Please note: If you continue to your P3 rating, you will need independent flights at P2 mountain sites in order to be considered complete for your P3 training. It’s best to get your own gear!

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Torrey Pines Gliderport certifies more P3 pilots, at a higher level than any other school in North America.  The Gliderport provides a structured P3 training program that has taken years to develop.  The P3 program will take ~ 20-25 flying days for a recent P2 and take a bit less for more experienced P2’s.

We have very high expectations of our P3 students and will not sign off P3’s who’ve only met the minimum requirements as set forth by USHPA. Those expectations will only be met by offering you a remarkable training experience. To create our P3 program, we traveled the world to visit the most successful schools.  We traveled to geographically diverse flying communities, to understand the skills and knowledge needed to fly there.  We worked with the top pilots in xc, acro, thermal, ridge flying. The goal was to put together a program that would create a pilot diverse in skills and knowledge, that would be comfortable anywhere and everywhere.

Learn more about our P3 program here!

The post P3 Certification first appeared on Torrey Pines Gliderport.

This package provides you with all the training for the P1 and the P2 certification package at a discounted price. The Gliderport maintains higher standards for our training program than the US Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association requirements.

We provide all the gear you need to learn! Before the completion of P2, you must purchase your own gear set up from the Torrey Pines Gliderport shop. Having the P2 rating will allow you to fly at particular P2 rated mountain sites.

If you choose to continue with your P3 training, you must have your own gear and will have to fly at these P2 rated mountain sites to be considered complete with your course.

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This certification program builds on the skills of the P1 certification to the point that you are a capable and qualified pilot. The Torrey Pines P2 program will teach you the fundamentals of flight and provide you with the skills, knowledge and ability to make decisions as the Pilot in Command. The 15-20 day program will provide you with beginner and intermediate training in launching, landing, soaring flights, thermal flights, basic cross country skills, and tandem flights with more experienced instructors. The training curriculum is approximately 160 hours and includes:

• 30 hours of classroom theory on topics such as:
  • Basic & advanced meteorology, aerodynamics, site analysis, flight planning, equipment, risk management, flight maneuvers & dynamics, ridge soaring, thermal flight, cross country flights, and many more.
• 80 hours of field instruction include:
  • Basic & advanced launch techniques, landing techniques, reserve usage & deployments, advanced ground handling, speed control, turning, etc.
• 10-20 hours of flight instruction include:
  • Turning
  • Basic and advanced flight maneuvers
  • Flights in wind, ridge soaring, and dynamic lift, mountain flights in thermals, beginner cross country training
  • Flights on the coast, in the mountains, over flatlands & deserts, and from tow winches weather permitting
  • 35-45 flights from up to 12 different flying sites
  • Guided instruction that simulates in flight canopy malfunctions (asymmetric deflation, symmetric deflation and rear riser steering)
  • Descent techniques (big ears, whip stalls, crabbing, accelerated flights)

The post P2 Certification first appeared on Torrey Pines Gliderport.

This program takes you from your first day of learning to the point where you can launch and land a paraglider with confidence in simple soaring conditions. The program provides emphasis:

• Ground Handling Skills (kiting, canopy control, cross wind, light wind, and strong winds, inflation and deflation techniques)
• Launching (Forward and Reverse)
• Landing (Aircraft style approaches, Figure 8’s, S-turns)
• Flying Skills (flat turns, banked turns, flight at trim speed, minimum sink, best glide)
• Understanding of:
  • Preflight Checklists
  • Aerodynamics
  • Meteorology
  • Equipment maintenance & care
  • Risk Management
  • Site Analysis & Flight Planning
  • Flying in lift, sink, thermals, turbulence

The program provides a great introduction to most aspects of paragliding flight, with a strong emphasis on ground handling, confident and controlled launches, and smooth landings on your feet! The P1 program is perfect for the new pilot that has a couple of days and wants to get their feet wet. The program is designed as the stepping stone to the P2 (Novice) certification and provides, 100% of the knowledge and skills to take the next step.

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