Freeflight Paraglding FAQ's

APPLICATION FORM - PAYMENTS - BOOKINGS

Ok you have arrived at one of the most important pages in the Freeflight website, here you will find all of the answers to your questions.

I will start with the simple booking procedure and how it works this is the area that people forget in the excitement of looking into the sport. So first your need an application form "Click Here" you need to print this off and fill it in, please retain the part which is the Terms and Conditions and cut off the Application and send this in with your payment. Ps the postal address is on the application form.

Q. Payments: What do we accept?

Payment can be by cheque, cash or bank transfers. If paying by cheque please allow 10 working days for all cheques to clear. If payment is by Bank Transfer please include a reference with your name e.g. Mr J (first name) Smith. It helps if you would email this information so we know that funds have been paid into the account with the reference so that we have a means to track the transfer. This can also be written on the back of the Application form you are sending in.

Q. Which day can I book? Can I book more than one day at a time?

Yes you can book as many as you like, however, we would expect you to turn up on all of these days if you requested them. So if, for example, you are on a course and book consecutive 3 days then we would expect you to turn up on these days. Don’t book 3 separate days for a Session One/ Taster Day or a Tandem Taster thinking you can cancel 2 if the weather is bad. We would think you are booking 3 Session One/Taster Days or maybe 3 Tandem Tasters. It is not a case of well you have covered the days for flying, we need to book you in for the term of the flight. So say for weekends and Bank Holidays please don’t book the whole weekend for a single Session One or Tandem Taster. This is because we have to book out and pay an instructor for the full period and if others want to book in there will be no space available.

TANDEM FLIGHT HOW LONG IS THE FLIGHT ? WHAT TIME DO WE START?

Q. Tandem Taster: How long is a flight?

Flight time is approximately 20 minutes. But it is not like a Merry-Go-Round, by this I mean you cannot put the money into a slot and go around and next customer gets a ride. It could be the air is thermic (loads of lift) and the flight time can be greatly increased. I can see your face now thinking I want this flight. However, be warned! Pilots that are qualified but low air time (100 hrs) avoid these conditions! Why? Simple answer they may go way too high and become frightened! So if you have never flown before, 20 minutes can be like a life time anymore and people tend to feel sick. Your tandem pilot does this as a job and although they go home tired from the whole day out on the hill they ride the air currents like a bird, it is all second nature to them.

Q. What time do we start ?

Tandem flights start at 9AM meeting on site and flights start at 10AM for take off, please do understand this can change and we might ask you to arrive in the afternoon. So I suggest to people to allow half aday for the event. It is a very good time to POINT OUT TO TANDEM FLYERS WE DO FLIGHTS AFTER WORK IN THE WEEK AS WELL, EVENING FLIGHTS WITH THE SUN GOING DOWN ARE VERY SPECAIL INDEED.

COURSES WHAT TIME DO WE START AND HOW LONG IS A SESSION ?

Q. Courses and how many days and how many flights and how long is a day etc.

For course students you work around the weather, could be your also at work all day, but have time off in the evening. The air is more stable and safe for you to fly your first solo flight with others. So I think not how long but what task flights am I going to excel in the "STUDENT RECORD BOOK" Tasks are areas you need to be sign off on. An example is like this 4 flights over 100ft landing by wind sock with written flight plan. Now if you flew from here "MOUNT CABURN" you be walking up a 400ft slope and 4 flights from here are big ones and you would really feel like you have achieved a goal flight, now if you like to do more in the day that is great and I am all for making the most of the day. It could be the conditions are only suitable in the afternoon for soaring or the other way round and you are on a soaring task.

Quite often I ask people to fly more than 20 minutes on this task, the common reply is "I am over the moon" and they have a very silly grin and say very little as they have completed there hardest most difficult task, flying with others and landing on top. But they have not flown for a whole day. So I prefer to use the word session. How long the session lasts as a rough guide is start at 10AM this means your ready with a flight plan and submit this using the Freeflight record sheet and then you make your flights and the day will end at 3 - 4 pm. Session are increased as the sun becomes hotter so in months like August students take longer to walk up hills, tend to rest more and this makes the day longer. So do bring water like 2 liters in April just about covers the liquid you need to drink during the day.

