Description
Give the gift of freeflight in Boulder, Colorado.
Come experience the magic of free flight.
We offer:
- Tandem Flight $200
- Tandem Flight with video $230
- Three Flight Intro Course $700
- P2 Certification Course (see description)
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Gift Cards
$200.00 – $3,200.00
Give the gift of of flight in Boulder, Colorado.
Additional information
| Gift Cards | Tandem, Tandem with video, Three Flight Intro Course, P2 Certification Course, P2 Certification Course with Discount |
|---|
Tandem
Come experience the magic of free flight. As soon as your feet sweep away from the ground, you’ll quickly realize that paragliding is in fact a very meditative experience. Softly soaring over some of the most beautiful terrain in the world is an immensely humbling and gratifying experience. Rest assured that while you fixate on the earth as it slides away, you’ll be in safe hands with a USHPA-certified tandem pilot at the helm.
Tandem passengers aren’t expected to bring any previous paragliding experience or knowledge with them. All that’s required is an adventurous spirit and a desire to learn more about the magical world of freeflight.
Paragliders harness the power of the sun and the wind to stay in the air. Just as the weather varies from day to day, so do our opportunites to soar across the sky. A typical tandem flight will last 10 minutes, though a slightly shorter or longer flight is always possible as Mother Nature offers what she will. Your lasting memory of this experience won’t be watching the minutes tick away, but the sheer awe one feels as they defy gravity for the first time and for a moment, join our feathered friends up in the sky.
Weight Limits: 110 – 210 lbs
Age Limits: Passengers under 18 years of age must have a legal guardian present to sign waivers.
Fitness Requirements: Passengers should have good balance and be able to run down a slope without issue.
Time Commitment: Please allow 90 minutes from our scheduled meeting time until your feet are safely back on the ground.
What to Bring: Snacks, water, closed toe shoes and sunscreen.
Meetup Point: 503 Locust Ave. Boulder, CO 80304
Payment: We accept payment after the flights are completed
+$30 Pictures or Video Footage of the Flight
3 Flight Intro Course
Come experience the magic of free flight. Our introductory course offers the chance to see what paragliding in Colorado is all about without making a commitment to a full certification course upfront. This is a great opportunity for people who are interested in learning how to paraglide but aren’t exactly sure what they’re getting themselves into (spoiler: a ridiculous amount of fun and a wonderful community of friendly pilots.
Three Flight Intro Course
$700
- Unlimited Lessons
- Course Fee Applied to P2 Program Tuition
- Calm & Experienced Instructors
- Paraglider Simulator Training
- Radio Instruction for Training Flights
- Quality Training Equipment Included
Why Start with Three Flights?
It takes more than one training flight to begin to understand what paragliding is all about. It’s common for a student to let out a shout of exhilaration upon landing in our grassy landing zone after their first-ever paragliding flight. When they try to recall the series of events that just took place between launch and landing, they often say that it’s all just a blur. This is understandable. They just flew through the air like a bird, probably for the first time in their life! It’s normal for adrenaline and excitement to make a student’s first paragliding flight one that’s difficult to remember, but impossible to forget. For this reason, we consider the first training flight more of a life experience than a learning experience. For each subsequent flight, a student is able to retain increasingly more situational awareness and be the pilot in command. By the third flight, a student will be less dependent on radio instruction and can make piloting decisions for themselves. This is how to find out if paragliding is right for you.
Unlimited Lessons
Students can participate in as many lessons as they need to complete three training flights. This means that there’s no incentive to rush students through the intro course. Our instructors are instead able to accommodate the unique abilities of every student by allowing them to learn at their own pace.
TIME COMMITMENT: Depending on their background and relevant skill set, students will likely complete this course within 3-5 lessons. We only require that every student sign up for at least two lessons per week from the time they begin the course. There’s no limit to the number of lessons a student can show up for every week, the more the better.
P2 Certification Course
The Wonderland Lake flying site in Boulder offers the best training hill along the Front Range. Here you can earn your wings through our USHPA-certified pilot training program. Together we’ll take you from a total beginner to a confident and competent P2-rated pilot capable of flying on your own in a safe and sustainable manner. We offer the most current and effective instruction available, with your safety as our top priority. The goal is to develop pilots, not churn them out.
