Jordan Salt, a paramotorist, took advantage of East Midlands Airport's closure to fly above the runways and capture stunning aerial photographs. His flight was legal due to the airspace becoming uncontrolled during the closure.
A paramotorist seized a unique opportunity when East Midlands airport closed, allowing him to soar above the runways and capture breathtaking aerial images. Jordan Salt, a 32-year-old adventurer, takes to the skies thousands of feet in the air, propelled by a powerful motor strapped to his back. His sport, paramotoring, resembles paragliding but incorporates a large fan that propels him forward.
This particular flight was extraordinary because paramotorists typically adhere to Class G airspace, which is uncontrolled and used below 3,500ft. Flying near airports is generally prohibited. However, Jordan discovered that when an airport closes, as East Midlands did temporarily, the airspace transforms into Class G. Jordan contacted air traffic control at East Midlands Airport to ensure his flight was permissible. He explained that he would follow the same flight path as a commercial aircraft approaching the airport. 'It’s unreal being up in the air in a paramotor rather than a plane,' Jordan remarked. East Midlands Airport is currently undergoing a series of planned closures, which commenced in December. In January, two days of work were already completed (on the 8th and 15th), and the airport is scheduled to close on the next two Wednesdays from 10 am to 6 pm as well as February 5th and 12th to carry out essential runway, taxiway, and apron maintenance. Paramotorists begin their adventures on the ground, launching themselves into the air. 'We start in a field, you start running as fast as you can to get the wind above your head. You have the throttle and you squeeze it, turn the motor on full blast and it blasts you in the air,' Jordan, hailing from Belper, Derbyshire, explained. He emphasized the special nature of the airport flight due to its proximity to Donington Park. 'I’m quite into motorsport and we managed to fly over Silverstone last year, so not only did I want to fly over East Midlands airport but I wanted to fly over Donington,' Jordan shared. Normally, flying over Donington Park is restricted due to its location within the airport's airspace. 'We normally cruise at an average of two or three thousand feet,' Jordan said, highlighting the importance of wearing warm clothing as temperatures can plummet at such altitudes. With a full tank, he can enjoy his aerial adventures for approximately two and a half hours. Jordan, who shares his thrilling experiences on his TikTok page, took up paramotoring after trying skydiving. 'I thought ‘I love being up in the sky’ but with skydiving it’s done and over from like five minutes after you jump, so I thought ‘what can I do to stay up there longer?’ I saw paramotoring and thought ‘that’s the one’,' Jordan explained. While anyone can acquire paramotoring equipment, Jordan stressed the importance of proper training. 'It’s a dangerous sport so I always tell people to make sure they go to a proper training school,' he advised. Adding to the excitement, Jordan also performs aerial tricks. 'When we’re doing flips upside down, things can happen like your wing could fold up and you could drop out of the sky a little bit, it can get scary sometimes,' he admitted. However, he confessed that the adrenaline rush is undeniable. An East Midlands Airport spokesperson confirmed the legality of Jordan's flight but emphasized the rarity of such circumstances. They stated, 'It’s important to stress that full closures that involve our airspace changing to being uncontrolled by our ATC (Class G) are very rare occasions. Wednesday this week was one of those times and so pilots flying in accordance with national rules could technically fly in the airspace. We would always encourage pilots to remain clear of the airspace and speak to ATC to avoid inadvertent infringement of controlled airspace.'
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