BHPA Heritage - over 50 years of experience and commitment to the Sport
The Association was formed in 1992 by the coming together of the British Hang Gliding Association and the British Association of Paragliding Clubs. Since then the sport has grown considerably and now has over 60 clubs that are affiliated to the Association with around 8,000 individual members. The Association exists primarily to promote safety within the sport and play an important role In Europe FAI.
BHPA oversees pilot and instructor training standards, provides, technical support such as airworthiness standards runs coaching courses for pilots & instructors alike... and a host of other services, providing the infrastructure within which UK hang gliding and paragliding thrive.
The organisation has been through some changes and seen the popularity of paragliding and more recently Paramotoring. Apart from the French and German authorities, there are no other countries with such history and experience in governing our great Sport. It's work with the CAA over airspace and responsibility to second to none.
Their input into clubs and schools means that when you learn with a BHPA standard of school you know there won´t be any funny conversion courses to do.
We only offer tandem flying during Ep courses for the nervous! We appreciate that tandems are good for coaching, but Schools in Europe that use tandems full time during their ab initio (EP or first 4 days) training are making simple shortcuts - Don't let you be one of them.
An International Pilot Proficiency Information (IPPI) Card provides proof of flying experience and proficiency in your own country if you choose to exchange your rating into that from your home destination country. The IPPI Card provides a standard reference by which all national rating programs may be compared.
SafePro Para (for paragliding) stage on the card reflects the pilot proficiency. For the pilot who flies outside of his known or local area, it is a quick and easy method of providing proof of flying experience and proficiency.
Whilst you’re with us you'll join the BHPA as a member and go through our British syllabus, this echoes the syllabus in most countries, at the end of the Club pilot course you’ll be able to apply for your IPPI card.
Appi is a very new organisation, started in the backroom of a tea hut in Asia by pilots trying to get overseas licenses. They have tentative or no insurance cover, run vague and inconsistent training courses, offer no follow up quality progress or report on a standard for any of their instructors or schools.
The BHPA with over 40 years experience visits our school at least twice a year. There's a reciprocal swapping of teaching skills and ideas. We have been a BHPA school for over 20 yrs, they offers a smooth transition to Uk flying and offers International IPPI ratings.
Plus you're getting support from a community of pilots that have their interest in flying, not just cheap insurance cover.
FlySpain and its instructors have worked and flown in the Uk, know what Uk pilots want and how good standards of tuition are delivered. Remember FlySpain have been teaching and guiding in Andalucia for over 25 years. Our team of Instructors and guides are not simply coaches, they are truly very good and experienced pilots who fly the conditions locally, fly abroad and are friendly and great mentors and instructors. We also cater a Syllabus that ensures you go away with the requisite skills to fly back at home, either Alpine or Uk flying.
Don´t be caught out, only training achieved in one school anywhere in the world with a BHPA stamp is recognised in any other BHPA school back home.
We are often asked whats the difference, Paragliding schools have gone through a vigorous training scheme as well as experince in both flying, coaching and safe management of students and apropriate understanding of weather conditions for further coaching.
Development schools are not schools, have little of no experience of actually teaching, don't and can't offer tuition or qualifications but can offer coaching. FlySpain have been campaigning to change these terms so you the pilot undertsand exactly what you are getting when you pay for your holiday. Instructors naturally are instructors because they enjoy coaching, some guides or coaches just like taking the cash, some don't even fly the mounatin environment they live in, incredible I know, but that's the world for you. So how do you check? try and read reviews, ask the BHPA maybe for background, and remember we've over 20 years experience here living and breathing flying.
Good standards of paragliding or paramotor training are not down to perspective and but well-rehearsed and structured criteria and benchmark that's adhered by all. BHPA instructors are taught to avoid the mistakes made of the past and use the latest teaching methods.
