Kester Haynes Team Parajet Pilot

Name :: Kester Haynes
DOB :: 25 December 1983
Hometown :: Lynton, UK
Paramotor :: Custom-made Volution 2 Macro
Wing :: Paramania Action GT 23m
Year's flying :: Since October 2007

Since making his first paramotor flight above the rolling Catalonian countryside in north-eastern Spain, Kester has been fortunate enough to indulge his passion for flying with his passion for travel; honing his skills and technique while taking the opportunity to make a living out of something he loves. His journey has been a fantastic tale of enthusiasm and a constant strive to keep flying.

By the end of 2008 Kester was well on his way to fulfilling his ambition. Having learnt to paramotor in October 2007 he swapped his day-job to start working full-time as a trainee instructor at the school that taught him. Shortly after, he made the natural progression to paragliding; making his first flight at Coupe Icare, the famous International Free Flying Festival held in France.

During the winter of 2008 Kester teamed up with fellow Parajet pilot Dean Eldridge, spending three months paramotoring the Western Ghats in India. The expedition took the pair across urban, jungle and coastal landscapes which made for some of the best flying and elevated Kester to becoming a seasoned pilot.

In the years that followed Kester continued to progress with his flying, spending time with Jocky Sanderson at Lake Annecy in France and David Arrufat in Napal learning the latest recovery and handling techniques and acro moves. More recently Kester has become a Chief Flying Instructor and has qualified as a Tandem Paragliding Pilot.

As part of his role at Parajet, Kester is spearheading the development and fabrication of a new lightweight, competition paramotor. As a precursor to this project, Kester designed,built and flew his own custom paramotor achieving a top speed of 110kph during the 100km flight from the Parajet factory to his hometown in Exmoor, and completing the journey in an hour and twenty minutes.

Apart from paramotoring, Kester enjoys adrenaline-fuelled sports in general; riding motorcross bikes and racing 4x4s. He likes nothing more than combining these past times with his travelling. He feels very fortunate to have such a lifestyle and it is his passion and enthusiasm that makes him one of Parajet’s most loved characters.