The traditional teaching method in paragliding is based on short flights from a low hill. The student doesn't have too much time to practice the exercises in flight and has to walk to the top of the hill over and over to try it again. These hops are good to make you more confident but, in the long run, they extend the time to develop your flying skills. It is also very demanding physically to hike to the top of the hill.

We can reduce this time with our system, combining dual flights with your instructor and solo flights.

Our Fast Learning System

ONE-to-ONE TANDEM FLIGHTS:

At the beginning, you will fly in a dual paraglider with your instructor from the top of the mountain (100-600 m high). During these approx. 20-minute-long flights, you will take the controls of the glider. You will have plenty of time to practice exercises, with the help of your instructor who will be seated behind you. This is the best way to learn, no doubt! 

With this system, we also save time: you can fly with your instructor and practice more often and you won't be waiting for the light wind conditions.

We combine tandem flights with theory lessons and ground-handling practices until you are ready to fly in a glider all on your own.

SOLO FLIGHTS:

After three or four tandem flights with your instructor, you should be ready for solo flights! You will fly alone for the rest of the course, but always under supervision, with radio support.

What is paragliding?

Paragliders look vaguely like parachutes as these are from where they evolved. However, they are very much more. Paragliding is now at a very exciting stage in its development, from being just a fun method of descent from the hills; Paragliding offers the pilot the sensation of true free flight for hours upon hours. Using modern high-performance materials a canopy only weighs a few kilograms and packs neatly into a rucksack. This makes this “aeroplane in a bag” totally portable and can complement other sports such as skiing and mountaineering.

In our paragliding school, you can be rated in one or more of these organizations.

• RFAE, is the Spanish Air Sports Federation
• APPI, is an Association of Paragliding Pilots and Instructors which Offers a worldwide united education system.
• BHPA, the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, provides the infrastructure within which hang gliding and paragliding in the United Kingdom.
• FAI, the World Air Sports Federation, is the world governing body for air sports.

The FAI IPPI Card

If you like, after you have completed your course at our School, you can get the International FAI IPPI Card.

The CIVL International Pilot Proficiency Information (IPPI Card) reflects the pilot's proficiency and provides a standard reference by which all national rating programs may be compared.

For the pilot who flies outside of his known or local area, it is an easy method of providing proof of flying experience and proficiency. When a pilot travels abroad, the IPPI Card  will identify the pilot's skills.

The IPPI Card is valid only together with a current national license. Our Paragliding school is recognized by the Spanish and by the British Federation. If you like, you can become a member of them with our certification.
If you don't live in Spain or the UK but want to join your country's federation, they should accept your IPPI Card as proof of your pilot rating.

The IPPI Card is based on safety and training standards defined in the SAFE PRO Courses:

The learning progression consists of five stages, from basic to advanced. It also divides the participants into students, who must fly under the supervision of instructors, and autonomous pilots who can fly unsupervised.

• IPPI 1. Student. Ground Skimming
• IPPI 2. Student. Altitude Gliding (altitude and space to do manoeuvres, no soaring)
• IPPI 3. Pilot. Active Flying (preparing for turbulence, recovery and descending techniques…)
• IPPI 4. Pilot. Soaring (flying in both ridge and thermal lift)
• IPPI 5. Senior pilot (mastering one or more advanced practices)

Here you can compare the equivalent ratings between FAI IPPI, APPI and BHPA:

FAI. International	APPI. International with exceptions	BHPA. For UK citizens
IPPI 1 Ground Skimming	APPI 1 Discover	Student
IPPI 2 Altitude Gliding	APPI 2 Explorer	Elementary Pilot
IPPI 3 Active Flying	APPI 3 Pilot	BHPA Club Pilot
IPPI 4 Soaring	APPI 4 Intermediate Pilot	BHPA Pilot
IPPI 5 Senior pilot	APPI 5 Advanced Pilot	BHPA Advanced Pilot

Do I need a license to paraglide?

In most countries, a license is not required to paraglide, but there are some countries where you must get a paragliding pilot rating to fly.

Paragliding is normally regulated by the National Aerial Federation. It is a self-regulated sport; pilots and instructors alike adhere to the policies and guidelines of the Federation or another Association.

You should ask the National Federation about the requirements to fly paragliders in the country.

Am I too old to learn to paraglide? How fit do I need to be?

It’s not so much about how old you are, it is more about your general level of fitness, health and mental state.

Although no medical examinations are officially required to learn to paraglide, you should be in generally good health. You should be fit and active and have good coordination. You must be able to run a bit for around 5-15 meters on take-off and landing and you could be walking up hills carrying a 15-20kg rucksack full of paragliding equipment.

If you suffer from any medical condition such as epilepsy, giddiness, heart condition, osteoporosis or diabetes you should ask your doctor’s advice before taking part in a paragliding course.

The student's maximum weight must be 120 Kgr.

