Life lesson 02 While Paramotoring:
It is Okay to Be a Bit CRAZY
Q1 2014: After a few months of training to control my paramotor wing and engine, I successfully took off a few solo paramotor flights. A rewarding experience, at least I know that I can do this. The training process was messy but the experience was insanely awesome. Both my big toenails fell off due to the shoe pressure while practising the ground training to balance my paramotor wing. My radio died on air and I had to land on my own without the radio guidance of my paramotor instructor, on my first solo takeoff.
And a lot more unusual incidents along my 7 years of paramotoring.
After 7 years (2015 to 2022) of photographing my fellow PPG pilot friends paramotoring around Malaysia, I decided to slow down and focus on exploring my other passions. And, to ensure I won’t miss the “floating on air feeling’ I bought myself a Dji Mini drone to accompany my travel journey. Years of paramotoring with them had taught me a significant number of life lessons that worth sharing with others.
Every journey has a starting and an ending point.
Starting as a curiosity, I learned paramotoring and successfully solo airborne on foot launched a few times before I decided to join team Janjifly as their photographer. And the adventure continued for 7 years.
I didn’t tell my mom about my obsession with flying. I kept everything about my paramotoring journey under the radar for at least a few years. We were actively flying around Selangor from 2015 to 2019, this was before we had all sorts of air regulations and restrictions implemented by the DCA. Five of us (4 PPG pilots and a photographer) would spend our weekends and public holidays sneaking around the air space around Hulu Selangor and Kuala Selangor.
When I shared my flying experience with a close friend, she called me CRAZY!
I defended myself.
“LIFE ISN’T ABOUT BEING PERFECT, IT’S ABOUT BEING RIDICULOUSLY PASSIONATE THAT PEOPLE THINK YOU’RE A LITTLE CRAZY.”
— random
Calculated Crazy vs Irresponsible Crazy
I am the ‘calculated crazy’ kinda person. I employed a few strategies to enhance my safety and minimize my risk while still enjoying the thrill of flying on air with Paramotor.
Paramotoring is an extreme sport.
Prioritize thorough training and skill development before attempting any extreme sport. Master the fundamental techniques and gradually progress to more advanced manoeuvres under the guidance of experienced instructors.
I tried to master the game by prioritizing the right training on fundamental techniques and skills from the best available paramotor instructor during that time.
I gradually progressed to more advanced manoeuvres under the guidance of my experienced PPG pilot friends. I learned about weather forecasting; reading/ feeling the wind speed and direction; listening to the engine conditions; reading the Google map for routes, terrains or emergency landing; planning for a safe cross-country route; reading the gas consumption against our flying mileage; preparation for emergencies and so many more.
What can go wrong? Right?
Little did I know that there would be more crazy plot twists along the journey.
After our few attempts to fly paramotor cross-country around Selangor, I realised we would never win the race against the Uncertainty Principle of Nature.
We plan and prepare everything according to our best knowledge but ultimately, Allah is the best planner. Along with the so-called ‘crazy’ paramotoring moments, I learned to practice Tawakkul. Tawakkul is to put perfect trust in Allah and reliance on Him alone. Tawakkul calmed my anxiety about trying on new things.
Because I decided to listen to that ‘one crack button’ in my head (as my friends called me ‘crazy’), I had the priceless opportunity to experience the thrill of flying in different terrains in Peninsular Malaysia. Mission accomplished and let us move on to the next ‘life experience’ adventure.
NEXT!
Cheers
MM
MATSUDA MASHIMARU 