If there are health, fitness, or other requirements needed to safely enjoy the experience, make this clear in your experience’s description. This includes providing details about the length of time, any weight or height requirements, exertion and fitness required, and skill levels needed.
Here’s a guide from the ATTA to help you communicate to guests what skill level is needed for your hang gliding or paragliding experience:
Hang gliding
Beginner: A standard ‘panoramic’ commercial tandem flight, usually lasting 15-25 min, taking off from a recognised hang gliding take off zone, and landing in a flat safe area used for hang gliding landings.
Paragliding
Beginner: A standard ‘panoramic’ commercial tandem flight, usually lasting 15-25 min, taking off from a recognised paragliding take off zone, and landing in a flat safe area used for paragliding landings.
Intermediate: Similar flight to beginner, but flight might be taken around many other paragliders, or has a riskier take-off and landing zone such as landing in mountainous regions, near trees or on busy beaches.
Choose the proper conditions
Regardless of the level of hang and paragliding, the weather conditions have to be safe and stable in order to fly. The weather limitations will be dictated in your national FAI (World Air Sports Federation) approved regulations and these must be abided by for the safety of you, your guests and all other users in the air.
Have an emergency action plan
As a hang gliding or paragliding host, you should have tandem Instructors who have an up-to-date first aid and CPR certification. If you’ll be more than an hour away from medical care, it’s best practice to have a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) or Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA), along with CPR certification. You should have extensive flying experience in the areas and conditions you take your guests gliding.
You also want to have an emergency action plan and share it with your guests: let them know what they should do in case of emergency, which could include injury, along with unexpected weather, turbulence, gusts of wind, or clouds and reduced visibility. Find out more about making an emergency plan.
