Learning to Fly

Your career as a hang glider or paraglider pilot starts in a school. The instructors there will guide you from your first hill skimming flights all the way to elementary ridge soaring.

The British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA) web site has a complete list of authorised schools in the UK.

There is currently one school operating in the Malvern area (Airtopia). Hill training takes place at Castlemorton Common at the South end of the Malverns, Much Marcle and other nearby sites.

If the thought of carrying hang gliders up hills is too much for you, then you can learn a lot of gliding skills from a flat field with the aid of a winch.  There are winch schools operating in the South of the Peak District and in far-flung Norfolk. Have a look at the BHPA website for details.