ParAvion Paragliding
Centre aims to provide the highest quality tuition available. Our
fully qualified, professional instructors will go out of their way to
create a friendly and enthusiastic environment.
We train throughout the year and all of our training slopes and airfields are within 20 minutes drive of the centre.
Unlike the majority of UK schools, we start our courses by teaching you to fly from the winch (towing) first. See the 'News' section for the many reasons why.
Courses are open to anyone aged between 18 and 60 years old providing you're physically fit enough to be able to climb up 200 - 400ft hills about ten times in a day. You will also need to weigh somewhere between 50kg and 110kg.
We at ParAvion put our emphasis on quality not quantity. In other words we train fewer students to a higher standard rather than a lot of students to a medium/low standard. To achieve this:
• We have private and
exclusive grass covered slopes on which to train, as well as the use
of three private airfields where we have CAA permits to winch-tow to
heights of up to 2000ft (we pay a high price to keep these sites private).
• We will not teach you on crowded club sites - you will be the
only one in the air.
• We will only use the latest, safest and most modern equipment
(it is replaced or updated at least once a year – often more).
• We keep our groups small so that everyone gets the best attention.
Often you will receive one-on-one instruction.
• We have four highly-experienced Instructors (three qualified
to the highest standard available in the UK) and three Trainee Instructors
(between us we have nearly 120 years of flying experience). Three of
our instructors (and two of our TIs) have a PPL (Private Pilot's Licence)
and fly light aircraft too.
• We will only teach on good training days – not when the
weather is poor (this is an important safety issue).
• Our premises include a modern, purpose built classroom, retail
shop, office, parachute re-packing facilities and workshop.
• All transport to and from our flying sites is provided, either
in our 17 seat minibus or 4x4s (a pair of 7-seater Land Rover Discoverys).
• If you're looking for a higher standard, then you've found the
right school.
So Why Else Should You Choose ParAvion?
ParAvion is a school with a very real difference. When you join us on
a Taster Day you are a truly ‘valued’ customer and it is
our aim to send you away with a big smile on your face. We want you
to have a great time so that you’ll come back to us for more training.
We teach both winch and hill training (just the winch for the first
half of your training, because it is so much faster and easier). Once
you are ready to leave the school environment you will have both Hill
and Tow Club Pilot ratings.
We certainly won’t give you old or worn out gliders to use like
some schools and we’ll only take you out on a day when the conditions
are GOOD for beginners, so don’t expect to go out on wet, windy
or horrible days.
Once you decide to come back and do an EP course, you’re really
in trouble. You will now have joined our ‘family’. You will
have gone from being a ‘customer’ to becoming part of a
very, very special community.
People that learn with ParAvion; simply never leave. They stay with
us and join us on many of our flying holidays abroad, trips to different
parts of the UK, social events, lecture days/evenings etc. and still
like to come and fly on our airfields when they can.
We inherit a lot of students from other schools that have not been happy
with the ‘less than satisfactory’ approach they have experienced
there.
The people you meet on your course will become long-term friends and
you’ll find your whole attitude to life in general will change.
Don’t believe us? Well, just take a look at our discussion forum
to see what we mean - our students say it all for us.
We teach doctors, policemen, firemen, solicitors, plumbers, airline
pilots, electronics and computer wizards, TV producers and even professional
layabouts; everyone is welcome.
Foreign Trips
We run several foreign flying holidays a year for our students and ex-students. These are offered in the following four categories:
1. Introduction to mountain flying (and weather) and basic thermalling skills.
2. Improving thermalling techniques and building airtime.
3. Join up the dots - fly from thermal to thermal following the instructors and learn how to fly XC (cross country).
4. Put it all together and take yourself on bigger and bigger XC flights with just task setting and pre and post flight briefings from the instructors.
On our July '07 Slovenia trip, five pilots followed the instructors for a 65km triangle that took them over four hours with height gains of over 7000ft (nearly 10,000ft up). At the end of it, they landed back at the hotel and were handed a cold beer as they landed.
Once you've flown on these four trips, you will have become a sound 'all round' Cross Country Pilot ready to go out on your own to find new challenges. You will have gained around 30 - 40 hours airtime and will be a safer and far more skilled pilot. You will have achieved your BHPA 'Pilot' rating and have far more skill and knowledge than you could ever gain in a normal club environment in such a short time. In fact it would take you around four to five years to do it on your own.
ParAvion
Paragliding Centre is a BHPA (British Hangliding and Paragliding
Association) registered school. For more information on the BHPA visit
the BHPA website at www.bhpa.co.uk
