Learning to fly
To become a fully qualified paragliding pilot you will need to complete both the Elementary and Club Pilot courses. This will take an approximately 8 to 10 days of tuition. You may find that the tuition will be spread over a longer period of time, rather than consecutive days, due to your availability and of course the weather providing us with suitable flying conditions. If you are unsure whether paragliding is for you can book on one of our Taster days, with no commitment to carry on to complete the courses. If like us, you are hooked from the start, your taster day will count towards the first day’s tuition of the Elementary Pilot course.
We do not take advance bookings due to flying being very weather dependent. If you are interested in learning to fly call or text me on 07830 281986.
Elementary Pilot Course
The first of the two courses required to become a qualified pilot to fly unsupervised. An in-depth course designed to teach budding new pilots the very basics of paragliding. The first day is very similar to the Taster day but then training continues to a level where the pilot will be competent at handling the glider and can achieve controlled fly-downs, landing in a designated area. The course takes approximately 4 days and includes theory lectures on the basics of meteorology, air law, site assessment and rules of the air. Theory is fitted in around the flying, during lunchbreaks, in the evenings or during the day if it is not flyable.
Price: £135 per day (£540 – 4 days max charge)
Own kit: £100 per day (£400 – 4 days max charge)
Club Pilot Course
Having completed the basic training of the Elementary Pilot course, pilots must then continue with the Club Pilot course which will prepare you for unsupervised flight. The essence of this final course is to teach new pilots the skills of soaring using the different forms of lift to prolong flights. Theory is a major aspect of the course and will be far more in-depth.
The course takes approximately 6 days to complete.
Price: £135 per day (£810, 6 days max charge)
Own Kit: £100 per day (£600 – 6 days max charge)
BHPA Membership
Membership to the British Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association is a mandatory when learning to fly and because it covers you for third party liability. You will need to apply for annual membership just before you start your training.
To apply please click on the link below to access the applicaiton form. Enter Air Ventures Paragliding School BHPA no: 308 for the name of the school you are training with. The current BHPA Annual Membership is £200 (as of Aug 2025).
Personal Accident Insurance
Personal Accident Insurance is not included in your BHPA membership nor is it currently available through the BHPA. We strongly recommend that you take out Personal Accident Insurance for the duration of your paragliding course. You would have to arrange this prior to your lesson(s).