General Information
Here are a few questions I receive from people interested in my paragliding courses.

When do courses start?
Paragliding courses are run on demand, but the best time is during the warmer months (October to April).

How long are the courses?
The novice paragliding course (or PG1) should take between 3-5 days and allows the pilot to fly solo only under supervision.
The Intermediate course (or PG2) takes 10-15 days of training and allows the pilot to fly solo unsupervised.
How many days training do we do a week?
Basically we will train as often as possible. If we have 5 flyable days in a row then we will fly/train for these days.
How many students per Instructor?
No more than 4 students and normally 1-2 students per instructor.
How much time is spent per day training/flying?
This depends on how the wind conditions are and how we progress, usually 4-5 hours per day. There is no point in trying to do it all in one day and anyway once fatigue sets in it pretty hard to learn.
How much time would you expect to loose to the weather?
This is pretty hard to predict, but during the summer months we regularly receive consistent sea breezes which are ideal for training.
Is there any local camping /backpacker/hostel accommodation?
We have an excellent range of accommodation situated very close to our training area.
What do the course costs cover and are there any other costs that need to be included?
Course costs includes hiring of all paraglider equipment, the tandem training flight, theory notes, exam fees, certificates, radio communications, temporary membership fees and transport to and from the training site.
See below for course fees.
N.B. Course fees are payable in full at the start of training.
Training Facilities
Sites
The main training site I use is the farm paddock at the bottom of Te Mata Peak. This is our official landing paddock.
There are other sites I use but will depend on the wind conditions at the time.
This site offers ideal progression from flat ground to small knolls to 100-200m hills, which give the students the ability to master each phase of their paragliding course before progressing to the next level and higher flights.
The site is free of any major obstacles and allows the student to fly safely and confidently.
Equipment
Quality training paragliders and harnesses are used together with two way radio communications. This enables the student to focus on the task at hand.
Instruction.
A fully qualified and professional instructor, trained in the latest paraglider training techniques, is present at all times to ensure the student receives correct, appropriate and timely instruction.
The instructor is First Aid qualified.
Course Details and Costs.

Beginner.
Duration 1 day.
Experience the excitement of solo Paragliding flight. The day starts with an introduction to the glider and basic theory. Then we practice ground-handling and launching skills on gentle slopes and progress to small flights. After this will know whether or not you have to keep flying.
Cost $220.00 (4 or more $180.00 each)


Novice PG1.
Duration 3 - 5 days.
Includes the one-day course. You will develop your ground handling (kiting) and piloting skills to be able to fly progressively higher flights. There will be approximately 1 hour of aeronautical theory per day. The goal of the course is for you to achieve at least 6 flights from the Te Mata Peak foot hills. At the end of this course you will have gained your novice solo rating (PG1).
Cost $650


Intermediate PG2.
Duration 10 - 12 days.For those who know they have to fly. You will be given a tandem fight to introduce you to soaring flight. Then you will commence your first high soaring flight.From then on you will be perfecting your skills at launching, canopy control including decent tecniques, fine tuning your decision-making skills and nailing your landing techniques. You will achieve a least 40 launches and a better understanding of the theory of free flight. At the end of this course you will have gained your intermediate solo rating (PG2).
Cost
PG2 course with glider purchased from me $ 1150.00NZ
PG2 course with own glider $1550.00NZ
PG2 course without glider (glider hired from me) $1850.00NZ