Frequently asked questions
Why should I fly with Cape Paragliding?
- Enjoy a lifetime experience – 100% fun
- Cape Paragliding is a paragliding school that teaches basic to advanced students.
- Proudly South African
- We speak a number of languages including German, French, Italian and English
- We truly care for the well-being of each and every person we fly
- Impeccable safety record
Do you have a female pilot?
- Yes, Carolina has been flying for over 30 years and will reserve a booking for you at your request
- Ladies – come and fly, make a booking request for our woman pilot.
Who can do it?
- Anybody from 14 years +
- Weight restriction of 120kgs
When do we fly?
Every day, all year – weather permitting
Where do we fly from?
- Mainly Signal Hill
- Sometimes Lion’s Head depending on the weather conditions.
How long is the flight?
- The turnaround time is typically not more than 1 hour
- The flight time is dependent upon the weather conditions at the time and can vary between approx. 6 to 20 min, we try our best to keep you in the air for the maximum time possible
- We do schedule flights hourly to allow sufficient time to stay in the air where conditions allow
How do I get back to the launch?
- We will provide transport back up to the launch if required
What must I bring?
- Yourself
- A pair of closed shoes
- Top and long pants.
May I wear prescription / sunglasses during the flight?
- Yes
May I bring phones, wallets and other valuables including a rucksack/backpack?
- Yes, the harness has storage space for wallets, phones and other valuables
- But: rucksacks/backpacks should be no larger than 40cm x 20cm x 10cm
How do I pay?
- Cash is preferable, however we do have card facilities
What must I do when we start/launch?
- As with all aircraft, launching and landing are done into wind. The wing is placed into an airstream, either by running or into an existing wind. The wing moves up over the pilot into a position in which it can carry the passenger. The pilot is then lifted from the ground and, after a safety period, can sit down into his harness. Unlike skydivers, paragliders, like hang gliders, do not “jump” at any time during this process.
- Your pilot will brief you fully prior to starting/launching
- Depending on the wind strength it will require a few steps or a short run
- During the start/launch, do not sit down, jump or dive
- The paraglider will lift us into the air
What must I do when we land?
- Landing involves lining up for an approach into wind and, just before touching down, “flaring” the wing to minimise vertical and/or horizontal speed. This consists of gently going from 0% brake at around two metres to 100% brake when touching down on the ground.
- Again your pilot will brief you prior to landing
- Typically you will lift your legs while seated
- The pilot will skim along the ground, while you keep your feet in the air
- The pilot will then slow the paraglider down, at which point you will stand up and walk forward slowly or quickly, depending upon the wind strength
Is paragliding safe?
Paragliding is an aviation sport and therefore there are risks, however our pilots have flown 1000’s of flights, are well experienced and hold commercial Tandem Flight Instructor (TFI) licenses issued by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA)
What is Paragliding?
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying a paraglider, lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing. Wing shape is maintained by the suspension lines, the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing, and the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing over the outside.
What conditions do paragliders need to stay up in the air?
- In slope soaring, pilots fly along the length of a slope feature in the landscape, relying on the lift provided by the air, which is forced up as it passes over the slope. Slope soaring is highly dependent on a steady wind within a defined range.
- In thermal flying, when the sun warms the ground, it will warm some features more than others (such as rock faces or large buildings), and these set off thermals which rise through the air. Sometimes these may be a simple rising column of air, more often, they are blown sideways in the wind and will break off from the source, with a new thermal forming later. Once a pilot finds a thermal, he/she begins to fly in a circle, trying to center the circle on the strongest part of the thermal (the “core”), where the air is rising the fastest.