Learning to fly Speed Wings

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Have you ever dreamed of swooping like an eagle?

Airworks can make that dream a reality. Speedflying can be enjoyed by people over fourteen - you can learn to speedfly in as few as six days.

With our expert tuition you will quickly develop the technique to become a competent pilot; strength is not a requirement. We have private sites covering all wind directions, ideal for the early days.

Learn to fly with the Airworks Paragliding School on our premium sites at the heart of the beautiful South Downs National Park. We have been flying and soaring speed wings since the advent of the sport and are the only school teaching speed flying in the south of England. The short non-soaring course is part of a BHPA trial which has been running for a few years now.

Make no mistake, speed flying is unforgiving of mistakes. Consequently we start you off on normal paragliders and move onto the smaller speedwings once a modicum of control has been achieved. Usually this is mid afternoon on day one, but it is dependent on your ability. Parachuting experience can be a handicap as speedwings are much more responsive to control inputs so you may have some unlearning to do. That said, short of base jumping, it is the closest you can get to parachuting without an aircraft. It is decidedly safer than base jumping or wingsuit flying. You can also add skis, turning it into speed riding, which further enhances your safety, but we rarely have enough snow here to do so locally.

Alongside our centre is Winging It's fully stocked shop of paramotors, paragliders, hang gliders and associated equipment.

We also have excellent classroom facilities equipped for all your needs and an on-site cafe.

To discuss your needs please feel free to pop in for a coffee and a chat, call us on (01273)434002 or email info@airworks.co.uk.

Training Courses & Gifts

Speedflying Weekend Taster Day - £170

A whole day learning to speedfly, typically first getting airborne about lunchtime and solo flying all afternoon! This is designed to give you an insight into what speedflying is all about. The introductory day is actually day one of the full course and your tuition will include all of the criteria that you would learn as a full course student. This ensures that should you wish to carry on to complete the training, you will already have learned the basics. You are introduced to the equipment which includes glider, harness and helmet. You will learn to handle them on the ground and the basics of how to control them in the air. You will learn to take-off and land. Once you have acquired a reasonable level of competence you will be able to start actually flying. Typically this stage is reached just about lunchtime. You will start with flights only a few feet above the ground and should progress to flights from about 200' up the hill by the end of the day. You will have gained a good working knowledge of what is involved in learning to fly and will be ready to continue towards your club pilot rating. (maximum student weight 200 kg - 30st!) You will need to join the BHPA as a day member (£24) when you arrive here.

Speedflying Weekend Taster Day for Two - £320

A whole day learning to speedfly, typically first getting airborne about lunchtime and solo flying all afternoon! This is designed to give you an insight into what speedflying is all about. The introductory day is actually day one of the full course and your tuition will include all of the criteria that you would learn as a full course student. This ensures that should you wish to carry on to complete the training, you will already have learned the basics. You are introduced to the equipment which includes speed wing, harness and helmet. You will learn to handle them on the ground and the basics of how to control them in the air. You will learn to take-off and land. Once you have acquired a reasonable level of competence you will be able to start actually flying. Typically this stage is reached just about lunchtime. You will start with flights only a few feet above the ground and should progress to flights from about 200' up the hill by the end of the day. You will have gained a good working knowledge of what is involved in learning to fly and will be ready to continue towards your club pilot rating. (maximum student weight 200 kg - 30st!) You will need to join the BHPA as a day member (£24 ea.) when you arrive here.

Speedflying 6 Day Club Pilot Course - £990

This six day course takes you on to the more important building blocks needed in order to achieve a safe and fulfilling attitude towards flying. You are introduced to the theory behind the fun. We will teach you to make site assessments, the importance of the weather and air law. You will learn how to improve your newfound skills both on the ground and in the air. You will now start to fly higher and for longer. You will need to join the BHPA as a full member (£195/year) when you arrive here.

Upgrade taster day to Speedflying 6 day Club Pilot Course - £820

The five additional days of the Club Pilot course builds further on the knowledge you have gained during your day one. More importantly, once you have purchased your equipment from us, we will teach you until you achieve CP, even if it takes 40 days! We will teach you greater control and will build further on the theory, giving you a greater knowledge of our flying sites, the weather, air law, theory of flight and general airmanship. Once qualified, you will be free to join a local club and fly unsupervised, but we do prefer you to stick around and fly with us until you are truly competent!. You will need to join the BHPA as a full member (£195/year) when you arrive here.

Upgrade Speedflying CP to Paragliding Club Pilot Course - £700

By purchasing your complete training course when you start training, or immediately after a taster day, you save significantly on the cost of the two separate courses. Ten days training, but more importantly, once you have purchased your equipment from us, we will teach you until you achieve CP, even if it takes 40 days! You will need to join the BHPA as a full member (£195/year) when you arrive here.

Fast Tracking and Upgrading to a course

We have, with no shadow of doubt, the most committed group of instructors, dedicated to actually teaching you to fly. We go the extra distance every time to ensure that your learning experience is both enjoyable and effective. We don't offer any gimmicky fast tracking options; all of our students are on the fast track if they so desire, we don't charge extra, you just need to be available. Alternatively, if you wish to learn at a more sedate pace, we can help there too. If you have completed a taster day with us or another BHPA school and you wish to progress your training towards Club Pilot(Novice) level please select the appropriate upgrade below. You will have to join the BHPA as a full member (currently £195p.a.) when you come for your next days training:

Upgrade Taster Day to Paragliding Elementary Pilot - £580

Upgrade Taster Day to Paragliding Club Pilot - £1420

Find Us

Contact Us

info@airworks.co.uk

Laughton, UK

(01273)434002

Before You Book

Before you book, please read our terms and privacy policy.

Age limits: Dual flights - 12 (can be waived in exceptional circumstances,) One Day Introduction & EP - 14, Club Pilot - 14.

Please Note: Lessons do not have to be taken on consecutive days and may take more or less days than stated, depending on the individual's ability. It is advisable not to leave too much time between lessons, as progression through your course will be detrimentally affected. If you leave more than one month between lessons, you will be required to purchase an additional days training (£99) for each month without flying. Courses must be completed within 12 months of commencing. On all our courses we will only fly if it is safe to do so and in this regard the Duty Instructors decision is final.

BHPA Membership

Membership to the British Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association is mandatory because it covers you for third party liability. This is taken out on arrival at the school.

Day membership is £29, £5/U18 and full annual membership is £200.

Personal Accident Insurance

Aviation is inherently dangerous and can result in injury or death.

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). We are aware that Sportscoverdirect offer such insurance

Voucher Extension - £30

To give you plenty of time to book, our one day introduction and tandem vouchers are valid for one year. Remember that paragliding is a weather dependant sport so you may need to book in a few times before the weather is suitable for you to fly. If your voucher is due to expire soon and you don’t think that you will be able to come along before it does, you can extend it by three months here:

This is applicable to one day and tandem vouchers only. You must extend your voucher before it has reached it’s expiry date, you cannot extend the life of an expired voucher.