TRAINING - SKYDANCE PARAGLIDING

LEARNING TO FLY: (Updated Nov, 2020)

Here in Alaska the prime paragliding training and soaring season is between March 1st to September 30. Having said that, we are paragliding and speedflying throughout the year. During the winter, we are concentrating more on Speedriding (skiing with a mini-wing). It is much safer to learn to fly a speedwing with skis, allowing you to land faster than you can often run and perfecting your landing technique for foot landings.

Speedriding on a Swing Mirage RS

If you are interested in becoming a paraglider pilot, or flying a Speedwing; contact us and we will get you on the list and lined out for the upcoming courses. Spring is peak time for Speedriding.

Call, Email or Text us right now to get on our calendar! (907) 223-7891

P2+ Novice Pilot Certification (New courses starting in April 2021)

Learning to paraglide starts by contacting an USHPA Certified Instructor (LIKE US) and scheduling a day of training.

See what USHPA means; http://ushpa.org.

The P2 Course consist of 35 flights that will be flown in a variety of conditions and different sites around the Anchorage and Matsu Region of Alaska. On average, it takes approximately 12-15 days of hands-on flight training and ground instruction to achieve your USHPA P2 rating. The certification is more about your proficiency and less about number of flights or time in flight. Safety is our primary concern. When you sign up for our courses, we are focused on helping you build the skills and get the experiences that you will need to safely fly on your own. Once certified by us, you are not just sent out of the nest. Your P2+ tuition makes you a Skydance Team Member and eligible for ongoing mentoring of Special Skills, equipment discounts and priority access to our clinics and tours.

P2 TUITION $2200

(ALL P2 STUDENTS ARE ELGIBLE FOR BIG SAVINGS ON EQUIPMENT. SAVE OVER $700 WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR FIRST GEAR PURCHASE WITH US. CHECKOUT OUR EQUIPMENT PACKAGES)

WHAT DOES A DAY OF PARAGLIDING TRAINING LOOK LIKE: If the weather cooperates, you will be outfitted with gear, learn how to properly setup, hook in and launch the wing over head. By the end of your first day you will have learned to keep the wing overhead and generate airspeed for launch. In two to four days you will be able to manage the glider through inflation, launch, short flights and landings. When you and your instructor feel comfortable and safe, we move up to larger hills, which offer higher and longer flights. You will also learn weather theory, aerodynamics, US airspace rules, and so much more to gain understanding that will be verified by written and oral exams. In within approximately 4 days you will be flying Solo!

This course of education ends with a P2 Novice Certification from your USHPA Certified Instructor who verifies that you can safely pursue paragliding on your own without direct instructor supervision should you choose to do so.

Tandem Paragliding Lesson: This is a great way to try out paragliding and see first-hand what a flight is really like. Please view our Tandem Page with video for more information. You will launch with a certified tandem instructor, help turn the glider with weight-shift and often take the controls yourself and control the wing. Much can be gained from flying tandem if you wish to fly solo. Past P2 students have said the tandem flight really gave them a better perspective of what they could safely do while flying, allowing them to relax and enjoy the magic of paragliding.

Lessons range from $160 to $250/person.

Combo Lessons: This is a tandem lesson combined with a couple hours of solo training. The solo ground training will give you a chance to feel the power and lift of the canopy on your own. You will learn the basics and be ready to complete the P1 course. $295/person

P1 Course: $450 Three day hands on course. You will learn how to inspect, setup, launch, fly low-level straight flights and execute landing flares. Most students get their feet off the ground the first day and sometimes make short flights to 10-20 feet off the ground. Of course we can’t make any promises because it is all weather dependent. This tuition is applied to your P2 Pilot Certification Course. Most students buy a Comprehensive Training Manual $40 each and Annual Membership to USHPA. This National organization self regulates all Hang Gliding and Paragliding in the US. USHPA.org

Private Lesson $250/day/pp (approx. 4 hours) Group Rates $150 /day/pp (approx. 4-6 hours)

–NOTE–Tandem lessons and the P1 course is considered part of your P2 Novice Certification Course tuition should you choose to become a Skydance P2 student. THE GOOD NEWS-You don’t have to commit to it before you experience the magic. But it only gets better and better as you become a proficient pilot. Group rates available

P3/ P4 Advanced Pilot Training You have proven that you can fly a variety of sites and make good decisions. We run you through the USHPA P3 or P4 Requirements and witness your skill and knowledge. Then offer ways to refine those skills and teach you new techniques to handle more challenging scenarios. $450

Speed Wing Flying This is added to a P2 certification with an emphasis on speedwing flying. During y Steve Amy in Thompson Pass flying an Ozone Fazer 14 on Parapoloza Hill last April. our P2 course you will learn to ground handle and fly the speedwing. This course is best pursued after earning a P2 certification on a paraglider. $550

Paramotoring Lessons: $200/day Once you have the skills for your P2, learning to fly a motor will be a simple transition. Flying with a motor requires specific advanced instruction and allows for long, enjoyable flights. Don’t believe the 4-5 day claims. There is a lot to learn to make this dream a reality. We won’t gamble with your life. we do it right or not at all.

Advanced SIV Maneuvers and Tow Clinic: $250/day – Through out the Summer months we plan to offer 2 or more clinics where we tow pilots up behind our boat with a custom hydraulic payout winch and guide them by radio on Beamer_2_Rogallo-reserve the series of maneuvers discussed in the previous ground school. There is no experience in towing required. You must be a P2 or higher. We start off with simple task building up to more complex and demanding maneuvers. This is a must for every pilot and it is recommended to repeat every other year or when changing gliders.

Advanced Training Private Lessons: $300/day — $200/day with group High wind techniques, emergency and decent maneuvers, ridge soaring, thermal soaring in crowded skies, flying speed wings and cross country flying.

Paratreks: Travel and Learn- Take a Flycation. Travel while learning to fly better and experience new sites. Earn additional ratings and special sign-offs. A good pilot is always learning no matter what your skill level is. Every winter we try to go on a flycation to some awesome place on the planet for flying. Consider joining us. Who better to guide you then your instructor who personally knows your abilities and comfort zone. Save money, learn a lot, and cultivate relationships with other pilots. We often go to our old soaring grounds of Hawaii and Southern California.

Hawaii is an amazing place to fly, but to fly their safely you must understand the very complex weather and wind dynamics. We have mapped out after many year of exploring and flying the best places under various weather conditions. We will teach this theory and you can take it with you to evaluate future sites that you will fly all over the world. We can often quickly evaluate the days conditions and determine its not a good day to fly. Maximizing the FUN we will offer several PLAN B and C options available to skilled pilots and athlete like yourselves. Like kite surfing or surfing on those emerald-blue water. Hiking to amazing pools and waterfalls or diving off the coast with turtles and sharks. Come with us and we will get you in the right spot at the right time to maximize your Hawaii adventures.

Tours are fun, educational, and the group experience creates strong memories and even saves you money. Tom Fredericks

Please contact us for up coming Paratreks.

During the COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS we are doing everything we can to safely fly and learn while keeping a safe distance. All learning is done outside. Wearing mask and your own clothing is strongly encouraged. We are taking extra effort to sterilize equipment at the end of each day.