Learn to Fly Solo
in Cape Town
Beginner paragliding courses that take you from complete novice to flying solo. SACAA Declared Training Organisation. SAHPA certified instruction.
You’ll fly solo before you finish your first course. That is the goal — not a scenic tandem ride, but real pilot skills.
Your instructor
Trained by an engineer
who flies for a living
Ria Moothilal founded Air School Paragliding after two decades in the air — starting with skydiving in 2004 and progressing through BASE jumping to paragliding, the discipline he has pursued furthest. Big XC in the Western Cape and Himalayas, vol biv crossings, international competitions in China, Réunion, and South Africa, and XC flights in Brazil, Switzerland, and France. The things new pilots describe as distant goals.
With a BSc in Engineering and a background in data science, Ria brings a rigorous, analytical approach to instruction. You will understand why you do what you do, not just how — and you will learn from someone who has navigated the full progression from first solo to the kind of flying most pilots only read about.
Air School Paragliding is a SACAA Declared Training Organisation — the highest civilian aviation training accreditation available in South Africa. This is a designation most paragliding schools in the country do not hold.
Why Air School Paragliding
Aviation training,
not adventure tourism
You fly solo on your first course
The goal of every beginner course is your first unassisted solo flight. Not a scenic tandem joyride — real pilot skills from day one.
SACAA DTO certification
Air School Paragliding holds a Declared Training Organisation certificate from the South African Civil Aviation Authority — a formal accreditation requiring documented training programmes, qualified instructors, and ongoing SACAA compliance.
Weather knowledge built into every lesson
Cape Town's conditions are technically complex. You will learn to read the sky, not just react to it. This is a core part of every training pathway.
An instructor who has been where you want to go
XC in the Himalayas and French Alps, vol biv crossings, international competition. Paragliding carries real risk — the goal is to understand it, progress at the right pace, and build the judgment to extend your range over time. That advice means more from someone who has navigated that progression personally.
Training options
Choose your starting point
Every pathway leads to the same destination: a pilot who can read the weather, launch safely, and make good decisions in the air.
Beginner Course
Complete novice → first solo flight
R12,500
All gear included · 3 sessions
- No experience needed
- Gear hire, site fees, SAHPA registration
- Up to 3 tandem training flights
- Up to 7 supervised solo flights
- Ground school and kiting practice
- SAHPA Basic Licence pathway
Licensed Pilot Mentorship
Online mentorship for SAHPA Basic Licence holders
R250/month
Ongoing · cancel anytime
- For pilots with SAHPA Basic Licence or IPPI 4
- Primarily online — works anywhere in SA
- Flight planning, track analysis, gear guidance
- Build confidence to fly independently
- Access to an instructor who flies XC and vol biv
Tandem Intro
Not sure yet? Experience it first
R2,200
With instructor · 1 flight
- Fly with an experienced instructor
- No experience needed
- Experience the sensation of paragliding
- Ask questions in the air
- Most tandem students return to train
Your journey
Confidence-first, solo by session three
The sequence is deliberate. Every step is designed to remove fear, build familiarity, and prepare you mentally before you fly alone.
Tandem Training
You fly first. Three tandem flights with specific objectives — turns, approach, landing. You feel the controls from the air before you are ever asked to manage them alone. Includes a controlled collapse demonstration so the thing most beginners fear becomes a known quantity, not an imagined catastrophe.
Ground School
An introduction to takeoff procedure and kiting — not mastery, just familiarity. The harness simulator rehearses in-flight manoeuvres: turns, body position, big ears, speed bar. You prepare for what you will encounter in the air on solo day.
First Solo Flights
A full day at the Langebaan dunes. Ria handles gear preparation and assists with launch so you can focus on flying. Up to 7 solo flights — more if conditions allow. By this point the environment is not new. You have already been there.
SAHPA Basic Licence
The course is Phase 1 of 3. Phase 2 is an online theory exam. Phase 3 is additional supervised flights to meet the 35-flight minimum. The full pathway is yours to continue at your own pace.
A critical skill
Cape Town’s flying conditions
demand more than guesswork
The South Atlantic high, orographic lift off the Twelve Apostles, valley winds, sea breezes, and thermal development — Cape Town is not a forgiving environment for pilots who rely on group chats to assess the day.
