Questions
& Info
What
is paragliding?
A
paraglider is a soaring aircraft, capable of flights of over 300km
disance and several hours duration. They were developed from ram-air
parachutes, but a modern paraglider offers a glide angle of over
10:1. They are the most portable aircraft; they can be easily carried
for a considerable distance using the rucksack provided. They can
be readily taken onto public transport, including aircraft.
We
launch from hills and either ridge soar or find areas of warm rising
air (thermals) and climb to cloudbase. While you are learning it
is unusual for you to gather the skills required to start soaring
in less than five days.
What
is hang gliding?
A
hang glider is a soaring aircraft, capable of flights of over 300
miles and several hours duration. They were developed from rogallo
wings, but a modern hang glider offers a glide angle of over 15:1.
They are a semi-portable aircraft; they can be easily carried by
car but weigh rather too much to carry for any considerable distance.
That said, I have carried one both up and down Parlick Fell!. They
cannot be readily taken onto public transport, including aircraft,
due to their size when packed. One must further dismantle them,
'short-packing', prior to carriage and they remain vulnerable to
damage.
We
launch from hills and either ridge soar or find areas of warm rising
air (thermals) and climb to cloudbase. While you are learning it
is unusual for you to gather the skills required to start soaring
in less than eight days. Once you have qualified as Club Pilot and
gained a little aditional experience, you may wish to start to launch
by aerotow, where you are towed into the air by a microlight. This
is rapidly becoming the most popular launch method.
What
is the difference between hang gliding and paragliding?
Paragliders
are far easier to master than hang gliders. They are somewhat slower,
thus both launch and landing speeds are slower and they do not require
active piloting to keep them in level flight.
The
sink rates, that is the speed at which they descend through the
air, are similar for both types of aircraft, however, the hang glider
is significantly faster. Therefore the glide angle of the paraglider
is not as good as that of the hang glider.
Paragliders
are easier to carry and transport.
Hang
gliders last longer: a hang glider can easily last more than ten
years, a paraglider will rarely last longer than 1000 hours flying
time.
A
poor landing in a paraglider rarely results in injury or glider
damage. A poor landing in a hang glider will ofeten break the uprights
or worse.
Hang
gliders are easier to launch when conditions are strong - not necessarily
a good thing!
Paragliders
have a variety of rapid descent techniques available to them and
can readily escape cloud suck of 10 m/s or more. Hang gliders have
no effective rapid descent techniques available so they must rely
on out running any bad weather.
In
Summary: For the reasons mentioned above, paragliding has marginalised
hang gliding to the point where very few choose to learn hang gliding.
However, they do ultimately offer more performance and many paraglider
pilots are now cross-training so that they can fly both machines.
Of course if you have dreamed of flying hang gliders for many a
year, then really it is hang gliding you ought to learn first!
Learning
to fly ...
How
will training proceed?
You'll
begin your flying training on our nursery slopes & within a
short space of time; you'll be taking your first steps into the
air, all the time under the expert tuition and guidance of our instructors.
To
fly a paraglider unsupervised you will have to reach the required
standard of Club Pilot (Novice). This typically takes a minimum
of 10 days of tuition (they do not have to be consecutive). However,
your first goal will be to achieve the Elementary Pilot level (4
to 5 days).
How
much will further days cost?
Once
you have paid for your Club Pilot course, we offer all additional
training days free. In fact we positively encourage you to stick
with us once you have qualified until you naturally and gradually
fledge fully and need to leave the nest! We have many pilots who
have chosen to only fly in our company long after they qualified.
On
The Day ...
We meet at 9.00am at our Centre in Glynde, Sussex. See our find
us page for details.
Please
phone us the evening before your lesson (after 8:00pm) and listen
to the answer phone message. This is to check if your day has had
to be rescheduled due to bad weather - 01273 858108.
Unfortunately, although we are often told we work miracles we can't
control the weather .... !!
What
to Bring and Wear ...
Food
& drinks are available here at our centre. In summer lots of water
is necessary to keep hydrated.
The
best clothes to wear are loose baggy ones. Tracksuits, jogging suits
etc. It's best to wear several layers, then you can add or remove
as necessary. Jeans are not ideal as they restrict movement and
retain moisture.
It is most important that you wear boots with good grip and ankle
support. Ordinary shoes or trainers are completely unsuitable! Ideally
you want boots without hooks, but we can tape over them if necessary.
We
will supply all the specialist equipment you need: helmet, harness,
glider etc. Just bring yourself, your boots and maybe a friend with
a camera. Your
day will typically finish between 5.30 & 8.30pm. This may vary
according to weather conditions and student fatigue. There are also
seasonal variations in daylight to consider.
When
is the best time of year to learn?
In
Sussex, the most reliable month is December! January and February
also offer good learning conditions. People have learnt from scratch
to Club pilot in as little as five days at this time of year.
The
winter months offer very stable conditions with no thermals or sea
breeze to complicate matters.
The
summer months are the most popular in which to learn but they do
not offer such good or reliable conditions - we are beset with strong
thermals and sea breezes which can mean long breaks during the middle
of the day while we wait for conditions to moderate. But at least
it is warmer while you watch the experienced pilots make use of
the stronger thermic conditions.
What
about learning abroad to beat the vaguaries of the English weather?
The
answer is simple... Don't!
We
experience about 250 flyable days/year in Sussex. During most of
those days, it is possible to fly during much of the day, if not
throughout.
With
us you will learn in the safe environment of the South Downs, where
there are no dry stone walls, no rocks, no cacti, no ridiculously
hot weather and consequent strong thermal activity, no crazy, gung
ho, foreign 'instructors', no wannabe aerobatic pilots and no myths
about how reliable the weather is. Instead you get smooth grassy
slopes, mild weather, long days and concientous instruction.
I
have completed the training of several pilots who started to learn
in Europe. As a rough guide, the French Brevet, which will take
you a week and is bandied about as equivalent to our EP, is approximately
equivalent to two days flying in Sussex and does not adequately
prepare you to embark on the BHPA Club Pilot course.
When
I find somewhere safe, warm and reliable that offers conditions
similar to the dynamic soaring conditions prevalent in the UK, I'll
once more offer beginner training abroad. Until that time, I strongly
recommend to anybody that they complete their initial training in
the UK.
Is
It Dangerous? ...
Any activity which involves the use of an aircraft has the potential
for danger either to the pilot or to the public. In the hands of
the reckless, just like motorcycling or skiing it can be dangerous.
However, with common sense and a good attitude it needn't be dangerous
at all. Most, if not all accidents are due to pilot error and can,
with good sense and foresight, be avoided.
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