Intensive paragliding course 3 2027

Become a licensed paraglider pilot in 3 weeks.
The course starts in:
 
 
3.7-25.7.2027
Date
3.590 CHF
Price
Beginner
Skill Level
PG-Rating
CH-Licence
 

Description

Want to learn how to paraglide, but don’t want to sacrifice every weekend for a whole year? Looking for an efficient format to make the most of your time? Are you a fast learner and fully committed? Then our course is exactly what you need!
Our approach is different from anything else out there. It’s not for everyone—but it offers massive advantages:
 
  • Maximum Time Efficiency: You will learn to fly in just 3 weeks. Even when the weather sucks. We have proven that this works time and time again over the last 6 years. Out of all 17 courses we have run so far, there were only 3 times where someone didn’t reach 100 flights. Even then, the average was still 70 flights per pilot.
  • Daily Progression Builds Confidence: Flying every single day is the best thing you can do for your confidence. Fear is a major topic in paragliding, and not just during school! The more you fly, the more relaxed you become. Ask any experienced pilot from any discipline—flying is all about staying current.
  • A Unified Learning Level: In our course, everyone starts on the same day with the exact same level of experience. This makes it much easier for us to coach you and it’s way cooler for you.
  • Strong Community Vibe: Everyone knows everyone, and every course has an amazing vibe. It’s so much more fun when you really get to know your peers. No new faces every day—sharing the same group for 3 weeks guarantees plenty of good laughs!
  • Small Groups Only: We keep our group sizes small. Maximum 12 pilots, but we aim for 10.
  • We Fly in (Almost) Any Weather: As long as safety allows, we are out there. We don’t cancel a day just because it’s a little cloudy or windy. Instead, we check the weather apps together, learn to read forecasts, and figure out where the best flying conditions are each day. Unless it rains non-stop all day, we always find a place to fly around here.
  • Repetition & Muscle Memory: Flying is like riding a bicycle. You need to feel it and build muscle memory through repetition and airtime. It’s not rocket science. We design the course so you get to fly as much as possible in 3 weeks. Theory? Yes, of course, but only when the weather doesn’t let us fly!
Invest 3 weeks of your time to learn, progress, get confident, and get hooked. Disconnect from your job and your daily routine. Leave everything behind for 3 weeks and dive headfirst into an adventure that deserves your full attention. Many of our students say these 3 weeks were some of the best of their lives. For most, the hardest part is going back to work on the Monday after…
 

Course Goal

Your goal is to get your license. Our goal is to shape you into a smart, independent, and risk-aware pilot who knows exactly how to keep progressing safely on their own after these 3 weeks. You need a license to be a legal pilot. But you need skills and knowledge to be a safe pilot. 

Who is this course for?

Our course is made for people who:
  • Are fast learners and pick up new skills quickly
  • Are active and regularly participate in other sports
  • Are healthy, fit, and have a good level of stamina
  • Love the outdoors and are used to spending all day outside
  • Are ready to commit 100% of their energy for 3 full weeks
  • Really want to learn to fly. If you just want to casually try something new, please look elsewhere!
Our course is NOT ideal for:
  • People who don’t do sports
  • Anyone with health issues that limit physical activity
  • People with “two left hands” who generally need more time to learn physical skills
  • Older individuals who prefer or need a much slower, more relaxed pace
  • Pilots who just want to do 2–3 easy flights a day and call it a day
  • People that don’t speak english

Requirements

Before the course starts, you need to prepare the following:
  • Registration and liability insurance: Sign up and get your mandatory liability insurance with the Swiss Hang Gliding Association (SHV).
  • Theory exam registration: Register for an SHV theory exam.
  • Study the theory questions: Study the exam questions (approx. 1 hour daily for about 2 weeks).
  • Pass the theory exam: You must pass the exam before the practical course begins.
  • Buy your own gear: Purchase your own equipment (second-hand/used gear is perfectly fine).
  • Groundhandling: Practice groundhandling before the course starts according to our guidelines.
Of course, we will support you throughout the entire preparation process and are here to help you with advice and action before the course begins!”

Insurance

“You need to get the third-party liability insurance for paragliding from the association (SHV), as aviation sports are usually excluded from household and private liability insurance. No further insurance is required. Paragliding in Switzerland is not considered a high-risk sport and is covered by normal accident insurance.”

Gear

Second-hand equipment is perfectly sufficient for learning. As long as you don’t buy outdated or damaged gear, a used beginner’s paragliding setup poses no safety risk. We will help you find suitable second-hand equipment and ensure it is properly adjusted for you. We only train with A-gliders or suitable light gliders. Please make sure to discuss any equipment purchases with us beforehand; ultimately, we are responsible for you, and the right wing plays a crucial role in paragliding safety. We occasionally have used gliders for sale, but we will never pressure you to buy second-hand gear from us. However, if you wish to buy new equipment, we expect—like all other flight schools—to buy it through us. 
A modern, used beginner setup is available starting from 1,500 CHF, while a light hike-and-fly setup costs around 2,500 CHF. With careful handling, the depreciation of second-hand gear is minimal and you will be able to sell it again in the future if you want to upgrade it. 

