Foot-Launched Powered Aircraft Now Under the ANO
Since 1996, powered hang-gliders and paragliders have operated in UK airspace under exemption from the Air Navigation Order (ANO), but with effect from 20th of August 2005, they are now defined in the ANO as 'self propelled hang-gliders' and subject to the same regulations as other gliders, regardless of whether they are flying powered or unpowered.
Interesting - I was just reading this this afternoon in the back of an Airbus, in Skywings, the British Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association's magazine.
The "low flying" rules were particularly well illustrated. There do seem to be more reported incidents of this type now that paramotors (and powered hang gliders to a lesser extent) are more common. There's a much greater tendency for paramotor pilots to "bimble around" and this will, I guess, naturally lead to more problems than for those of us, unpowered, who take off from a hill then try and stay as high as possible until we're forced to land.
Unfortunately, once you can launch a paramotor you're far less constrained by skill level than a cross-country paraglider pilot, who can only go anywhere by keen understanding of the air and their craft's behaviour in it; also powered paragliders are far less likely to fly in close company. I would suggest that both these mean that unpowered pilots (of the same type of craft) will, of necessity, develop better airmanship.
I'm not saying that paraglider pilots never, for example, clip airspace but every step is taken to minimise this, for example by insisting on additional exams for entering even informal cross-country competitions and the mandatory submission of GPS traces.
On the insurance and licencing questions, the vast majority of pilots are trained at approved schools, study exams including air law and have two million pounds worth of insurance.
I did fly a paramotor rig once but apart from it being cheating it was far too noisy and heavy for me to even consider getting one.
Cheers,
Rich.