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Our paradliding school offers a complete training based on safety and quality of instruction not speed. Our goal is to train confident pilots in complete safety. By following your training at Distance Vol Libre, you can expect a step by step training program that respects or surpasses all of the Hang-gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada's norms. You will find all the information you need in the following section.

Paraglider training at Distance Vol Libre is very similar to hang glider training, the difference being we add 3 or 4 lessons on Ultralights for Hang glider pilots training. Paraglider training is divided in two sections, ground handling and training hill, and altitude solo flights.

Includes: Flight manual and flight log book; 16 hours of theory and 10 hours of ground training, as well as equipment rental for personal practice on the school grounds; 30 supervised flights (with a minimum of 15 from the mountain)

Description of the first part of the training:

The first lessons in the paraglider training program are dedicated to the discovery of the gear and the wing while learning the basics of handling of the glider on the ground and in the wind. This step is relativally short but is essential. You generally need 2 or 3 lessons to have all you need to master the elements in this first part of the training.

The next lessons focus on practicing launching and landing. At DVL, we have a 60 foot training hill, specially designed for the learning of paragling and hang gliding. The key elements in this part of the training are: Glider control, the launching, piloting the glider and landing. These lessons will take you to your first few seconds of flight, and prepare you for your first solo winch launched and mountain launched flights. Ususally 4 or 5 lessons on the training hill are required to end this first part. You can also, if you chose to, take a tandem flight at altitude with an instructor to practice manouvers, although this is generally not a requirement. Solo practice on the ground and on the training hill between lessons is strongly reccomended in order to rapidly progress.

When your instructor feels you’ve mastered the first part, you’ll be ready to complete your solo flights. The basic requirements are the same as on the hang glider: you need 35 solo flights assisted by an instructor. Your first flights will be in the afternoon at the tow field (cable launch system) or in the morning or eavening for the mountain flights when the air is smooth, to fly long and reassuring flights. For the mountain flights, two instructors are assigned from the summet and the landing zone, keeping constant radio contact with the student for guidance during the launch, the flight and landing. Once you’ve assimilated basic manouvers in calm air, you can start flying in mid-day. These day flights, called thermal flights, let you discover soaring in rising air, to understand its rules and how we can use thermals to fly higher, longer and eventually further using no other source of power.

Although most of the training is practical and that you cover theory as you go along, an « in class » theoretical cours of a minimum of 16 hours is required for the novice rating for paragliding. This training covers varied subjects such as meteorology, theory of flight, air regulations, security and aerodynamics ect...

When the student is capable of flying in different meteorological conditions, he is then considered by his instructor to be autonomus and able to fly solo. The instructor then signs off the student and authorises him to fly solo.

All gear is supplied by DVL for the time of the training. Once you’ve graduated you’ll need to get your own gear as you cannot rent paragliding gear.

To keep flying with your own gear, we can help you select the best gear for you with a selection of the best brands and models.

Includes: 5 tandem training flights with an instructor. Flight manual and flight log book; 16 hours of theory and 10 hours of ground training, as well as equipment rental for personal practice on the school grounds; 25 supervised flights (with a minimum of 15 from the mountain)

**The tandem training flights will be undertaken during the ground training phase of the course. The student should try, as much as possible, to do 2 consecutive flights with the same instructor to optimize learning.**

The tandem flghts allow the student to fly in much more turbulent conditions with their instructor, which will allows the student to fly in aerology that would otherwise be out of reach for them.

The student will fly as of their first visit, wich accelerates ground training times.

***Although most of the training is practical and that you cover theory as you go along, an « in class » theoretical cours of a minimum of 16 hours is required for the novice rating for paragliding. This training covers varied subjects such as meteorology, theory of flight, air regulations, security and aerodynamics ect...

All gear is supplied by DVL for the time of the training. Once you’ve graduated you’ll need to get your own gear as you cannot rent paragliding gear.

To keep flying with your own gear, we can help you select the best gear for you with a selection of the best brands and models.

Ground handling and training hill lessons are given at your availability. We recommend reserving 1 week ahead to make sure you get the schedule of your choice.

Paraglider and hang glider training is essentially the same. The goal is to obtain a novice rating from the Canadian Hanggliding and Paragliding Association (HPAC), in order to fly solo here and all over the world.

We always recommend you call to check for weather conditions before coming to the school for your lessons.