Summer session

Summer session To register for paragliding lessons in South Taiwan with USHPA certified instructor, contact: Malcolm Vargas, aka: 馬太乙 ( Who?) 0911 158 352 E mail nomomafan@yahoo.com www.flytaiwan.4T.com
New pilot paragliding training schedule:

what	when	Where
Ground school, text book, movies	6/9 – 6/10	Kaohsiung Long 16 Park Bo Ai 1^st Rd , GPS 22.658686, 120.30230	Ping tung Kaoping Bridge Park GPS 22.650849, 120.441971	Tainan Sa Fong Elementary School, near HSR
Ground school, kiting
First flights	6/16 – 6/19	Puli, Hu To San, GPS 23.963451, 120.989336	Saijya, Sandimen, Pingtung County GPS 22.750573, 120.649754
Tuition: 18,000 NT ( ask about group rates ) Includes: 詉 equipment rental 詉 1 tandem instructional flight 詉 local ground transportation 詉 a carefully developed syllabus modeled after the USHPA and Torrey Pines Glider Port, S.D. CA, USA, Beginner training and half way into the Novice level training ( WHY?) 詉 USHPA Certified coach 詉 ground training 詉 kiting skills 詉 theories of flight 詉 weather ( when to fly ) 詉 flight safety 詉 risk management 詉 equipment orientation ( inspection, glider types, maintenance, safety ) 詉 takeoff and landing to proficiency in low and medium wind 詉 directional control 詉 control of ascent and descent rate 詉 rapid decent techniques 詉 emergency procedures 詉 psychological variables involved in flight and in extreme sports 詉 certification USHPA Beginner level
The sequence of pictures on the left, a pilot demonstrates inflation, and take off at Hu To San, Puli, Nantou County, at the Heart of Taiwan. We also fly at over 25 other sites around the island. We operate at ground training sites around the island chosen to meet student demand. Puli is our main flight training site because: 1 WE CONTROL IT. 2 long wide, shallow grassy slope provides SAFE, confident take off and landing on top. 3 Steady air flow and same wind direction all year round 4 cabins, camp site, bathroom, kitchen, bar, BBQ, etc 5 large landing zone at the bottom and at the top.
Why do we insist on training beyond the USHPA beginner rating, and into novice skills? Due to the perpetual lack of understanding, development and responsibility of sport aviation among the flying public, it is essential that foreign pilots be trained beyond the skills and knowledge necessary to fly in first world countries. For example, Sites are not rated according to their skill level requirement Sites are not managed for safety “Economically overzealous “ coaches attempt to exploit pilots and/or intimidate them Advanced rated and coaches perpetuate outdated information or misinformation The Rules of the Air are not understood by many pilots and/or are simply neglected. Some sites have just too many pilots or coaches. Landing zones are small Take off zones are much smaller than they should be Take off zones are crowded with spectators and vendors Taiwan has only 2 sites that might be rated beginner sites. All others are Intermediate or above. These and other factors create conditions where pilots need to be well informed and make fast decisions. This requires more thorough training can is provided in the beginner curriculum.
Who am I? Born in NYC, I came to Taiwan in 1986, taught ESL, traded machines, learned Chinese, volunteered for various NGO’s, learned to fly in Taitung in 1999. I saw that in paragliding, the training, techniques and technology were far behind the times and decided to assist the technology transfer. This led Yuri Human, my partner, S.A. and myself to acquire a piece of land at the Heart of Taiwan and open a pg school where local and foreign pilots can work/play together in a spirit of cooperation, not competition; mutual respect and friendship, not exploitation, sharing skills and information, not sequestering knowledge; promoting safety and knowledge, not intimidation and machoism… exploring paragliding as a leisure activity, not as a death wish. If you are keen to share our experiences, lifestyle at one with nature, in an intelligent, safe, cooperative manner, welcome. ( Give my wife her first instructional tandem flight. )