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From its Leicester headquarters it oversees pilot and instructor training standards, provides, technical support such as airworthiness standards, runs coaching courses for pilots... and a host of other services, providing the infrastructure within which UK hang gliding and paragliding thrive. The BHPA also provides automatic third party insurance for its members. But if personal or travel insurance is required, this should be obtained from an independent insurance broker, like Airsports Insurance Bureau Ltd. The BHPA also publishes the monthly magazine, Skywings, the world's leading English-language hang gliding and paragliding publication.
Free Flight
This is a catch-all term that has come to define the closely related sports of hang gliding, paragliding, parascending, powered paragliding (paramotoring) and powered hang gliding. In the UK free flying is supported and administered by the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, a thriving sports association catering to around 7,000 pilots. The BHPA works closely with numerous recreational clubs that look after flying sites and offer guidance and assistance to pilots at a local level.
Membership
BHPA membership for pilots (including £2 million 3rd-party insurance) includes a subscription to Skywings. Your initial Introductory or Training membership will be processed by your training school . There are concessions for students in full time education, under 16s and over 60s. If you are not sure whether you want to start training just yet, consider taking out a subscription to Skywings to learn more about the sport.
Training Schools (Learning to Fly)
BHPA-Registered Schools will train you at a rate of progress that is suitable for you. BHPA schools are monitored for safety, the quality of the training they offer and the equipment they use, and their trained instructors are licensed by the Association. When you see the BHPA Registered School mark you can be confident that you are getting the best free flight training available in the world today. For details on finding a training school, learning to fly etc, see the Learn to Fly section.
Events/Promotions
As well as our own annual event, the Festival of Free Flight, the BHPA exhibits at many public shows in the UK throughout the year. For more information see the Events/Promotions page.
Glider airworthiness
The Association takes great care to ensure that any gliders available to its members are safe to fly. It administers its own hang glider airworthiness scheme, respected the world over, and has contributed to the drafting of EU standards that will soon replace existing national paraglider airworthiness schemes. These measures have resulted in gliders that are stable in the air and are more than strong enough for their intended use.
The BHPA Office
The centre of the BHPA operation is at Leicester, where a staff of five deals with the day-to-day running of the Association and retailing BHPA merchandise. In addition three technical staff, working from home and traveling widely, monitor training standards and attend to other operational requirements
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