SkySchool Flight Centre

January 2012 Newsletter

2012-01-14T13:45:00.007+01:00

Happy New year everyone! 2011 ended on a good note for all of the SkySchool Team; Alex went to Chile for a month of acro Paragliding and ended up throwing his reserve twice, the footage of which can be seen here! Kester went to Venezuela and Rob escaped to India. We are now gearing up for 2012 and have plenty of plans:

Courses in the UK: April and August

This year is going to be slightly different as we are running 3 x UK courses over Easter in the UK from the 27th March to 15th April before heading over to Spain for May, June and July. This will be a good opportunity for those who can't make it to Spain to do some intensive training. We then return to the UK in August for 3 more weeks of training. Details and exact dates can be found here: http://www.skyschooluk.com/Courses/Paramotoring-Courses-UK/Paramotoring-Lessons-UK/

Courses in Spain: May, June and July

We will be in Spain for 3 months, 2 of which will be spent running Paramotoring courses from the 29th April until the 1st July. This is followed by a Paragliding course/trip for beginners right through to advanced pilots in Organya from the 1st - 8th July. For further information on the Paramotoring courses visit: http://www.skyschooluk.com/Courses/Paramotoring-Courses-Spain/Paramotoring-Lessons-Spain/

For further information on the Paragliding course visit: http://www.skyschooluk.com/courses/paragliding-lessons-spain/paragliding-courses-spain/

Off Road Motorbiking Tours: May, June and July

SkySchool's latest development for 2012 is the Off Road Motorbike Tours. We will have a small number of Honda XR 400s' and 250's as well as all necessary protective equipment in order to offer bespoke 1, 2, 3 and 6 day Tours of the eastern Pyrenees. Those of you who have visited us in Spain before already know what the location is like and will hopefully agree that the idea of Off Road Biking is a no brainer! For further information visit: http://www.skyschooluk.com/motorbike-tours/off-road-motorbiking-tours/

Flying and Biking Trips: July

This year SkySchool instructor Kester Haynes is organising the Rough Ride Bull Run which is an off Road Motorbiking Trip from the east to the west of Spain in time for the Pamplona Bull Run. The dates are 8th - 15th July. We will be providing a limited number of bikes and equipment for hire as well as a support vehicle for all personal kit, spares, tents etc. Anyone interested in coming on this trip should contact: kesterhaynes@yahoo.co.uk

We are then running a Paramotor Trip over the D Day beaches in France from the 26th - 30th July. For further information visit: http://www.skyschooluk.com/flying-trips/paramotor-battefield-tours/

We hope as many of you can join us on or several of courses and trips this year. We wish you all blue skies and safe landings for 2012.

SkySchool's November 2011 Newsletter

2011-11-25T23:53:00.005+01:00

The 2011 European season is now over and the SkySchool Team have either returned home or headed to warmer climates. Alex is in Chile doing some Acro Paragliding with the world Acro champion Pal Takats, Kester is working for Parajet in Wiltshire and Rob is about to go Paragliding in India.

We are already making plans for 2012 and the big thing for next year are our Off Road Motorbike Tours in the Pyrenees. We are all very excited about this new development as they are an excellent addition, not only do we have the ideal location for off roading but also the weather is no longer our main concern! Further information about these tours and the 2012 dates are now on the website.

We have also finalised our 2012 Paramotoring course dates in the UK and Spain. This year we will be running some pre season training courses in Mere, Wiltshire from the end of March until mid April. We then head to Spain for the Spring season from May until July.

We hope you have a good winter and look forward to seeing you in 2012, until then safe landings!

SkySchool's September Newsletter

2011-09-05T23:40:00.007+02:00

The Summer season in the UK for SkySchool ended in a fantastic way with over 20 students turning up on our last day of training in Mere on Monday 29th. The weather, although a little chilly, turned out to be pretty damn good for flying and allowed 15 of the 20 students to either Paraglide or Paramotor.

Alex and Rob then departed the UK in fine flyable weather on the 31st of August and set out on a 4 day Battlefield Tour. The Tour took in Dunkirk, Ypres, Messines Ridge, Vimy Ridge, The Somme and Verdun. The weather was truly amazing and Alex managed to fly at both Ypres and The Somme, where we managed to capture some great pictures and footage. We hope to do a similar Battlefield Tour next year after receiving so much positive feedback.

