Paragliding Club Pilot Course
Picture below; Club Pilot trainee practices flying with others
The Club Pilot Course, (CPC) involves the kind of flying that all trainees really aspire too. You will have spent a few days on your
It is possible to complete your tasks in five or six days in good conditions. In this period you will get to know the local club flyers and steadily integrate into the local club environment. After qualifying as a Club Pilot with us, you may wish to join the 'Derbyshire Soaring Club' who have their own Peak District sites and BHPA registered 'Club Coaches'. They provide guidance and useful advice to newly qualified pilots 'for free', well almost, what the price of a beer these days:-) .
We use digital photo and video analysis of your launches to record elements of the flight and look at ways to improve your technique, if needed?
You can practice some flight exercises on our 'custom made paraglider simulator' too. We run simulator training and theory lectures on 'bad weather days' so that we don’t miss out on good flying weather, while needing to complete lecture sessions!
As part of the Club Pilot Course we include sections that are additional to the BHPA syllabus. Specifically forward and reverse launch techniques and variations such as strong wind emergency landings. We will introduce you to the main local 'club sites'.
Peak Airsports puts great emphasis on pre-flight checks, flight planning and awareness of potentially hazardous situations and aim to instill 'awareness' of these aspects to all our student pilots.
Call The office or e-mail
BHPA PIILOT RATING SCHEME (Self launch only)
The exercises below are 'signed off' in the pilot's 'Student Training Record'.
Club Pilot (Novice) course exercises.
| Phase 6 Pre-soaring |
21 | Pre-soaring: Theory of soaring flight; more developed knowledge on weather assessment, site assessment, flight planning, rules of the air. |
| 22 | 180 degree turns: The student will demonstrate competence at unassisted launches and turns up to and beyond 180 degrees. | |
| 23 | Planned Approaches: The student will demonstrate competence at controlled landings in different conditions and using different techniques, within a designated area. | |
| Phase
7 Soaring |
24 | Soaring flight: Utilizing ridge lift to maintain and gain height. |
| 25 | Top Landings: Learning safe and controlled top landings on at least two sites in different conditions.. | |
| 26 | Flying with others: Putting the Rules of the Air into practice in the company of other aircraft. | |
| Phase
8 Improving Skills |
27 |
Exploring the speed range: Speed to fly concept;
fast and slow flight . |
| 28 | Accelerator Systems: Learning to use the speed bar and trim setting devices. | |
| 29 | Forward Launching: Further development of forward launching skills, preparation for forward launching on Alpine sites, etc. | |
| 30 | Reverse Launching: Further practice of reverse launching; honing reverse launch techniques. | |
| 31 | Weight-shift and pitch-roll co-ordination in turns: Steering the glider with weight-shift harness inputs. | |
| 32 | Cross-wind and slope landings: Practice of various landing techniques; potential hazards involved. | |
| Phase
9 Instability & Emergencies |
33 | Theory: Tree and water landing procedures; PLF refresher; emergency parachute systems; alternative control systems; instability and turbulence. |
| 34 | Active flying: Flying in turbulent air – techniques. | |
| 35 | Rapid descent techniques: The use of 'big ears' descent technique. | |
| 36 | Dealing with an asymmetric tuck: Practicing how to deal effectively with small tucks. | |
| Phase
10 Theory & Exam |
37-40 | Theory: Meteorology, Principles of flight, Rules of the Air and Airlaw, General Airmanship knowledge. |
| Final Assessment | 41 | Where you get to prove that you are ready to fly outside the supervision of a school. You are now qualified as a Club Pilot! |
The Club Pilot Course (CPC) cost is:£600 (excluding BHPA membership).
What Happens Next?
Call The office or e-mailWhen you get your Club Pilot qualification you have effectively passed your ‘driving test’ for paragliders and you can now go and fly by yourself without the supervision of the school, whenever you want (weather permitting:-). However, learning doesn’t stop here, if you drive a car or ride a motorbike, you will have no doubt heard the old adage ‘you pass your test, now learning really starts’, and this is equally true for paragliding. Our aim at Peak Airsports is to equip you with the knowledge to make the correct decisions that in turn make you into a safe pilot. It will ultimately be you that makes the decision “shall I take off or not take off…”
When you pass your Club Pilot qualification, you may want to continue flying in 'The Peak District'. You need to join the local club called; The Derbyshire Soaring Club. They control all the large sites in the Peak District and negotiate with farmers and the National Trust on your behalf for the takeoff and landing areas. You should not fly on any land or hill, unless you have the permission from the land owner and the farmer. There are many clubs around the country, in all the best flying spots and a complete list can be found at the BHPA’s website. The club membership is between £10 and £30 a year. There is nothing to stop you from negotiating your own flying sites with a landowner, but as paragliding has such a tremendous social scene attached to it, most pilots are members of one or more clubs. New pilots should get to know the local club coaches and use their experiance and skill to help the new novice Club Pilot to stay safe and improve on the skills they have learned while in the school.
Many pilots decide to take a paragliding trip abroad after getting their CP licence to experiance flying in alpine conditions. Please refer to our holiday pages for more information.
Additional Information
It is important to have realistic expectations when learning to paraglide. Paragliding is a weather-dependant sport, and it can be frustrating at times when the weather is unsuitable for flying. If you are patient, and you persevere the rewards can be fulfilling and life-changing! If you are not a patient person, we most respectfully suggest that you consider another pastime. It is possible that some days you book have to be cancelled because the weather in not suitable for flying. Our primary aim is to make you a competent and safe pilot, and consequently we are very selective about the conditions we let you fly in.
What Happens if the Weather is Unsuitable?
We ask you to call the school (between 7:00pm and 8:00 pm) the evening before your course date, to establish if the forecast is suitable for flying. We take forecasts from many sources; the Duty Instructor’s decision about whether to run the course or not is final.
If the weather forecast is unsuitable, you are able to re-book the day at a later date. We will try and fit you in as soon as possible after your cancelled day, but we may be booked-up already on the day you choose and we shall suggest the nearest available date.
If the weather deteriorates during your training day, we look at the hours training you have already done that day, and credit the remaining hours to another day.
Cancellations
Seven days notice is required for cancellation of booked dates. Whilst no refund will be made, the deposit/ fee already paid will be credited against a rebooking. In the event that a course is wholly or partially unable to take place due to weather conditions, a proportionate credit will be allowed against a future date to be apportioned at the Duty Instructor’s discretion depending on circumstances.
Clothing
Bear in mind that courses take place in the outdoors, on exposed windy hillsides. Paragliding is a low activity sport so make sure you have enough warm, wind-proof clothing and gloves. You are not likely to be near convenient shelter so bring a waterproof jacket and trousers. Lastly, a sturdy lightweight pair of walking boots is strongly advisable. If you have your own climbing helmet you may prefer to bring this along.
Food
If weather permits you will be on the hill all day. We eat on the hill so ensure you bring lunch with you.
Meeting Point
The Woodbine Café is known locally as the spot where all flyers congregate, and this is where we meet at 9:30am for a 10:00am start. The Woodbine Cafe is situated next to the Petrol Station in Hope on the main Hope Valley Road (A625). We will normally be back at the cars for 5pm. If traveling by train this rendezvous is a quarter of a mile east of Hope Station.
Weather Check
Telephone us between 7:00pm and 8:00pm the evening before your course commences to check weather conditions.