Justin DiPierro

David is an absolutely amazing instructor with a passion not only for the sport but for sharing it with others. He's a talented pilot and teacher that can work with any student to tailor the training program to their individual needs and learning style. I came to David's class with a decent amount of GA training towards my PPL. Ive had a lifelong love of aviation and while I enjoyed flying planes there was always a bit of disappointment in just cruising from airport to airport. I've never wanted to fly for transportation, I want to enjoy the beauty of our world from above. PPG is absolutely the way to go if you've got similar thoughts and feelings. David's partner Emily is equally amazing at keeping the class running smoothly and helping students progress in their journey. While she may not officially be an instructor yet she's awesome at explaining things to students, talking them through flights, and referring to David when she needs to. Together David and Emily make You Can Fly PPG one of the best places to learn to fly Paramotors!

FoggyNH

Dave is one of the best flight instructors I’ve ever flown with. Highly recommend YouCanFly PPG. Get into paramotoring and see why we’re all smiling! I’m an ex-military flight instructor with over 2,000 hours and 30 years flying everything from Cessna’s to B-1B bombers; I’ve seen good and bad. Dave is top notch. Dave has an easy-going personality. He teaches with enthusiasm and energy. He clearly loves to fly and has tremendous flying abilities, but his empathy, listening skills, and patience allow him to understand learning roadblocks and match his teaching techniques to individual student learning styles. A personal example of the above is how he helped me overcome landing difficulties. Before his help, my paramotor landings were unacceptably dangerous. In paramotoring, the flare initiation height for landing (~6 ft) seemed too high based on my military parachute training (in behavioral science, this is termed negative transfer). This resulted in landings with either no/incomplete flare or with my legs spring loaded to transfer ground impact into a PLF or parachute landing fall. The tumbling, skidding results of such landings were bad enough to bend my paramotor frame out of safe tolerances! When Dave saw my landing problems, he switched gears and had me accomplish some forward launches with a kiting harness. Once I got my wing flying, he ran behind me and pushed me fast enough to actually take-off and fly at flare height for a few moments, then accomplish a landing flare and run-out. We did this a few times; the sequence helped me grow comfortable with the sight picture of the flare. The next time I flew, I accomplished a very rewarding stand-up landing with run-out. Equally important to his teaching style are his actions in building a safe and supportive flying community. Complimenting the syllabus classes taught at YouCanFly are numerous “hangar flying” sessions with students where he leads discussion on topics like weather, “what if” situation analysis, and examples of good and bad judgement in the flying world. Concepts like “always have an out (suitable landing area)” are infused in his teaching and actions, which helps students build a safe flying foundation. I thoroughly enjoyed my training at YouCanFly and I look forward to flying more with Dave and my fellow students.

MFG

I learned to fly paramotors with David in Simsbury Connecticut in June of 2022. He is a great instructor with years of experience. Having taught at one of the most well known flight schools in the US and flown with some of the biggest names in the sport it's clear David knows his stuff. In terms of training style David seems to have boundless energy on the field and imo offer the perfect mix of motivational and constructive feedback (and taunting!) while teaching. I felt completely safe under his instuction both on the ground and in the air. During our session I witnessed him skillfully adapting his 1:1 teaching approach based on the varied aptitudes of the students. In terms of location David will post up at an airport in New England for a few weeks and fly any am or pm window that the conditions allow during that time. For me this worked out much better than dedicating 7-10 days at a remote intensive class in FL, UT, TX, etc. That said, since he is available on any flyable/kiteable day, you could treat his training like an intensive class if you wanted to. For instance, for the last week of the session I attended almost every am/pm session. I may have skipped a session for work (or recovery) reasons but the fact that he is setup for so long makes it way easier to work into your schedule. In addition to instruction David also seems genuinely interested in fostering the growing PPG community in New England and equipping his students to do the same. He teaches about respectful PPG piloting and general untralight aviation etiquette. Contacting local airfileds, making sure to minimize disturbances, etc. I would absolutely recommend David to anyone in New England (or willing to travel to New England) who is looking for paramotor instruction.

Emily Dziedzic

David is an excellent trainer. His ground school is thorough and his training instruction is clear and intentional. I came into his training with 6 flights and he worked with me to continue my training. I have been extremely well supported and have had a ton of fun with his student groups.

DirtyWonderWoman

Flying is great, landing smoothly is even more fun!

Joeskrip88

Dave is awesome. He is a great teacher in all aspects of the sport, he made me extremely comfortable going in the air for my first flight. Very knowledgeable and answers all questions clearly. Don't even look anywhere else, Dave is exactly who you want as an instructor.

Barbara German

Wow!! What an incredible experience! I did a discovery flight with David. He was an excellent instructor who explained everything that we were about to do and the equipment thoroughly. I had initially been nervous, but he was great and I felt comfortable taking the controls on the tandem flight. I can’t wait to get more involved in the paramotor world, thanks to David!

Jason

David was flexible with timing and location, researched 3 areas within minutes from my house, brought all the needed equipment, and was reasonably priced compared to large scale schools in the south. ??

Kevin Doyle

Dave is a dedicated and skilled teacher who enables his students to progress at a pace commensurate with their own dedication and determination. He stresses progressive skill development and a systematic approach that includes making safety habitual. I was well prepared for my first flights and look forward to continuing my training. Highly recommended.

Geoffrey

Great instructor! Makes the time and consideration for new students. I would absolutely recommend him for anyone getting into the sport.