Tandem Flight: $275
A tandem flight with one of our USHPA instructors is the ideal first paragliding experience. If conditions allow, you’ll be handed the controls for this incredible learning experience.
Paragliding is completely weather dependent. We are able to fly tandems about 1 in 5 days between June and November and for this reason passengers are not able pre-select dates. We do not recommend this activity to people just visiting, please don’t sign up if you’re in town for less than a month. If you’d like to receive notifications when we are offering tandem flights, please fill out the below contact form and we’ll let you know when there’s opportunity.
All paragliding tandem flights in the USA are conducted under USHPA Excemption 4721 to Federal Aviation Regulation Part 103. This exception allows 2 person flight on our ultra-light aircraft for INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. We give tandem flight lessons, not joyrides.
Soaring instruction: $150 for half day, $200 full day
Congratulations, you’ve earned your USHPA P2 pilot rating! No doubt you worked really hard to build a significant knowledge base and corresponding skill-set. As you transition to soaring sites that yield higher and longer flights, your education and experience will really accelerate. However, as a new P2, you have yet to even glimpse the countless nuances, risks, and potentially fatal errors specific to paragliding. It’s essential that you go into this next phase with eyes wide open, as you only have 10-15% of what it takes to be a safe, autonomous soaring pilot.
The term “Intermediate Syndrome” is a condition where novice/intermediate pilots are especially keen to fly but largely unprepared to recognize and avoid hazards or deal with the consequences of mistakes. Intermediate Syndrome often results in new pilots getting in over their heads and facing tragic consequences. Why does this keep happening? Novices and intermediates regularly overestimate their skills and underestimate the challenges because “you don’t know what you don’t know.” It takes expertise at a given topic to be able to evaluate expertise, a phenomenon described by the Dunning-Kruger Effect. In the long run, it’s especially dangerous when the unrecognized mistakes of unsupervised young pilots pass without consequence and form bad habits.
To mitigate the risks of P2s making unsupervised decisions, USHPA flying sites have rating requirements that are typically at least P2 w/ Observer. An “Observer” could be a Site Director, rated Instructor, or a USHPA-certified Observer. It can’t just be your flying buddy. Many new P2s are surprised and disappointed to learn this. Not infrequently, P2s find that the volunteer Observers are unavailable or are already inundated with requests for supervision. This limitation, not to mention a short flying season, fickle weather, and long car rides to flying sites, can quickly take a toll on a new pilot’s enthusiasm or confidence.
That’s where our Soaring Instruction comes in. Perhaps you feel anxious about your early mountain flights, or perhaps you just can’t wait to run off of every hill in sight. Wherever you fall in this spectrum, our Soaring Instruction will help you. More than just safety and protocol, it’s about a quick, confident progression to expertise. Our team of expert pilots will help you soar in the mountains most any flyable day. Using an exclusive “Soaring” email list, we identify locations, days, and times that have the best flying potential. On any given flying day we will walk landing zones, provide site intros, and talk through flight plans, lift sources, and unique dangers for each site. Most importantly, we’ll be on the radio to guide you as you safely launch, soar, and land.
With a PGNE instructor’s guidance, you won’t be guessing how to fly in just the right way, in just the right places. This quickly yields compounding benefits. The safest flight plans also happen to help you climb the highest. With more altitude, you have more time to find and work lift. The more lift you find, the more efficient and tactile your active piloting skills become. All of this translates to safer decision making, better confidence, and more flight time. More flight time means more experience and a faster progression. And the best part? All this learning is super silly fun! All you have to do is fly with us, follow directions, and listen to feedback. Our soaring instruction puts you in the “HOV lane” to piloting like a pro.
Our soaring instruction is designed to:
Keep you safe
Hypercharge your progression with individualized coaching
Satisfy local rules requiring P2 supervision
Graduate students as USHPA P3 with ability to take unsupervised flights at most sites
Day Rate $150 - $200:
$150 for an AM or PM
$200 for AM and PM
Scheduling:
We teach soaring lessons on most every flyable weekend day and often on flyable weekdays between April - November. We call lessons via our Soaring email list and then stay in touch via an exclusive WhatsApp group on flying Days.
Required equipment:
Students are expected to have their own paragliding kit (wing, harness with back protection, and reserve) as well as a radio and variometer. Please consult us before purchases as not all gliders are appropriate or capable of flying every site.
SIV (over-the-water maneuvers) Clinic: $1400*
All mountain pilots should do at least one SIV per year to build the confidence and muscle memory necessary to deal with the inevitable in-flight incidents. Plus it is crucial for soaring pilots to be well practiced at getting out of the sky in hurry. This clinic will open your mind and revolutionize your flying.
Instructional Trips $2500*
The winter is long in New England, so we travel to world-class soaring destinations where you can fly twice a day, every day. Whether you’re a new P2 or a P4 pushing XC miles, you’ll love our instructional trips.
FLARE Mustache Demo
This revolutionary new wing unlocks 3 dimensional flying, enabling creative soaring previously only dreamt of.
Glider Inspection + Repair & Reserve Repack
PGNE recommends Airquest Paragliding for glider inspection, glider repair, plus reserve repack and inspection services.
