2013 Courses:

1. Wed 24th April - Wed 1st May
2. Wed 1st May - Wed 8th May
3.Thu 19th Sept - Thu 26th Sept
4.Thu 26th Sept - Thu 3rd Oct

Book here

Wing Control Specialists

A wing control (SIV) course is an important part of any pilot’s development and safety training.  Whether newly qualified or experienced, the benefit of attending a well-run Wing Control Course is unquestionable.
 

The Importance of Wing Control

Improving your wing control will help you to make the most of your flying experience.  For many pilots the pleasure of setting off into the unknown, of crossing valleys and mountains using only the warm air currents is paragliding Nirvana.  X-C flying requires the pilot to exploit these warm air currents, otherwise known as thermals, using them efficiently to gain sufficient height to glide to the next one.  But, by their very nature, thermals are turbulent!  In fact, unless your flying is confined to the smoothest ridge lift you will sooner or occasionally later, come face to face with.... turbulence!  Even pilots confining themselves to the silkiest of ridge-lift will at some point be presented with a situation in which their piloting skills are put to the test.

Skills required to go X-C can be neatly divided into two main sorts.  Firstly, the good X-C pilot needs to read the sky, the conditions and play the “chess game” – it’s the ultimate game of strategy: of man against the elements (and of course it’s fantastic fun!).  Second, and of equal importance, is piloting skill: the ability to get the most out of the wing, to turn efficiently, to feel the air and to control precisely the position of the wing relative to you, the pilot.  It’s this ability to control or “pilot” the wing that is all too often ignored by budding X-C enthusiasts.

It is no coincidence that some of the best X-C pilots in the world are also some of the best acrobatic pilots in the world.  And if not, they certainly have excellent wing control – the ability to sense the air, to avoid collapses, and to fly safely.  All pilots can gain an immense amount by improving their wing control.

Indeed, flying with little other than “left and right” control abilities is rather like driving a car and not knowing what to do when you hit the ice... and if you’re flying a paraglider, be warned: there’s plenty of ice out there!  Your wing’s ability to recover from a collapse is tested by the LTF or EN system in still air!! Whatever your canopy rating, whatever class of wing you fly, reacting in the wrong way to a nasty patch of air can turn a dangerous experience into something much worse.

Not only will improving your wing control help you develop a healthier respect and more genuine confidence in your own flying abilities, but you will also become a safer pilot and usually enjoy your flying even more than before!

So, what’s the best way to improve piloting skills? What are SIV courses all about?  "I'm just into mellow flying: isn’t SIV just for acro-type crazy 18-year olds?"
 

What’s all this SIV stuff about?

SIV is the French acronym for “Simulation d’Incident en Vol”.  In English, SIV is all about "Simulating Situations in Flight" and learning how to deal with them.  These “situations” range from canopy collapses of which there are several different sorts, through to spins and even cravats.

Isn’t that the same as Acro?

Acrobatic flying ("acro". for short) and SIV are often confused.  Quite simply, whereas SIV attempts to simulate what can go “wrong” whilst flying, acro is all about pulling crazy manoeuvres on purpose – for the sheer fun of it.  Of course, acro might be something that is of absolutely no interest to you (particularly as a participant!).  On the other-hand, if you are serious about paragliding, if you want to improve your flying, fly with more confidence and more importantly be a safer pilot, SIV is definitely something you should prioritise.

Wing Control

A well-run SIV course should have many elements of wing control associated with their schedule of manoeuvres.  Rather than pushing pilots through a set procedure of manoeuvres that they might not even understand the purpose of, we believe its far more important that pilots develop a real “feel” for their canopy.  For example, more important than recovering a collapsed canopy is learning how to avoid a collapse in the first place!  This shift in emphasis might seem subtle, but it is in our opinion of utmost importance.  Far too often, pilots leave an SIV course without any real understanding of what those “crazy” manoeuvres were all about.  Sadder still, a few pilots return from an SIV course more scared and confused about paragliding than ever before.
 

Our boutique philosophy

Rather than pushing students through the standard SIV hoops, we believe it far more beneficial that a course be tailored specifically to each pilot’s individual needs.  We all learn at different rates; we all fly different wings; we all have different levels of confidence; different levels of experience and often very different ways of learning.

