iparaglide.com

At some point in your flying, you will have completed at least 300 flights and acquired a minimum of 100 hours airtime and have thermalled and soared for hours during cross-country flights. Note that iparaglide standards exceed those specified by the United States Hang Gliding Association (USHGA, 250 flights, 75 hours) and the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC, 150 flights, 50 hours).

You will have inevitably encountered rough air and turbulence on some of your flights and have learned to satisfactorily control your glider to prevent or deal with flight incidents. You are also likely becoming more comfortable with a narrowed margin when flying in the proximity of other gliders and terrain. However, there are still times when you do not fly because you feel you still haven't mastered launching and landing in strong conditions. You have not competed, but are a respected, competent and a somewhat seasoned pilot.

You look to the top competition and aerobatic pilots with admiration, for they fly in a realm beyond your current capabilities. They log the most incredible cross-country flights and race with a gaggle to new horizons. Bird-like they wing-over and spiral gracefully - the sky is their playground.

Nothing compares to the excitement and scene of an entire flock of multicolored paragliders in the sky: all determined to milk every ounce of flight out of a thermal or ridge lift; all with a common goal destination - like migrating birds headed south for the winter. This is competition. In this struggle for survival, everyone is a winner, with personal bests set all the time. Feeling your triumph as your scratch your way up on an impossible low save, or knowing your comrades desperation as they scratch low, trying to hang in - immediately ads a huge social dimension to your flying. One second you are at the top of the stack, racing ahead, and later you are plummeting in sink as others fly on. Adrenaline and fun beyond your wildest dreams.

Now your vision is focussed. You long for the ultimate: to be up there, flying with a massive gaggle of paragliders all spiraling up in unison in a giant thermal; or littered above and along mountain ranges as you race to your mission, a hundred kilometers away. You visualize cranking wicked wing-overs proceeding a three-G spiral dive down through the evening sunset. You may also have craving to upgrade your intermediate (DHV 1-2 or DHV 2) wing to something on the cutting edge of the performance envelope, with a performance class wing (DHV 2 or DHV 2-3).

This is the time to once again return to the cradle for some world class mentoring to rocket you to the next level.

And so begins our quest with a 3-day Aerobatics Clinic. At the start of the clinic you will meet with your flight instructors to discuss and develop a customized training session for your individual needs. Emphasis will be placed on progression:

polishing large deliberate roll, pitch and yaw oscillations;
working on spirals and asymmetric spirals;
controlled changes of heading during spins and stalls;
big wing-overs;
and if you are ready and your instructor is satisfied with your performance, we may proceed to sats and/or barrel rolls.

For the majority of participants we will endeavor to leave you with a set of practical exercises you can work on until the next Aerobatic Clinic (every 6 months) so we can work the progression to the barrel roll and SAT over successive clinics. Your flight manouvers will be professionally filmed by the Big Vision Productions crew for your nightly review and critique from your coach.

For your safety, all moves will be conducted over a lake with a rescue boat on standby. We use a specialized tow rig and boat to tow you as high as three thousand feet (dependant on conditions) above the lake where you will release and begin your routines while guided from the shore by your instructor.

Use of this specialized towing equipment allows us to not be dependant on wind direction and good cycles like other mountain launch based clinics. This means we can operate in any wind direction and strength up to 20 kmhr. The result is that you will get many more flights per day and also will learn more and enjoy while you wait for tow and watch each participant directly above you doing aerobatics. Simply, a far more efficient and productive way of teaching Aerobatics.

Alternatively, we may also use helicopters to deliver you to high mountain sites overlooking lakes.

In-Depth, Advanced Classroom Study. We will have classroom sessions including cutting edge multimedia presentations of advanced topics: Air Regulations, Aerodynamics, Meteorology, Flying Skills (including advanced thermal and cross-country skills), and Aeronautical Chart Reading.
Advanced (P4) written Exam.
Advanced Ground-School. We will have training to polish advanced launching and landing skills during highly thermic and strong wind conditions.
Supervised Advanced Cross-Country Competition Training. We will provide ground radio support and/or fly with you during strong conditions or competitions (where circumstances permit) to provide first hand supervision of your practical skills.
Study and Use of Advanced-Level Equipment. We will show you "the ropes" of using advanced level equipment designed to assist you with your cross-country competition flying and aerobatics. All of our latest advanced-class wings and instrumentation will be available for you to test fly free of charge.
Study Materials, Resources and Assistance. We will assist you to book your First Aid training.

On successful course completion, you will have conducted a minimum of eleven (11) supervised advanced aerobatic and/or competition level cross-country flights over 5-days. Requires instructor review of students documented minimum one hundred and fifty (150) flight logbook, minimum cross country of 10 km, successful completion of the advanced (P4) exam, and instructor recommendation for your advanced rating to HPAC or USHGA.

This is destined to be one of the most intense, thrilling and liberating experiences in your life.

iparaglide.com. Taking you straight to the top!

* Price includes boat tows for Aerobatics Clinic and transportation for Advanced Rating supervised flights. Eleven (11) instructor supervised advanced flight minimum. Students must have their own complete set of paragliding equipment. Reserve parachutes, back protection, helmet, hook knife, radio with spare battery, and boots with ankle support are mandatory. On course completion, requires student payment of: $15 advanced rating fee and $59 memership fee to USHGA or $10 advanced registration fee and $140 yearly insurance to HPAC. First Aid training fees payable to training institution. Some landing sites require a $5/day fee payable by the student to the land owner. Full payment of the course and time commitment to specific dates must be received prior to commencement of training, with no refunds for partial course completion. We reserve the right to discontinue training any student not following directions or conducting themselves in a manner that may endager themselves or others.

**Price includes all transportation, including boat tows for Aerobatics Clinic. Terms in * above apply.

*** Price includes transportation for Advanced Rating supervised flights. Two (2) instructor supervised advanced flight minimum. Terms in * above apply.