Breakfasts and other meals are not included in the prices.
Restaurants and shops at Algodonales are not expensive. The accommodation has a shared kitchen with all facilities, so you can also cook your own food if you wish.

Our paragliding school is recognized by several associations and federations (APPI, BHPA, FAI, RFAE). This means that you will qualify for a paragliding license with them upon completing your course with us. The fee to join any of these organizations is not included in the price of the course. Joining a federation is not mandatory, but recommended if you like to get a license.

Paragliding is weather dependent activity so we have to be flexible when making plans. We try to seize the time to optimize the training practices, but on a normal day you can expect the following plan:

We start at 9:30h with theory lessons at the school, and there is a briefing with the students, pilots, and instructors around 10:30h.

After the daily briefing, we go flying. We provide transport to the flying sites; you don't need to drive your own car.

The flight sites are around 30 minutes to one hour by car from Algodonales. Some days, if the weather is not good for flying in our area, we move to a different flying site; this could take one or two hours by car.

If the conditions to fly are good, we can spend the whole day flying in the mountains (or the coast), up to sunset. But if part of the day is not good for flying we can organice theory lessons, ground-handling practices or just time off for you to relax or for visiting the areas around.

We normally have a pack-lunch with us, but if there is a time we prefer to have lunch in a local restaurant to taste real Spanish food.

On our return to the town, most of the people like to have dinner together.

In the case of bad weather, we spend more time in theory lessons and we can organize an alternative activity for the group, or anyone can do whatever they want, such as a tourist tour, hiking,… or just resting for the next day.

Pack adequate comfortable clothing: warm clothes if your course is in winter. You will need a jacket in spring; it can be cold at the top of a mountain. Bring walking boots (ideally with ankle support), a sun hat, sun cream, sunglasses, and a swimming costume, as there is a lake where you can canoe or swim.

For students enrolled in a beginner's course, a long-sleeved t-shirt is a good idea for ground-handling practice. Long pants will avoid scratches on your legs. Light gloves are also recommended.

We provide towels in accommodation.

Bring your reusable bottle and help reduce single-use plastic. There are good water fountains here and you can also refill your bottle from the tap.

Beginners Paragliding courses: Max. 6 students in a group with  2-3 instructors.

Guided tours: Max. 8 pilots per instructor.

XC Camps: Max. 8 pilots per instructor, and a driver who tracks the pilots with GPS.

Only the students signed up for any of our beginner's courses have basic accident and third-party insurance included in the price. Anyway, buying your own accident and travel insurance is recommended.

Read here the terms and conditions of the accident insurance.

Qualified pilots signed up for holidays or tours should have their accident insurance, and full rescue/repatriation cover – specific to paragliding.

For citizens members of the EU, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles you to reduced-cost, sometimes free, medical treatment that becomes necessary while you’re in a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland. EHIC full info here.

You can be sure that we never give up! If the weather is bad in our area, we are going to move to a different one, with better weather. There are more than ten different flying spots up to 150 km around Algodonales, at the coast or inland.

The bad weather days can be also used for ground-handling practices or for theory lessons, and not only for the students but we also organise masterclasses for more experienced pilots.

If some tasks of a course are not completed, because of bad weather, it is possible to complete them on a different day. Some people extend their days.

Some people prefer to stay in the area for a few more days so they have more chances to complete the course or to fly and, in any case, they can spend this extra time on tourism.

Anyway, in the very unlikely event that due to bad weather, we have to cancel some days during a weekly course or tour, we will give you credit that will be discounted from the price of your next booking with us.

All are welcome. Algodonales is a beautiful area; There are massive amounts to keep everyone busy while you are flying. horse riding to kitesurfing. picnics & canoeing and beautiful white hillside villages of Andalucia, everything is out there to do and explore. We can organise tandem flights for non-flyers. They will need a car because we cannot guarantee a place for them in our vehicle.

In the rare event of bad weather and the inability to fly, we have some alternative activities to keep you entertained:

Touristic Routes, throughout typical white villages all over the Sierra, with visits to museums, Natural Parks, Gastronomic Stops,…
Visits to the nearest cities: Cadiz, Sevilla, Ronda, all of the great tourist interest.
Archeologic tours. In the nearby areas, there are many remains of ancient cultures such as Phoenicians, Romans, Moors…
Trekking: There are a lot of routes through Grazalema’s Natural Park with amazing landscapes, animals and forests.
Mountain bike: You can hire bikes to cross the routes through the Natural Park. One of which is an old disused railway with tunnels, bridges, stations,… and of course, always a restaurant to end your ride!
Canoe: You can also rent canoes enjoying the nearby lakes of Zahara.

You don’t. We provide transport to flying sites and for the retrieve. But if you want, you can hire a car to visit the surrounding areas, for your non-flying partners or if you cannot take on time our airport shuttle.

Our shop is fully stocked with all the equipment you may wish to purchase for flying and all at good Spanish prices. If you are interested in buying a glider please contact us in advance due to it could take weeks to get the items here.