We are now in Spain and are running another Paragliding course in Organya before returning to Aerodromo Ordis for 6 more weeks of Paramotoring courses. Slots are still available in October so check out the website for further details. Until next time, blue skies and safe flying!

SkySchool's July 2011 Newsletter

2011-07-27T13:21:00.005+02:00

SkySchool is now back in the UK after a great 3 months in Spain. The weather turned out to be very agreeable, most of the time, especially in June when we returned to Organya to run a Paragliding course. Unfortunately the French weather was not so agreeable and we had to cancel the D Day trip however we did manage to get a few great days of Paragliding in at the Dune de Pyla before the low pressure system moved in.

The UK courses kick off in Mere on the 9th of August and the first 2 weeks are already fully booked. There are still some slots available on the 3rd and final course from the 23rd -28th August. After the UK courses we return to Spain and will be running two Paragliding courses, one from the 11th - 18th September and the other from the 2nd - 9th October, both at Organya.

We will also be running six Paramotor courses in Spain from the 18th September to the 30th October and slots are still available. It looks like we will be returning to Nepal at the beginning of 2012 to run some Paragliding trips so anyone interested should contact us.

SkySchool's June 2011 Newsletter

2011-05-30T13:02:00.006+02:00

We have been very busy over the past few weeks doing a lot of Paramotoring and Paragliding in some unusually warm weather! May got off to a good start when SkySchool MD Alex Ledger sat a private acro course at Lake Garda in Italy with world champion acro pilot Pal Takats. During the course Alex did his first ever tandem Paragliding flight as a passenger on Pal's unique 31m U-Turn Thriller which was a great experience. Footage of this flight and the rest of the course can be seen here.

May turned out to be a good month in Spain and even though the weather was not always perfect, we managed to do plenty of flying, especially at the beach where the sea breeze provided a nice laminar on shire wind making take offs very easy indeed. In the middle of May we headed inland to run a week of Paragliding training at Ager and Organya. The first two days were excellent and all six of us spent over an hour cruising the 15k cliffs at Ager right up until sunset. When the weather changed we decided to head to Organya which also allowed for plenty of flying and for Alex to practice the Acro maneuvers he had learnt with Pal.

We are all now back at Ordis and have just finished Paramotor course 5 which was a success. course 6 started today. The days are getting longer and warmer here and we have two more weeks of paramotor courses to run before we head back to Organya to run another week of Paragliding. The D Day trip has proven to be extremely popular however we still have a few slots available. UK courses kick off on the 9th August back in Mere so anyone keen for some UK flying should check out the website for more details.

SkySchool's April Newsletter

2011-04-03T17:52:00.011+02:00

The SkySchool team have now returned from Nepal after an excellent two months. There were only two days when we could not fly due to the weather! At the beginning of March we started teaching the British Adventurer Dave Cornthwaite who, along with Alex, plans to cross Nepal by Paraglider in 2013 as part of his Expedition 1000 project. He took to Paragliding naturally and by the end of the fortnight was out thermaling pilots with a lot more experience. We plan to continue his training in Europe once he has finished paddling down the Mississippi! This video is Part 2 of SkySchool's Paragliding Trip to Nepal.

SkySchool MD Alex Ledger is currently in the UAE discussing plans to set up SkySchool Dubai for 2012, so stay tuned for further info on this exciting development. After that he returns, along with Rob Furnival and Kester Haynes, to Spain in time for the Spring Paramotor season which kicks off on April 17th. Slots are still available so contact us to come join in the fun!

We are running 8 Paramotor courses and 2 Paragliding courses in Spain this season, before setting off on a road trip along the Pyrenees and up through France. We are then running a Paramotor Trip over the D day beaches from the 17th - 24th July. This will be an excellent opportunity for competent pilots to put their skills to good use and visit this historical location in an unique way. As ever slots are still available so contact us to reserve one!

