Below you will find details of what to expect on each of our courses, whether a tandem flight, taster day, elementary pilot course, club pilot course or winch conversion... but first a few notes about how booking works...

All courses must be pre-paid and pre-booked, if you'd like to go straight to the secure booking page, click here. PLEASE NOTE - booked days do not have to be taken consecutively. WE TEACH ALL YEAR ROUND
In case of bad weather. If we need to call off your course, we will contact you as far in advance as possible - generally the evening before your booking. We reserve the right to cancel tuition at any time for reasons of safety or comfort - the senior instructor's decision if final.. Credit will be carried forward to your next booking. Cancelled days do not automatically roll over to the next day, you will need to re-book your next session.
Who can fly? Anyone over 16 - there is no upper restriction on age. You need to be averagely fit - there is little strength involved in paragliding, but walking up hills and carrying the kit can be mildly demanding. We do not normally require a medical certificate, although anyone with medical problems should think twice about flying, If you have any doubts, give us a call. Everyone attempting paragliding must be aware that it is a risk sport, and take this risk "on board". If the possibility - however remote - of personal injury due to indulging in a sport is unacceptable, then paragliding is not for you.
Meeting and Administration. We normally begin the day by meeting at Sussex Beauty spot Devil's Dyke at 09.30am - [map and directions here]. Please be punctual. We will either remain there to train, or move off to another site if the weather dictates. BHPA membership paperwork will be completed at this stage, as well as an overview of the plans for the day.We will inform you by mobile 'phone or email if there are any changes to these arrangements. We aim to begin teaching (after a weather check) at around 10am.
A summary follows of the lessons and stages laid out by the BHPA syllabus.
PLEASE NOTE - We Teach all year round! Weather conditions over winter and spring can often offer ideal conditions for beginners

Tandem Paragliding Flight
Vouchers Available

An ideal way to get airborne and taste the paragliding experience - it's an ideal gift, as we issue a voucher which can be presented and redeemed later (vouchers last for a full six months). A tandem flight will get you airborne after an introductory briefing, under the careful guidance of a fully-qualified and experienced BHPA Tandem Pilot; flights normally last around 15-20 minutes, although as with all gliding flight, the exact time "airborne" cannot be guaranteed. If weather/wind conditions dictate that we cannot soar for long we may have two shorter flights instead. One thing is for certain, you will experience a fantastic flight with superb views over the Sussex countryside... on a clear day you might see the Seven Sisters coastal cliffs, Brighton Town and the Isle of Wight...

After experiencing the thrill of free flight, many people go on to take up paragliding as a serious hobby. Whether you are inspired to continue paragliding or not, your first tandem flight will be an experience of a lifetime. Anyone of average fitness can take a tandem flight - we foot launch and gently land again with the minimum of effort.

All you need to do is dress in warm clothing for the day's weather and wear flat shoes with ankle support - gloves can also be a good idea. Allow up to half a day for your flight to give time to meet, get to the flying site, have a pre-flight briefing and of course the flight itself.

Please be aware that safety is of paramount importance and paragliding is potentially a dangerous adventure sport, needing suitable weather conditions. Therefore, if the weather is not suitable on a particular day we may have to cancel your flight and re-schedule for another day.

Click here to book a Tandem Voucher now...

Paragliding Taster Days
Vouchers Available

A taster day is effectively the first day of an Elementary Pilot Course (see below) - we concentrate on exercises 1 to 9 on your first day, getting you to your first hop flights as the syllabus allows. A Taster Day is a great way to get your hands on the equipment, and see how the school teaches, as such it is a perfect gift for people who are thinking of taking a course. After the day, the credit can be upgraded to a full course.
Gift vouchers (redeemable any time within a year) can be issued for a day taster on request; you can buy a two-day voucher if you wish to have a more substantial experience covering exercises 5 to 13 - or even buy a two day voucher for two of you to come along - why not buy a gift and come along and have a fun day too!

Click here to book a Paragliding Taster Day (or Voucher) now...

Elementary Pilot(EP) Course
Vouchers Available

Ground Training
1-4  Introductory Talk, Site Assessment, Introduction to Equipment, Avoiding injury.
Ground Handling
5  Briefing then hands-on: wind direction flare/stall
6  Preparation hands-on: the paragliding canopy, harness and helmet
7  Inflation, take-off and landing sequence practised
8  Directional control - initiating turns
First Hops
9  Getting airborne - take-off on training slope with good control of airspeed, canopy and landing
Flight exercises
10  Eventualities briefing - dealing with the unexpected
11  Commands and communications briefing
12  Responsibilities - the student becomes the pilot-in-command
13  Flights (1)  straight flights, maintaining course and airspeed
14  Flights (2)  introducing turns
15  Flights (3)  completing simple flight plans with increased height
Theory and Examination
16-20  Meteorology, Principles of flight, Rules of the Air, Multiple Choice exam
Final assessment of Elementary stage
20  Student reaches a standard of airmanship and attitude to continue training.

Click here to book an Elementary Pilot Course now...

At this stage, the student is "their own pilot", and may move on to Club Pilot level, but must remain in an environment supervised by an Instructor until the Club Pilot is completed.

Club Pilot (CP) Course
(follows on from the EP above)

Pre-soaring
21  Theory
22  180 degree turns to a consistent level
23  Planned approaches - Minimum 4 successful flights with landing within 10m of target
Soaring
24  Soaring flight - Minimum 3 successful flights using ridge lift to maintain gain height
25  Top landings - Minimum 4 successful flights
26  Flying with others
Improving Skills
27  Exploring the speed range
28  Accelerator system
29  Forward launching
30  Reverse launching
31  Weight shift and pitch-roll in turns
32  Cross wind and slope landings
Instability and Emergencies
33  Theory
34  Active flying
35  Rapid descent techniques
36  Dealing with an asymmetric tuck
Theory and Examination
37-41 Meteorology, Principles of flight, Rules of the air and air law, General airmanship knowledge, Club pilot theory examination
Final assessment for Club Pilot
42  Declaration by Senior instructor

Click here to book an Elementary Pilot / Club Pilot Course now...

Winch Conversion Course
(for CP and above fliers)

In association with our sister school Air Adventure, we are pleased to offer winch towing conversion courses. We not only have some of the best hill training sites on the South Downs, but we also have the perfect tow-site based directly behind Devil’s Dyke.  Using the Koch static winch we can tow in any wind direction and we have the necessary Civil Aviation Authority permits to tow you up to 2000 ft above launch, and considering the highest hill in the area is aprox 700ft you will almost certainly double your air time.

Tow Conversion Courses - Minimum requirements CP
A two-day course covering theory and a minimum of ten flights.  For more details contact us. Book now.

If you have any further questions about our courses, please don't hesitate to call Gary on 0780 350 6567 or email us at office@learnparagliding.co.uk

TERMS
*CREDIT IS VALID FOR ONE YEAR FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE, OR UNTIL THE DATE SPECIFIED ON TANDEM VOUCHERS. WE EXPECT CUSTOMERS TO MAKE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO REBOOK IN CASE OF WEATHER CANCELLATIONS, AS PARAGLIDING IS A WEATHER DEPENDENT SPORT.

*FOR COURSES SOLD AFTER 01/11/07 WE WILL BE UNABLE TO EXTEND THE STATED PERIOD WITHOUT A 50% SURCHARGE

*CREDIT IS NON-REFUNDABLE, BUT MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER PARTICIPANT AT OUR DISCRETION.