Job Title:
Paragliding
Number Of Years Dedicated To This Field Of Work or Lifestyle:
5
Category Of Work:
Hobby – Unpaid
Country / Area of Work:
United Kingdom
Industry:
Aerospace/ Aviation
Type:
Hobby
Key Skills For The Job:
Its VERY important to receive good training from a professional instructor since it can be a dangerous sport if done without knowledge. In the UK the governing body for paragliding is the BHPA. If you want to fly under their membership and insurance you need to complete a recognized course and exam with their basic requirements.
Vital Key Skill:
The love for adventure and flying, but also a level head to not endanger yourself or others.
Your Personal Experience Of Entering This Role:
Taught By Peers
Tips For Undertaking This Work:
Find a good instructor or paragliding school closest to you and try a day taster, if you enjoy it, the day will count towards your further training. You can also go on holiday to train with British instructors abroad, but its pretty rare you can complete the whole course unless you are very lucky with the weather. This will either mean multiple trips or finding a local school to finish your training.
Future Progression Or Developments:
In the UK the licence progression is first Elementary Pilots award, but with that alone you cant join a club in the UK yet. The next step is the full Club Pilot licence. You can get from complete beginner to Club Pilot in about 10 good flying days if you can perform the flying tasks and pass the exams.
Paragliding is very dependent one the weather and because I could only fly weekends mostly, it took me about 6 months to get the good flyable days over weekends only. More info here: https://www.bhpa.co.uk/sport/paraglider/
Just take it easy, there is no urgency to fly. In the end of the day we do it because we enjoy it.
On a good day you can fly for hours at a time without any engine and just relying on the forces of nature.
Don’t let the competitiveness of other pilots influence how you want to fly and enjoy yourself.
Walk away from bad flying days more, even if you drove 2 hours to get to the flying site. If the weather is not right for flying, just enjoy being out and about in the beautiful countryside.
What Are The ‘tools of the trade’ Used Daily:
You will need as a start: paragliding wing, harness, reserve para-shoot, alto-vario meter (beeps if you are in rising air) and good boots. You can find decent second hand gear with the advice of an experienced paraglider to get the right size wing for your body-weight.
There is not much point in buying an expensive new class A (learner wing) if you will outgrow it to a Class B wing fairly quickly. Second hand hand you can get all you need for £1500 – £2000, but new you will end up spending around £5000-£6000. I’ve always had good second hand wings, but I got my harness and reserve para-shoot new for safety reasons.
A Typical Day’s Duties:
Go to the hill or mountain and wait for the conditions to be just right for takeoff. Sometimes you can wait for hours. Its called “para-waiting”. You will spend more time doing that than actual flying.
If you happen to go cross country flying you might end up 50 km or 100 km away from your launch point in the middle of nowhere and might need to find creative ways to get back to your car again.
It is a very social sport, and could make lots of friends doing it. Normally pretty interesting people decide to do this sport.
Is Travelling A Regularly Part Of This Work:
Yes
Weekly Working Hours:
Not Applicable
Type Of Hours Arrangement:
Flexible Based On Your Own Needs
The Best Thing About The Work You Do:
To fly for hours with changing conditions and different kinds of lift. It keeps your mind in the moment and active searching out the the next bit of lift, to keep you in the air longer. My longest flight was 3 hours and 30 minutes never touching the ground over the beautiful Drakensberg mountains in South Africa.
Your Least Favorite Thing About The Work You Do:
If you fail to find any lift and have to bottom land and its a 60 minute walk back to the top.
The worst thing is every now and again to see a friend getting hurt or killed doing the sport.
You have to realize this great experience (some of the best I’ve had in my life) is in the end of the day a dangerous sport and need to be treated with the respect it deserves.
Any Duties You Hadn’t Anticipated Prior To Undertaking The Work:
It makes you fit to carry your 20kg glider up the hill a few times a day.
The Top Perks Of The Work:
Experiencing one of the purest forms of modern human flight. Circling and sharing a thermal with a bird of pray in close proximity it awesome too.
Other Work In The Same Sector:
Paramotering and Handgliding
What Professional Organisations Are Associated With Your Work:
British Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association
https://www.bhpa.co.uk/
Additional Info You Wish To Share:
Its a great sport, but you have to know the risks when getting into it. Paragliding can easily kill you in many ways if you don’t have the knowledge to keep you safe. Get the best training you can get. Enjoy amazing experiences.
Where People Can Visit For More Details On Your Work:
https://www.bhpa.co.uk/sport/paraglider/
