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FlyBC Airsports offers offers many different levels of Paragliding Instruction from Tandem Discovery Paragliding Flights for $168 and Two Day Introductory Paragliding Courses from $395 CDN + HST, which include tandem training and ground handling orientation and solo flights from Mount Woodside, Canada's safest training site. We also train pilots through USHPA P2 levels all the way to Advanced Ratings.
Testimonials from past FlyBC student pilots.
Paragliding Course Costs
Tandem Discovery Flights/Tandem Paragliding Flights - you fly with a certified tandem instructor and you can control the glider in the air with your instructor's help - $168 CDN (credited towards other courses if you continue).
The flight is filmed with a GoPro Helmet Cam and you can purchase a DVD with your flight and it is compatible with MAC, PC and YouTube so you can share it with your friends later for $25.
Basic Two Day Introductory Course - $395 CDN + HST (credited towards other courses as you continue)
FlyBC supplies the paraglider, harness, radio and you supply a helmet and hiking boots. There is no guaranteed number of solo flights as weather and individual pilot skills determine when someone is ready to fly. If the days are rained out or too windy we will reschedule your course for a later date at no cost to you.
Intermediate 5 Day Paragliding Course/USHPA P-2 Equivalency - $995 CDN + HST (credited towards other courses if you continue)
FlyBC supplies the glider, harness, radio and you supply a helmet and hiking boots.
FlyBC puts you through all paces of flight including thermalling, XC flying, higher wind launches and landings and prepares you for solo flying but does not get you a full 30 flights for Canadian HPAC Certification, but much more than the USHPA P-2 Requirements for much less than US Schools.
Full HPAC Certification Course - $1650 CDN + HST (less previous course payments)
FlyBC supplies the glider, harness, radio for up to 10 flights and you supply a helmet and hiking boots. After 10 flights you must purchase your own equipment or rentals are available for $25 per flight. Used equipment is available here or you can purchase new gear from APCO, UP, Ozone, Gin and other lines at the Eagle Ranch facility. (we strongly recommend against buying used gear from eBay or other non-school sources until you are certified and understand glider certifications, and we will not train you on gear that we have not sold or are unfamiliar with.)
During the Winter Season from December 15 - March 15, we operate these courses in Mexico where we have conducted Tours and Training for the past 13 years.
Most instructors operate out of the back of a truck and don't actually have any facilities for ground school, video presentations or reserve parachute training or even a guaranteed landing field! FlyBC maintains a full training park with Classrooms, dedicated 25 acre landing field and shuttle vehicles that are free for students and customers.
Vancouver area pilots should learn at the sites they will fly most. Some other schools teach on smaller hills in the Interior, but do not prepare a new pilot for the Big Mountain Air that we experience in the Fraser Valley. Learn where you will fly and get site briefings for local mountains before you are signed off.
Don't be mis-led by paragliding schools that claim to train in Vancouver, as you may get some training hill flights but the real flying happens in the Fraser Valley (the most reliable sites are located here).
What is your experience level?
FlyBC trains most of the local instructors through our Senior Instructor status and have trained pilots for 10 years. We have also flown conventional aircraft for over 25 years and know and teach Transport Canada regulations.
How many students have you actually signed off to Novice level?
FlyBC signs off 20 students per season, where other schools may train 2-3 pilots to Novice Level, many schools are more interested in single day courses or tandems. FlyBC is here to train committed pilots!.
How many hours a year do you fly?
Some instructors actually don't fly much themselves, at FlyBC our instructors average 150 hours per season, flying with our students and giving them tandem instruction when conditions are too strong for beginners. Ask around at flying sites as to which instructors actually fly. Take Highway 7 East through Mission, keep heading east through the towns of Dewdney and De Roche. Approximately 11 km east of De Roche, you will cross a bridge over the Harrison River (just past the Hemlock Resort turnoff). About 0.5 km further east you will see Mill Road, turn right on Mill Road (third right turn) and follow it until the next left on Kilby Road. Eagle Ranch is the second gate on the left.
Cell phone is Call 604-618-5467, and if you have a ham band radio we are on 146.415 mhz. Curriculum designed to instruct Beginning Pilots how to handle the Paraglider on the ground and on the Training Hill.
New students are assigned a modern Paraglider that fits their weight range, and they use only that glider for the duration of the course. The APCO Paragliders are standard rated beginner/intermediate gliders with very responsive handling and aids in developing flying skills fast. Paragliding is NOT Base-Jumping! we launch our gliders from groomed slopes, only after the glider is fully inflated over our heads. Paragliding is not Para-Sailing, the Paraglider Pilot has complete control over the glider flight path. Course Outline: Day One - glider orientation, ground school and theory of flight, basic ground handling techniques,
decision-making skills, and launch and landing practice on gentle slopes.
Then, tandem flights from 2300 foot launches on Mt. Woodside, before solo flights radio controlled by Instructors (top and bottom). Day Two - flights from 1000 to 2200 foot launches, radio controlled by Instructors (top and bottom). Specific tasks include speed control in flight, 180-degree turns and landing patterns in different Landing Zones (LZ).
