Mitchell Powered Parachutes

In 1963, a gentleman from Florida decided to build a kite that he could tie off to his bumper on the beach and sell advertising on it. This gentleman started to notice that when the winds got very strong the kite would move his vehicle. What the gentleman had created was not only a kite but a parafoil, which is another word for a wing. This wing just happened to be made of parachute material, hence the name parafoil. An airfoil is a term long used to describe a lifting surface when referring to aircraft.

The gentleman then notified an aerodynamics team at Notre Dame University who became very interested in this parafoil, which later became known as a ram air parachute. Dr. Nicholidas was the project manager at Notre Dame for what quickly became the first powered parachute project for testing. The first powered parachute test pilot was Lowell Farrand. You can find Lowell Farrand at the Powrachute Extravaganza hosted annually the third weekend in September in Columbus, KS. In 2004, there were 325 power chutes in attendance at the Extravaganza, and all the powerchute pilots love to hear Lowell talk about the beginning of their sport.

Back to 1963. The team at Notre Dame went to work on their idea and then sold it  to the United States military for funding, and got it. The idea was to develop a powered parachute that would fit inside the cockpit of fighter aircraft. If this could be done, a pilot in trouble could eject from the aircraft, deploy his chute, start his motor and fly to a safe zone. After approximately five to six years, the powered parachute project was scrapped due to lack of further government funding.

In 1983, a gentleman by the name of Steve Snyder developed the first single seat sport use powered parachute called the Paraplane. This was the first ultralight equipped with a parachute for a wing and truly was an experimental light sport aircraft. Steve was a member of the original design team at Notre Dame and never gave up on his belief that this was a great way to fly. The Paraplane was designed to be the simplest form of aviation. Anyone with a desire to fly could learn to fly and become a sport pilot in a relatively short period of time and be able to take advantage of the inherent safety characteristics of flying slow and using a parachute for a wing. This concept proved to be an amazing light sport aircraft.

Although Paraplane is no longer in business, Steve Snyder is to be commended for helping create the fastest growing industry in light sport aviation. Since his invention, there are now thousands of powerchute sport pilots enjoying the wonders of low and slow flight.

In the early 1990’s, we saw the development of two-seat powerchutes ultralight aircraft. This increased the popularity of light sport aircraft. Now sport pilots could go for instructional flights with a Basic Flight Instructor (BFI), Advanced Flight Instructor (AFI), or Ultralight Flight Instructor and get in flight lessons before their actual solo flight. The allowance of two-seat ultralights as you can imagine improved safety of flight in these light sport aircraft.

The year 1999 saw the emergence of a new powered parachute manufacturer by the name of Powrachute Corporation of Columbus, Kansas. Powrachute brought new philosophies in machine design, structural integrity, business integrity and customer service. The mission statement was simple. Build high quality products, build the most experienced instructor/dealer base in the powerchute industry, offer service never before seen in the powerchute industry and we will have a successful business. In four years, Powrachute Corporation took over as the powered parachute industry leader. In this climb to the top Powrachute Corporation surpassed manufacturers that had been in the industry 10 years before Powrachute opened its doors.

In 2003, Powrachute out distributed its nearest competitor by over 70 units. Being the biggest and the best is not something you claim, it is something you earn, and once you earn it you have to keep earning it everyday.

If you are shopping, I ask that you look at our website thoroughly. Look at our past and present performance. Look closely at the quality, and hopefully you will own a Powrachute too. The Pegasus, PC2000, Sky Rascal are the best the powered parachutes industry has to offer. All Powrachute aircraft are equipped with the best component parts our industry has to offer. The engines are Bombardier/Rotax engines. Powrachute utilizes in its designs the 40 hp. 447, 52 hp. 503 DC, 65 hp. 582, 80 & 100 hp. 912 UL & ULS. Powrachute also uses the industry leaders in ram-air parachute, Quantum, High Energy Sports, Performance Design, Elan, Hawk Wing, and Apco.

Powrachute’s choice on propellers is equally impressive, by offering Powerfin and Warp Drive. Powrachute instruments are manufactured by Grand Rapid Technologies, a proven leader in aviation instrumentation.

I would again like to recognize those who founded our great sport. Thank you, Steve Snyder, Lowell Farrand, Notre Dame University, Dr. Nicholidas, and the gentleman flying the kite on the beach in Florida.

Sincere Regards,

Eddie Johnson