Paragliding in Nepal and SkySchool 2011

2011-03-05T16:40:00.010+01:00

Well what a great few months we have been having! In January SkySchool MD Alex Ledger, along with instructors Kester Haynes, Rob Furnival and Ian Hadfield, spent 2 great weeks Paragliding near Pune in India with Avi Malik, owner of Temple Pilots Paragliding school, and an ex SkySchool paramotor student. After that we spent a week ridge soaring on the coast in Goa before Alex, Kester and Ian headed to Nepal. We have now spent 5 weeks in Pokhara, Nepal's Tourist capital, and have managed to fly every day bar two which is quite exceptional!

In Nepal we were joined by 10 other British pilots, some of whom joined us on a fantastic 3 day Paragliding expedition into the Himalayan foothills. In Pokhara we have taken full advantage of the lake for SIV and Acro training and after 3 weeks of practice Alex managed to complete his first vertical Rhythmic SATs! Alex has also been teaching the Adventurer Dave Cornthwaite, who has ambitions to cross Nepal by Paraglider in 2013 as part of his Expedition 1000 project.

The team return to the UK at the end of March and then Alex is off to Dubai again for some more Paramotor training. We then head back to Spain in time for the first course starting on April 17th. Slots are still available and there is a 10% discount for bookings before April so to book your space and save some cash visit the website or get in touch.

SkySchool's January 2011 Newsletter

2011-01-09T12:06:00.006+01:00

Well it's 2011 and the weather in the UK is crap so SkySchool MD Alex Ledger and CFI Kester Haynes are off to India and Nepal for 10 weeks of Paragliding! Alex visited Pokhara in Nepal last year and had such a good time that this year he and Kester are returning to run some Paragliding trips. Slots are still available for those who wish to escape the European winter!

The Spring 2011 courses in Spain are online and we are offering a 10% discount for bookings made before March 1st. For some reason the Spring courses tend to get booked up a lot quicker than the Autumn courses so if you want to save some cash and reserve your preferred slots get in touch sooner rather than later. The season kicks off on April 17th.

Alex recently spent 2.5 weeks in Dubai at the end of last year teaching some local Emiratis. The trip was not only a lot of fun but also a big eye opener as to the potential for a Paramotor school. There are currently plans afoot to set up SkySchool Dubai at the end of 2011, allowing us to run Paramotor courses all year round. Alex was was amazed by the consistency of the weather in Dubai and during the winter time the temperatures are an ideal 25 to 30 degrees centigrade, so not too hot yet not too cold. Watch this space for further info on our plans in the middle east!

SkySchool's December Blog

2010-11-29T09:37:00.005+01:00

So it's coming to the end of another year and the SkySchool Team have all now finally returned from Spain. We had our best Autumn season ever and as usual there were lots of ups and downs. Various Good, Bad, Ugly and Lazy moments have been turned into a YouTube film for all to see.

However, we are not hibernating in the UK this winter! Instead are off half way round the world to India and Nepal to run some Paragliding Trips where there are still some slots available. Before that SkySchool MD Alex Ledger is off to Dubai to run a Paramotor course and then after New Year Alex, Kester and SkySchool's new trainee instructor Ian Hadfield are off to India before moving on to Nepal. It is therefore going to be an action packed winter with lots of flying and adrenaline fueled activities!

We all return at the end of March in time to prepare for the Spring 2011 season which kicks off on April 17th in Spain. A 10% discount is on offer for those who book before 2011 so check out the website for further information.

Aerial Invasion Article, APPI Membership and Nepal Trip

2010-10-10T17:35:00.010+02:00

SkySchool has recently joined a new organisation called APPI which stands for the Association of Professional Paragliding Instructors. APPI was created by Swiss Acro pilot David Arrufat who is also the owner of Blue Sky Paragliding school based in Pokhara, Nepal. The association has been developed to offer international licenses to Paraglider pilots and instructors around the world and it's membership is growing everyday. SkySchool is proud to be associated with APPI and we plan to work closely with them this winter during our trip to Nepal. We we will be running 2 Paragliding Trips in February and March 2011 between the 13th February and 13th March 2011 and further information is available on the website.

SkySchool recently had an article published in the online AV8 Magazine. The article is all about our Epic Flying Trip through France which culminated in some fantastic flights over the D-Day beaches in Normandy. To view this article visit the SkySchool website.