Our Wing Control SIV courses are progressive: whereas some pilots might very quickly be ready to simulate a very radical situation after a day or two, other pilots might progress more slowly, deciding to repeat manoeuvres until they gain a deeper understanding of their wing.

·      Full briefing:  Directly before each flight, together with your instructor, you will develop your individual game-plan, discussing the task until you are completely happy that you have understood.  After you flights your instructor will fully debrief each task making sure that you have fully understood the manoeuvre and the sensations involved.  It is not expected that you execute manoeuvres perfectly.  Rather we will be working towards deepening your feeling and understanding.  At the end of each flying day, in the comfort of the classroom, we will fully debrief all tasks using high quality video footage providing further opportunities for pilots to ask questions and improve their understanding.
 

This course is all about deepening your understanding and developing a natural "feel" for your wing and the appropriate reactions to changes in wing pressure, to turbulence and in-flight “situations”.  Its not just about learning the theory, but about developing appropriate responses until they become instinctive.  Here’s a list of possible exercises you might progress through (not necessarily in order)

Wing Control Exercises

• Pitch Control Exercises
• Dynamic Turns and Weight Shift Exercises (Roll authority)
• Turn Reversals
• Wingovers

 

Rapid Decent Techniques

• Big ears (with speed bar)
• Spiral Dives
• B-line Stall

SIV Tasks

• Asymmetric collapses
• Symmetric collapses (full frontal, front stall)
• Dynamic collapses with pitch.
• Accelerated Symmetric collapses
• Accelerated Asymmetric collapses
• Full stall
• Spin
• Ampmax.

Acro (for very experienced pilots only)

• Wingovers (big ones!)
• SATs
• Loops
• Helicopter... etc. etc.

                       
 .....Phew!!!  Now for something slightly less stressful...

Mixing it up with some X-C flying

A full-on one week “head-bangers” SIV course is mentally exhausting for most people.  We believe that you’ll get much more from your experience by mixing up the “SIV” with a little bit of free flying and real X-C adventure.  Based in beautiful Oludeniz,  it would be a shame not to!

Therefore, after all the action, we’ll be taking the life-jacket off and putting your new found piloting skills to great advantage and exploiting the XC potential to the maximum.  Most pilots find that they are surprised by just how much their piloting abilities and confidence have improved.

Accommodation and facilities

Included with this course is B&B accommodation at Tonoz Beach Hotel.  Tonoz is a 3star hotel  boasting a swimming pool, Turkish bath, restaurant and bar.  Its friendly and attentive staff clean rooms daily.  Best of all it also happens to be ideally situated - just 1 minute from the beach (our landing!)  and right in the centre of Oludeniz.  Its the perfect base from which to explore the bars, shops and  restaurants at the end of the flying day.

All guest rooms have double/twin beds, an en-suite shower room, WiFi, satellite TV with music channels and a telephone.

If you'd prefer a single room please let us know at time of booking.

Schedule

Our schedule is designed to give you the best flying experience and the most beneficial learning environment.   After 4 full days over the water we think you’ll be ready to take your life jacket off again...

Day 1  Arrival and settle-in evening flight
Day 2  Introduction to SIV theory. Full kit check including reserve inspection, SIV
Day 3  SIV
Day 4  SIV
Day 5  SIV
Day 6  Full day of X-C Adventure
Day 7  Full day of X-C Adventure
Day 8  Fly home

Price

When comparing prices please take into account what’s included and the quality you're looking for. We use only the best instructors. We insist on the best life-jackets, proper motor boats for security, high quality video footage and full retrieve service for the X-C component.

Course price is £795 and includes:

• 4 days of top quality boutique SIV instruction.
• 7 days Bed and Breakfast Accommodation.
• 2 days of top quality XC coaching and retrieves
• Airport transfers.
• All transport to launch.

Book Your
WING CONTROL
SIV COURSE
Here

Flights

Airport transfer is to and from DALAMAN airport.
Please don’t book your flights until you have booked your course and only then when you have heard back from us.

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