Soaring between 30,000 and 42,000 feet in the sky is not something new for anyone who has ever flown commercially.
But flying at heights of anywhere from 10,000 to 18,000ft above ground with just a motor, fan and parachute to keep you there is something very few of us experience.
Walter Raleigh wrote that ‘the engine is the heart of an aeroplane, but the pilot is its soul’. Sarah Spring could not agree more with that sentiment.
The 26-year-old from South Louisiana, USA, has always been fascinated by the freedom to be found in the skies, with her dad holding a pilot’s licence of his own for over 30 years. Towards the end of 2021, she took to the skies herself to how to fly on her own.
For many interested in obtaining a pilot’s licence, that means short domestic flights and/or some kind of emergency service option.
For Spring, however, it meant learning how to fly a paramotor in her hometown state and explore much of Louisiana from the sky to get a different perspective of her surroundings from the majority of the people around her.
Sarah Spring says you can’t beat the adrenaline rush she gets from taking to her paramotor
The South Louisiana native has been known to hit heights as extreme as 18,000 feet
Spring relishes the freedom of paramotoring and says it is the ultimate form of self-therapy
‘When you’re up in the sky, there’s this incredible sense of freedom and perspective that’s hard to find anywhere else,’ she says. ‘It forces you to be present and to focus on the moment. And in those moments, all the noise and stress of everyday life just fades away.’
Being able to power up the motor and escape the monotonous routines of everyday life is something that many of us would relish.
Spring reveals that paramotoring has given her confidence within herself — and her skillset — as well as allowing her to appreciate the world around her.
‘For me, paramotoring is more than just a hobby; it’s a way to reset and reconnect with myself,’ she says. ‘The challenges of flying, the thrill of it and even the risks involved, all contribute to a deeper appreciation of life and a better understanding of my own mental resilience. It’s a kind of therapy in itself.
‘One of my favourite sayings is: “Seek what sets your soul on fire”. When dealing with mental illness, a large challenge is feeling like you’re simply surviving, rather than actually living. Flying makes me genuinely feel alive.
‘So yes, paramotoring has definitely played a beneficial role in my own mental health.’
While many take to the skies to come hurtling back to earth at high speeds, seeking that adrenaline rush, that could not be further from Spring’s mind.
Spring is simply happy being on her own, enjoying the serenity that she can find up there with just her paramotor and her thoughts.
The 26-year-old has met many of her closest friends among the paramotoring community
‘Paramotoring is unique because it doesn’t have to be all adrenaline-focused,’ she says. ‘You can seek that adrenaline rush from take-offs, landings, proximity flying and practising manoeuvres to progress your skillset, but you can also fly leisurely to just enjoy the beautiful scenery from a different altitude.
‘Paramotoring also offers a variety of flying styles suited to the pilot’s desire, such as leisure, acro and cross country.
‘Compared to when I first started flying, I’ve come a long way in terms of being comfortable and confident.
‘As a beginner, I was pretty nervous to take off in front of people or fly close to anyone. Now, I love doing wing tip touches with my friends, and I’m confident in my skillset and the knowledge I’ve learned.’
There is more to paramotoring than just an escape and a hobby for Spring. While the appeal of setting records and going down in paramotoring legend is the main thing for some, this 26-year-old only wants to continue to improve as a pilot and do more things for herself, by herself.
Spring does, however, admit that without the community she has found within paramotoring, she may be more inclined to spend more time on the ground rather than in the skies.
To maintain contact with her aerial comrades, fly-ins are a vital function within the community. Though flying is Spring’s way to bring a bit of fantasy to her own world, it also introduced her to some of the closest people in her life.
‘Going forward, I’d love to develop my skills further by exploring more advanced techniques and challenging flying conditions,’ she admits. ‘I’d like to attempt longer cross-country flights, progress in proximity and precision flying, and learn more advanced manoeuvres.
Airborne adventurer Spring adheres to her favourite motto of ‘Seek what sets your soul on fire’
‘The longest flight I’ve completed so far has been just over an hour and a half, so I definitely want to surpass that.
‘While there’s definitely a strong community interest in competitions and record-setting, I personally just enjoy the experience of flying. Competing isn’t something I’m interested in at the moment.
‘I mostly fly in southern Louisiana, but I do travel across the US occasionally to explore new locations. We have events called fly-ins, where pilots gather at one location for a weekend of flying together. I try to attend as many fly-ins as possible to connect with other pilots and experience different flying environments.
‘You attend fly-ins for the camaraderie, and flying is the bonus. I’ve met some of my closest friends — now like family — through this sport. Since it’s such a niche community, forming bonds with other pilots happens naturally.
‘(Without them) I would still fly, but probably not as frequently. It’s a lot more fun to fly with friends and chase each other around. When my friends are flying, it motivates me to join them.’
