LEAH AND NAOMI: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PART OF THE PPG WORLD!

From a simple desire great passions are born. The world of PPG can be experienced in different ways but with one result: love for this sport. 

What are the most important features of an engine for a pilot? The answers to this question could be many but, in the end, we will get a list that in the top positions will surely have safety, performance, light weight, comfort, ease of use, and low maintenance. We like to think that our engines are chosen because in all of them, the various pilots find these key conditions but also because we say vainly, Vittorazi engines are also beautiful to look at.

These are the factors on which Vittorazi Motors has always worked, researched, and innovated so as to offer a wide range of engines divided by power but in each of which we never lack these features that we believe are fundamental to a purely pleasurable flying experience.

Many investments have been made in this direction with the belief that this concentration of quality can make this sport increasingly accessible and within everyone’s reach. This is why, in our opinion, there is no reason to limit and confine this sport to a purely male audience. Contrary to what one might mistakenly believe, in fact, paramotor flying does not require particular skills, physical qualities or athletic qualities. Just one ingredient is enough: the desire to fly and see the world from a different perspective.

Even the world of competitions, including the most extreme and challenging, can be open to everybody, and reward women with satisfaction and recognition. This happened in fact during the FAI World Paramotor Slalom Championships, which took place in Doha, Qatar, from 3rd to 13th February this year. Two women stood on the women’s podium powered by two Vittorazi engines on their shoulders: Leah Catullo, from the USA, nabbed the second place overall with a Moster185 Factory-R, while Naomi Deppe, from Belgium, got third with an Atom80. Leah and Naomi, speeding through the pylons, supported by Vittorazi as a safe and reliable partner, proved that flying can be really for everyone.

Let’s hear directly from them what they want to share about their passion for PPG

Q: When and how did you start wishing to fly?

Leah: I have always wanted to fly.  More specifically I always wanted to fly aggressively. Then about 10-15 years ago I discovered paramotoring and ACRO paragliding.  Since that was well within my financial possibilities at the time I had the chance to pursue a career as a pilot.

Naomi: I have been dreaming about flying for almost my whole life, but it somehow never occurred to me I could actually do it myself, until  – kind of unexpectedly – I had my first tandem flight with a Chilean paragliding pilot in the beautiful Soča Valley in Slovenia, 8 years ago.

Q: How did you learn to fly? Who was your guide?

Leah: I was blessed to live within an hour from one of the “grandfathers” of this sport in the USA, Eric Dufour.

Naomi: During the pandemic, like a lot of people, I started to reconsider how I was spending my life and decided that if I ever wanted to fly, I’d better start to learn it as soon as possible. So, I was looking up paragliding/paramotor schools and very quickly ended up booking an initiation day with Cris from IKARUS.BE

Q: How did you feel, and still feel, when you are flying up in the sky?

Leah: At the beginning I was amazed, but I was still wondering  “Can I trust the material above my head?”.  Now, it is my life.  I never feel more alive and living in the moment than when flying. No matter how poor my day has been, flying recharges my soul, it’s my passion.

Naomi: It’s hard to describe it in words, but the most accurate way to do it is probably the intense feeling of freedom. You literally take some distance from whatever you’re doing on the ground.

Q: Which paramotor engine are you using and why did you choose it? Which are the most important characteristics of an engine in your opinion?

Leah: Currently, I am flying with the Factory-R as my go-to travel engine.  I have chosen this engine for its dependability, stability, and power.  I believe there is no other paramotor engine on the market that delivers dependable power with minimal maintenance as the Vittorazi Factory-R.

Naomi: Following Cris’ advice I chose to fly the Vittorazi Atom 80. The engine is very lightweight and easy to handle. The simplicity was an important characteristic for me. I really love the design as well! Anyway, when I take off, I want to fully trust the power of the engine and feel it lifting me up from the ground and that is certainly the case with my Atom 80.

Q: What pushed you to take part in a paramotor championship?

Leah: It has always been my goal to compete in Paramotor Slalom and inspire other women to compete, specifically to promote competition in the USA.

Naomi: As I am quite new in the paramotoring world, the most important reason for me to take part in this championship was the chance to make a valuable experience for my career.

Q: Have you noticed an increase in women’s presence in the paramotor world lately? How can we encourage women to join this sport?

Leah: There has been an increase in female pilots and, with numbers on the rise, we are developing a female-based support/mentorship community specifically with women in mind. Our presence at competitions and on social media remains paramount to attract other women to this sport and to highlight women and their abilities

Naomi: I was told there were very few women in this sport. I really hope to play somehow an exemplary role for other women to start flying because all of these arguments are negligible to the wonderful feeling you get when you’re up in the air!

Q: Which advice would you give to any other woman wishing to approach the paramotor world?

Leah: Find the right instructors, mentors, and support. Find and Join Paramotor Fly Girls on Facebook, a place free of typical male bravado, to connect with other women pilots.  As we build this community we need to give back and support one another.  We need to remind already proficient and competent female pilots of our responsibility to support women in the sport.

Naomi: If you have the desire to fly, paramotoring is the most immediate and simplest way to do so. Don’t be afraid of the heavy weight or the handling of the engine, materials have been evolving so quickly over the past years, and that made it a lot easier. I believe with a good guide and good practice, everybody can learn to fly the paramotor. It’s so much worth it!

Having on the women’s podium two engines as different as a Moster185 Factory-R and an Atom80 gives us more and more confirmation that power, in certain competitions, can be an important but not fundamental feature to achieve one’s dreams.

We consider it more important to spread the vision of PPG flying as an activity for everyone and one that can be declined in multiple contexts. From the adrenaline rush of competitions to the comfort of Cross-Country flights, the sky can easily be within everyone’s reach.