Learning to Paraglide
Please note we are not a BHPA school and cannot issue UK qualifications (i.e. Club Pilot) - all pre CP training is done under the French system. 
We do however work with a select few UK schools who are willing to take your FFVL training into account as part of a UK CPC qualification. Below we describe how quality airtime gained in the French Alps can help you qualify in the UK or how you can qualify in France.
Paragliding – What’s it all about?
A paraglider is an aircraft which can be folded up and carried in a rucksack. Imagine being able to walk up a hill, choose a take off site and unroll your wing. Next clip into your harness, gently pull on the lines and the canopy rises above your head, turning from a “bag of washing” into a high performance glider. Run a few steps and you’re airborne.
It's now possible to get a glider & harness which weigh in at 5 kg and will fit in a normal hiking day sack so you can climb your favourite hills and then fly back to the car!
It all started here in the French Alps in the 1970’s when a few free fall parachutists decided that if they could find a steep enough hill they could launch their parachutes and fly down into the valleys below. Soon they were modifying parachutes and found they could use rising air currents to stay aloft just like hangliders and sailplanes – paragliding was born. Paragliders have evolved rapidly since those early days and now modern wings have superb performance, handling and most importantly safety characteristics.
It is now possible to fly for hours at a time and for big distances. The current world distance record is over 423km and the record distance over a triangular course is 237km. The world record height gain stands at 4526 metres! These are serious aircraft.
Not everyone is going to be a world class cross country pilot but flying a paraglider is well within most peoples reach. Paragliders are extremely simple to fly and modern training methods can get you airborne in a few days – then you start learning more advanced piloting skills and how to understand the terrain, air and weather. You never stop learning and never get tired of the thrill. From your first hops on the beginners slopes, to your first soaring flight on a local hill or above your favourite beach and then perhaps climbing to cloud base in the Alps with a Golden eagle for company….
Learning to Paraglide
There's no better way to learn to paraglide than here in the Alps with 5 days of sunshine and a paragliding course with the local school Les Passagers du Vent. Widely regarded as one of the best schools in France the standard of tuition is excellent and your instructors will speak good English.
Here's an outline of the course:
Day 1 - Learning about the equipment and practicing take offs and canopy control on the school slopes.
Day 2 - Tandem flight with an instructor, he takes off and then you fly down and land from about 500 metres. If you're ok in the air then it's on to more launch practice and bigger hops ready for the big day.
Day 3 - Solo from the same take off as the tandem flight under radio guidance morning and afternoon with some lectures in between.
Days 4 & 5 - More flying building up to 1000+ metre flights
All this is done under the French (FFVL) licencing system but most UK schools will allow you to jump start the system as you will be more advanced than the UK EP rating and have a log book to prove it.
Beginner or "Initiation" courses run most weeks from mid May to mid September but do tend to get booked up quickly in August. We will arrange the course, your accommodation, airport pickup and local transport. Accommodation can be full board where you can relive the days experiences with other pilots or self catering for those on a tighter budget.
Perfectionment
After the initiation course (or BHPA EP's) you will then be able to move onto the Perfectionment or "Progression Autonomie" courses which can be 5 day midweek courses or weekends. The idea of these courses is as the name suggests to build your experience at different sites and in different conditions until the instructors feel you are ready to "Free Fly" autonomously.
More Info about Learning to Paraglide
You can download a printer friendly version of our "learning to paraglide abroad guide" in adobe acrobat format, by clicking the link or read it online below.
Download - Learn to Paraglide.pdf (257kb)
Why Come To France?
Although you need to spend more time in school to qualify in France than in England it is often quicker to qualify here as there are more flyable days i.e. the weather is better. Many pilots who have started training in the UK get frustrated and a trip to the Alps allows you to gain some quality airtime, which is invaluable experience and keeps you motivated.
We work with “Les Passagers du Vent” one of the top schools in France who have a great team of professional English speaking instructors. French instructors are very highly qualified having worked several years to obtain their licence and then working full time teaching. For the facts see the article at the bottom of this page.
It’s extremely easy to get here – you can fly to Geneva from many UK airports very cheaply (see our travel page for details). It’s a 1½ to 2 hour flight then just a 1 hour transfer to the chalet makes it possible to continue your training with weekend courses.
