About Peak Airsports Paragliding + Hang Gliding School

Peak Airsports is a BHPA Registered School (registration number 337) and is one of the oldest and most established paragliding and hang gliding schools in the UK (30 years). We operate 7 days a week (weather permitting) and strive to give the best possible value for money when learning to fly or when flying tandem with us. We are committed to teaching paragliding and hang gliding to the highest levels possible (and Peak Airsports is second to none). Consequently, we operate low student / Instructor ratios (sometimes 1 to 1). This means no ‘large production lines’ of students waiting for equipment and your turn to fly.

Your Instructor

Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) of Peak Airsports, Mark Bosher is regarded as one of the UK’s most experienced and qualified in the sport. As a Senior Hang gliding and Paragliding Instructor (hill & tow) and Licensed Tandem  Instructor / Pilot with the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA). He is also a FLPA (Foot launched Powered Aircraft) Senior Power Instructor on Hang gliders and an experienced pilot on Para-motors.

Mark acquired his passion for the skies with parachuting in the late 80’s before pursuing a flying career in 1992. He has flown light aircraft,  sailplanes (gliders) for five years, before settling on his true passion; Paragliding and Hang gliding. He has accumulated over two and a half thousand hours flying and over nineteen years of skill, knowledge and experience in both flying and teaching people to fly. This includes the local geography and meteorology and he is one of the most experienced and active pilots in the Peak District National Park. Mark is also active with the local club as a committee member and club coach.

Location

Peak Airsports is located in the very heart of ‘The Peak District National Park’ in Derbyshire. The school (and the training sites) is within easy reach of Manchester, Stoke, Rotherham, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Mansfield, Nottingham and Derby, to name a few. We’ve even had students from North London!

The Peak District has some of the best and most beautiful paragliding and hang gliding sites in the UK, all minutes away from our base in Hope and Bamford within the Peak Park. The area is a great holiday location, with its natural beauty and multitude of activities, (in addition to hang gliding and paragliding).  With climbing, mountain biking, hill walking and large under ground caverns to explore!  This makes the Peak District Park a great place to play and fly (and the area has great road and train links too)!

Why Choose Peak Airsports Paragliding & Hang Gliding School

• Experience – train / fly with Mark Bosher, himself one of the most experienced flying Senior Instructors in Hang gliding, Paragliding and Tandem flying in the UK.
• Accreditation – BHPA (British Hang Gliding & Paragliding) accredited and chosen by the BBC.
• Group Size – small student groups and student to instructor ratio.
• Flexibility - flexible paragliding and hang gliding training times ‘set around you’. We operate 7 days a week (weather permitting) and regard ourselves as a true ‘full time school’. Some schools claim this and clearly are not.  Ask if they have a day off in the week???    
• Progression - safe, but progressive instruction. It is not uncommon to achieve 10+ flights on your first day!
• Equipment – Up to date and high quality paragliding and hang gliding equipment and the same sort of equipment that you may go on to purchase.
• Value - value for money and much cheaper in the long run (you don’t always get what you pay for:-(. Also the cheapest is seldom the best way to learn in the long run too!
• Priorities - focused on quality training and the student, NOT turnover.  We believe it is wise to learn that students are the top priority and not the bottom line!
• Media Analysis – video and digital photo analysis to help you progress. All media is available for the student to take home (free of charge:-).
• Communication - direct radio contact with the instructor during your training and after.
• After care service - Once you have completed your final course, (Club pilot novice) and to help improve your skills and experience, your given the opportunity to come out and continue to fly with Mark (if you wish). Also as a valued client / ex – student of Peak Airsports you have priority (invite only) on any flying trip that may be taking place in the near future.       

Important Paragliding & Hang Gliding Information

Peak Airsports is inspected and monitored by the BHPA for safety and the quality of the training we offer and the equipment we use. However, PLEASE REMEMBER, not all the schools in the UK are BHPA registered (PLEASE CHECK)! And not all schools (or their instructors / trainee instructors) are the same as Peak Airsports (like driving schools). Take time choosing a school when you want to learn to fly, it will be worth every effort and will save you a lot of time, money (and hassle) in the long run. 

Peak Airsports ‘sometimes’ enrolls students from ‘other schools’. More often than not (every time so far), these students say; ”I wish I’d come to Peak Airsports first, this would have saved me a lot of time and money”!

For Peak Airsports and more importantly the student (and due to this ‘other school’) the lack of knowledge, experience, limited ability and skill they show us, IS ALL TOO APPARENT:-(!

Make Peak Airsports your ‘first choice’ and be inspired! 

We all have a choice and I like choices) but, it is only later that we you can quantify ‘what that choice ment to us’.

Mark Bosher (CFI)