WINGSPORTS
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WINGSPORTS
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ABOUT Wingsports Flight Academy
We provide a comprehensive range of services that includes affordable accommodation for singles, couples and families. We also operate a Flight Shop where you can purchase all the world’s best and safest flying equipment. All equipment required while you are under instruction is included in the course fees.
Our Chief Flying Instructor (CFI), Hans van Santen is licensed by the Hang gliding Federation of Australia (HGFA) to teach Paragliding and Hang gliding. He has many years of experience in professional sports coaching and has taught flying since 1989. Hans is also a pilot examiner, safety officer and holds a National Sports Coaching Accreditation and Senior First Aid Certificate. The HGFA recommends that one instructor supervise a student from start to finish. At Wingsports you will have the benefit of 2 full time professional instructors to ensure total continuity in the flow of information and skills from the start to the finish of your training. We are extremely proud to have safely introduced hundreds of students from all over the world into our amazing flying sports and take great pride in the high skill level we instil in our pilots. We would be happy to introduce you to any of them.
Both hang gliders and Para gliders are foot launched, free flying craft which fly (unpowered) generally from mountains. They can both be flown inland and on the coast and are both capable of performing long distance cross country flights. Both have achieved flights well in excess of 300 Km! Hang gliding and Paragliding are both very challenging, very satisfying and lots of fun! Paragliding has advantages over hang gliding in lighter wind conditions whereas hang gliders can fly in stronger wind (over 18 knots) . There are pros and cons to each, but by far the biggest consideration, which has caused paragliding to overtake hang gliding in popularity both here and in Europe in the last 5 years, is the Paraglider’s simplicity, its portability and ease of set up and transportability. An entire wing in a backpack! Apollo Bay is a beautiful coastal holiday town and a wonderful place to spend time. Wingsports provides comfortable, self contained live-in accommodation for our students. For those who wish to bring family or friends, we offer a self contained 3 bedroom unit or separate double rooms for couples. All accommodation is self-contained with kitchen, free standing and far away from the instructors' residence! Wingsports accommodation is always available to our students, any visiting pilots, or anyone wanting to just come and have a look or visit the area. Apollo Bay offers a myriad of alternate activities to do such as surfing, horse riding, hiking, windsurfing, mountain biking, kayaking, golf or fishing. We are in the midst of exquisite rainforest and spectacular beaches, which are great for a walk even in the cooler months. We are available for advice on other activities and attractions if you need it.
Yes, you do need a licence to fly. The minimum requirement for someone to fly without direct instructor supervision is "Restricted Licence". A Restricted Pilot must at first fly with other more experienced pilots present. If you are a novice pilot, you are required to fly your first 25 hours or so amongst other more experienced pilots. This gives you the benefit of collective judgement of the site and flying conditions, more accurate than anything a school has been able to instil in observation skills during the relatively short time span required to train you to license This is the fastest, safest way to progress your judgement and flying skills after leaving the security of the Flying school. After 25 hours of flying, the licence can be upgraded to Intermediate level. You can fly alone if you wish if you have an Intermediate Licence, although it is generally more fun to fly with company.
The right choice of air sport is best made in consultation with us. For detailed comparison see
On average it will take a student a total of 7 days to reach restricted licence level in a Paraglider. The equivalent licence in hang gliding takes a little longer – usually 9 days or a bit longer. In Paragliding we also offer 2 day introductory courses which, if you wish to continue, are counted as time towards your licence. A good insight into your chosen discipline can be gained from our training manuals Paragliding $33, Hang gliding $60. These can be obtained by credit card on 03 52376486 or by email hans@wingsports.com.au Take note that these are not "teach yourself "manuals.
Wingsports has been operating for many years now and has the reputation for a very high standard of safety. We are proud to have turned out dozens of excellent, safe pilots in this time. The reason for our outstanding safety record has been the thorough method of teaching, in both practical skills and theory. Wingsports takes both the fun and safety aspects of your training course very seriously! We use the most advanced teaching aids and latest new flying equipment available in Australia. Importantly, we tailor our training such that every student is able to progress at his or her own pace without undue pressure.
Tuition starts at 9am each day with a theory lesson pertaining to that day’s flying in our classroom . This mentally prepares us for the task ahead and allows the weather to take shape. As it is impossible for student pilots to fly from 9 to five it is up to the instructor to weather-wise select the best part of the day for the task at hand. However, depending on the weather, the class size and goals to achieve, we mostly train the entire day at latest until around 5 p.m.
All equipment required for learning to fly is included in the course fee. At Wingsports we use the best, safest and most up to date equipment available. We use Gin, Edel and Apco paragliders and Moyes and Airborne hang gliders. All of these products are acknowledged internationally to be of the very highest standard. Wingsports operates a comprehensive Flight shop stocking a full range of the world’s best and safest flying equipment as well as second hand certified equipment. This allows our students not to miss a beat in the pursuit of their new sport. For those not yet decided, top class wings are available for daily hire around our school. Go to for more information on equipment.
Wingsports provides comfortable, self contained live-in accommodation for our students. We offer 3 levels of accommodation
All accommodation is self-contained with kitchen, free standing and far away from the instructor’s residence! Wingsports accommodation is always available to our students, any visiting pilots, or anyone wanting to just come and have a look or visit the area. The actual reason Wingsports maintains its own accommodation is that due to the weather dependent nature of our sport bookings in motels etc. sometimes may have to be cancelled at a cost to our customers , whereas we offer full flexibility in that respect. Wingsports accommodation is also far more reasonably priced than resort price accommodation in this holiday destination and is always available to all visiting pilots and friends. While we do not provide meals, you are welcome to do your own cooking. Apollo Bay boasts many excellent restaurants and cafes, which we can suggest if you don’t feel like cooking. Accommodation rates
All our flying activities do depend to a large extent on the weather and as you know the weather is never 100% of the time perfect for any activity. From a very early stage of your training in a course you will start to appreciate the necessity for the right conditions for flying. As it is impossible for any pilots to fly from 9 to 5 it is up to the instructor to weather-wise select the best part of the day for the task at hand. Although in the months from October to April we have generally amenable conditions, the weather on some days can defeat us. Certain theoretical course components can be done in bad weather but if nothing more can be done we will call a lay day or a partial lay day, for which you will not be charged and we can suggest an alternate activity. You are after all in a beautiful resort area with many exciting alternatives at hand.
If all this has aroused your interest an you wish to try or learn one of our exciting airports please do not hesitate to ring us with any further questions you may have.
Details and costs on these options can be found in our Also a booking form is provided and the information requested is important to the successful planning of your course. Again please feel free to contact us at any time to discuss time slots, logistics or any other personal needs. To us teaching you to fly is a personal thing, so engaging in it is better with a personal contact. For those of you that are not quite sure please feel free to come and watch us teach, ask questions and meet some of our current and past students absolutely obligation free. You can even use our budged price student accommodation to do so.
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