Arranging Your Flight

Booking in Advance

Towards the end of the online booking form there is a box that says “Order Notes” please enter in here any dates you are available to fly. Once we have made sure there is availability for you, we will put your booking into our flying calendar and confirm with you that your dates are booked in. 

You do not need to know what dates you want to fly when making your booking. You can let us know this information at any time afterwards and if there is a slot free in the flying calendar we will book you in.

It is only possible to determine if the flight will go ahead the day before after checking an up to date weather forecast. Please contact us on 07429113119 the day before to find out if your flight will go ahead and if so when and where to meet your instructor. If the weather is unsuitable for flying then we move to the next date you’re available or repeat this process and identify new dates that you are available.

Short Notice Booking

We sometimes send out WhatsApp or SMS messages when really good flying conditions are forecast. Please forward us your number (if not already included in the booking info) to ensure you are kept  informed. We have limited availability per day and operate on a first to respond gets to fly basis.

Where to find us on the day… Please see “How to find us on the day” answer below.  

We can fly between half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset on any “Flyable” day of the year. For it to be flyable we need the wind to be between 10 and 25 mph and for it to not be raining.   

We can pencil in a preferred date in advance, however we will need to check the weather the day before to confirm if the flight is to go ahead . If you have a flight booked in with us please contact us on 07429113119 the evening before to confirm if the flight is going ahead and if so when and where to meet.   

Please be patient and we will try to fly you at the earliest convenient time when both you and the weather are ready.  

When you contact us the day before your booked in flight you will be given an sms text or WhatsApp message with a time and location to meet your instructor. This location will typically be given as a Google Maps pin drop. 

We previously used the “Link to Map” below, however some of our students/passengers found it hard to use. We have kept this link here so you can see all of our sites as this is a common question we are asked. 

• Link to Map

If you would like to receive a Gift Voucher please let us know by including this information in the ORDER NOTES textbox towards the very end of the booking process. We will then send you a Gift Voucher via email to print and fill in for the recipient. 

If you would like us to enter the recipients name and the name(s) of who it is gifted by prior to sending it to you please inform us in the ORDER NOTES box.

The most popular flight length is around 20 minutes. However we also offer double length and cross country flights for our more adventurous clients.

We do our best to overlap a given days optimum wind and weather forecast to the time we will ask you to arrive on-site. (This information will be available by calling 07429113119 the day before your flight at around 7:30pm when the national weather forecast is updated therefore giving us the best data available). Sometimes the weather forecast and the actual conditions on the site do not always perfectly match. Therefore we ask you to allow half a day from arriving at the site to being flown and brought back to the take off.

Tandem paragliding is suitable for almost everyone. Our main stipulation is that our passengers must weigh between 20 and 120 kg and be in a general good state of fitness (Please read Fitness to Fly section). 

Passenger Age limits
There is no upper age limit but the general health and fitness of the person must be taken into consideration.
There is no lower age limit but the harness used must be suitable in size and construction, and the person must be of sufficient physical and mental maturity to follow and understand flight briefings.

Written parental permission must be obtained for those under the age of 18 years. This can be in the form of a letter if the parent is not present on the day or by co-signing the BHPA Membership Form on the day. 

If you have any queries regarding your fitness and how this may affect your ability to fly please get in touch so we can discuss your concerns prior to making a booking. 

In addition could you please get in contact with us to discuss your ability to fly if you have previously suffered a; head, back, or lower limb injury; suffer from faintness, dizziness, or fits; have a heart condition; are pregnant; or are taking any medication that effects your responsiveness.   

Blue Skies Paragliding’s ethos is to be as welcoming as possible to those with disabilities. With the help of Flyability (http://www.flyability.org.uk/) we have access to a wheeled harness, enabling us to fly with wheelchair users. If this sounds like you or someone you know that would like to experience the wonderful world of paragliding please get in touch to find out more. 

Yes you can bring your own camera free of charge. However it must be compact and tethered to you or your harness. All cameras must be contained in pockets or down the front of your top to prevent them getting tangled up with any flying equipment during a launch or landing. 

If you would prefer to let your pilot take care of the filming we provide edited or un-edited videos of your flight using our HD Go-Pro cameras.

