If you want to paramotor or paraglide safely and legally in the UK, the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA) pilot rating scheme is your roadmap. Sky Riders is a BHPA-accredited training and development centre, and we’ll guide you through every step, so you get the skills, knowledge and ratings to fly with confidence.
What is the BHPA, and why does the rating scheme matter?
The BHPA is the UK’s national governing body for hang gliding, paragliding and paramotoring. It promotes the safe development of these sports, sets training standards, oversees approved schools and issues pilot qualifications. Members also get £5 million third-party liability insurance, which opens up take-off sites across the country.
The rating scheme is a step-by-step system. It makes sure pilots have the theory and practical flying skills they need before they get more freedom. Your rating shows you’re competent, and it’s what clubs, sites and insurers look for.
The ratings at a glance
| Rating | What it means | With Sky Riders |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary Pilot (EP) | The basics, flying under supervision. Paragliding only. | EP course |
| Club Pilot (CP) | Fly without an instructor at club and private sites. | Paragliding, paramotor and parakite Club Pilot |
| Pilot | Fly cross-country. More sites and competitions. | Pilot rating course |
| Advanced Pilot | More tasks, hours and another exam. | Ask us |
| Instructor ratings | Trainee Instructor, Instructor, Senior Instructor. | Held by our instructors |
1. Elementary Pilot (EP): your first steps
What it is: the first qualification in paragliding (it isn’t needed for paramotoring). It shows you’ve learned the basics of ground handling, flight theory and safety procedures under direct instructor supervision. It is not a licence to fly unsupervised.
What you learn with us: how to inflate and control the wing on the ground, short unpowered flights from gentle slopes, and the basics of aerodynamics, meteorology and air law from our e-learning.
Why it matters: the EP is your gateway. It proves you have the foundation to move safely on to more advanced training.
2. Club Pilot (CP): earning your wings
This is the most important rating for new pilots. The BHPA Club Pilot rating shows you can fly unsupervised (within some limits), so you can fly at private sites and BHPA club sites. It can be converted to an International Pilot Proficiency card (IPPI), which is recognised worldwide.
What you learn with us:
- Ground handling: wing control in a range of conditions, with forward and reverse inflations, and more advanced skills if you pick it up quickly.
- Flying: consistent, controlled take-offs and landings.
- Motor safety (paramotor only): starting, stopping and handling the paramotor safely, plus launch position and thrust exercises.
- Flight experience: guided flights, building paragliding or paramotor skills, flying with others and growing your confidence.
- Theory: meteorology (wind gradient, thermals), air law (NOTAMs, airspace classes, CANP), principles of flight (lift, drag, angle of attack), emergency procedures (asymmetric collapses, reserve deployment) and airmanship, all in our e-learning.
- Assessment: you’re assessed as you go, at your own pace, and you take multiple choice theory exams so you know the rules and theory to fly solo.
The CP is your licence to explore: it lets you fly independently, join a local club and keep flying responsibly.
Beyond Club Pilot
- Pilot rating: for more experienced pilots, flying in a wider range of conditions. It’s the rating you need to leave the take-off area and fly cross-country (XC). There are more tasks, a skills assessment and another theory exam, and it opens up restricted sites, competitions and some incredible long-distance flights.
- Advanced Pilot rating: more tasks, more hours and another exam. It shows you’re among the most skilled pilots in the sport.
- Instructor ratings (Trainee Instructor, Instructor, Senior Instructor): for pilots who want to teach. Sky Riders’ instructors hold these ratings.
Why train with Sky Riders for your BHPA ratings?
Whether you’re a complete beginner or learned to paramotor at a non-BHPA school, we can help you get your ratings. We’ve taught many pilots who trained elsewhere first, and they often tell us they learned more on their first day with us than they expected.
- Accredited: we’re trained and regularly assessed by the BHPA, so our training meets national standards.
- Experienced instructors: our team, led by CFI Tom McMeakin, brings years of experience and a proven way of teaching. We keep groups small, so you get plenty of individual attention.
- Safety first: we follow the strict procedures in our operations manual, teach you to do pre-flight checks and site assessments, and keep our equipment in top condition with Wingtrim.
- Resources: our theory material, hands-on training and ongoing support prepare you to pass your BHPA exams and fly confidently.
The sport is as safe as you make it. Stick to air law, make careful, informed decisions, always fly with a reserve, and if you’re ever in doubt, don’t fly.
