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AIRVENTURE TODAY
Paramotor Power OSHKOSH MOMENTS
2,200 miles to Oshkosh
PHOTO COURTESY OF HARLEY MILNE
BY ERIN HENZE
AIRVENTURE TODAY STAFF
HARLEY MILNE ARRIVED in Oshkosh on Sunday after a gru-
eling seven days paramotoring from Sonoma, California, to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This 2,200-mile, unsupported trip is impressive, but Harley’s used to challenges. This is the third time he’s tried to do what seems impossible as a paramotor pilot. “Back in 2020, I finished a 50-state tour,” Harley said. “I drove from state to state, and then I flew in each state, and I became the first paramotor pilot to fly in all 50 states. … That led to the coast-to-coast trip, which went from San Diego all the way to the coast of Florida, and that was a supported trip.” What does a supported trip look like for a paramotor pilot? “I had an entire crew,” Harley said. “There were two chase vehicles, a doctor, a meteorologist, videographers.” However, for his trip to Oshkosh, Harley decided to go unsupported. This meant traveling completely on his own, finding his own food and habitations along the way. This could occasionally be difficult, as Harley’s path went through the desert and across mountains. Planning for such a trip might seem daunting to some, but Harley knew what he was doing. “When I plan these trips, I figure out where I want to start and where I’m going to land,” he said. “You can set up what is basically a direct route. From there, typically you’re looking at, how do you want to compass it? Once you make a straight line, you start to look for where the airports are and what the distances are so you can make sure you have enough fuel to get from one point to the next.” The route Harley decided on was 2,200 miles, going from Sonoma over the Sierra Nevada, following I-80 into Wyoming, and then following I-90 to Oshkosh. For that long journey, Harley didn’t have much with him. Along with his motor and glider, he carried extra fuel, a high-tech helmet that receives information from his phone, the Garmin inReach Explorer, and safety gear, adding almost 100 pounds. Overall, the trip went almost exactly according to plan, though Harley’s schedule was a little sporadic.
“THIS TRIP, IT’S JUST AMAZING. THE VERBAL SUPPORT THAT I’VE BEEN GETTING, PEOPLE JUST ENCOURAGING ME. IT’S VERY HUMBLING.”
HARLEY MILNE
PHOTO BY DAN GRUNLOH
