Our Chief Flying Instructor Trevor McLoughlin has been flying since 1985; initially flying Hang Gliders he moved on to fly fixed wing gliders in '88 and started flying Paragliders in '93 (teaching it since '95). He also has a Private Pilot's Licence and flies light aircraft.

He has been running schools since 1998 and has been the CFI of three of them. In that time, he has worked with, learned from and taught lots of instructors. Until he resigned early in 2012 he was head of the BHPA Flying & Safety Committee's Instructor & Coach Training Panel.

We also have one of the best school safety records in the UK – why would you want go anywhere else?

At ParAvion we will always put our emphasis on safety and quality - not quantity. In other words we train fewer students to a higher standard rather than a lot of students to a lower standard.

To achieve this:

• We have private and exclusive hill sites on which to teach you, as well as the use of several private airfields (we pay a high price to keep these training sites private).

• We have special permits from the Civil Aviation Authority (to winch tow) and the Ministry Of Defence (to fly in restricted military airspace) so we can tow you to heights of up to 2000ft in areas where no other civil aircraft are even allowed to fly (Salisbury Plain).

• We will not risk your safety and teach on crowded 'club flying' sites as some schools will. You will be the only one in the air until the final stages of your hill training when you need to learn to fly in mixed company. We consider this a very serious safety issue - with us you have zero risk of a mid-air collision.

• We will only use the latest, safest and most modern gliders (they are replaced at least once a year – often more). All the equipment we use is approved and certified by either the DHV or EN testing houses (in a lot of cases both).

• We deliberately keep our groups small so that everyone gets the best attention. Often you will receive one-on-one instruction (especially for hill or paramotor training).

• We will only teach on good training days – not when the weather is 'marginal' or unsuitable or when we can just 'squeeze' an hour or so in (this is also an important safety issue). It is quite often not safe to fly on bright and sunny days (especially in springtime or if it's been very cold overnight). Sadly, some schools will risk your safety for their profit and teach on such days - see our weather page for further guidance on this.

• If you're looking for a higher standard; then by choosing ParAvion you have found the right school.

Consider These Few Points Before You Choose A Training School:

• Do they have a proven track record and good reputation gained over several decades?

• Are you expected to drive all over the country (at your expense) to meet them at a busy club site (that they don't have to pay for) or do they pay for the use of their own exclusive training sites as we do at ParAvion? We'll even provide transport to our flying sites in one of our 4x4s if you don't want to take your own vehicle.

• Thoroughly check their prices for hidden extras - ParAvion's prices are clearly set and there is nothing hidden from you. We even offer FREE training if you buy your equipment from us.

• Are you being pushed into buying your own equipment in order to qualify or can you continue to use their equipment even AFTER qualifying like you can with ParAvion (by joining our club)?

• Does the school's Chief Flying Instructor have many years’ experience of running a school?

• Lastly, and most importantly - check their safety record. How many accidents have they had in their school recently? Our CFI has only ever had two students hurt themselves (both by doing what they were told NOT to do) and he has been teaching people to fly paragliders since 1995 - an unparalleled safety record.

So Why Else Should You Choose ParAvion?

ParAvion is a school with a very real difference. When you join us on a Taster Day you are a truly ‘valued’ customer and it is our aim to send you away with a big smile on your face. We want you to have a great time so that you’ll come back to us for more training.

Once you've decided to come back and do an Elementary Pilot course; you’re really in trouble. You will now have joined our ‘family’ of friends. You will have gone from being a ‘customer’ to becoming part of a very special community.

Once on a Club Pilot course, you'll find yourself thinking about flying all the time - it really is a fantastic way to spend your free time and is far more rewarding than anything you can imagine. An unexpected bonus is that you will gain a greater knowledge and understanding of the weather to impress your friends with.

People that learn with ParAvion; simply never leave - they stay with us and join us on many of our flying holidays abroad, trips to different parts of the UK, social events, lecture days/evenings etc. and still like to come and fly on our private airfields when they can with our club.

ParAvion inherits a lot of students from other schools (for various reasons) and they are always glad they changed to ParAvion - it is nearly always an expensive mistake to go elsewhere first. Why pay twice?

The people you meet on your training course will become long-term friends and you’ll find your whole attitude to life in general will change. Don’t believe us? Well, just take a look at our discussion forum or testimonials page to see what we mean - our students say it all for us.

We teach everyone; doctors, chemists, policemen, firemen, electricians, solicitors, plumbers, builders, airline pilots, helicopter pilots, fighter pilots, air traffic controllers, electronics engineers, computer wizards, osteopaths,TV producers, actors and even professional layabouts - everyone is welcome.