When you show that you can safely and confidently get yourself into the air and down again, your instructor will start to progress you to take-off points higher up the hill. With this extra height you will be able to learn how to turn. You may sometimes also find that not all the qualifications that you thought you possessed are listed on your membership card. The BHPA Flying Safety Committee (FSC) has developed a Club Pilot training syllabus specifically for people who want to learn to make hill descent flights on speed wings. Certain BHPA schools have been authorised to deliver the new speed flying syllabus as a trial course to ab-initio pilots and experienced flyers from other disciplines. The Speed Flying Club Pilot rating (non soaring: max wind speed 20mph) can be issued following successful completion of the Speed Flying Club Pilot course. This includes a written exam covering practical aspects of speed flying as well as air law, theory of flight and meteorology. The speed flying syllabus and its associated rating is for speed flying hill descents - it does not involve ridge soaring. The FSC deems it necessary to hold a Club Pilot (Hill) rating to undertake this activity, and the paragliding Club Pilot hill syllabus covers ridge soaring and the rules of the air associated with soaring and sustained flight. It's the same freedom that hang glider pilots enjoy, but a paraglider is more portable and a little easier to learn to fly. They are more hampered by strong winds than hang gliders, but are easier to land in small fields.

to qualify for trial membership you must be training and working towards your Elementary Pilot rating at a BHPA registered school) As a director of Parajet Tom has had an opportunity to get to know and understand the concerns, needs, likes and frustrations of pilots from all over the world. As well as dealing with enquiries, concerns and complaints from the non-flying community. He has a good relationship with major manufacturers within the industry and actively contributes and drives for improvements in quality, safety and pilot support.Many paraglider pilots strive to perfect their skills in cross-country flying. A summer sky filled with fluffy cumulus clouds provides abundant - but invisible - lifting currents which pilots use to gain altitude. Setting off on such a day, either towards a pre-selected goal or just drifting where the wind will take you, is one of the most breathtaking experiences available today. Most pilots will talk of the sense of privilege they feel when drifting from cloud to cloud, in almost total silence, watching the landscape unfold beneath them as they navigate across the sky. Ed is a founder member of the BHPA registered Yorkshire Owls Paramotor Club in which he holds the Finance Officer post, and has recently been appointed as a club coach. He is also a new member of the Sir George Cayley Sailwing Club and is busy learning the intricacies of unpowered flight. An occasional competition pilot, Ed is also on the PPG Comps advisory panel. Hang gliders and paragliders are fully fledged aircraft, and as with any aircraft, carefully structured professional pilot training is essential if serious accidents are to be avoided. You can also learn to fly in an airfield environment, using a winch to tow you aloft. Training takes less time and you can convert to hill flying later if you choose to.

There are two strands to Pilot rating: demonstrating skills attained through practical flying tasks, and demonstrating theoretical knowledge. The flying tasks are completed in the club environment, being guided by Coaches or Instructors. Traditionally the BHPA's exams have always been paper-based, and we plan to keep these available. Making an online system for exams is part of a general move for the Association towards making the best use of technology available to us.The BHPA also has a disability initiative called Flyability. This reports directly to the BHPA's Executive Council on disability related matters within the sport. Parascending pilots use a vehicle to tow their wing up, and then descend onto a chosen spot, displaying incredible skill in regularly landing within centimeters of their target. The majority of young people in the UK are probably not even aware that it is possible to take off from level ground and fly with human power at all. He has a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and worked for a while with a small Scottish hang glider manufacturer, as well as being a part-time Instructor. In 1979 he made his first hang glider flight, and has been a member of the Lanarkshire and Lothian Soaring Club since then. He has flown throughout the UK and Europe and in many competitions at home and abroad, including the World Championships at Fiesch, Switzerland, in 1989. You'll make friends, go places and achieve things that you may have only dreamed about in the past.

Much of Flyability's work in the sport, focuses around changing peoples perception of disability and their attitudes toward people with disabilities. Disability awareness, education and advice play key roles in Flyability's aims and objectives, as does the development of specialist equipment, training and flying techniques. The British Holiday & Home Parks Association - established exclusively to serve and represent the interests of the parks industry in the UK. Most schools offer training in a wide range of flying disciplines, so it's important to understand the differences between the disciplines before choosing a school. Royal Aero Club Members". Archived from the original on 20 September 2011 . Retrieved 24 October 2011. As your accumulated airtime increases and your flying skills improve, you will probably start to think about your long term goals and aspirations, and working towards your Pilot Rating, the next rung on the PRS ladder. Club coaches can offer advice and support with the flying tasks that need to be completed, and the theory exam you will need to sit.

If you require personal or travel insurance, to cover you during training and beyond, this should be obtained from an independent insurance broker.

Coaching clubs are able to offer one to one or group coaching to assist pilots to develop their flying skills and progress safely through the BHPA Pilot Rating Scheme. In 2021 Marc was elected as the EHPU President and served until February 2023. He continues as the EHPU EAS Delegate. This training and badge award takes the EP pilot to the final level of basic training. The CP training will take the EP pilot and give them experience in flying along the ridge among other more advanced practical areas of hang gliding or paragliding. The trainee pilot will also have to pass basic examinations in aviation law and some air navigation (i.e. rights of way in the air) knowledge. Once the CP badge is gained, the pilot can join a recreational club and fly outside of the school system. Many paramotor pilots are paraglider pilots looking for more flexibility in their flying; many others are new to flying but become interested in paramotoring, and then in pure paragliding flight too.Once you have mastered controlling the glider on the ground, which isn't as easy as it looks, you will be taught to take off and land correctly. Your first flights will be in a straight line only a few feet above the ground. If you are learning to fly a hang glider, these initial flights will be tethered with the instructor able to control the glider through his tether rope. Speed flying is a sport based on the principles of paragliding, but using a specially designed wing to fly fast hill descents. Paragliding is serene gliding and soaring, using thermic lift to make cross-country flights on wings that are typically over 20 square meters (sq.m) in wing surface area. Speed flying wings are significantly smaller than paragliders, with a higher wing loading that enables them to travel at high speed. Skilled pilots use speed wings to make rapid descents flying close to the terrain. BHPA Technical Manual - Superseded version (includes all amendments up to and including amendment 20) A strong believer in coherence, team work, effective leadership and risk management, Jenny's experience on military duty and operational deployments lends itself well to the world of free flight.