What do I need to know
The first thing to understand and accept is that, like most sports, paragliding has an element of risk, in fact as with most aerial activities it is classed as a ‘high risk sport’ by most insurance companies etc. It is therefore vital to obtain proper professional instruction to minimise these risks. For the same reasons you can't learn it all in a few days. It takes time and dedication to become a good safe pilot. Most people do a beginners course to see if it's for them and then continue training either here or in the UK or a combination of the two.
Modern paragliding courses will teach you everything you need to know to get started, including:
- How a paraglider flies
- How to handle the glider on the ground and launch it
- How to control the glider in flight
- How to land (this is quite important!)
- What can go wrong and how to avoid it
- Understanding weather both on a large and small scale
- Air law, and in particular where we are allowed to fly
Once you have qualified to fly solo you will normally join a club and fly with more experienced pilots who will help you to progress and share their knowledge, and then it is important to continue with further courses to improve your skills and get more out of flying - safely.
Where can I learn?
Here in France training is organised by the Federation Francaise de Vol Libre (FFVL) who like the BHPA have a number of registered schools. A complete list can be found on the web at www.ffvl.fr At the Last Resort we work with Les Passagers du Vent who have long been regarded as one of the best schools in France.
In the UK paragliding and hangliding training is managed by the British Hangliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA). There are BHPA registered schools in most parts of the UK and a complete list can be found on the BHPA website www.bhpa.co.uk . We strongly recommend that for UK based training you only train with a BHPA registered school.
Learning to Paraglide in FRANCE & the UK
Below we explain the differences between the French and the UK paraglider training systems and how you can use experience gained under the French system to help you qualify as a paraglider pilot in the UK.
IPPI Qualifications
Most national flying organisations such as the BHPA and FFVL are members of the Federation Aeronautique International (FAI). The FAI have created the International Pilot Proficiency Identification (IPPI) scheme to enable qualifications obtained in one country to be recognised in another. In general the training schemes in both the UK and France follow the guidelines set down by IPPI so the exercises completed under one system should be accepted by the other. The table below shows the IPPI levels and the equivalent qualifications in the UK and France.
| IPPI Level | BHPA | FFVL |
| Para Pro Stage 2 Orange | Elementary Pilot EPC | Niveau Orange |
| Para Pro Stage 3 Green | Novice (Club) Pilot CPC | Niveau Vert |
| Para Pro Stage 4 Blue | Pilot & Advanced Pilot | Brevet de Pilot – Niveau Bleu |
| Para Pro Stage 5 Brown | Advanced Pilot + | Brevet de Pilot Confirme Niveau Marron |
BHPA Novice (Club) Pilot (IPPI 3)
This qualification allows you to join a UK club and fly on their sites. It is the basic pilot level for autonomous flying. It typically takes 10 to 12 days of training to reach this level with a UK school. Once you have qualified as a Novice pilot you can fly at club sites, normally with a club coach present at first and then on your own. Ideally you would then try to obtain your “Pilot” rating to become a truly autonomous flyer and to allow you to fly cross country. Normally under the French system students are signed off to free fly after about 15 days training, when they have achieved the equivalent of the UK Novice pilot and can practice on their own. At this stage you can be issued with an IPPI level 3 card by the FFVL.
FFVL Brevet de Pilot (IPPI 4)
The first level of qualification in France is the Brevet de Pilot which is equivalent to the BHPA Pilot rating and typically takes at least 20 days training in a school environment. This qualification allows you to free fly in most countries in the world..
If you qualify to this level and are a member of the FFVL then you can free fly in the UK without having a UK rating as BHPA clubs will accept your FFVL 3rd party insurance. As this qualification is accepted worldwide we will concentrate on IPPI level 2 & 3 qualifications and how to use those to obtain a BHPA Novice Pilot rating.
What to do to complete training in the UK
IPPI Level 2 – Normally obtained after the 5 day initiation course. You can use this card to qualify as an EPC by visiting a UK school and getting checked out by the CFI and then sitting and passing the EPC exam paper. You will then be able to continue training to be a Novice Pilot with the school.
