Lesson Programs Description and Pricing

Paragliding Lessons – Which Program to Choose?

If you are certain you want to become a paragliding pilot, your minimum goal will be to earn a Novice P2 rating with one of the P2 + packages listed below. If you are interested in “testing the air”, there are the 2 day intro courses. I limit my class size in the 2 day intro courses and at the beginning of any P2 package to no more than 3 persons. This is because this is one of the most challenging parts for a student to learn. Students need extra attention to build a foundation for launching technique. With more than 3 students it becomes difficult to provide the full attention and refinement necessary for this part of the training. For groups of  4 that need to train together, I can make an exception to this rule.  It just needs to be agreed to by all parties that will allow this exception.

All equipment is provided for all local lessons. The only exception to this is the Mountain Trips that are included in the P2+ program.  For these two day clinics, each student needs to have their own harness and reserve parachute.   In all other lessons the reserve chute is not required and I provide all gear for such.

Tandem flights can also be a way to “test the air”. For a student that is seriously interested in becoming a pilot, I would be much more inclined to recommend an intro course. The reason is that the experience of learning to launch yourself and fly yourself has a much greater rate of impetus for the student to move all the way into flying. For those that are more into a a single fantastic experience, but are not as serious about wanting to learn, then tandem is the best choice.

Any student can pro-rate the intro program or any tandem flight into a full P2 + course. The only requirement is that they do so within 1 month of their intro course.

Before committing to any program, it can be very useful to attend a free groundschool class. In these sessions, you can ask lots of questions and get a feel for all that I have to offer as an instructor.

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Lessons are offered year round. The primary season for coastal soaring (Tandem Program) and more consistent weather (The “summer season”) is between March and October. The weather will come into play a bit more between November and February, but when storms are not hitting, there is great training available this time of year as well. I also have special packages for winter season for people that want to do intensive training in a 2 week in Baja California (very consistent weather from Nov. – Feb. to gain their Novice / P2 Rating

  • Paragliding Lessons – Class Size:
    In the full programs, during the first 2 or 3 lessons, there will not be more than 2 students in the class (most schools do not have this limit).
  • On the first lesson day , the focus will always be on Ground Handling:
    The first step and often the entire first day, is to learn about the wing, how to set it up in preparation for the launch and learn how to get the wing overhead. This is done first on a flat area to teach the technique in pulling the Paraglider overhead. On day two, we move to a small hill and do several flights with a straight glide to the landing area (See Sample Video) . Once the launches and landing look good and the student has done some minor steering, we can move up to the higher launches and add some steering. The most difficult part is the take off and landing.
  • Satisfaction Guarantee
    I am confident that each student will be satisfied with the lesson structure and instruction experience that is provided. In any program other than the Unlimited programs , if someone is not satisfied in this regard, I will give a 100% refund for their lesson, no questions asked.  In the unlimited program, any student can downgrade to a two day program and get their balance back within the first two lessons.
  • Gift Certificates available for all Lessons / Packages
  • Special Priced Equipment Packages 
available with Unlimited Lesson Plans… (Save $800 on a full gear package)

2 Day Intro / P1 Paragliding  Course

Designed to get most students to a P1 Beginner Paragliding Rating

Weekend Rates

Midweek Discounted Rate

Unlimited P2 + Paragliding Lesson Package

Unlimited training to the P2 threshold within a full year.  In addition to the P2 each student will receive the following:

Weekend / Anytime Rate (Students can train any days, weekends and midweek)

Midweek Only – Discounted Rate (Students that can train primarily midweek can use this course – If necessary, weekend lesson days can be added for a $75 fee – upgrade switch to Weekend Program available up to 3rd lesson day)

Full Program Description:

If you know you want to learn how to Paraglide, this is the package for you. Each student has a full year to complete the below training package (much better to achieve this in a few months, but if something comes up, you have the full year to complete the package). The + means that the program takes you well past the Novice rating. I not only add extra and important tasks to the USHPA requirements, but include coastal soaring introductions (Top Landing and Soaring) and a 2 Day Mountain (Students must have their own harness / reserve for Mtn. trips - A wing can be included as part of the program, but the school does not have enough harnesses with reserves for these trips). On the Mountain trips, I always have a radio coach at both the take off and landing area to provide guidance and safety. Additionally, each student I graduate in this program can come back for ground handling tune ups free of charge forever after graduation from the package. Each student also receives free testing and observations for more advanced ratings forever after completion of this program.

In this unlimited package, if you sign up for a day and no other student signs up for the same day, we will go out as a private lesson. If another student does sign up, we will go out as a semi-private lesson. Lessons are available on Weekdays and Weekends. The two person limit holds till students can self launch from hills or are ready to attempt soaring.

There should never be a rush to get your paragliding ratings. With this package, you can focus on getting all of the skills and not have to worry each lesson day about cost. If the weather starts out good, but gets bad, we can still accomplish a lot in the good part of the day because of the small paragliding class size.

 

P2 Basic Paragliding Lesson Package

In this package you will get unlimited training to the P2 threshold. Lessons must be completed within six months of first lesson.

Weekend Rate (Students can train any days, weekends and midweek)

  • $1900

Midweek Discounted Rate (Students that can train primarily midweek can use this course – If necessary, weekend lesson days can be added for a $75 fee)

  • $1600

Full Program Description:

In this package you will get unlimited training to the P2 threshold (Lessons must be completed within 6 months of 1st lesson). I like to include in packages guidance for ridge soaring as well as some Mtn. training, so would highly recommend looking at the unlimited P2+ packages for most students. On the other hand, some students have friends that are active members of the community.  In such a situation, some students might have their friends as a resource for the more advanced training.

Tandem Paragliding
If getting up in the air quickly is your goal, perhaps tandem is the ticket. If a student takes any of these and decides to jump to the Unlimited “Novice” Paragliding Lesson program, the price of the their lesson will be pro-rated toward the full program.  For full information on Tandem Flights  Go to tandem programs page…

Rules and Policies

  • There is a 48 hour cancellation policy for all lessons, including tandem. Canceling with less than 48 hrs is considered a No Show.

  • No Shows: Failure to show up for a lesson or canceling with less than 48 hrs forfeits the lesson fees. (For students in the unlimited or P2 programs, the charge is $75.00 for no-shows).

  • The unlimited programs have a 1 year time limit from the first lesson. All other lessons have an unlimited expiration unless stipulated otherwise. 

  • Lesson or tandem purchases that have not been started or used can be transferred to another party.

  • Refunds are not available for weather cancellations. Lessons or tandem lessons canceled due to weather are re-scheduled as many times as necessary until success is achieved.