🚀 The Discovery Flight: How a Tandem Paragliding Baptism Works
Get ready for an unforgettable experience! Tandem paragliding is accessible to everyone and requires no prior experience. Your instructor will take care of everything. Here’s how your adventure will unfold, step by step:
🤝 Welcome and Briefing
Dès votre arrivée sur le lieu de rendez-vous, vous êtes pris en charge par votre pilote professionnel.
- Introduction: Your instructor introduces himself, checks the current weather conditions and answers all your questions.
- Equipment: You are equipped with a helmet and a harness (the comfortable seat in which you will be seated during the flight).
- Instructions: The pilot will clearly explain the few safety instructions, mainly focused on the takeoff phase, which is the most important.
🏃 Takeoff: A Smooth and Rapid Flight
This is the key moment, often the most impressive for the passenger, but always very simple!
- Preparation: The pilot sets up and checks the wing on the ground behind you. He then securely attaches you to his own harness.
- Quick briefing: for a smooth takeoff, landing information will be given to you during the flight.
- Acceleration: At the instructor’s signal, you walk, then run for a few meters depending on the conditions. The passenger’s role is to absolutely not stop running until they are airborne and not to sit down until the instructor tells them to.
- The Takeoff: In just a few strides, the sail inflates, gently lifts you off the ground, and you’re airborne! The sensation is smooth, no freefall, just a transformation of running into gliding flight.
🦅 Flight: Magic and Serenity
Once airborne, stress gives way to wonder. You are comfortably seated in your harness, as if in a suspended armchair.
- Piloting: Your instructor pilots the wing using the controls to steer and search for updrafts (“thermals”) to prolong the flight.
- The Sensations: The sound of the wind is your only companion. An incredible silence allows you to fully appreciate the 360° view. You fly over landscapes, volcanoes, mountains, lakes, and valleys.
- Options: If you wish and if conditions permit, the pilot can let you experience the sensations of “taking the controls” (you briefly hold the brakes) or some dynamic turns (small accelerations).
🛬 The Landing: Return to Dry Land
Landing is as simple as taking off.
- Approach: The pilot steers the wing towards the intended landing area.
- Touchdown: In the final meters, you raise your legs. Upon contact with the ground, it is sometimes necessary to take a few more steps to slow down the momentum before coming to a complete stop.
- The final word: The pilot unbuckles you and stows the paraglide. You’ve just experienced your first flight!
Total experience duration: Allow approximately 1.5 to 2 hours on site, including the ascent, briefing, and takeoff. Flight duration: The actual flight time varies depending on the chosen package and weather conditions.
🎒 Preparing for Your Flight: Clothing and Equipment
Paragliding is a very comfortable experience, but it is crucial to adapt your clothing to fully enjoy the moment:
🧥 Clothing: Don’t forget the diapers!
Even in the middle of summer, the temperature at altitude (and the speed of movement of about 30 to 40 km/h) generates a relative wind that can make you feel cold.
- The Top: Plan on several layers. A T-shirt, a sweater, and especially a windproof jacket (like a K-Way or a light down jacket) are highly recommended. It’s better to be too warm and be able to remove a layer than to be cold in the air!
- The Bottom: Long trousers are ideal for your comfort and to protect you during takeoff and landing. Avoid shorts, even in warm weather.
- The Little Extras: Sunglasses are highly recommended for the comfort of your eyes.
👟 Footwear: Safety First
This is the most important element for takeoff and landing.
- Required: Closed shoes, preferably high-tops (like sneakers or hiking boots).
- To Avoid: Flip-flops, sandals, or high heels are strictly prohibited for your safety.
🎥 Souvenir Option: Your Flight in HD Video!
The emotion of your first flight is a magical moment that you will definitely want to share.
🎬 Capture the Moment
To relive and share this unique experience, your monitor is equipped with an onboard Full HD and/or 360° camera mounted on a telescopic pole.
This option allows you to save:
- The excitement of the first few seconds of flight.
- Your face in close-up with the panorama in the background.
