SPORT & LEISURE
- life
Eye on the sky
Paragliders need to keep an eye
on the weather as pilots require
favourable conditions in which
to take to the skies. What are
you waiting for? Keep your eye
on the weather charts, give one
of the Island schools a call and
go and fly the friendly skies!
Details
Schools
Butterfly Paragliding is
located in Chale.
It offers tandem flights from
about £65 and beginner’s
day courses start at around
£95. Camping and B&B
accommodation is available on
site for residential courses. e
mail info@butterflyparagliding.
co.uk or call Dave or Miranda on
01983 731611 for more details.
High Adventure is located at the
Sandpipers Hotel, Freshwater.
Day taster courses start from
£89 and a 2-day course
costs £195 at the weekend
(including BHPA membership).
Contact [email protected] or phone
on 01983 752322.
IOWHGC
Chairman of the IOWHGC Geoff
Underwood can be contacted
on 01983 822505. The club’s
website is located at: www.
flywight.co.uk/index.html.
On 28 July, the club organizes
a Summer Fly In & Pig Roast
at Compton Farm. Enquiries
from prospective new members
are always welcome.
Chief Flying Instructor Dave Botha pictured soaring above Downcourt, Chale, IW.
usually stress that the beginner’s
course, while offering some of the
thrills and spills of the sport, aims
to encompass a gentle learning
curve that starts with an initial takeoff of well below 15 feet on a flat
surface. By the end of a weekend
course, beginners can expect to be
flying to approximately 50 feet.
Insurance
Paragliding is tightly regulated
throughout the UK. The BHPA
has negotiated with the Civil
Aviation Authority on designated
areas in which paragliding can
Island Life - www.isleofwight.net
take place, and it oversees the
activities of member clubs.
Individual membership of the BHPA
includes third-party insurance
for participants, and temporary
membership including insurance
cover is included in the cost of the
courses offered by most schools.
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