Meet Paul Franco

  • Professional world class athlete with experience since 1989
  • Born in Sao Paulo Brazil, US citizen, resident of Maui since 2000
  • Traveled the world representing international sponsors on National and International competitions and events.
  • Featured in numerous sports, kiteboarding and paragliding movies, magazines etc.
  • Participated in many TV shows on Travel Chanel, National Geographic and others.
  • Expert teaching the arts of Paragliding & Kiteboarding.
  • Languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish

 Paragliding

  • Paragliding since early 90s, ranked top 10 in Brazil from 1992 to 1996
  • Ranked top 20 on the Paragliding World Cup 1993 & 1994
  • Tandem paragliding since ’91 with a 100% clean safety record taking more than 10,000 first timers in the air with zero incidents
  • Teaching paragliding and paramotoring since 1992 around Brazil and the US, with more than 150 certified students, again with zero incidents
  • Paragliding sponsors, Coca-Cola, Puma and Antartica beer. 2 years (1995 & 1996) traveling to the most popular places in Brazil in a major marketing campaign
  • Logged over 400 hours paramotoring commercially
  • Managed and worked for several paragliding schools & retail business
  • Sao Paulo, Brazil: Nomads of the Air, 1991/1992, Sao Paulo CEA 1993, Andradas 1994
  • Miami Florida: Aerolight USA, 1997
  • New York: New York Paragliding Center, 1998/1999
  • Maui, Hawaii: Proflyght Paragliding, from 2000 to present date, actively working as a USHPA advanced paragliding instructor and tandem pilot
  • Over 10.000 safe tandems and 150 happy students /clients 🙂

 

Kiteboarding

Emerged onto the kiteboarding scene in 2000 and has been dedicated to innovating and teaching the sport ever since.

  • Sponsored by Naish Kiteboarding 16 years
  • Ranked top 10 in the world PKRA & PKWT events 2002 & 2003
  • Ranked 6th on the Red Bull King of the Air 2003 world class international event
  • Crossed most of the Hawaiian Channels
  • Became a certified professional instructor in 2000
  • Trained over a thousand beginners and over 50 instructors in the last 16 years (with zero incidents)
  • Worked for Action Sports Maui, Aqua Sports Maui, New Wind OR
  • Worked 12 years for KSM Kiteboarding School of Maui
  • Over 1000 successful happy clients / students
  • Currently work for AquaSports and for my self 🙂

 

Sponsored by Naish and DaKine.

Certificates

  • KISS Kitesurfing International Safety System Instructor Level 2 – Year 2000
  • IKO International Kiteboarding Organization Instructor Level 2 – Year 2002
  • IKO International Kiteboarding Organization Examiner #12 – Year 2002
  • PASA Professional Air Sports Association Instructor Level 2- Year 2002
  • USHGA Certified Advanced Paragliding Instructor, Tandem Instructor 3, USHGA #69130 – Since 1997
  • PADI Open Water Diver, Advanced Diver, Rescue Diver, Medic First Aid  Aqua / PADI Instr. #OWSI- 52728