Please go to “Book A Flight” page and to find out more. 

Warm Clothes

Due to the nature of paragliding we are often exposed to the wind and full sun at the top of our chosen large hill for the day. Even if it looks like a warm day for your flight we highly recommend wrapping up well for your time on the hill and in the air. This advice is also for anyone you bring with you, trust me the view is so much more enjoyable when your suitably dressed. 

Sensible Footwear

Please wear good footwear (walking boots, running shoes), something that can give you good ankle support is ideal.

Food and Facilities

Sometimes we may have to wait a few hours for the weather to be right for our flight so it is advisable to bring some food and drink with you to keep you content in these situations. 

Only Devils Dyke and Beachy Head have food and toilet facilities. 

It is rare but if the weather conditions on the hill differ from the forecast and it is not suitable to fly, your flight will be rescheduled with no cancellation fees.

If you cancel your booking within 48 hours of your scheduled flight it will invalidate your booking.  

No refund is given if you exceed the maximum passenger weight and have not informed us of this until arriving on the flying site (Max weight is 120kg).

We would certainly like to give you the opportunity to fly the paraglider as all flights are considered instructional by nature. As long as the conditions are suitable your pilot and instructor may hand over the controls to you whilst giving you guidance on their function, range and limitations (Only if you want to of course). 

Yes. Paragliding, like any adventure or aviation sport has associated risks. Your safety is the utmost priority of your instructor however it is important to note that even with the best instructor using modern equipment there is always a possibility that you may be  injured as a result of taking part in this sport.    

With that said the instructors working for Blue Skies Paragliding are highly experienced and therefore are constantly risk assessing the flying site, wind conditions, and their passengers specific limitations. We have a duty of care and will do everything within our ability to maximise the safety of your experience with us. 

There is No Personal Accident Cover included for any of the flights or services we provide.

You will become a member to the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA) for the day which includes Third Party Insurance.

We recommend taking out personal accident insurance,

Sportscoverdirect do a very reasonably valued range of policies. 

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks. It’s usually easier to treat if it’s diagnosed early.

Unfortunately in recent years the tick that transmits Lyme Disease have been reported at several of our flying sites.

Below is some advice from the NHS website associated to Lyme Disease. I have copied the NHS and GOV websites at the bottom of this text for further advice.

How to avoid tick bites

To reduce the risk of being bitten:

• cover your skin while walking outdoors and tuck your trousers into your socks
• use insect repellent on your clothes and skin – products containing DEET are best
• stick to paths whenever possible
• wear light-coloured clothing so ticks are easier to spot and brush off

NHS and GOV ADVICE

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/lyme-disease-sample-testing-advice

Please be advised that if you are prone to motion sickness you should let us know as soon as you can, preferably at the booking stage (include this information in the notes section on the booking form).  

It is not uncommon for people to feel the effects of motion sickness when being taken up on a thermically active day. This is because the air is being mixed by the warmth of the sun and can result in a lumpy flight. Thermal flying is however one of the wonders of paragliding, enabling us to get from the ground up to the clouds and make huge flights across the country. Riding invisible bubbles of warm air thousands of feet into the sky is why most of us love the sport so much. If you would like to experience this type of flight but are worried you may feel ill please take sea/motion sickness medication before we set off.  

COASTAL FLYING COULD BE THE ANSWER!

If we are informed that you are extremely sensitive to motion sickness we can scheduled in a coastal flight for you. This type of flight makes use of air coming off the sea. The air in this situation has not had a chance to be mixed by rolling over objects or be affected by unevenly distributed ground heating. As a result the air is exceptionally smooth. The sensation is smoother than driving down a freshly surfaced road in a Rolls Royce with squishy tiers! If you really want to fly but are often affected by motion sickness this is the flight option for you. I think it would still be wise however to take precautionary motion sickness medication just to be on the safe side.  

IMPORTANT: Please can you follow our simple site rules.

Close all gates behind yourselves, park responsibly and ensure enough room for large farm vehicles to access their tracks and gates, take your rubbish home, avoid bringing dogs but if it is unavoidable then they must be kept on leads and finally you must please pay attention to where you sit to avoid obstructing any flying activity.