Para-Gliding

Although it is the youngest and newest of all aerial sports (the first para-gliders
started flying in 1986-7), Para-gliding is the most popular aerial sport in the
world, attracting the largest number of practitioners compared with any other
aviation-related activity.

This sport also boasts the largest relative proportion of women flyers. Since its
introduction to Israel, thousands of women and men have been certified as
Para-glider pilots.

Easy to Learn - It is possible to start high altitude flying after a basic
Training course- of two or three days.

Easy to operate - Takeoff is slow and may be aborted easily. The
para-glider is stable and steering is simple, requiring basic coordination skills to
fly and maneuver. Landing is easy and soft - you land on your feet.

Fast and easy to setup and fold - It takes about a minute to get the
para-glider ready for takeoff, and it takes less than five minutes to fold the wing
and store it in a simple backpack.

No special physical training required - Operating a para-glider requires
little physical ability and no special physical training. If you are older than 15 and
do not suffer from a particularly disabling condition or illness, you can
para-glide.

Inexpensive - Para-gliding is a relatively inexpensive aerial sport - training
is affordable and so is the equipment.

Performcane - You can take off easily from many sites - inland and on the
beaches. Once airborne, you can stay aloft for hours on end, using thermals and
the topography - just like the birds. With proper training and experience you can
fly cross country to distances of dozens and even hundreds of kilometers.

Safety - Para-gliding is one of the safest aerial sports. The ease of operation,
coupled with vigorously tested equipment, conforming with tough international
standards, contributes to the safety level of this sport. In the event of an
emergency, the para-glider is also equipped with a reserve parachute.

Agur Club has been active in para-gliding since ,1987 and has offered para-gliding
instruction since .1989 The club has trained and qualified thousands of flyers and
dozens of instructors. Agur is the largest and most experienced operating club of
its kind in Israel, and is involved in all aspects of para-gliding, including training,
sales, maintenance, Motorized Para-Gliding (Paramotors), Motorized Parachutes
(Motorized Parachutes on wheels), aerial advertisement and aviation shows.

This course is intended to familiarize newcomers with basic concepts of
para-gliding, including a two-hour theoretical introduction.

The practical phase of the course includes safety instruction, inflation training,
flights and landings from an altitude of about 20 meters, from a sand dune at
Rishon Lezion beach in Bat Yam.

In the initial stages of para-gliding training, it is desirable that the takeoff and
landing site be located on a beach, to provide a proper environment for takeoffs
and landing on soft sand. It is also desirable that the takeoff location be far
enough from the sea, to prevent possible mishaps such as landing on water or on
rocks. Agur club has constructed exactly such a site at Rishon Lezion beach near
Bat Yam. This site is the best of its kind in the country and one of the best in the
world.

This course implements the skills acquired during the Basic Training course with
a longer stay in the air and advanced training.

The High-Altitude Training Course requires a minimum of 12 flights, executed
over three to five training sessions.

Training flights are executed using advanced para-gliders. The student is equipped
with a two-way radio transceiver, harness with back protection and a reserve
parachute.

Two instructors guide each student through all phases of the flight - one at the
takeoff site and the other at the landing site.

Successful completion of the high altitude course qualifies the student to receive
a Level 1 para-gliding license from the Israeli Para-Gliding Association.

This course initiates the students to cliff para-gliding techniques. The course
takes place along the sea cliffs in Ga’ash or Netanya.

The course involves two to three sessions, each lasting three to four hours, and
the skills acquired in this course enables novice para-gliders to stay in the air for
long duration (hours in some cases).

This course includes about four hours of theoretical lessons, followed by
instruction aimed at improving inflation and takeoff techniques.

In the next phase of the Advanced Training Course, the student will learn and
practice thermal flying.

Qualifying for a Level 3 license enables the pilot to fly from additional sites
dedicated specifically for advanced flying and to execute cross country flights.

This course is aimed at providing the student with skills required to perform
cable-assisted takeoffs.