Enrolling on a 'Direct Instruction' beginners course is an excellent way of learning to paraglide quickly and safely. Dennis and Gillian work with you on a personal level helping you to complete the EPC and CPC training in around 8 days. The training is intensive but rewarding and learning to fly in this manner is popular, and although the costs seem initially high compared with group courses, the overall outlay is pretty much the same and completed in a short time!
The
aim of this style of training is to bypass the delays that group lessons
bring. Group lessons progress as quickly as the slowest student and with
four or more to a class your training time is drastically reduced, leaving
you waiting your turn on the hill or in the queue at launch! Also group
training lessons can become quite disjointed especially when taken over
a period of time. It's not unusual to hear of students taking months or
longer to
complete their training, due to either over sized classes, poor weather or
time available.
The
beginners 'Direct Instruction' training syllabus covers the BHPA - EPC and
CPC license structures. The EPC covers the elementary training and the
CPC includes hill soaring and mountain thermal flying that's in the latter
part of the course. More can be learnt in this single concentrated course
than in a number of individual courses.
Click here for the EPC & CPC syllabus.
With 'Direct Instruction' the personal attention to your training, safety
and enjoyment is tireless making this ultimately the best way to learn.
months most solo flights will take place early in the morning and/or from
16.00 onwards. The flying periods at lunchtime are often a little too strong
for new pilots, until progression is made. However, there is plenty of
daylight during these periods and we often work late into the day. The
stronger lunchtime periods are not wasted as there are valuable launch
techniques and strong wind ground training to learn. Later in the year,
August onwards, the midday flying conditions are gentler: it's then possible
to fly throughout the day making up for the slightly shorter periods of
daylight.
It's 210 Euros a day per person. A maximum of two clients can book at one time. They should be friends or related and then the cost is reduced to 380 Euros a day for both students. (If you consider that many schools in the UK charge more than £150 a person/day in a school group course where progress could be slow then our charge for personal tuition is very good value).
For the training, if required, we can rent you a LTF 1 and/or EN A/B gliders, high quality harness with reserve, helmet, radio at 25 Euros a day. We have separated this cost as many clients have their own equipment.
HERE'S A GREAT OFFER for 2012: If you have already reached EPC and buy a new glider, harness and reserve parachute from us we will offer you the 'Direct Instruction' CPC course at just 160 Euros a day and refund the rental and the extra 50 Euros a day training charge if you had 'Direct Instruction' training with us from scratch!
When EPC and CPC training with Dennis and Gillian it's necessary to be a BHPA member. The 3 month BHPA membership is £45 Sterling + £15 a once only joining fee. Or you could take the 12 months/annual membership at £89 + the £15 joining fee. Both memberships give the necessary third party insurance cover that's required for training. Join the BHPA with us before training commences or go to http://www.bhpa.co.uk/bhpa/join and join before the visit. It's worth taking the full annual insurance as the CPC licence will only be issued to full members.
The training insurance is for third party risks and only has a little medical cover included. It is advisable to take out a good holiday insurance from your country that includes medical, repatriation and cancellation cover and bring an EHIC card. A 'European Health Insurance Card' (EHIC) entitles you to reduced-cost and sometimes free medical treatment if it becomes necessary while you're in a European Economic area (EEA) country.
All training to BHPA standards, transportation to and from the launch/landing sites, but not cable car costs. As equipment is of limited size there is a naked weight limit of 100kgs.
For your part; you will need to bring ankle high/supporting walking boots, long sleeved top and long trousers, a lightweight windproof top, gloves, sun tan cream, plenty of bottled water and lunch, though there are restaurants at the training area.
We are running series of Pod Casts on Equipment and Safety Issues that are well worth listening too: click here for the details - 'Pod Casts'
The BHPA Pilot Hand book covers
many details including weather, training and examination tasks
plus much
more making it an ideal training companion at just 20 Euros.
There are a number of very
interesting books available covering our sport that are well worth reading
and ideally before a course commences. 'The Art of Paragliding' by Denis
Pagen is explanatory and very educational, an excellent read for the new
pilot! Printed in A4 with 360 pages of very useful information, diagrams and
photos. It costs just 40 Euros plus postage and is worth every centime.
For
those who prefer watching a DVD. Here is the 'Learn to Fly' paragliding
film. This DVD is perfect for all new pilots with 3D animation bringing to
life many of the hard to visualise concepts which are so important for us to
understand. Details on airflows around hills and mountains, turbulence and
convergence, dynamics and thermal lift plus aerodynamics of lift and drag,
speeds to fly and so on! This excellent DVD is just 39.95 Euros. plus
postage!
Other considerations: 'Direct Instruction' isn't just limited to beginner courses. If you feel that you would like to improve your flying abilities, thermalling and XC potential with exclusive instruction then booking Dennis or Gillian on a daily basis for the same cost is possible.
Day 1. Starts with slope training, where you will be learning glider layout, inflation and launching. As you quickly progress you will be making short training hill flights by early afternoon.
Day 2. Starts with a little hill training revision and then if all goes well you will be making your own high solo flights later on: 2 or 3 big solo flights are generally made this day. The big flight constitutes to a 750m (2400') top to bottom flight of at least ten minutes. All in-flight instruction is made by radio contact. Getting to know your glider with 90,180 and 360 turns are the objectives.
Day 3. Today launch techniques are reinforced: the syllabus includes your own flight plans and landing approaches with emphasis of you making your own solo landings: Dennis or Gillian are always on hand with the radio when help is required. Making at least 4-5 big flights is today's goal!
Day 4. More of the same today: perfecting your own important flight plans, launches and landings. At 5 flights are today's goal. Today, flight instruments will be introduced.
Day 5. Advanced glider control is introduced, and if not already covered will include some pitch and roll control, efficient turning, 360's hill soaring, basic thermalling and 'active flying and rapid descent techniques'. 5 flights are the order of the day!
Days 6 and 7. We concentrate on thermalling and soaring, with the view of climbing and staying up longer in more varied flying conditions. Top and cross wind landings are practiced.
The more time booked with us the more we can achieve. If all has gone well after 7 days we are starting to look at high flights with the view of flying some short cross country flights, every pilots dream!
The learning curve in paragliding
training is continuous and often quite steep, and by day 7 you should
reach a stage where you would be reasonably confident to free fly. Of course
you may book more training days and most clients go for 8-10 days giving
them time to gain more confidence!
During the training period most days will start with some classroom work with briefings for the day ahead. Debriefing after every flight and at the end of the day are mandatory.
Included is the necessary classroom theory required to sit the written exams for the BHPA - EPC and CPC licenses. The exams can be taken any time during the training.
In the United Kingdom the 'British Hang Gliding
and Paragliding Association', the BHPA control the training and licensing
structure. Pilots free flying in the UK are required to belong to the BHPA
and a flying club and hold the BHPA 'Club Pilot Certificate', the CPC
license. This license is the second of four. It is preceded by the
'Elementary pilot Certificate, the EPC license and followed by the Pilot
License and Advanced Pilots License.