Hawaii Paragliding

Welcome!

One of your best activity options for your stay in Hawaii is to take an instructional paragliding tandem flight. The views are amazing, and you will experience Hawaii from a very unique perspective.

If you are lucky to live on Oahu and want to learn how to safely fly a paraglider, Hawaii Paragliding offers courses to get you certified and comfortable in the air at your own pace.

Already certified and visiting our beautiful island? Hawaii Paragliding has the best site guide team and can share their local weather knowledge and other skills thru our clinics.

Feel free to check our website to learn more about us. Here you can find some hookups for gear, places to stay and more!

Tandem Flights

On a Tandem Paragliding Adventure you will be able to experience the thrill and exuberance of flying over beautiful Hawai’i. The majestic mountains of the Koolau Range carved by fire, water and wind create unique topography that will take your breath away. Flying over the blue turquoise waters will reveal abundant coral reefs and marine life that can be best seen from above. Entice your senses and rejuvenate your soul! From the moment your feet leave the launch you will feel the pure joy and satisfaction only a tandem paragliding flight can provide. No noisy engines, crazy jumps or free falls. Just the peaceful trade winds gently embracing our wing as we walk into the air. Go ahead, grab your phone and schedule your tandem flying with us by calling 808-779-9013 . If you need more info, keep on reading. 😉

You will be flying with an experienced USHPA (United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association – www.USHPA.org) certified tandem instructor. He will check the wing, gear and connections in preparations for launch. Then he will use the wind to inflate the wing above your heads into flying mode and, together, you will walk into the skies. The flight should last approximately forty-five minutes in the air. During the flight you can sit back, relax and enjoy the views, take pictures or even give it a try on the controls and steer the glider (if conditions allow). Landing is just as easy. Flying away from the ridge you will slowly start to descend as your instructor pilot prepares you for landing. He will slow down the aircraft’s speed as you gently touch the ground on your feet.

At higher altitudes it can get a little chilly. For your comfort, we recommend wearing pants and a light jacket (or long sleeve shirt). You may also want to bring camera, sunglasses, sunscreen and a water bottle. Be prepared – wear good shoes or hiking boots, no “slippahs” please! It is very likely you will be required to do a short hike (15-20 min) up the hill to the launch area caring a 20 lbs backpack. There are no age restrictions (but we recommend to be between 10 and 80 years and in good health conditions), only weight limits: 55 to 220lbs. Please let us know your weight ahead of time. A waiver must be signed (parents must be present and sign for children under 18 years). Follow your instructor’s commands at all times. Reserve at least two hours for the whole fun filled adventure.

Flying a paraglider is a unique experience and best shared with friends! Let us know how many people are in your party so that we can arrange more tandem pilots to share the sky at the same time and take air-to-air pictures of each other.

We are very lucky to be in beautiful Hawai’i. The trade winds are ideal for flying and prevail all year round, but sometimes it can be a bit too strong or not the right direction. Sorry, we do not have control over Mother Nature and, for your safety, we won’t fly on those rare days.



Call us at 808-779-9013 or e-mail bRay@hawaiiparagliding.com to make your reservation.

Instructions

“The most fun you can have without feathers.” ~ Bob Johnson

Become a Certified Paraglider Pilot!

We love flying in all aspects, and getting others to enjoy flying safely is part of our passion for the sport. It is so gratifying and rewarding to see a new pilot take to the air as we share the highs of the first flights as our own.

If you want to take it to the next level (literally) to fly solo, you are in the right place! It is recommended to take an introductory class (basics of kite handling) and tandem flight to find out what the sport is about, what it takes to fly and even if it is for you. This package is priced at $300 and will be credited towards your certification class if you decide to join.

When you sign up to learn with us, you are making a commitment to the instructors, other pilots but above all to yourself! It is a commitment to be as safe as possible and to use the knowledge shared with you to make the best decisions at each step along the way. Paragliding is a safe sport if practiced within limits. The inherent dangers are minimized when good judgment is practiced. You will find great support from other pilots and a group of people who will welcome you to the “community” as family! I must say, one of the best benefits from paragliding are the friends you will make: a strong bond with those who share the air.

Learning how to fly takes time and we will be there for you, no matter how long it takes because your safety is our utmost concern. The P-1, P-2, P-3 USHPA certification package costs $1800 and includes ground handling gear and classes, 4 tandem flights, one day of towing and the flying related theory classes, which covers interesting topics as aerodynamics, gear and meteorology. By the time you are ready to take to the air, you should have purchased your own gear, which can cost from $2000 to $5000+ and should give you years of enjoyment. Don’t get ripped off on cheap intertnet sales. It is very important to let us help find the proper and adequate gear for you. We can get you virtually any brand. Additionally, we are the dealers for Sol Paragliders and we can guarantee the best prices on Sol Paragliders products.

Paragliding is the most affordable way to fly and one of the most fun. Come and learn how to fly with us!

Information on paragliding from USHPA (United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association).



Call us at 808-779-9013 or e-mail bRay@hawaiiparagliding.com to make your reservation.

Site Guide

E komo mai, let’s go fly!

Hire a local instructor to have peace of mind and explore oahu’s flying sites safely.

If you are already a Certified Pilot, the Hawaii Paragliding Association asks you to be a current USHPA member holding a P-2 or higher rating and to sign the HPA waiver. Our Certified Instructors/Observers can issue you a 30 day membership to USHPA if you carry an International License and help you with all the paperwork required to fly here. If you are interested, we can arrange a certification clinic and get you USHPA certified!