SkySchool's October Newsletter

2010-10-09T16:53:00.016+02:00

Well we are half way through our Autumn 2010 Paramotoring courses out here in Spain and so far the weather has been pretty good. We had a good journey down through France and ended up at Organya in the Pyrenees which is Paragliding Acro heaven and somewhere we hope to spend a lot of time in the future. Alex Ledger and Ian Hadfield made a short video of the Road Trip Mark II.

After a week of Paramotoring in Spain we headed to St Hilaire to run a Paragliding Holiday during the for the Coupe Icare festival. There were 3 fantastic days where we did a lot of flying however during the festival itself the weather was not so good. After returning to Spain at the end of September the weather was ideal for more Paramotoring and also some skydiving. Both Ian Hadfield and Nick Clyde Smith sat an AFF Skydiving course and also joined us for some more Paragliding in Organya (it's a very addictive place!).

Further more we were reunited with Kester Haynes who has recently sat and passed the first stage of his BHPA Paramotor Instructor course. By next year we hope Kester will be able to offer the BHPA Paramotor Pilot license to SkySchool students. The Autumn season comes to close at the end of October and after a brief stint in the UK over Christmas both Alex Ledger and Kester Haynes head for India and Nepal from January until the end of March. They both return to Spain in mid April in time for the Spring 2011 courses which kick off on April 17th. To reserve a slot and save 10% by placing a booking before 2011 contact us.

SkySchool's Collaboration with Shelter Box

2010-08-24T00:22:00.005+02:00

In July 2010 the SkySchool Team sat a 2 day Associate course with the disaster relief agency Shelter Box. The course went very well and Shelter Box have recently published a short article on their website about our work together. We hope this will lead to future work with Shelter Box on disaster relief projects around the world.

Time to Return to Spain!

2010-08-22T10:13:00.001+02:00

With the current UK weather forecast it has become time for the SkySchool Team to pack up the vehicles and return to Spain! The past 6 weeks in the UK has been great fun, although at times slightly frustrating due to the variable weather. This said we still managed to get over 20 students airborne under a Paraglider and 6 students with a Paramotor. We also managed to get some great pictures over the past few weeks. However, we are all very much looking forward to our return to Spain!

The first course starts on the 5th September, this is then followed by a week of Paragliding between the 12th and 19th September at St Hilaire near Grenoble. This coincides with the famous Coupe Icare which is Europe's largest festival of free flight. We then return to Spain for another 6 weeks of Paramotoring in the adventure sports capital of Europe. After that it will be time to escape the European winter but not before we have returned to the UK for a few weeks in November. Anyone who wants to extend their summer and come flying with us in Spain should get in touch soon!

SkySchool's Summer So Far

2010-07-27T17:47:00.011+02:00

The SkySchool team are now firmly back in the UK however we have not yet had to exchange our T-shirts and shorts for jumpers and trousers just yet! Last week eight of us went down to Cornwall for a two day Disaster Relief course with Shelter Box. The course was a huge success and we are now planning to use Paramotors alongside aid agencies for aerial recce, filming and photography purposes. Dan Tye from Pilot magazine also attended and is currently in the process of writing what will no doubt be a very interesting article, so watch this space....

SkySchool has also employed the services of the multi talented Olivia Bolesworth who is a Graphic Design student at UWE, Bristol. Olivia is also a keen Paraglider pilot and has managed to get some great shots of various flying activities around Dorset. She will continue to add her work to SkySchool's Picasa Albums throughout the summer.

The first of three UK courses in Mere, Wiltshire kick off next Tuesday 3rd August and the 1st week is already fully booked; fingers crossed for some decent weather then!!! After that we return to Spain for 8 more weeks of Paramotoring and Paragliding. So, now you know what we have been up to and what we have planned come join in the fun!

Back in the UK!

2010-07-12T20:01:00.003+02:00

SkySchool has now returned to the UK after an Epic Road Trip through France. During the two and half week trip we went Paragliding, Skydiving, Paramotoring and even flew in a Helicopter! The highlight was the end of the trip when we flew along the D-Day beaches in Normandy, something SkySchool MD Alex Ledger has wanted to do for over 5 years! We managed to get lots of photos and video footage. We now hope to return to Normandy next year to run a Paramotor Trip.

