Put simply, we will teach you as much about PARAGLIDING as possible!...

What happens on my FLYING START paragliding holiday?

Put simply: We will teach you as much about PARAGLIDING as we can during this trip, and progress you as far as reasonably possible with your paragliding training, within the limits of the given weather and your own personal abilities!

First you will need to successfully attain the BHPA Paragliding Elementary Pilot (EP) rating (the halfway hurdle to achieving the Club Pilot rating) which takes on average 4-6 days of paragliding training. Once you have your BHPA EP rating, then you can carry on and work towards achieving the BHPA Paragliding Club Pilot (CP) rating. The Club Pilot rating is what you need to be able to fly solo, without instructor supervision, in the United Kingdom and it is also recognised in most countries around the world (equivalent to FAI ParaPro Level 3).

It takes on average 10-14 days of training in total (from the beginning, including EP) for individuals to achieve the BHPA Paragliding Club Pilot rating (this can vary according to the individual and various other factors outside of our control such as the weather).

Our BHPA-approved Paragliding Courses in South Africa
Our paragliding training courses in South Africa will include paragliding theory lessons as well as practical paragliding training. You will start right from the beginning with an introduction to the sport and the equipment, and learn how to set up the equipment and clip-in to the paragliding harness. Next we complete the basic ground-training, learning how to inflate the wing and control it on the ground. This is known as 'ground handling' and can take a lot of practice to get right; many think it could be a sport all on it's own, and there are even paragliding DVDs dedicated to the art of ground handling!

Then you will learn how to take-off and land safely with a paraglider, and do your first short paragliding flights, all under expert instruction and supervision by your BHPA Licensed Paragliding Instructor. After this, you will progress on to doing higher, longer flights, learning how to turn the paraglider competently and complete simple flight plans successfully.

As well as all of the flying tasks, there is also some theory to learn and the BHPA Paragliding Elementary Pilot (EP) Exam to pass. If you manage to complete all of the Elementary Pilot (EP) tasks successfully, pass the EP Exam, and satisfy the BHPA Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) that you have the correct 'Attitude and Airmanship' to continue paragliding safely, then you will be awarded your BHPA Paragliding Elementary Pilot (EP) rating by the CFI.

Once you manage to successfully attain your EP rating then you will be able to continue on and work towards achieving your BHPA Paragliding Club Pilot (CP) rating, which is an internationally recognised paragliding rating (equivalent to FAI IPPI ParaPro Level 3). As well as all of the BHPA Paragliding Club Pilot (CP) practical tasks to complete successfully, to the required standard for Club Pilot, there is the next level of theory to learn and the CP Exam to pass.

If you manage to completed all of the Club Pilot (CP) tasks successfully, passed the CP Exam and satisfied the Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) that you have the correct 'Attitude and Airmanship' to fly solo safely, unsupervised and with others, then you will be awarded your BHPA Paragliding Club Pilot (CP) rating by the CFI.

Important Note Regarding This Course & You Acheiving Your BHPA Ratings
Please note that we cannot and do not guarantee that you will achieve your BHPA EP rating in one week, or your BHPA CP rating in 2 weeks, as this is very much down to individual progress and the given weather conditions during the course. In case you don't fully acheive your EP or CP during your course, the training which you have done will count towards any further training required to acheive your EP and CP ratings.

BHPA Paragliding Training Courses UK & Abroad
As well as the paragliding training courses we offer abroad, we also offer training courses throughout the year in the southeast of England (near Brighton) so we can offer further training courses back in the UK to complete any remaining tasks. We have been teaching paragliding and flying paragliders from the beautiful rolling South Downs hills in sunny Sussex for over 16 years, and offer expert instruction to a high standard.

BHPA Requirements for BHPA Schools Training Students Abroad
In addition to all of the normal BHPA training requirements that BHPA Schools are required to adhere to, the BHPA apply additional conditions for training abroad. Some relevant extracts taken from the BHPA Technical Manual* regarding this include: "For schools wishing to train students abroad, in addition to all normal BHPA training requirements the following conditions apply:" "Students must be UK resident BHPA members." "All students and personnel must have medical repatriation insurance that specifically covers para/hang gliding."

*The BHPA say the following about the BHPA Technical Manual regarding paragliding, powered paragliding (A.K.A. paramotoring), and hang gliding: "The BHPA Technical Manual (TM) is the primary reference manual for operating the various disciplines of the sport safely and effectively and is based on experience gained over many years. Its purpose is to provide a single, central technical information resource for the Association and its licenced members."

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