The advantages of hiring an instructor on your next PG trip to Hawai’i are:

• “Chase” less, fly more
• In depth site introduction so you will feel comfortable to fly the rest of your trip or on the next one
• Dedicated eyes and ears on YOU, to increase safety and enjoyment of your flight
• Radios with charged batteries so you can communicate with Instructors, other pilots and your family members on land
• We will work in your schedule (you won’t be by yourself or waiting on a local pilot to fly)
• Access to wind sensors (without paying for the membership yourself) and knowledge of local weather patterns
• Cooler with cold beverages provided

P-2 and P-3 prices: $200 for the first 4 hours of instruction (minimum) and $25 per hour thereafter. This is YOUR 4 hours. We recommend using the first hour for ground handling (Kiting), the next 2 hours to site intro, getting to launch and in the air and the last hour to fly, land and debrief. If you feel you need a little more, let our instructors take you to the air and SHOW you where to and not to go, how to approach for landing and for more support, you can add a tandem instructional flight for $100 (highly recommended for new P-2’s / hourly rates still apply).

P-4 prices: $100 for the first 2 hours of instruction (minimum) and $25 per hour thereafter. Sorry, no kiting included, but available as the same P-2 and P-3 prices.

Multiple days, shuttle services and group packages available.



Call us at 808-779-9013 or e-mail bRay@hawaiiparagliding.com to make your reservation.

Clinics

Get ready to improve your skills!

At Hawaii Paragliding we believe in continued education and improvement of skills. That’s why we offer kiting clinics for both advanced and beginner levels. Learn different ways to control your kite and test what works best for you in different conditions. Become a safer pilot and boost your launch, landing techniques as well as your overall flying enjoyment.

One-on-one lessons are available at $200 for the first 4 hours (minimum) and $25 per hour thereafter (per day) and are suitable for any Pilot level. Add a Tandem Instructional flight for $100 (hourly rates still apply). Use it as a kiting course, a refresher for your memory and skills or both! If you are an USHPA member holding a valid card, taking lessons and/or already certified and just want to do an Instructional Tandem Flight, for $150 we can show you where to fly, where not to fly, landing approaches and let you fly the glider for most of the flight so you can get used to be in command of a paraglider with the added safety of an instructor launching, landing and being right next to you for the whole duration of the flight answering any related questions.

No matter what your level is, we can tailor the clinic for your specific needs.



Call us at 808-779-9013 or e-mail bRay@hawaiiparagliding.com to make your reservation.

Gear

“It is time to fly, get your gear and go!” ~ Thomas “Sidehill” Therrien

We are importer/dealers for Sol Paragliders, guaranteeing you the best prices.

Due to an agreement with the manufacturer, SOL products must be delivered to a Hawaii address.

If you enjoy playing in the wind as much as we do and kitesurf, contact us for kitesurfing gear.



Call us at 808-779-9013 or e-mail bRay@hawaiiparagliding.com to make your reservation.

About Us

Hawaii Paragliding is your best choice for lessons, tandem flights, gear and all things paragliding related.

We are enthusiastic and passionate about the sport and its participants, pushing us to learn and practice more so we can become better pilots ourselves before we share our knowledge and skills with you, thriving to raise the levels of flying satisfaction, fun and safety. That concept was created a while ago by my friend and pilot “Big” Bob Johnson (in memory). We enjoyed kiting with friends and pushing each other’s limits to become better, safer pilots. Other friend pilots joined us and started asking us to demonstrate techniques, so we decided to attend an instructor certification course together just so we could be better at sharing our knowledge with fellow pilot friends in Hawaii. Joining us for this search was Maui pilot “Woody”, so the three of us went to San Diego to learn with the Jebb Family… As demand grew and new people wanted to join the club and become pilots I started teaching and certifying new pilots later on. With Woody back on the island of Oahu, there was no better time for us to join forces again and together help others discover the love for flying. Understanding the wind and wing behavior takes years to master! Let us be your guide to get you started with this fun challenge.

Raimar “Brazilian Ray” van den Bylaardt II At young age I discovered this little reef behind our surf break in Rio (Brazil) and I had a great time taking my friends there and introducing them to this new environment. Soon after I became a diving instructor. After moving to Hawaii and still working as a diver, I found a new passion: flying a paraglider! Sure enough I wanted to share this new love with all my friends and soon after I became a paragliding instructor. I really enjoy sharing the skies with friends old and new. The bonds created by those who dare to leave the ground and walk on air are very strong and keeps me coming for more!

I started paragliding in 2002 and became an instructor in 2006 (current USHPA member 80677). I love flying tandems even more than I do solo, it is such a good feeling to introduce this new dimension to people and to talk story! I currently work in production (movies, TV shows and commercials). it can keep me busy at times, making me miss being high in the sky or in the water. As soon as I get a chance, I go out and play. If the winds are strong, I go kitesurfing: the perfect combination of getting some airtime, flying a kite, being in the water and hit the surf at the same time 😉 I am married to my soulmate Noell (yes, love at first sight) and together we raise our baby girl Liliana Kailani. Even though I miss family and friends in Brazil, a little over ten years ago I made Hawaii my home because I love it here! It is beautiful, warm and the people makes it even more special. Come fly with me so we can share the sky, the beauty of Hawaii and talk story 🙂



Call us at 808-779-9013 or e-mail bRay@hawaiiparagliding.com to make your reservation.