A THRILLSEEKER has defended his hobby after a complaint was made to police about him.

Cumbria Police launched an appeal on November 30, following a complaint about a paramotor flying over the Duddon Estuary.

The complainant told police that someone was flying on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) without permission.

Dan May has been flying paramotors around the Lakes for about four years and said the majority of people love to see him fly so he often shares pictures and videos of his journeys through the air.

Unlike paragliders, paramotors do not need to launch from a hill. With a little headwind, you can take off from the ground in a few steps.

After hearing of the appeal, Dan contacted police to discuss the incident and explained that the airspace above the Duddon is Class G unrestricted VFR, and that it is not an offence to fly over SSSI land as long as you are not damaging it.

He said the police were ‘extremely helpful and happy’ to encourage a dialogue with people using the air space to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves without causing harm.

Dan said he tries to keep noise to a minimum and avoids areas with wildlife or livestock and does his best to fit in with the local area, residents and environment.

“It’s a great way to explore the area and visually take it all in,” Dan said. “I’ve been lucky enough to see birds and deer, who don’t notice me from such a distance.”

Since the appeal Dan has received support from his community as a number of local farmers and landowners have come forward to offer their space as a place for him to take off.

Although the matter has been sorted, Dan contacted Natural England to speak with the manager of the SSSI for the estuary. He said they are working together to make a plan to avoid certain areas in the future.

Dan started flying about 11 years ago and takes part in all sorts of air sports from hang gliding to base jumping. He is even ranked third in the UK for his Wing Suit performance.

Dan currently uses a two-stroke petrol engine paramotor but is hoping to get a new, electric model ‘as soon as possible’.

The electric model has been pre-ordered from Italy, where they have successfully increased the battery capacity from 20 minutes to 90 minutes. Although the electric and petrol motors are a similar weight, around 35kg, the electric one will be much quieter and even run silently once at gliding altitude.