Isle of Wight HG & PG Club Forum

I just got back from my first flight in a tandem at Bagada mountain Olu Deniz Turkey.
I have always been interested in microlights but with 3-axis being out of my price range inc hangerage the only other options were a flexi wing and paragliding. On Friday past I did both in Olu Deniz and was heavily swayed by paragliding. Maybe it was the scenery, the peacefulness, the friendly pilot or the grin I worn ear to ear that had me elated, but the decision is made, I need to get airborne and engine less at that.

What I've registered here for is some advice from members on the way forward. Time is on my side as I can drop everything at the drop of a hat, so I'm thinking going the whole hog and booking up lessons that will get me solo and flying both here and abroad.

I know there's some deals out there and I have to admit that I'm not 100% aware of just how these work. ie: paying a lump sum including your first full flying kit. My concern here (and this isn't criticism, I'm aware flying schools are present) is that the kit offered will be of a certain brand promoted by any such school offering these deals etc. Would I get the best available or would I do better sourcing my own kit through the advice of a broad range of pilots?

One other thing is how does the winter fare for pilots on the island? Is it possible to get the hours in for both schooling and the experienced pilot?

As you can see I'm a little in the dark here so any advice is very much appreciated.

S4 (a real name would be a bit more friendly?)


It depends upon where you intend to fly once qualified. If you will be flying locally then being trained on local sites in strong winds is very useful experience.

If you get training aboard then you'll probably not get much practice in strong winds, and it could be a bit tricky if you then try some IOW sites which rely on strong winds. Also, if you get trained abroad ensure that you get a real BPHA qualification. Many places aboard can promise an easy or direct path to a BHPA qualification but often this doesn't turn out to be the case and you may end up having to ask a UK school to be assessed for the BHPA for a couple of days.

It can take a long time to qualify in the UK, but if you have plenty of spare time then you also get to learn how to read the IOW winds.

Concerning a wing, dependent upon how seriously you'll stick with it, you may not wish to buy a new DHV1 (Beginner) wing for ~£2000. Once you've qualified, you may want to upgrade to a DHV1/2 (intermediate) fairly soon. Perhaps a school may have a second-hand DHV1 you could buy, or keep an eye open on eBay and other Paragliding forums and ask your school instructor about them. If you get a second-hand wing from somebody you don't know, then factor in getting it inspected by somewhere like Aerofix (~£100).


Good luck.