IPPI Level 3 – With this card you will be able to go for your Novice Pilot straight away. You will need to contact a BHPA instructor or senior club coach who will assess you and sign you off as having the appropriate level. You must then pass the Novice pilot written exam which can be invigilated by the coach or instructor. To get to this level you will normally need to do a 5 day “Initiation” course followed by a 5 day “Perfectionment 1” (PERF 1) course and then either another 5 day PERF 1 or a couple of weekend PERF 1 courses.
We strongly recommend that whatever path you take you enrol with a UK school for a few days to learn how to handle the different flying conditions encountered in the UK, especially strong wind take offs.
What Are the Major Differences in the Training Schemes
As we said earlier both systems follow the FAI system but with variations to allow for prevailing weather conditions and the terrain.
Typically, flying in the UK and other non mountainous areas is done on small hills in smooth dynamic lift created by meteorological winds. This allows pilots to soar and land back on take off. As the pilot progresses they can find thermals mixed in with this lift which can be used to go cross country – normally downwind. This means that the BHPA system places a lot of emphasis on launching in windy conditions and top landing early in your flying career.
Here in the Alps we fly from very large mountains in light meteorological winds. This means that student pilots spend more time in the air as you don’t need to climb back up after your little hops. You normally take a ski lift or minibus ride to the top of a 3000’ hill. A French IPPI 2 pilot will often have more airtime than a newly qualified UK Novice pilot. Confidence is gained by flying tandem with an instructor and on your first solo flights you will be guided by radio. As you progress you will learn how to soar in both thermic and dynamic (ridge) lift. As a consequence of this you are unlikely to do any top landings until the Pilot Confirme level. Reverse launching and strong wind ground handling is mainly practiced in the landing field when the thermic breezes get too strong to land safely (usually for a couple of hours each afternoon). Learning how big mountains affect localised weather and winds is also a very important aspect of the course.
There are also few minor differences in airlaw which are addressed by the exam paper.
How fit do I have to be?
You don’t have to be a tri-athlete, but you do need to be reasonably healthy.
Although in our area of France the amount of walking is minimised - by ski lifts and vehicle transport to the take off sites – in many parts of the UK and other areas you will have to carry your equipment (15-20kg) up a hill to take off. And if you fly cross country you may have a walk out from where you’ve landed. You have to be able to run on take off and landing (though not far and without the weight of the glider, which will be inflated)
Here in France the FFVL insist on a medical declaration signed by a doctor, to confirm that you don’t have any medical conditions that would be a risk for you and others whilst flying. It’s all common sense stuff – e.g. can you see (with glasses or contacts if needed), can you hear, are you sound in wind and limb! It’s possible to get one from the medical centre here (the school will drop you there after the first day of the course).
What should I wear?
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Boots with good ankle support (e.g. walking boots) as you may have to occasionally run over rough ground.
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Gloves to protect your hands if handling the paraglider lines in breezy conditions and also to keep warm in the air.
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Helmet – this will be provided by the school
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Wind proof jacket and trousers and warm layers for flying high
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Shorts and T Shirt etc for ground based training (it gets very warm here)
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High factor sunscreen and sunglasses.
OK I want to learn more!
A good place to start is with a little theory – you can order books and videos about paragliding from the BHPA shop on the internet at http://www.bhpa.co.uk or better still give us a call and book a course.
Contacts
Last Resort – http://www.lastresort.info
Phone 0800 652 3977
BHPA – http://www.bhpa.co.uk – for a list of clubs and schools in the UK and loads of other useful stuff.
FFVL – http://www.ffvl.fr – It’s in French!!
A Comparison of Instructor training in the UK & France
This section is not meant as a criticism of the BHPA or it's instructors it is reflecting the fact that the UK has weather limitations and a much smaller pilot community than France making the economics of training different. Below we outline the requirements for becoming an instructor in both countries.
UK Instructor |
French Instructor |
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As you can see the training of a French instructor is much more rigorous than in the UK and we believe much more consistent. French instructors also work much more than UK instructors and therefore gain lots of practical experience very quickly. Even if it were possible for a UK TI to make a living out of the sport and work every flyable day of the season he would probably gain only a third of the experience a French full time stagiere would.