Students receive HPAC Introductory Certificates and all flights qualify towards HPAC Novice Certification (30 observed flights and written test). Each student's progress is monitored using the FlyBC Report Card, kept on file until the student pilot receives the HPAC Novice Sign-Off. Paragliding Course Costs Discovery Flights/Tandem Paragliding Flights - you control the glider in the air with instructions from your
on-board instructor - $168 CDN includes HST (credited towards other courses if you continue). Basic Two Day Introductory Course - $395 CDN + HST (credited towards other courses if you continue) FlyBC supplies the glider, harness, radio and you supply a helmet and hiking boots. Intermediate 5 Day Paragliding Course/USHPA P-2 Equivalency - $995 CDN + HST (credited towards other courses if you continue) FlyBC supplies the glider, harness, radio and you supply a helmet and hiking boots. Full HPAC Certification Course - $1650 CDN + HST (less previous course payments as above) FlyBC supplies the glider, harness, radio for 10 flights and you supply a helmet and hiking boots. After 10 flights you must purchase your own equipment or rentals are available for $25 per flight. Used equipment is available here or you can purchase new gear from APCO, UP, Ozone, Gin and other lines at the Eagle Ranch facility. FlyBC Paragliding tours the province
FlyBC's Paragliding School is here in 2010 with more training formats and venues. FlyBC is the only full-time paragliding School in Vancouver.
We are looking for committed aviation enthusiasts who want to learn more about flying. More road trips, more clinics and more fun!
FlyBC has the most pilots flying after gaining certification and we have the most years of experience in training new pilots. FlyBC is certified with HPAC Senior Instructors/Tandem II Senior Instructors and Advanced USHGA Instructors/Tandem Administrators to serve you better.
FlyBC has the only "dedicated flight park" in Southwestern BC with a classroom, landing field with a guaranteed glide and towing/training hill area for the exclusive use of our students and customers.
Our vision for Eagle Ranch is "to create a community centre for fun loving hangglider, paraglider and paramotor pilots (and their families) in the Fraser Valley".
The Eagle Ranch training hill is in place and it is student tested and approved!
FlyBC has the only training hill on the West Coast with guaranteed access and conditions.
Go to FlyBC's Eagle Ranch Page for pictures of the new layout.
Planning your Paragliding Training:
FlyBC has re-designed the course times this year to help make your summer flying the best ever! We are structuring our courses to have new pilots certified by July 30, 2008, so they can attend the "Willi" Cross-Country event in Golden and our Summer SIV/Advanced Maneuver's Course in July at Revelstoke BC.
If you want to get certified this year, plan on making the time commitment early. Limited training from November to March on due to weather, but if it is flyable we will be at Eagle Ranch!
Location of our School:
FlyBC Paragliding is located in Harrison Mills, BC.
Eagle Ranch Satellite Map
Sasquatch Inn is an economical place to stay when training
It takes 1 hour to reach our location from the Port Mann Bridge by following Hwy 1 to Agassiz, or by taking Hwy 7 (Lougheed Hwy) east from Mission.
We start our new pilot training primarily at our private flight park "Eagle Ranch", a 25 acre paragliding field in Harrison Mills.
As pilots progress we take them to many of the sites in the local area which are less than 30 minutes drive from Eagle Ranch. Some of these sites are located at Bridal Falls (east of Chilliwack), Sumas Mountain (east of Abbotsford), Blanchard (Bellingham WA), Black Mtn. (Sumas WA).
We also take road trips regularly to Pemberton, Kamloops, Vernon as conditions and skill levels dictate for the new pilots.
Before a pilots is "signed off", we insist on supervising them at five (5) different sites minimum (7 typically), to ensure they are ready to fly on their own supervision.
Eagle Ranch Directions
Curriculum:
We layout the glider on a launch similar to the one pictured below.
We inflate the paraglider into the wind and kite it, getting it under control before we launch.
More ground school during the mid-day thermal conditions.
Evening flights as conditions dictate.
Experienced pilots at a competition, thermalling before the race. This is the ultimate goal of Paragliding . . . thermal up and go the distance. Up to 245 kms has been logged in a single flight in Canada!
This is a Destination Package for pilots outside the Vancouver Area, with options to camp, stay in budget motels or luxury hotels in Harrison Hotsprings. Far less expensive than travelling to the US for an inferior training package.
USHPA Proficiency Program in its entirety
During the Winter Season from December 15 - March 15, we operate all these courses in Mexico where we have conducted Tours and Training for the past 13 years.
More details on the Mexico Tours and Training can be found here.
Where can I stay in Harrison Mills??
Koffee Kettle Motel 604-615-7770 Dehlia accepts reservations with Visa/MC at this number. Private rooms with TV.
Alternate choices include:
Sasquatch Inn is an economical place to stay when training. Basic rooms with shared bathroom facilities, but cheap.
Mention FlyBC Paragliding sent you and you may get a better rate.
and flies at most HPAC insured sites
Box 79, Harrison Mills, BC
Canada V0M 1L0
Mobile: Call 604-618-5467 
E-Mail: FlyBC E-Mail
250 H Street, Blaine, WA USA 98230
Mobile: Call 604-618-5467
E-Mail: FlyBC E-Mail