Is Paragliding Safe?

The simple and honest answer is an emphatic NO. However, neither is skiing, motorcycling or horse riding for that matter, but they still remain very popular pastimes for the more adventurous amongst us despite it being dangerous - that's the attraction isn't it?

In the school environment; you're as safe as you can be whilst paragliding because the conditions you fly in are much more controlled - i.e. if we say don't fly, you don't fly. This greatly lessens your chance of injury.

The majority of paragliding accidents occur because the pilot was flying in weather conditions that were too extreme, because they were doing dangerous manoeuvres too close to the ground or because they were flying equipment beyond their skill level (this probably being the most common).

You can compare flying with driving. If you drive like an idiot or in very poor weather conditions, you are more likely to crash than a careful driver (or rider) in fair weather - the same goes for flying.

However, you can rest assured that while you're learning to fly with ParAvion, you will be at your safest. Our Chief Flying Instructor has one of the best safety records in the UK.

Sadly, there are a lot of schools run by non-qualified instructors. In the last few years a lot of paramotoring schools have opened and the instructors are just people who decided one day that they wanted to teach people to fly and just started doing it. They regularly break people, but as there is no law to say that they can't do this they remain in business - this is why paragliding has had some bad press just lately.

Weather

We will only teach on good training days – not when the weather is 'marginal' or unsuitable. 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 (even BHPA ones) will risk your safety for profit and teach on such days - see our Weather page.

Equipment

We will only use the latest, safest and most modern equipment (it is replaced or updated 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).

In School

It should be noted that all ParAvion instructors as well as being fully trained, qualified and licensed by the BHPA are also fully qualified First-Aiders with either the Red Cross or St. John's Ambulance Brigade and we always carry a large up-to-date first aid kit. Even though we have such an outstanding safety record, we are still well prepared for anything.

A lot of accidents are caused by ignorance, stupidity or a combination of both. Pilots that undertake proper training with qualified instructors, fly equipment suitable for their skill level and fly in weather conditions suitable for that skill level, go on to fly safely for many years without incident - it really is as safe as YOU make it.

If you decide to undertake paragliding training, you must be prepared to take a few knocks and get a few bruises. For a start you will be taught how to fall over - not something you practice every day. This is why we require a good level of fitness.

The occasional sprained knee, wrist or ankle must be expected just as if you were to play rugby, football, squash, basketball or hockey. You must expect to fall over and sometimes get dragged along by your glider - this is all part of the training and part of the fun of it. Everyone will have a laugh at your expense if you get it wrong, just as you'll laugh when someone else does.

Winch vs. Hill Training

There is a rumour amongst some hill pilots that winch flying can be more dangerous than flying on a hill. This is absolute nonsense; winch flying is done in a much more controlled environment - especially in a school.

On a hill, the pilot makes the decision to fly and very often gets it wrong - especially in the early days until he gains some experience. With winch launching; the pilot says he's ready to fly, but before he can he is checked by the launch marshal and even then the winch operator has the final say. This means three people are making the decision to fly, not just one. It is also very easy to abort take-off; this is far more difficult with a hill launch.

Airlfields don't have rough ground and rabbit/badger holes for you to stick your foot in either, but most importantly there are NO CROWDS; most of the time you'll be the only one in the air - no one to bump into.

After School

Whilst under training, you really are at your safest. It's when you move away from the school and its experts and start making decisions yourself (or worse; listening to unqualified advice) that you put yourself more at risk. Luckily, in the UK we have BHPA coaching clubs that have dedicated club coaches that should look after you for your first year or two out of school.

Some clubs are better at this than others and some coaches are better than others, but it is up to you to find a club and coaches that you get on well with. We can guide you initially and tell you which clubs and coaches we think are the most supportive in our area, but you will eventually make up your own mind.

Our advice would be; talk to lots of other club members before you start taking too much advice from any one individual - as in all walks of life it's easy to find someone who will say anything to make themselves sound clever or knowledgeable. Obviously, it's people like this that you will want to avoid at all costs because they are very dangerous in this sport.

Advanced Training

If you undertake advanced training with us, you're far less likely to make mistakes than you would going it alone or flying with friends of a similar ability and knowledge. Staying with the experts for a little longer may cost a little more in monetary terms, but will save you a lot in many other areas - it may even save your life one day.