Q. If I don’t book the Session one in the 6 months do I get my money back?

A. As per the terms and conditions there are NO Refunds. There are 365 days in a year, even though not all days are suitable, there are sufficient to complete 1 days training.

Q. How do I know if the day is to go ahead and if I book and the weather is bad on the day, do I lose my Session?

You must phone the night before on the 01273 628793 after 8pm to confirm flying is to go ahead, details of which site and time will be given.

If the day is cancelled due to weather you rebook for another day. Sites we fly can be found here.

LEARNING TO FLY

Q. Do you stop training in the year at all?

Yes, we fly most of the year apart from flying trips abroad in Nepal, France for competent Club Pilots. Dates available on request. The rest of the year, we teach 7 days a week when the weather allows. A list of the tasks required can be found here.

BOOKING PROCUDURE

To book an Instructor, glider and land all you need to do is contact us with a 2 day notice and tell us your preferred date. And so long as the date is available you can be booked in. NOTE, if you are not currently on the books, we require application form sign and dated and funds to be cleared before any Instructor is allocated to you.

Once you are book in please call the night before and a message telling you where to meet and what time is left.

Please call 01273 628793 after 8pm.

HOW TO CANCEL A BOOKING

Please give 48 hours to the school and call 01273 628793 and leave your name and state your date you wish to cancel. Emails are not checked daily as we are operating from a hill and not an office environment.

HOW TO FIND THE SITES

Many people use Sat/Nav which great for the places that have post codes, please use a AA map etc as this will display areas like land marks. I suggest looking here for the sites and details of maps etc.

We normally don’t give road directions on the day as we are usually driving to meet you. So if you feel unsure of where to go a little time taken to look at the flying sites is well worth it as it takes the stress out of your day.

If you still unsure why not contact by email (email at top of page on right) and ask the question, if your still un-sure you can always call and ask the questions, please call in office hours.

METEROLOGY FOR PEOPLE ON COURSES

Some people become confused with the weather on courses, most of this is done for you up till E. P after this you are required to start predicting the weather yourself and becoming comfortable with how the wind directions result in many different conditions. For example North winds with cold air and hot sun produce thermals, where as a south wind can be warm and no thermals. To read more about weather go to the forecast page.

IS IT DANGEROUS

Yes.

This is one of the most dangerous sports in aviation. However, all the dangers can be avoided if you follow Instruction and do your homework. If this part sounds dull to you and you are looking for a fast track course I suggest you take-up a different sport.

This sport takes time to develop the necessary skills; “EP just gets you a licence, CP allows you to drive around the car park and Pilot allows you to drive on the roads”.

The best we have seen people achieve Pilot level (allows you to go Cross Country) is 40 hours of continuous tuition. It costs more money but it is a low cost insurance policy.

We strongly suggest staying in the school environment for the first 30 hours with the one on one tuition.

If you turn up for a CP course the Instructor will ask you the following.

1: Site Assessment & Meteorology.

2: Flight Plan including Tasks.

Once you get used to thinking about the above your start to understand how to approach the sport in a safe and mature manner, resulting in pleasurable flights including cross country flights in excess of 30 km to cloud base at 4,000 ft and more.

At the end of the day, flying IS all about fun, but it does also have a large element of risk. Injuries can and do happen. Provided you follow our terms and conditions and listen to the Instructors, who are there to keep you safe, then both parties will have a good fun time and go away happy. Those that are not prepared to listen or find it hard to receive instruction will be asked to stop training in the interest of safety or they could end up having a serious accident.

Learning to fly is like learning to drive a car. You are NOT given a license, its NOT an automatic right. You have to prove that you have the correct ATTITUDE and prove that you have achieved the SKILLS to fly safely on your own and with others. You have to prove to Freeflight Instructors that you have both. If we think you are a danger to yourself or others when flying, even if you have bought all the equipment we will withhold the issuing of a license.

Payment received for purchase of voucher, course, equipment, holidays are confirmed by email.

Please keep us informed if you change your email address. There is a place on the application form for your email address, please be sure to write this clearly "Thank you"