Throughout winter 2024, paramotor pilot Dan Jones was constantly weather watching. Poring over meteorological data, he spied a window of opportunity for 3 March. His mission? To fly a 500km triangle and beat the 13-year-old FAI World Record held by Peter Schulz of Germany: Distance in a closed circuit without landing. Jones managed to fly 516,95km for the world record, beating Schulz’s 504,167km, set in 2011.

Fresh from his second champion title at the 2025 British Open Paramotor Championships, and between training for upcoming FAI World Paramotor Championships in Chambley from 24-31 August, Jones shares the story of the wintry 10-hour flight that made him an FAI World Record holder. 

What were the main challenges during the flight?
“Winter flying is tough”, he reflects. "I was dressed in so many layers that I lost a lot of mobility! I had to have help to clip into my leg straps." Jones scraped in at 1kg below the required UK weight limit of 70kg, and got the OK from the FAI observer to set off into the raw wintry skies above his home region of Norfolk.

On the scales at weigh-in

Although there were “stunning views of the river Humber,” after passing the first turn point in Scackleton, Yorkshire, he soared over snow-topped hills, air temperatures hovering just above zero.

Alongside the cold, Jones also faced alarming turbulence: “Six hours in, I was air sick!” Having checked that he felt alright to continue, he opted to carry on: “It was quicker to fly back than to land.” 

Then came the headwind, which threatened to scupper the record attempt once again: “On the second leg the headwind extended the time by one and a half hours.” Racing to land as the sun faded from the sky, Jones was extremely lucky not to have the record snatched from under his nose: “I landed with just six minutes before official night!”

Passing snowy fields in Britain's Peak District

How did you feel once you landed? 
“Exhausted! And elated. After all that planning and weather watching, everything had fallen into place.”

Jones is certainly a meticulous planner. The whiteboard by his desk is covered in figures: fuel calculations, average speeds, altitudes, distances, which reveal an impressive level of depth to his knowledge of British airspace, navigation and paramotor piloting.

How did you decide on a route?
“I went with what would fit into the airspace,” he explains, saying that the regional airports and military areas mean that the skies above England are rather crowded.

The triangle route with turning points

Jones is no stranger to cross country flying, having completed the length of mainland Great Britain in 2021, a famous route from John O’Groats in northeast Scotland to Land’s End on the south-westerly tip. He flew 1271km in seven days, navigating a spectrum of challenges from military zones to coastal and mountain climates and narrow flight corridors. In 2023, he won the XContest with an FAI triangle of 429 km, flown in just under 8 hours.

Do you have any plans for future records?
“Yes! I have looked into altitude records but of course I would need more clearance and oxygen for that. And I have considered a straight line of 1300km from the UK to Italy, but there are a lot of mountains!” (Jones is a racing team pilot with Vitorazzi, based in Italy.) “I’d love to break 1000km in the UK though. It’s all worked out, I think it would take 14 and a half hours at 65km per hour.”

How is training going for the FAI World Paramotor Championships in Chambley?
“I aim for 8-10 hours a week, ideally. And 99.5% of my flights at the moment are training. I’ve flown in the area twice before and have done the French Open so I have a good idea of what to expect.”

To prepare for competitions, Jones delves deep not only his task results, but those of his competitors, his obsession for data analysis demonstrating an elite pilot’s steady focus on the top step of the podium.

Do you have advice for anyone who wants to attempt a record?
“There’s a lot of paperwork to get right. When you go for a record, you have to commit,” he explains, “I always try to show people that with planning and determination, it’s entirely possible.”

 

How did you get into paramotoring?
“I found paramotoring through YouTube, then about a month later saw someone fly over my house and from that point I knew that's what I wanted to do and so I saved my money just to get into the sport. I learnt with Mike Chilvers at UFly4Fun and had my first flight aged 25. My flying then took a swift development into competition flying, which I'll openly admit I never wanted to do because at the time it seemed like I needed a much higher skill level. But I was pleasantly surprised with how welcoming and enjoyable it was to be with a group of like-minded people putting a purpose to their flying.”

This is a pilot who gives as much as he takes from the sport, if not more. Jones, a videographer, regularly posts guides and explainers on YouTube to encourage others into paramotor and competition.

Watch this space for future FAI record submissions!

Image credits: Daniel Jones