At Air School Paragliding, meteorological understanding is built into every training pathway. You learn to read RASP, interpret soundings, and build your own pre-flight decision framework — not to copy what someone else decided.
20+
Years in the air
Skydiving, BASE jumping, paragliding
2,000+
Paragliding flights
Cross-country, coastal, thermal
DTO
SACAA Declared Training Organisation
Highest SA civilian aviation certification
BSc
Engineering graduate
Data science background
Where you’ll fly
Cape Town’s best flying sites
Training takes place at sites chosen for their conditions, safety, and alignment with your current skill level.
Signal Hill
Cape Town
Signal Hill is Air School Paragliding's primary tandem training site. Consistent southeasterly ridge lift above the Atlantic Seaboard provides reliable conditions for instructional tandem flights, with iconic views of Lion's Head, the Twelve Apostles, and Table Bay.
10 minutes from city centre
Lion's Head
Cape Town
Lion's Head is used occasionally as an alternative tandem training site when conditions suit. The site offers a different perspective over the City Bowl and Atlantic Seaboard, with the same reliable SE ridge lift as Signal Hill nearby.
15 minutes from city centre
Sea Point
Cape Town
The Sea Point beachfront is used for ground school training — the kiting and ground handling practice that every student must master before any solo launch. Open, consistent sea breeze and a flat open area make it ideal for high-repetition kiting sessions.
5 minutes from city centre
Langebaan
West Coast
The Langebaan dunes provide one of the best high-repetition flying environments for student pilots. Southwest sea breeze off the Atlantic creates consistent ridge lift along the dunes, allowing students to complete multiple short flights in a single session — exactly the repetition needed to build feel and control.
1 hour 30 minutes
Hermanus
Overberg
The Hermanus ridge is a 200-metre coastal escarpment that generates excellent ridge lift in southeaster conditions. A clean SE sea breeze funnels along the cliff face, providing steady lift for student training. The site is forgiving by mountain standards and offers a longer soaring window than many Cape Town sites.
1 hour 30 minutes
Sir Lowry's Pass
Hottentots Holland
Sir Lowry's Pass is a student training site in winter and spring when NW flow produces manageable thermal conditions over the Hottentots Holland mountains. Two takeoff options provide flexibility across a range of wind directions. The sweeping view over False Bay and the Overberg makes it one of the most rewarding student training sites in the Western Cape.
50 minutes
Kardoesie
Boland
Kardoesie has two takeoff sites covering a wide range of wind directions, making it a versatile winter training location. In winter, thermal strength is low enough for student-level flying while still providing meaningful soaring experience. The dual-launch setup means there is almost always an appropriate option when conditions are right.
2 hours
Porterville
Swartland
Porterville is one of the most versatile training destinations in the Western Cape. Two takeoff sites cover the full range from southwester to northwester, and in winter the thermal conditions are ideal for student training — strong enough to be interesting, manageable enough to be safe. In spring and summer it hosts the annual Porterville Paragliding Competition, attracting South Africa's top XC pilots.
1 hour 50 minutes
Piketberg
Berg River
Piketberg mountain is a student training site for easterly wind days — a wind direction that produces clean, manageable conditions at this site when other Western Cape mountains are unflyable. In winter, the combination of lower thermal strength and reliable easterlies makes this an excellent site for building mountain flying experience early in a student's training.
2 hours
Student outcomes
What students say
“Ria's expertise in weather forecasting and safety-first approach completely changed my perspective. I highly recommend AirSchool for anyone looking to learn paragliding!”
Edward Bowora
Beginner course to solo licence graduate
“Cannot recommend AirSchool enough! Ria's knowledgeable, attentive, and had me flying on day 2 — my friends were so impressed!”
Jordan Bohinc
Beginner course
“The last flight over the dunes with a view of the ocean… It was simply amazing! Thanks, Ria!”
Daan Wenger
Beginner course
Not ready to commit yet?
Start with a tandem.
Then come back to fly yourself.
A tandem flight with Ria is the best way to experience paragliding before committing to training. You’ll fly side-by-side with an instructor, understand what the skill feels like, and answer your own questions about whether this is for you.
The majority of Air School Paragliding tandem students return to enrol in the beginner course. Experiencing it is different from imagining it.
Ready to fly?
Your first solo flight is three sessions away. The beginner course is available year-round — gear, sites, and SAHPA registration all included.
Or call +27 78 095 8136