P1 solo paragliding course at Bir

What the course actually is

The full P1 syllabus. You spend the first week on the training hill doing ground handling and low flights until launching is boring, and only then go to Billing. Most people fly solo from the high take-off around day nine.

Fourteen days from ground handling to solo high flights off the Billing take-off.

• —Accommodation and meals
• —Travel to Bir
• —Personal insurance (required — we will point you at providers)
• —Re-assessment if you do not pass

1. Day 1

   Theory and kitTraining

   08:00–16:00·How a wing flies, what every line does, and reading a wind sock.
2. Day 2

   Ground handlingTraining

   07:00–11:00, 16:00–18:00·Forward and reverse inflations, on the flat, repeatedly.
3. Day 3

   The training hillTraining

   07:00–11:00, 16:00–18:00·First short flights a metre off the ground.
4. Day 4

   Landing where you intend toTraining

   07:00–11:00, 16:00–18:00·Longer training-hill flights with a target landing.
5. Day 5

   Radio and circuitsTraining

   07:00–11:00·Flying a pattern under radio instruction.
6. Day 6

   ConsolidationTraining

   07:00–11:00, 16:00–18:00·More of the same until launches and landings are unremarkable.
7. Day 7

   Weather and site assessmentTraining

   09:00–15:00·Ground school: when the site is flyable and when it is not.
8. Day 8

   Billing familiarisationTraining

   07:00–13:00·Walk the take-off, watch the conditions, brief the flight.
9. Day 9

   First high flightTraining

   07:00–13:00·Solo from Billing to the Bir landing field, under radio.
10. Day 10

    Second and third high flightsTraining

    07:00–13:00·Repeating the descent, with more control of your own line.
11. Day 11

    Active flyingTraining

    07:00–13:00·Weight shift, pitch control and flying a wing that is moving.
12. Day 12

    Spot landingsTraining

    07:00–13:00·Landing accuracy from height.
13. Day 13

    Consolidation flightsTraining

    07:00–13:00·Whatever you still need, plus packing and inspection.
14. Day 14

    AssessmentTraining

    07:00–15:00·APPI P1 theory paper and a assessed flight.

What you will learn

• Inflate, control and kill a wing on the ground in varying wind
• Launch, fly a circuit and land on a chosen spot
• Use the radio and follow instructions in flight
• Read a site: wind, thermals, and when not to fly
• Pack, inspect and care for a wing

What you get at the end

1. No certificationYou learn the skill; no document is issued.
2. Certificate of participationConfirms you attended. Not a qualification and not recognised by any body.
3. Nationally recognisedIssued under an Indian federation or authority, and recognised within India.
4. Internationally recognised — Association of Paragliding Pilots and Instructors (APPI) · this courseIssued under an international body and recognised by operators abroad.

Requirements & eligibility

Equipment breakdown

Who teaches it

Safety & Field Protocol

• Nobody flies from Billing until they can launch and land reliably on the training hill. That gate is not negotiable and it is why this course is fourteen days rather than five
• Every student flight is flown under radio contact with an instructor at take-off and one in the landing field
• Reserve parachutes are repacked every six months and the log is available on request
• Flying stops for wind above 20 km/h, for cross-wind on take-off, and for any instability the instructor does not like the look of

If plans change