The day normally starts with a classroom or at the hill session where the first thing we do is to get the students to join the BHPA (British Hangliding & Paragliding Association) as a day member, (this is included in the price of the day course) and is mandatory for everyone who takes part in paragliding through the BHPA.  The membership DOES  include legal liability insurance to cover you in the event of a claim being made against you for injury to another person or damage to property caused by your actions.

Next we issue each student the (STR) Student Training Record. What is the Student Training Record? This book details all the exercises which make up the training programme that you are following. Your instructor and you must use it to record your progress both in the main section and in the log section at the back. You should use it to ensure you fully understand each new exercise before it is attempted. Your student training record will be retained by your school.

Below is the outline of what is covered on a 1 day taster course.

Day 1:  starts off with 3 phases and 9 exercises to get through which are as follows:

Phase 1 GROUND TRAINING

Objective: The student should have a basic understanding of the sport and its risks, a basic understanding of the equipment and site environment, and understand how to avoid/minimise injury as a result of mishap. The student must also complete the mandatory administration steps.

Exercise 1: Introductory talk – Student and instructors – Risk warning – students’ health and medical conditions – clothing and footwear – The BHPA and the Pilot rating scheme.

Exercise 2: Site assessment and briefing – site and any site hazards – airflow and airflow hazards – weather assessment.

Exercise 3: Introduction to the canopy and equipment – parts and functions of the canopy, harness, helmet – how an aerofoil creates lift – daily inspections explained demonstrated, practised and understood.

Exercise 4: Avoiding and minimising injury – Safety techniques discussed, including parachute landing falls (PLF’s), when and how to use them, demonstrated and practised to a good degree of competence.

Phase 2 Ground handling

Objective: Through ground based activity the student should achieve a reasonable and consistent level of competence at preparing the equipment for flight: inflating the canopy; running with it whilst looking ahead; maintaining direction; flaring and collapsing the canopy.

Exercise 5: Briefing – Pre flight checks – importance of taking off and landing into wind – airspeed control – flare/stall.

Exercise 6:  Preparation - putting on the helmet and harness – canopy layout – pre flight checks.

Exercise 7: inflation  – take-offs practised to a stage of running with an inflated canopy (forward/reverse  inflation method as appropriate to the conditions) – looking ahead – flare – collapsing the canopy – post – ‘flight’ control and moving of the canopy

Exercise 8: Directional control – How the controls work for directional control – initiating turns – lookout and looking ahead

Phase 3 First hops

Objective the student should combine the skills practised on the ground in phase 2 to make straight ground skimming flights (typically less than 5m/15ft ground clearance

Exercise 9: Getting airborne – The student should reach a reasonable and consistent level of competence at taking-off maintaining the correct in flight control position for good airspeed, the landing flare/landing, and post-landing control of the canopy.
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Should any of the students want to carry on with paragliding after doing the day course then the day they have done will carry over as the first day of the (EP) elementary course which is the first part to gaining a licence to fly a paraglider. After completing the EP course a further (CP) club pilot course is needed to then be allowed to join the local flying club and fly with-out the need of an instructor.

Download the day taster info CLICK HERE