Learn To Paraglide Course - 9 Days

Age: The minimum age to learn to paraglide is 14 years (with parent’s consent). The minimum age to be licenced to paraglide is 15 years. There is no maximum age limit - we've taught pilots who are well into their 70s.

Weight: The maximum weight for paragliding students is 120kg.

Paragliding does require a certain amount of physical activity. Anyone with a moderate level of fitness should be more than able to complete the training.

There are some training sites where you will walk a short distance uphill after landing to go back to the launch zone. Students need to be comfortable walking uphill carrying paragliding gear weighing approximately 7kg.

We've taught students who are well into their 60s and 70s so the fitness requirements are very manageable.

If you have any health issues or injuries that you think may impact your ability to do the course, please get in touch with us to discuss this before booking.

Not at all. Our beginner paragliding courses are designed for people with no previous flying experience. We’ll teach you the fundamentals from the ground up and gradually progress your skills and independence as your training develops.

Our complete Learn to Paraglide Course runs for 9 days and is designed to take beginners from their first introduction to the sport through the training required for a SAFA PG2 Pilot Licence. Progression depends on factors including weather and successfully demonstrating the required skills and competencies.

Address - 3 Mill Street, Laurieton, NSW, 2443.

By plane - there are several options:

1) Fly to Port Macquarie Airport then travel by car (35mins).

2) Fly to Sydney Airport then travel by car (4.5hrs) or by train (7hrs).

3) Fly to Newcastle Airport then travel by car (2hrs).

By train - you can travel with NSW TrainLink to our nearest station, Kendall Train Station (15mins from our location).

Pick-Up / Drop-Off Service: If you need transport to/from our school, we can organise transport from Port Macquarie Airport ($80 each way) or Kendall Train Station ($30 each way), subject to availability. If you'd like to book, please send us your flight or train details, including your arrival and departure dates and times.

There’s no required pre-reading as all theory will be covered during the course. However, if you’re keen to do some optional reading before the course starts, ‘Paragliding: The Beginner’s Guide’ is a great introductory book.

You will need to register with SAFA on a New Student Pilot Membership 7 - 10 days before the start of your course. The cost is $33 (not included in our course fees) and is payable by each student directly to SAFA upon registration. You will be sent information on how to do this via email 2 weeks before the start of your course.

• Each day is completely different and set depending on the day's weather conditions.
• Days typically start between 7am - 9am.
• We take a one hour break for lunch at around midday.
• Days typically end between 4pm - 6pm.
• Most days will be spent at flying sites or our training hill.
• We may move around to different sites throughout the day as the wind direction changes.
• On days when the conditions aren't right for flying, we use this 'down time' for theory classes at our office.

Typical student numbers per course are:

• Learn to Paraglide: 3 – 5 students
• Learn to Paramotor: 3 – 5 students

As these courses overlap for the first 7 – 9 days, we limit the combined total to 8 students.

With two instructors, this means students typically receive instruction in small groups of just 3 – 4 students per instructor, allowing for personalised coaching and support throughout the course.

Our courses allow for bad-weather days, with theory completed when conditions aren't suitable for flying. It’s uncommon for weather to prevent course completion, but if you need additional training, you can join a future course within six months at no extra cost.

It's our duty and professional responsibility to ensure our students are fully competent and safe pilots. We will sign off students for license issuance when they satisfy the SAFA requirements and when we are fully confident in their ability to fly competently and with the highest levels of safety.

We’ve been successfully operating since 2012, training thousands of students within our 9-day paragliding and 14-day paramotoring course structures, so we know that it is absolutely achievable to develop confident, safe, and competent pilots that meet the SAFA PG2 (paragliding) and PPG (paramotoring) licence requirements within these timeframes. 

As with any flight school offering similarly structured courses, license issuance is successful for the vast majority of students, however it does rely on suitable weather conditions and students meeting required competency standards. More information on these situations are explained in our T&Cs.

The Sports Aviation Federation of Australia (SAFA) provides a structured framework for paragliding progression, offering five distinct license levels from PG1 to PG5.

As a PG2 level pilot you are licensed to fly solo under supervision. At this level, take-off and landing are also limited to flying at PG2 rated sites, ensuring that new pilots handle manageable conditions. 

More information on what's next after achieving your PG2 licence can be found in this blog.

To fly unsupervised, you will need to meet the PG3 level requirements. More information on the SAFA licence levels can be found in this blog.

It's important to recognise that skill development doesn’t stop after an initial training course. Beginner paragliding courses in Australia are designed to bring students to the PG2 pilot level. At this level, pilots are still required to fly under supervision, ensuring they continue to gain valuable experience and build confidence in a safe and supported environment. As pilots then progress through the higher SAFA licence levels, they are required to meet increasing skill and experience requirements over time, ensuring a continuous journey of growth and development. More information on the SAFA licence levels can be found in thisblog.

• Sturdy closed-toe shoes (e.g. sporting shoes/runners). We suggest bringing a couple of pairs in case they get wet/muddy during training).
• Clothes you can move comfortably in (e.g. active wear / roomy pants that you can easily crouch in). We recommend avoiding jeans.
• A mix of short and long sleeve tops to allow for different weather conditions.
• A light-weight jacket as it can be cooler at higher altitudes, even during summer.
• A heavier / warmer jacket during the cooler months.
• Hat (optional).

No, all equipment is supplied.

No, this is not possible. Our beginner courses are 'straight-through' courses over 9 consecutive days (paragliding) and 14 consecutive days (paramotoring). We believe that training over multiple blocks spread across a longer period or on weekends only can disrupt the continuity of learning, potentially leading to a reduction in skill retention, a dip in confidence, and slower progress. Unsuitable weather conditions are also much more likely to cause delays in course completion. These factors are why we don’t provide the option to split our courses across multiple blocks or on weekends only.

This may be okay, however we cannot guarantee that missing days won't affect a student's ability to meet all the theoretical or practical requirements of their course. Each day's training is tailored to the weather conditions, so missing any part of the course could potentially impact your ability to achieve all the requirements for license issue. We strongly recommend attending every day of the course where possible.

We offer comfortable and convenient accommodation on-site at our school in Laurieton. Choose from a private cabin, private caravan with shared bathroom facilities, or shared cabin accommodation, each with everything you need for a relaxed stay.

Alternatively, there are a range of hotels, motels, AirBnbs, caravan parks and camping sites nearby.

Yes, you can change or cancel your course booking. Our policies for course changes and cancellations can be found here.