HIGH-FLYING DAD
AFTER a hard day in work a lot of people unwind by having a glass of wine, going for a walk, or hitting the gym. But not this man. Bidding for the crown of the coolest dad in Wales, father-of-three Jamie Goodridge unwinds a little differently from most by choosing instead to spend his spare time soaring high above the picturesque Welsh countryside with a motor attached to his back.
The 46-year-old refinery worker, from Hook, near Haverfordwest, has been paramotoring for the past seven years.
A form of ultralight aviation, paramotoring is essentially powered paragliding where the pilot wears a motor on their back.
Made up of a wing, an engine, some strong harnesses and cables, this tiny aircraft can fit in the boot of a car, take off from a very small field, and land almost anywhere.
“It’s absolutely magic. It’s the best feeling in the world – it feels like freedom,” Jamie said.
“It gives you a massive buzz and adrenalin rush.”
Jamie’s passion for flying started in 2011, when he learned to paraglide, which is essentially the same as paramotoring but without an engine.
“Around six months later I bought a paramotor,” Jamie said.
“Paramotoring is just like having a huge fan on your back, which has an engine.”
Jamie said the engine has 25 horsepower – the same as two small motorbikes – and is powerful enough to propel users forward fast enough that they eventually fly.
“You can take off from wherever you want but it’s best to take off from a flat, open surface like a field,” he said.
“You have to lay the wing [which is basically the kite at the top of the paramotor] out flat and clip the motor to your harness.
“You then run as fast as you can across the field and apply the throttle, which pushes you forward.
“You keep running and then eventually you just lift off – like magic.”
Jamie had to complete a number of tests and courses before taking to the sky.
“There’s a lot less bureaucracy than aircraft flying and you have a lot more freedom with paramotoring,” he said.
“But you still have to abide by a set of rules – you obviously can’t just fly into Heathrow airport or anything.”
While no Civil Aviation Authority licence is required to fly a paramotor, users still have to know and obey the rules and regulations applying to UK airspace.
And, like with any extreme sport, paramo- toring doesn’t come without its risks.
“I’ve had a few twitchy moments; for example, when the weather changes,” Jamie said.
“It can get quite turbulent when you’re up there.
“As they say – it’s better to be on the ground wishing you were up there than be up there wishing you were on the ground. “It’s not very nice when things go wrong. “There is a risk and people do get hurt and sometimes killed. But as long as you do it properly, play by the rules and don’t push your limits, then you should be OK.”
Paramotoring has now become a big part of Jamie’s family life and he often takes his wife and 11-year-old triplet sons – Troy, Bailey and Noah– up for a ride.
“I started taking the kids up around three years ago.
“I wanted to give them the buzz of flying and they all absolutely loved it.
“If the weather is nice then I take them up one at a time for a quick fly around.
“We fly over their school and friends’ houses – it’s brilliant.
“It’s great to see everything from the sky. To be able to fly above where you live and see it from a different perspective is magic.”
Jamie’s unusual hobby has also seen him take to the skies in support of Welsh sport.
He was spotted above Pembrokeshire in 2016, flying the Welsh flag behind his motor and shouting “Come on Wales!” ahead of the Euro 2016 tournament, and was planning to support Warren Gatland and the boys as Wales kicked off their Six Nations opener against Scotland yesterday.
“My ambition is to fly into the Principality Stadium towing the Welsh flag, land just at the end of the anthem, and then shake hands with Alun Wyn,” said Jamie.
“I doubt the Civil Aviation Authority would ever give me permission but I can dream, I suppose.”