Here at Paraventure Airsports we specialise in personal training. Some airsports centres are run with the emphasis being put on getting the highest number of people through the school as quickly as possible to make room for the next punters. Some centres even specialise in one day tasters and corporate events over full pilot training. Quantity over quality is never the way forward with learning to paraglide or paramotor. This approach holds absolutely no interest for us whatsoever.
We prefer to work with very small groups where we can concentrate on the needs of our students and teach them to the highest standards possible. This is why we try to keep our beginner groups to a maximum of 3 students per instructor whenever we can. We often instruct on a one to one basis and we are unusual in the fact that we don't charge you anymore for this service. We also offer training and holidays abroad throughout the year, but whether you decide to fly in the UK, abroad or both, we will be with you every step of the way. Personal attention at all times is what Paraventure is all about.
With costs ever increasing, we totally understand how difficult it can be for our students to be able to afford the latest state-of-the-art paragliding or paramotoring equipment. This leads a lot of our clients to be forced into purchasing secondhand equipment. Please don't get us wrong here; we're not saying that there is anything wrong with good secondhand equipment as we do sell plenty of it ourselves. But if you want to stay at the forefront of our sports, flying the latest high-technology gliders that are currently available, you will need to buy brand new. Every year we endeavour to find some way to help alleviate the costs involved in purchasing new equipment. To this end, here you will find our proposition for the 2010 season. What we are offering is simply this:
For every student that learns to fly with Paraventure, we will put together a personal training and equipment package that will save you hundreds of pounds off the price of your new equipment. The actually amount depends on the glider you order. We pay different prices to the manufacturers depending on the brand. If we get a better price on a particular make, we can pass this on to the customer. You don't have to pay for an entire course before utilising this offer as we don't charge 'up front' for any of our training and a glider can be ordered at any time during your training and we will simply credit you your discount in advance and we will trust you to complete your course training with us. We think that this is an excellent incentive to help enable you to enter our sport with the most modern up-to-date equipment that is currently available. If your would like more information, just give us a call.
Tuition Rates 2010:
Our course fees are now fixed so you know exactly how much your training is going to cost you down to the penny. At the end of each session you will be informed of your bill for the day and can pay with cash, cheque or credit card. There are no 'up front' fees to pay with us which is ideal for students just starting out and wondering if the sport is for them. If you want to continue with your training after starting with either our Discovery or Elementary Pilot, all you need do is pay the difference on a daily basis.
For students coming from other schools who only need to complete a task or two to qualify, we simply charge ?150 per day as usual.
Theory sessions and exams may be held at various locations including on the flying sites, are included in your course fees and is a vital part of your course.
Although BHPA membership is fairly inexpensive, it is mandatory and must be paid by the student. Current fees are ?10 for 24hours cover or ?99 for the first year of annual membership and ?84 per year there after.
Our pricing system - the key points
Please Note: We are offering you the fairest payment system available in the UK with no up front deposits or course fees to be paid in advance. In return, we expect you to attend on the days you have booked in for; obviously you are welcome to cancel days but if you don't tell us you are not coming it prevents another student taking your place. Failure to comply with the above will usually prevent further training with Paraventure.
Below you will find information on our paragliding and paramotor courses with the costs and typical number of days duration. With excellent training conditions and small groups it is possible to cut down on the number of total training days but our records show that these are the average. Please remember you will be following a rigid syllabus and like learning to drive a car, people can progress at different rates. It is important for us and even more important for you to be allowed to progress at your own speed, neither being pushed or held back by other students. You only really get this choice through personal tuition.
The entire BHPA Paragliding syllabus can be viewed and downloaded here.
The basics of paragliding includes safety procedures, ground training and low level flights. A good introduction.
Phase's 1-3 BHPA syllabus.
Everything listed in the discovery course above. This is then followed by high level precision canopy control flights, advanced ground training and introduction to soaring and extended flight times, theory sessions and the EPC exam. First paragliding qualification.
Phase's 1-5 BHPA syllabus
This is our premier training course, everything you need to get you from a complete beginner to a fully qualified pilot. Everything included in the Elementary Pilot course above plus further high level precision canopy control flights, ridge and thermal long duration soaring flights, hill top landings practice and canopy instability maneuvers, advanced theory and final exam. The full BHPA Novice (Club) Pilot qualification enabling you to fly unsupervised. At the end of your EP course we would recommend that you purchase your own equipment from us to complete your training.
Phase's 1-10 BHPA syllabus
Here at Paraventure, we instruct to the BHPA syllabus which is done in two parts. Below is a description of how it works;
The Club Pilot stage. This will require that the student is first made familiar with flying a paraglider to a reasonable standard before commencing with the power unit. Once the student can fly solo to a decent standard he or she will then be introduced to the power unit. After a little theory and hands-on practice, power training can then start involving three simple circuit flights followed by an additional two longer duration flights of a minimum of 15 minutes each to a height of 1500 ft. The pilot must also demonstrate that he or she can then land safely at the end of these tasks. After passing the simple restricted examination paper the pilot will then be allowed to fly unsupervised within a two-mile radius of a takeoff point once this area has been checked for air space restrictions by an instructor or BHPA power coach.
The Pilot stage. To achieve the full endorsement which will allow the pilot to fly unsupervised over any distance within UK air law, additional tasks will need be done. These can be verified either by us or your local power coach. In either case you will need to return to your paramotoring school to sit the final examination. The good thing this that these tasks can be done in any order and over time (within reason). You are also welcome to do all of these additional tasks with us at the normal hourly rate.
This ends with the BHPA SPHG restricted qualification. Course contains:
1. Safety procedures.
2. Launch, flight and landing techniques.
3. Approx 4 days solo paragliding (EP) to get you comfortable in the air.
4. Precision canopy control flights.
5. Long duration powered flights and canopy instability maneuvers. Also includes air law, theory of flight, airmanship and meteology lectures. Ends with Restricted exam paper.
Once you have completed your BHPA EP or CP course, you may if you wish, do additional training with the paramotor power unit. This ends with the BHPA SPHG restricted qualification. Course contains safety procedures, flight, launch and landing techniques. Power flight theory and the SPHG Restricted exam. See the details above if you are interested in the full endorsement.
No need to pay yet...
Firstly, phone us to check the dates you want to come. Then simply print out and fill in the booking form below and bring it along on your first day with your payment (cash, cheque and credit cards all accepted). You will also find our terms and conditions on this form; please take time to read it.
Personal Accident Insurance
Here is a good policy that doesn't cost the earth. Airsports Insurance Bureau is the insurance arm of the BHPA. If you need personal accident insurance for your training you can download the form here.
Paragliding | Paramotoring