- Spectacular panoramic views of the landscape below.
💾 How does it work?
- Purchase: The video option is offered as an extra at the time of booking or on site.
- Delivery: At the end of the day, the monitor will send you via your email a download link containing the raw photos and videos or, the videos already edited depending on the option chosen.
✨ BONUS: Some of our packages even include professional video editing with music and effects for an even more polished keepsake, perfect for social media!
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Fly with Confidence
We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions here so that you can book your tandem flight with complete peace of mind.
🛡️ Safety and Supervision
1. Is tandem paragliding dangerous?
Tandem paragliding is one of the safest and easiest forms of free flight. The risk is extremely low because:
- Our pilots are certified professionals with thousands of hours of solo and tandem flight experience.
- The weather is our top priority. We only fly when weather conditions (wind, absence of rain or turbulence) are optimal and approved by the pilot. If we cancel, it is for your safety.
- Equipment: We exclusively use tandem flight equipment that is certified, inspected and regularly renewed in accordance with the most stringent European standards.
2. Does the pilot have specific certification for Lanzarote?
Yes. All our pilots are certified and have extensive knowledge of the local microclimates and take-off sites in Lanzarote. This local expertise is essential for choosing the safest and most enjoyable site each day.
3. I get dizzy. Is that a problem?
Surprisingly, no. Vertigo is a sensation linked to the connection between your feet and the ground. When paragliding, you are in the air, disconnected from the ground, in a comfortable seated position. The sensation is one of gliding, not falling. The majority of our passengers who suffer from vertigo do not experience it at all during flight.
🏃 Flight Sequence and Sensations
4. What is the most difficult part of flying?
The most ‘active’ part is take-off. Your pilot will ask you to run a few steps. Once the wing inflates above you, the effort required is minimal. The pilot controls the wing; you just have to follow the instructions until your feet leave the ground.
5. What happens during landing?
The landing is fairly gentle. Your pilot will slow down the wing for a smooth landing. All you have to do is stand up in your harness and walk slowly, or even run a step or two, onto the beach (such as La Enramada or El Socorro). It is often compared to a small jump off a stool.
6. Can I control the paraglider?
Absolutely! If conditions allow and if you wish, your pilot will be happy to let you briefly take the controls for a memorable flying experience. You will have complete control over the experience, including whether you prefer a calm flight or a few small manoeuvres for thrills (dynamic turns).
Criteria and Accessibility
7. Are there any age or weight restrictions?
- Weight: Generally between a minimum of 30 kg and a maximum of 110 kg, depending on the passenger’s physical condition. This limit is strict for safety reasons related to the capacity of the wing and take-off/landing performance. Contact us if you are close to this limit.
- Age: We generally accept passengers aged 3 years and above (with parental consent) and there is no upper age limit, as long as you are able to run a few steps.
8. Is a particular level of physical fitness required?
No. You just need to be able to walk on slightly uneven ground and run 5 to 10 metres to take off. If you have mobility issues, please let us know when booking so that we can choose the most accessible take-off site.
9. What should I wear?
Prévoyez des chaussures de sport fermées pour le décollage et l’atterrissage. Un pantalon long et un coupe-vent sont recommandés, car il fait plus frais en altitude, surtout si nous volons depuis Izaña (2200 m).
💳 Booking and Logistics
10. What happens if the flight is cancelled due to weather conditions?
Your deposit is 100% protected:
- We postpone the flight to a later date (in most cases).
- If you have to leave and postponement is not possible, we will refund the deposit in full.
11. How much do the video and photos cost?
The video and photo package is a paid option. It is filmed with a professional 360° camera to guarantee the best quality and total immersion.
Reminder of our guarantee: If the flight duration is shorter than promised due to weather conditions, you will receive the video package free of charge (or a pro rata refund, at the customer’s discretion)!
12. Can I pay by credit card?
No. The balance of the service must be paid on site, exclusively in cash, directly to the pilot after landing. This simple method allows us to remain flexible in natural sites without infrastructure or telecommunications networks.
Ready to turn this FAQ into reality?