Jordanian Air 

Jordan has been on my radar for a long time, so when the opportunity came and the Royal Jordanian Gliding Club (RJGC) asked me to help organise a paramotor event in the country, I jumped on the project without hesitation. Preparation took several months, as Jordan is quite slow with legal procedures, especially related to flying. But once RJGC got airspace permission from the air force, the rest of the logistics fell into place smoothly. 

We kept the group small, just nine pilots, to make logistics easier, and set the dates for mid-October when historically the wind and temperature are moderate. Unfortunately, it was mid-October 2023 and only a few days before our planned trip we woke to the news about the armed attack by Hamas in Israel, where of course paramotors were used. Full of concerns and unsure of what would happen, Matias and I packed up three paramotors and six wings and flew into Jordan three days before the rest of the group. 

Captain Abdullah picked us up in Amman, the capital, and we headed off south for a quick two-day tour to Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba ahead of the group to check out flight locations. In Aqaba, the organising team and local authorities were in...