We are now back in the UK and will be running 3 weeks of courses in Mere, Wiltshire. Hopefully the weather will be good and we will be able to do lots of flying before returning to Spain at the end of August to run the Autumn courses. In the meantime do keep an eye on the website and anyone in the Mere area is welcome to join us and come flying!

June Newsletter

2010-06-06T16:59:00.005+02:00

Wow, what a fantastic few weeks we have had in Spain! The weather has been ideal and we have been doing a lot of flying. The last week in May saw 6 new students take to the air both from the beach and the airfield. In the first week in June we ran a special course for some British Army officers from the Light Dragoons as well as two accomplished expedition leaders, Al Humphreys and Neil Laughton. Al, who spent 4 years cycling round the world, made an excellent film of his experiences and also took some great photos. He plans to write an article as well!

We now have 2 weeks left in Spain before heading to the Alps for 3 weeks of Paragliding which should be truly awesome! UK courses kick off in Mere in August. Till next time.....

SkySchool's May Newsletter

2010-05-18T12:06:00.005+02:00

SkySchool's Spring 2010 season did not get off to a great start when the Icelandic Volcano only allowed 3 out 7 students to arrive on time for course 1. However, when everyone did turn up the weather was on our side and we managed to do some flying. April was a particularly hot month with a maximum temperature of 29 degrees! We therefore thought that May was going to follow suit, how wrong we were! The first two weeks in May saw the temperature plummet to 15 degrees due to strong winds and heavy rain. We were teaching some Omani Paratroopers who were not used to such extreme weather, amazingly however we still managed to find some windows of opportunity and they all flew. We have 4 more courses to run followed by a week's XC/SIV Paragliding course in Annecy and then a 2 week Paragliding road trip in France, Switzerland and Italy!

The UK courses have been confirmed and this year we are only running three, all of which will take place in August. After this we return to Spain for another 8 weeks of Paramotoring and 1 week of Paragliding in France. Fingers crossed for a good English summer and we hope to see lots more pilots in the sky soon!

Articles about SkySchool in the March edition of AV8 Magazine

2010-03-01T19:14:00.003+01:00

This month there are two articles featuring SkySchool in AV8 Magazine. The first article, on page 15, is a news section about SkySchool's involvement in developing a Paramotor First Response team to assist aid agencies and humanitarian organisations in the event of natural disasters. The second article, starting on page 38, is all about Alex Ledger's Paragliding trip to Nepal.

To view these articles you simply need to subscribe to AV8 Magazine free of charge.

SkySchool's February 2010 Newsletter

2010-02-13T11:33:00.004+01:00

The days are getting longer and Spring is on its ways, which means the 2010 flying season is about to kick off! During the winter the SkySchool Team have dispersed throughout the world to either escape the British weather or hibernate! Alex spent 3 weeks Paragliding in Nepal and pictures of this trip can be found on the SkySchool Picasa site. A few articles will follow shortly describing this epic trip and next year he hopes to run some trips there! Kester returned to Parajet and has been involved in developing the new Rotron Paramotor. Rob returned to his farm in Shropshire to start work developing his barns and Harry got a job with an African Safari company. However, we are all very much looking forward to returning to Spain in time for the first course starting on the 18th April. The first 2 weeks in Spain have already been booked up however we still have availability throughout the whole of May and June. For exact dates we suggest you visit the Beginners/Intermediate page on the website or contact us directly.

Towards the end of June we are running some Paragliding Trips in Annecy, France. these are designed for existing pilots who wish to develop their knowledge and ability with the wing by sitting an SIV and XC course. The UK season kicks off in the middle of July and we plan to run 5 weeks of beginner courses until the end of August when we return to Spain.

We believe that 2010 is going to be a great year and wish everyone Blue Skies and Safe Landings!

SkySchool November Newsletter

2009-11-18T12:44:00.005+01:00

The 2009 season has now come to an end and the SkySchool Team have all returned to the UK. The 6 courses we ran in Spain this Autumn were all fully booked and we managed to do lots of flying. As expected we had plenty of ups and downs with some students being unlucky with the weather. The final course at the end of October had probably the best weather and allowed us to fly all day everyday!