Price policy

A transparent pricing policy is important to us! With us, there are no hidden costs, see below what’s included or not. Our training is actually on the cheaper side compared to other Swiss flight schools. This works because we have all students with us every day, meaning we don’t have ‘unprofitable’ days with only 3–4 students. Please be aware that your training with us ends when the course is finished. If you would like to continue flying under supervision after our course—for example, because you didn’t pass the exam on your first try—you can easily join other schools anytime for about 100 CHF per day. This is clearly a disadvantage of our course. It’s over after the 3 weeks, no matter what. 

Things that are not included
  • Paragliding equipment (glider, harness, etc.)
  • Reserve parachute repacking (needed after buying second-hand gear: 90 CHF)
  • Cable car / mountain lift tickets (approx. 50–300 CHF)
  • Food and accommodation
  • SHV membership (120 CHF / year)
  • Liability insurance (98 CHF / year)
  • Exam fees (125 CHF each)
  • Delta-Club Interlaken membership (50 CHF / year)
  • Burnair Basic abonment (49.-/ year)
  • Fees for flyingsites; take off or landing fees (max 50.-)
  • Transport to take offs with the school van (5.-/flight, around 150.-)

Things included

  • Advice and assistance with purchasing equipment
  • Support with preparing for the theory exam
  • Basic and advanced training (Brevet course) within 3 weeks
  • Intensive, effective exam preparation
  • Radio supervision and support
  • Theory lessons during the course
  • Groundhandling lessons before the course starts

Theorie exam

Studying for the theory exam is done through self-study. The exam covers 5 subjects with a total of 750 multiple-choice questions. Passing the entire theory exam is required before the course starts, as there will be little time for preparation during the course. If you have any questions, the Speedflying-School team is always here to help.
Click here to register: (Pilot 1)

https://www.shv-fsvl.ch/ausbildung/pruefungen/theoriepruefungen/

Language

We teach in English (unless everyone speaks good German). Training hours usually start at 8:00 AM, but we may begin earlier depending on weather conditions. In the evenings, we usually fly until 6:00 PM. Leaving earlier on an individual basis is possible. Expect longer days as well! Our customers are saying the course deserves that name intensive. That’s why we strongly advise you to keep your daily travel distance as short as possible. If you need to drive more than a hour twice a day it will be very exhausting! Better try to stay between Bern and Meiringen during the 3 weeks. 

What if I miss a day?

The course is viewed as a continuous block, and days off depend on the weather. We try to make one day off a week all together.  If you have another commitment on a specific day, that is of course no problem. Just let us know and we will work it out together.

Flying sites

We choose our flying sites based on the weather conditions to maximize your airtime. Flying sites we regularly choose include Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Kandersteg, Lenk, Marbachegg, Schwarzsee, Charmey, Fiesch, and Mentschelen. If the weather requires it, we occasionally drive to the Jura region, Ticino, or spend a few days in Piemont, Italy. However, out of 17 courses held so far, we only had to escape to Ticino once and to Piemont 3x. We are lucky enough to be able to fly somewhere in the Bernese Oberland almost every day—this reliability is the only reason we can offer intensive courses in the first place. 

Groupe size

So far, our group sizes have varied between 6 and 17 students with up to 5 staff members for ideal support. But our experience is that keeping the group size smaller has more benefits. So 2027 we reduce the group size and aim for max. 11 pilots. 

Practical exam

The practical exam is organized by the Swiss Hang Gliding Association (SHV). Unfortunately, as a flight school, we cannot organize an extra exam just for us or wish for certain exam dates. However, there are 1 to 3 exams happening somewhere in Switzerland every week, often on a Friday. With a bit of luck, there will be an exam on the last Friday of the course in Interlaken, Wolfenschiessen, Marbach, Lenk, or Grindelwald. Generally, you can take the practical exam wherever and whenever you want. The last Friday of the course would be ideal, of course, because you will be fully in the flow. The practical exams are often fully booked a month in advance. Since you can only register for it once you have passed the theory exam, we strongly recommend taking your theory exam as early as possible!
Click here to register for the practical exam:”

https://www.shv-fsvl.ch/ausbildung/pruefungen/praxispruefungen/

International Recognition of the License

The Swiss paragliding license corresponds to the international IPPI 4 level. With this, you can legally fly anywhere in the world. However, depending on your home country, you might still need to take a local theory exam to familiarize yourself with the regional aviation laws.

What if…?

…what if I don’t pass the exam on my first try?
The course runs until Sunday, which means you will have another two days after the exam-Friday to practice with us. It can also happen that the exam will be cancelled on the this last Friday due to bad weather. Then they normally postpone the exam for one week. But you have to chance to sign off from it and change to another date in case the new date doesn’t work for you. 
 
…what if I get sick or injured during the course?
If you are unable to finish the course or miss a large part of it, we will partially refund your course fee or you can continue in a later course. To make sure you don’t have to cancel the course just because of a misstep, high, sturdy mountaineering boots are strictly mandatory with us.

Questions?

You probably still have some questions or would simply like to talk to the flight instructor who will be guiding you…? We would love to hear from you and are happy to answer your questions over the phone. If you would like to stop by and meet us in person, we can easily arrange that too.

Book your intensive course now