Paragliding Lesson Preparations

• Call Jeff at 650-638-9463 (If I am not at this number, call the Cell Phone # for the Check_In, but always try the office first) at 7:00 PM the night before a scheduled lesson day. When you call, you will be briefed on the weather for the day and either be given a time and location to meet, or you will be told to call back to confirm weather at a specific time the next day. Enough time will be provided to allow you to get to the lesson from your location.
  
  For ongoing students, normally all that needs to be done is to check the calendar at my Yahoo Group. If you are a member of this, you can check the calendar after 7 PM to see if the time and venue has been set for your lesson. To join the yahoo group, click here and follow the directions (You will need a yahoo ID to access the calendar online)

• Boots or shoes with ankle support and traction are required. I have some Loaners, but it is preferable that you bring your own for the best fit. I have the following sizes (Ladies 7, Mens 7, 9, 10.5, 12) If you do not have boots, let me know and I can bring the proper pair for you.
  
  
• Wear layered clothing and wear full pants (no shorts), the coast can be in the high 50s when other parts of the Bay Area are in the 80s.
  
  
• Fluids to drink and a brown bag lunch are a good idea.
  
  
• If you have your own bike helmet, please bring it and this will give you a perfect fit and eliminate sizing issues.
  
  
• Cameras can be brought, but keep in mind, I will not have time to take pictures while teaching you. If you are coming with another student, you can take turns with the camera.
  
  
• If you bring a pet, a leash and person to watch are required while you are in the air. Animals are not allowed at some of the training areas, consult with me prior to bringing a pet.
  
  
• On some of the lessons, we can include a tandem flight. It will be helpful if you read the Tandem Preparation Page if we should have a tandem included in the lessons.
  
  

THINGS TO DO:

• Read over the following two articles Reverse Launch Set Up, Reverse Launch Wing Raising & Learning Winglish prior to the lesson date. On most lessons we will be doing some reverse launches or turn transition launches. Don't try to memorize this completely, just get familiar with the steps a little. After reading through this once or twice, it will make it a lot easier for you and I to refine this process and spend more time on the actual launches instead of the connection and checks. The Winglish article will help you understand the importance of being relaxed and how much this can make learning happen much quicker.
  
  
• Normal procedure is to call me at the arranged time. This might be a check in the night before, or the morning of the lesson. At this time, we will set a meeting time and location for the lesson.
  
  
• After you know the site, print out directions and map from my maps page to the training site. Airtime Site Maps
  
  
• If possible, prior to your first lessons, come to one of the free groundschools. Yes, they are free, and this will help you understand some of the technical parts of flying in a paraglider. This is not mandatory, but it can really help you make the most of your lesson on the hill.
  
  
• If you are going to do a full program, or are just thinking about it, you will need to log your flights. I sell physical log books, but even better is a spreadsheet logbook for Excel if you have Excel, you can download a great spreadsheet logbook here and use it to log your flights.