Our Chief Flying Instructor shares his story
Once upon a time…
Once upon a time, I had what you’d call a “normal” job. The problem was the daily grind was, well, grinding me down. I somehow felt like there should be more to life. One miserable wet Sunday morning, pondering my plight, I remember seeing something on TV about paragliding. “Perhaps paragliding was the answer?”, I mused.
Getting off the sofa
I was seeking more adventure, more outdoors, more freedom. Paragliding turned out to be everything I had hoped it would be (and more!). Getting off the sofa and plucking up the courage to give paragliding a go transformed my life.
Flying high
A lot has happened since those early years. Not only did I fall in love with the freedom and adventure of paragliding, along the way I also become a World Record holder and had the honour of being selected for the British Team.
The struggle of learning
Despite the trophies and triumphs I can still clearly remember the struggle of learning to fly in those early years. It took me almost 2 years to get my qualifications! Too long! Having guided thousands of pilots over the years, my team and I have come to realise that many paragliding schools are offering their students a pretty poor deal.
Learning to fly should be FUN AND EASY
Learning to paraglide should not only be lots of fun, it should also be easy. Learning to fly in the UK is just too wet, too windy and too frustrating. For this reason, our school is based in a beautiful sunny place with ideal flying weather. To make it even easier we also made it a rule to use only NEW training equipment and to teach our students in small friendly groups.
Your journey..
If you’ve plucked up the courage and decided to give paragliding a go, I’m full of respect and admiration for you. No matter your age, whether you feel nervous or just excited, my team and I are here to support you on your journey. We’re here to make learning to fly as much fun and as easy as possible.
Toby Colombé
Chief Flying Instructor