I guess many out will be wondering was this the last one at Telford. Ever increasing annual costs for displaying over the two day period and increased safety regulations with respect to vehicular access & egress from the halls coupled with the hours spent battling through the heavy traffic on the Friday has left most of the smaller traders wondering 'Is this all worth it?'. Many possibly not recouping their outlay costs for the weekend for a while at least. Whispers are already out, that next years going to be even worse!. Lets hope it doesn't come to that and we loose an event which has become an annual Mecca for many die hards.

Saturday saw an unusually slow start to the Airsports Exhibitions, possibly due to the many roadwork's along M6 through Birmingham causing lengthy delays. A sigh of relief by 11.30am as things were looking up, numbers started to swell and groups of enthusiasts huddled around the many varied stands looking for the early bargains. Spending aired on the cautious side this year, traders selling gismos and widgets fairing the better.

Norman & Wendy Burr From 'PageFast' selling the very popular World Directory of Leisure Aviation.

Sunday didn't really fair much better, and with a mid afternoon evacuation of all the halls due to a fire outbreak in one of the toilets things slowed to a halt earlier than normal. Most deciding to depart when turfed out into a cold car park. On a brighter note many of the Paramotor traders displaying over the weekend we talked to reported much interest and were glad of the quieter periods so they could refresh ready for the next onslaught. Interest nationally is increasing day by day for Paramotoring therefore ensuring the future integrity of the sport remains. Many of the enquiries we handled throughout the weekend were from paraglider pilots, many just wanting to progress to their next challenge or most being fedup with the many miles spent travelling to their nearest range of hills, only to find that the wind has changed direction or increased to outside their flying limits.

Paramotor traders at the show included: Bailey Aviation , PAP (Noel Humphries), Rad Aviation (John Radford), Paramotoring Ltd (Dave O,Donnell), Parajet.com (Giles Cordoza), Paramainia (Mike Campbell-Jones).

John Radford had a busy weekend with much interest in his very popular range of lightweight Paramotor units. Definitely a unit for the ladies interested out there.

Dave O'Donnell and crew displaying there range of Walker Jet Paramotors. Dave reported the weekend had been very busy.

Bailey Aviation were displaying for the first time at the exhibition their latest additions to the already successful 320 range, these were the long awaited BaileyJPX 330, BaileyJPX 160 and the Bailey Solo 210. Check their website for the latest news.

Now a complete range of Paramotors to suit every need. Also highly attractive in the fact that each unit is now fitted with an in-flight charging system, and a high energy ignition system to ensure restarting in flight every time.This new addition allows a reduction in the the size of the existing starter motor knocking off a couple of kilos from the overall weight.

A change of layout by the organisers this year using three halls instead of the normal two made things somewhat sparse even during the busiest periods over the two days, although the organisers claimed they were fully booked before the weekend kicked off!. I don't class a car display as being fully booked! Although a presence from the British Model Association slightly counts. The food situation also showed an improvement this year with a better layout and a slightly better selection. Security was tight with a good presence of security guards throughout the weekend milling around the stalls.

Thanks to all those who visited us at Paramotorsuk over the two days, we were certainly kept busy answering the inquisitive and the prospective. Hopefully we will see a few of you next year when the weather improves.

Don't forget we fly all year round at Paramotorsuk even when there's snow on the ground. So get on your thermal suits and heated gloves and get in the air.

Get into the air DON'T Hibernate