The 2010 course dates for Spain and the UK are now on the website. We have already started to take bookings due to the 10% discount which is on offer until December 31st 2009. To take advantage of this offer simply contact us to book a Paramotoring course before 2010.

Spain courses start on April 18th and run until June the 20th. We then head to Annecy in France to run 2 weeks of Paragliding courses, including a 3 day SIV course. UK courses will then kick off in Mere on July 13th and run until August 22nd. This is followed by another week of Paragliding in Annecy and then 8 weeks back in Spain starting on September 5th.

In the meantime SkySchool MD Alex Ledger is training in Mere, when the weather allows, until January when he is off to Nepal for some Paragliding, a location which may become a winter destination for SkySchool. Kester Haynes has returned to Parajet for the winter and intends to spend Christmas Paragliding in Morocco. Rob Furnival is at home on the farm with his dog Mellie, converting his barns into cottages. Harry Hayes has now left SkySchool to join the army and we would like to wish him the best of luck in his new career. The rest of us are all thoroughly looking forward to next season, especially after such a fun and successful 2009. Autumn 2009 Video

Daredevils: SkyCar Expedition on Channel 4 at 10.00pm on Tuesday 20th October

2009-10-20T11:22:00.006+02:00

The SkyCar Expedtion is featuring in a program called Daredevils on Tuesday 20th October at 10.00pm on Channel 4. SkySchool MD Alex Ledger played a key role in advising Neil Laughton on the SkyCar's first flights up to 1000ft which took place from the SkySchool HQ, Aerodromo Ordis, in Spain on 22nd January 2009. Don't miss this exciting documentary of the pioneering expedition from London to Timbuktu!

SkySchool's September Newsletter

2009-09-22T16:29:00.007+02:00

SkySchool has been very busy lately hence the lack of updates. We had a very enjoyable, yet extremely wet and windy, 6 weeks training in Mere, Wiltshire. When the weather allowed us we made the most of the conditions and did a lot of flying, particularly ridge soaring on the Mere downs which was great fun! While Alex, Kester, Rob and Harry were in the UK, Dean Eldridge competed in the Paramotor World Championships in the Czech Republic and came 10th which was an amazing achievement!

At the beginning of the month SkySchool returned to what is fast becoming their 3rd training location, Lake Annecy in the French Alps, for a Paragliding Holiday. The trip was designed for those who had already completed either a Paragliding or Paramotoring course and it proved to be a great success. The conditions were ideal and we flew every day and plan to return in June 2009 for not only a Paragliding Holiday but also an SIV course.

After the Paragliding Holiday Alex, Dean and Kester went to the 'Coupe Icare' festival of flight in St Hilaire, near Grenoble. The festival was great fun and we flew with several hundred other pilots at the same time which was unnerving yet quite an experience. We have now returned to Spain in search of some sun and have kicked off the first of 6 Paramotoring courses. We still have some availability at the end of October so those who are looking to get flying before the winter sets in should visit the SkySchool website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZo9ru_XcSg

Dean Eldrige comes 10th in the World Championships

2009-08-19T23:14:00.003+02:00

SkySchool would like to congratulate Dean Eldridge on becoming the highest placed Englishman in this year's World Paramotor Championships held in the Czech Republic earlier this month. The British Team came second overall and Dean came 10th which was an amazing achievement considering he only started competing in June this year! We wish him the best of luck in the future and hope to see him on the podium one of these days.

Dean Eldridge joins the British PPG Team

2009-07-02T11:24:00.005+02:00

SkySchool instructor, Dean Eldridge, has successfully managed to secure a place in the British PPG Team after coming 5th at the recent British Nationals. SkySchool would like to congratulate Dean on this achievement made all the more impressive considering it was his first ever Paramotor competition! We wish him the best of luck in the forthcoming World Paramotor Championships which start on 31st July and run until 9th August taking place in the Czech Republic. Further information about Dean and the rest of the British Team can be found on the British Paramotor Team website: www.britishteam.com

Kim Vande Velde's 'Paramotoring is for Girls' Article

2009-06-25T12:26:00.005+02:00

This month's AV8 Magazine is now out and features an excellent article by Kim Vande Velde about her experiences learning to Paramotor. The 10 page article can be found on page 28 in the current issue of the free online magazine: www.av8magazine.com