Flying Season
We offer paragliding lessons in Boulder from April to September. As soon as conditions become flyable we’re out there! Once you’ve signed up for lessons, you’ve got one whole year from your start date to complete your training. We highly recommend that you make an effort to complete the training quickly to build a solid foundation for the rest of your flying career. When you take long breaks between lessons you don’t give yourself the chance to progress appropriately. If you’re able to dedicate two days per week to training it typically takes a couple of months to get certified. If you have plenty of time and motivation you will complete the training much sooner.
Training
All paragliding lessons take place at our training hill at Foothills Park in North Boulder (503 Locust Ave.). All lessons take place in the morning, this is when conditions are most appropriate for student training. Lessons continue until early afternoon when conditions normally become too strong for students to fly.
We’re lucky to have a gently-sloping, grassy training hill as well as a huge grassy landing zone to train students. From your very first flights on, you’ll have incredible views overlooking the City of Boulder and out across the plains. A minimum of 35 flights are required to complete your training, along with several other demonstrated skills that we describe in detail for you at the beginning of your training.
Gear
Training gear belonging to the school is provided for the initial stages of training. We’re proud to offer well-maintained, modern training equipment with the best performance and safety in the industry. All of our training gear is certified for beginner pilots with an emphasis on passive safety.
Students are required to purchase and start using their own gear as soon as they’ve become comfortable on our school equipment. This normally takes 5-10 training flights. Buying gear is an important investment and choosing the right equipment cannot be overlooked. We’ll help you find a paragliding kit suitable to your needs that will keep you soaring for years to come. Choosing the right gear is a critical part of flying safely in this sport and we are unable to train students on gear that is not sized or certified appropriately for their needs.
We offer new paragliding gear from the most trusted brands and manufacturers in the industry. Seriously, we’re selling the equipment that the best pilots in the world are flying with. We also offer quality used gear options to fit your budget. Students may bring their own gear purchased elsewhere as long as it’s in good condition and appropriately sized and certified for the given pilot.
Guided Trips
A big part of a student’s progression is having the opportunity to train at more than one paragliding site. We include free guided trips to multiple sites around Colorado as a part of our P2 course. We introduce students to a mountain flying site and a desert ridge-soaring site when their knowledge and skills have developed enough that they’re ready for the challenge . These trips give our students the confidence and know-how to discover more sites around Colorado as they continue to progress beyond the P2 course. Get ready for some of the best camping trips of your life.
Tuition
Students that are able to support our continuous effort to provide the highest-quality instruction in Colorado with the purchase of our complete gear package are offered a $1,200 discount on their tuition fees. A complete gear package includes: Paraglider, harness, reserve parachute, radio, concertina bag and vario. All of these items are critical components of a complete paragliding kit. The gear package must be purchased anytime before the student’s 10th flight.
$2,000 With Discount
$3,200 Without Discount
These prices reflect the whole cost of the program, including training equipment, 3rd party liability insurance and your instructor’s blood, sweat, but hopefully no tears. No other fees apply. Payments are non-refundable and students have one year from their initial training date to complete the program.
What’s Included in the P2 Certification Course?
- Unlimited Lessons Until Course Completion (Valid for one year from start of course)
- Guided Trips to Two Sites Outside of Boulder
- Structured Learning Environment
- Radio Instruction for Each Flight
- Modern Training Equipment (Available for the initial part of the course)
- Ground School Lessons
- Course Book and Red Tail Hat
- P3 & P4 Rating Sign-Offs When Eligible
- Access to Our Alumni Network for Continued Mentorship After Course Completion
Why Learn With Us?
We offer the most comprehensive paraglider pilot training program in Colorado. We’ve spent the last several years developing a curriculum that goes beyond the minimum P2 certification requirements. Our aim is to develop our students into competent and confident pilots that have the best possible chance of enjoying a long and safe paragliding career. We take our responsibilities seriously and make every effort to support our students throughout the course and beyond it as Red Tail alumni.
Financial Flexibility
For those interested in learning to paraglide without the immediate financial means to cover the cost of training and gear, we’d love to help you out. We offer interest-free payment plans for lessons and equipment. We’ll break up the total cost of lessons and gear into monthly payments that can last up to 10 months or less depending on your needs.
Alumni Benefits
Anyone that completes the full P2 program with us is considered a part of the team for life. They can go on to fulfill the requirements for P3 and P4 ratings and receive the sign-offs free of charge.
Alumni also receive lifelong mentorship. We’ll be there to support your continued progression in the sport because the learning never ends with paragliding. Whatever your goals may be as a pilot, we’ll help you get there.
Throughout the year we run clinics and guided tours to keep the adventure going. Alumni wishing to join the fun are always given first priority when signing up.
