Coaching

Showing your Colours

If you have just qualified as a Club Pilot, many congratulations, but you still have a lot to learn. The gap between school and becoming an established member of a club is probably when you are at your most vulnerable. To ease you into the club safely, we have a number of coaches to help you.

As it is important to identify low air time pilots in the air, everybody with fewer than ten hours soaring experience is actively encouraged to display a red streamer, attached to the kingpost on hang gliders, and from the bottom of the harness on paragliders.

Club Coaches

Club coaches are good and trusty people who have volunteered to help BHPA qualified or registered new pilots in the Club and to ensure that there is a friendly face on the hill. A list of current club coaches is printed in Skywords magazine and on the member's forum area of the website. If you are newly qualified then don’t be afraid to get in touch with the nearest coach to you and try to arrange to fly together. They are available to witness the tasks involved in the BHPA pilot rating scheme, and can offer advice on the same. For visiting pilots who might need a bit of advice, please get in contact with the club and we can find a coach for you.

Coaching Days

During the summer the Chief Coach organises a coaching day occasionally. The actual date is weather dependant. If you are newly qualified, un-current or in need of assistance then register with the Chief Coach and he will let you know of the next likely event.

Becoming a Club Coach

The post of Club Coach is not a flying qualification. A BHPA Club Coach is qualified to Club Pilot standard and has shown a willingness to help developing pilots improve their ability. He/she should be of a mature outlook, with unquestionable integrity, and sound flying experience. If you would like to be considered for a position, you should make the fact known to the Chief Coach. It is essential that applicants examine their motives beforehand.

Staying Current

Probably the most common contributing factor to paragliding and hang gliding accidents is a lack of currency.

We all know the feeling: the winter, the weather, work commitments and family have all contributed to keeping us off the hill; until now. No matter how experienced you are, it is inevitable that your skills will have slipped. It probably happens more to pilots with less overall experience – but it can happen to anyone.

So, how do we go about getting back into the air safely?

• Get back into things gently – a few shorter soaring flights in easier conditions on a site you are familiar with.
• Get some help or advice from club coaches – and join the club coaching group.
• Go back to school. Most schools will welcome back former students for a refresher; they may not even charge!
• Avoid spring thermals until you are back on form.
• Avoid adding to the difficulty by introducing new kit when you’re rusty.
  
  

Helpful resources

• Winter Coaching and Flying
• Coach's Checklist
• Coachee's Checklist
• Exam Revison Material  This link takes you to the revision material I currently hold. I'll update and add to as I dig out new stuff.
• Video playlist of instructional/learning videos
• Understanding GPS and pressure altitude   (excellent youtube video)
• CP to XC - joint CSC/DHPC one day course (Ed's powerpoint presentation)
• Broadening Horizons  - (another of Ed's ppt presentations)
• Defined Flying Challenges (Downloads page) in the Lakes, Dales and Pennines. Add extra spice to your flying.
• DFC - The presentation - (NHPC) and (PSC) .... both very similar.
• DHPC - Lakes routes and video night (video's won't work!)
• CP and P rated exam questions. An excellent warm-up set of questions to try pre the exam.
• Groundhandling video (good tips)
• Test yourself   take the test and see how much you know - Pilot exam standard.
• XC from the Dales - Pete Logan club night talk slides
• Strong Winds - A PowerPoint presentation by Ed Cleasby, originally presented on Zoom in Apr 2020.

 

DHPC Club Coaches at August 2024. To make contact, use the coach list in the member's forum coaching section for email/telephone details.

Club coaches