Nathan Finneman’s Second Attempt Was Successful

Nathan Finneman has been flying since childhood, including hang gliders for a time.

But when he found paramotors in 2010 he’s been flying them over the world and in air shows. He also represented the USA in the World Air Sports Federation’s (FAI) world paramotor slalom championships.

Finneman was at the Lake County Airport (KLXV) in Leadville, Colorado, to launch on his record-setting flight. LXV is the highest public-use airport in North America at 9,934 feet MSL. The record actually took two attempts due to some issues such as turbulence he experienced on the first flight that brought him back down for a battery recharge before reaching his target altitude.

On the second attempt he made it to 4,508 meters (14,790 feet MSL), the official world record altitude for a one-person foot-launched electric paramotor.

With Finneman’s included, there are now six official electric paramotor records that are FAI ratified.

Finneman loves flying airplanes but he always yearns to fly the paramotor.

When asked about his reaction to the FAI ratification of his record, he said, “This is very exciting for us, the first world altitude record for an electric paramotor. It was also a proud moment seeing an American flag go up for an official world record. This would never have happened without the incredible help of our team, dedicating their time and resources. All the credit goes to them, I was just nutty enough to squeeze the throttle and attempt to make it back in one piece unfrozen. I hope this achievement will only influence other pilots to attempt world records to further innovate the sport.”

FMI:  www.fai.org/