The USHPA requires 35 flight and 7 training day as a minimum to receive your P2 rating which allows you to fly on your own. Realistically though it usually takes anywhere from two weeks to a month for students to complete their training. Call 415 340 1999 for more information or to sign up for paragliding lessons.

Absolutely not. You need no experience to fly tandem. On the day of your flight you will go through a short preflight briefing then you will be clipped into a tandem harness with one of our fully USHPA qualified flight instructors run a few steps then sit back and enjoy the flight.

On the day of your flight simply wear comfortable clothing and sturdy shoes such as tennis shoes or hiking shoes, it’s also a good idea to bring a light jacket or windbreaker.

We’ll provide everything you need for your flight.

The typical flight last around 20 to 30 minutes but that’s not a hard time limit the most important thing for us is that you have a great time so we will usually fly until you are ready to land!

We have an upper weight limit for passengers of 280 lbs there is no lower weight limit.

There is no minimum age requirement and here at Paragliding San Francisco we have flown passengers from 4 to 97 years old, however passengers under 18 will need to have a liability release signed by a parent or legal guardian.

It depends on weather conditions but most flights are done in the afternoon since here in the San Francisco the wind usually gets good for flying around noon and stays good until sunset.

We have a number of flying locations in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. Based on the weather conditions we will choose which one is best to fly at for the day you come out. All of the sites have beautiful ocean and city views.

Glad you asked 🙂 Here is a infographic which describes the basics of how modern paragliders work.

Launching is a very easy procedure, here is a page which describes in depth how the launch process works.

Tandem Launching.

No paragliding is a completely different sport than parasailing. For those interested we have put together this page explaining the differences between the two.

Paragliders are regulated under Federal Aviation Regulations Part 103 which is the ultralight regulation  so a license is not required. Paragliding is self regulated the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA). To keep it self-regulated, pilots and instructors adhere to the policies and guidelines of the USHPA. Local flying site regulations often times require a pilot to have certain USHPA certified ratings, such as P3 or P4, in order to fly a particular site.