Paragliding Overview

What Is Paragliding?

Paragliding is one of the most exhilarating low cost Aviation sports available today, is very practical and packs up the size of a small rucksack. Its popularity has seriously impacted Hang Gliding that is not so practical to learn or practise. Paragliding started in the Mid 1980’s & became more popular than Hang Gliding by the Mid 1990’s. Modern paragliders have great performance and are easy to fly once you have acquired the skill. They can fly up to tens of feet to Thousands of feet & Miles to hundreds of miles depending on skill & conditions. The latest paragliders & harnesses offer incredible performance and are very light weight easy to carry and pack small & light for trips abroad.

The best way to learn to fly under correct supervision with the necessary insurance cover is with one of the BHPA member schools and that is ourselves - AEROSPORTS. You will be taught all the essentials that you need to know - Air Flow, Meteorology, Airlaw, Principles of flight, Airmanship, Safety rules, Aerodynamic airflow etc. In the initial stages the emphasis will be on practical training to enable the student to achieve flight and improve practical skills but some basic flight theory will be necessary.

Fitness

You don’t need to be especially fit to fly. Take off and landing involves running just a few steps and once airborne you sit back in a comfortable seat and perhaps lean a little to assist turning. Call us to discuss any particular concerns.

Paraglider’s

The gliders fly at about 20 mph, so that wind-chill combined with some extra altitude can make it a little cold. We have some gloves and helmets for loan; You’ll need some ankle supporting boots, warm clothes and some drink and snacks to make your day on the hills a comfortable one.

Our sites are in a number of areas in Northern Ireland, easily accessible by road. A typical day’s flying begins with a morning assessment of the weather and to arrange a meeting time and place if all looks good. We’ll spend around half an hour with preliminary safety briefings.

On the take off site, we’ll check the conditions, inspect the glider and begin flying as soon as the conditions permit. The glider performance varies with weight, so we fly in the best conditions for each member of our small group as the weather of the day develops. To get the best out of the day, we are ready to fly from first arrival on the hill until dusk. We hope you will be able to taste this most elegant of forms of aviation with us

Flying Sites

Flying Sites are controlled by the local club UHPC (Ulster Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club) who have permission from the land owner for flying activities and the club also maintains a sites guide of rules for each site for all club members. There are four main areas for Paragliding in the province - THE NORTH COAST (MAGILLIGAN), THE WEST (DUNGIVEN GLENSHANE PASS), THE EAST (LARNE HILLS) and THE SOUTH (MOURNES). Venues are determined due to weather conditions.

The Initial training sites are located approx. 10 mins drive from the Premises’ in Ballynure Approx. 25min north of Belfast and are fairly central to most areas in the province. Initial training starts on low gentle nursery slopes without hazards to enable safe and rapid progress. The student having mastered the basics can progress to higher and steeper slopes with direct instructional supervision at all times. It is an advantage to be fairly fit during the initial stages of training.

Flying Abroad

Usually only Club Pilots and above will receive advanced training in a foreign land from Aerosports. Usually, Tenerife Dec – Jan, French Alps, Spain Piedrahita, or Turkey Olu-Deniz, & Valencia. But less experienced pilots may be considered provided their flying is deemed competent by the C.F.I.