

All this said, we believe that these results are a completely valid reference of each paramotor that participated in our tests.

During the PPG Comparison we learned more about paramotors than in all our years of flying. Overall, we have confirmed the idea that there is one ideal paramotor for every type of pilot, and before you rush to check only one of the many parameters listed in this Guide we’d recommend you to read our comments below, and try to see what each PPG offers as a whole.

A well-balanced machine, even if it doesn’t excel in any of the tests, will probably be a better choice than a “winner” in one that is not consistent in other aspects.

A paramotor is much more than just thrust or power. Before you start, prepare a list of the relevant features FOR YOU in a paramotor, and focus on them. Some tips:
- If you are a small pilot you should center your attention on the units with a medium size cage that are not heavy; check out the “Standard” category.
- In general, noise is bad for your health and for the popularity of our sport –mind this.
- If you are a ‘big boy’ forget the standard paramotors and go to the "Heavy" or "Super Heavy" categories.
- Pay attention to details like the size of the fuel tank and if it is an easy to transport machine –all the tech data of each unit will be published here shortly with plenty of pictures that will give you a very precise idea of what to expect from these paramotors.

Below, you will see some of our conclusions; we recommend you to read them carefully before checking the results on the tables, in order to really understand how every number would actually translate in real flight.

This is perhaps one of the most important parameters. We measured noise at the pilot’s head level, that is to say, more or less what a pilot would listen if he was not wearing a helmet... Most of the paramotors exceeded 95 decibels in cruise flight, and we must note that the World Health Organization considers that prolonged exposure to more than 80 db entails risks of hearing injuries. From the results we see that there is still a lot to work on this subject. The exhaust is not the only source of noise: the admission and even the propeller tips can produce very annoying noises.

We would like to remind you all flying mates that there are good helmets with noise reduction in the market, which can lower between 30 and 40db in the noise that goes into your ears. To get an idea of the noise levels: 50 db are produced in a normal conversation. The human ear suffers every db after 100db. *See the reference table of noise levels on the left.

Thrust is unquestionably relevant to our machines, but we must consider a number of issues related to power. A linear curve of power means that the paramotor does not have jumps in the delivery of power, which will make it easier to keep at level flight or to reach a steady ascent rate.
This also has direct effects on the consumption, which is just as important to consider. If we can keep the engine at level flight and regular RPMs, then the consumption also stays regular. If, on the contrary, we have to control sudden jumps in the power the fuel consumption rises.

We took the time to make the power curve for each paramotor tested, i.e., the relation between RPM and thrust, and we will include it in the technical details page of each paramotor very soon. We must make a special mention to the instrument Quest XC, specially designed for PPG flying, which we used to measure consumption of each PPG unit at maximum thrust and rpm and at a fixed thrust equivalent to "level flight" –and to register the atmospheric conditions during every test. We were lucky to count on the personal support from the creators of the instrument, Paul and Tim from Active Flight Systems, who were there to make sure that the consumption tests were accurately done with their specially designed system connected to the Quest XC. The data and graphics provided by the instrument and its analysis software will also be included in the technical info for each paramotor (as soon as we can!)

Finally, let’s keep in mind that engines that normally work at higher RPM also suffer more wear since the piston works in the cylinder at higher speeds and, in theory, have a shorter lifespan.

The categories

We classified the PPG units in different categories based on the recommended pilot weight. Unfortunately we could not measure any in the ‘light pilot’ category, up to 65 kg. Apparently the demand in general aims at "over-power" and on this matter we remember the old aviation belief that power is never in excess, which really does not apply exactly to paramotoring: Please remember that an excess of power without enough qualification can be dangerous, as there is more torsion and piloting is more complicated –you must control the power.

The best thing is to have the right thrust for each pilot’s weight –enough to have good take offs even with a reflex wing or to climb comfortably in all conditions, but not exceeding your abilities and weight.

The STANDARD category, for recommended pilot weight of 80kg, is the most popular and the largest in number of PPGs tested: 10

The HEAVY Category, for recommended pilot weight of 100 kg, had 7 representatives and at least 2 motors of this category are suitable for tandem flights

Paramotors in the SUPER HEAVY class are aimed at pilots weighing 125Kg and more, and most of them are good options for tandem flights. Here we had 7 PPG units.

You will find the tests results for each paramotor under the different categories in the menu.