Hang Gliding Training
We have thirty years experience teaching hang gliding, and teach from complete beginners through to becoming an independent pilot. We are BHPA (British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association) approved school.
Our courses follow a recognised BHPA syllabus which will teach the student to take off, make turns, control airspeed and land safely. All students have to become a member of the BHPA. An initial (EP or Elementary Pilot course and qualification) can usually be completed in one week.
We start the training on flat fields using a towing winch to gain confidence and experience with very low level flights, bringing you up to doing higher flights and turns. Depending on the conditions and your ability, we may get to fly off a hill, but that normally happens on the Club Pilot (CP) course. We use radios between the instructor and student.
Subsequent training is to CP (Club Pilot) which you can either do in one go, or over different weeks. Once we feel you are at a competent level we transfer to the hills to finish the CP. All equipment is supplied during these courses.
More Flying Each Day
Take offs are from our flat, level, airfield. After each flight we just roll the gliders back across the airfield to the launch point on their wheels. There is no charging downhill with gliders and tethers, no lugging gliders and equipment uphill after every flight. As a result, towing, provides pilots with the opportunity for more flights each day, is less tiring, and excessive stamina and/or brute strength is definitely not required.
Wind Direction Irrelevant
Unlike flying from a hill our towing system is portable and can be aligned, and re-aligned, to any direction at any time. This means pilots will always be launched into wind, regardless of the prevailing wind direction.
Fly on the first day
By the end of the first day’s session, students will have achieved a great deal, they will have been ground skimming across the field unattended without tether ropes, or when conditions have not allowed this, they will be ready to fly solo on the next suitable session.
Student/Instructor Ratio
Instruction is closely administered to ensure a a low student/instructor ratio
Rapid Progression
Towing allows more flights and longer flights to be made each day without inflicting excessive fatigue. As a result, students can quickly adjust and settle into flying mode each day allowing them to rapidly make enough launches to acquire their first hour of flying time, always the most difficult to acquire.
Planning Your Time
Lejair’s “Met Phone In Service” helps you to avoid wasting time and money on unnecessary travel when the forecast weather is unfavourable for training.
In the summer Lejair starts training at 7 am, so you may phone in at 05:45 for a weather check. If your journey time is more than an hour or so then phoning in for a weather check on the previous day is appropriate.
Norfolk
Many of our students travel to Norfolk the afternoon of the previous day and either stay in a local B & B or camp on the airfield.
Algodonales
Students fly to Spain the day before the course. They normally come for 12 days which allows for 4 rest days.
The Knowledge and Experience of Others
Towing allows students of all levels to train together. The school has close connections with the local club and all levels of flyers use Lejair’s facilities. This allows informal interaction and first hand knowledge of club and advanced flying to be gained from others.
Notes About Training With Lejair
Training/Flying Weather
Please Note: We do our very best to maximize your training and/or flying time during your course or holiday. However, hang gliding is a very weather dependent activity and you have to expect that some days will not be suitable for training and/or flying.
We appreciate the vagaries of the weather may make it difficult for you to plan alternative activities or trips, so we try to keep you advised about the conditions and their suitability for training/flying on a day to day basis.
When we consider conditions to be unsuitable we can advise you on alternative activities or places to visit. However, we are unable to accompany you on these.
Extra Training Days
BHPA Approval
All courses undertaken by students with Lejair are BHPA approved.
Equipment Policy
Company policy requires that equipment used in the school be safe and airworthy. Pre-CPC students who provide their own gliders and equipment for their training course(s) will be required to provide proof that their kit has been inspected and approved by a competent person or authority.
Where such proof is absent students agree to pay Lejair to carry out such inspections and test flights as may be necessary to ensure the safety and airworthiness of their equipment.
Student BHPA Membership
All courses leading to recognized BHPA ratings and endorsements require the student to be a Full Flying member of the BHPA
Prices and Number Of Days
Terms
Errors And Omissions Excepted (E&OE)
Whilst every effort is made to ensure our listed prices remain accurate and up to date it is not possible to guarantee it. All prices are therefore subject to confirmation by Lejair at the time any booking is confirmed.