About Ria Moothilal

The background

Ria Moothilal started in air sports in 2004 — not as someone who had always dreamed of flying, but as someone with a fear of heights who decided to confront it systematically. The first jump was a skydive. Then another. Then base jumping. Then paragliding — the discipline that rewards the deepest understanding of meteorology, aerodynamics, and decision-making under uncertainty.

Beyond flying, Ria has cycled from Cape to Cairo raising funds for cochlear implants — a journey that tested the same qualities that make a good pilot: patience, systematic preparation, and the ability to keep moving when conditions are against you.

The numbers

Over two decades of active flying, Ria has accumulated more than 1,300 skydives, over 200 BASE jumps, and over 2,000 paragliding flights. The range of disciplines is not incidental — each teaches something different about the relationship between a human body, a piece of fabric, and the air it moves through.

To put that in context: in 2008 Neville Hullett became the first South African to fly more than 500 km in a single paragliding flight — demonstrating what is achievable when skill and weather knowledge combine. That standard shapes what Air School considers a fully developed pilot.

The engineering and data background

A BSc in Engineering and a career background in data science shapes the way Air School teaches. Flying conditions are not intuited — they are modelled, analysed, and understood. Students learn to read RASP output, interpret sounding data, and build their own pre-flight decision frameworks. The goal is not to follow a checklist but to understand the underlying physics well enough to make correct decisions in novel conditions.

Teaching methodology

Air School employs a mix of time-tested techniques — including those developed by legendary paragliding instructor Denis Pagan — alongside modern methods proven by today’s best schools internationally. The approach draws on traditional aviation training: dual instructional flights before solo, structured progression, and honest debriefs at every stage.

The SACAA DTO

Air School holds a Declared Training Organisation certificate issued by the South African Civil Aviation Authority. This is the highest civilian aviation training accreditation available in South Africa, and it requires documented training programmes, qualified instructors, and ongoing compliance with SACAA standards. View our SAHPA School Acceptance Letter.

Competition flying

Ria is an active competition pilot, having participated in and organised competitions at Porterville — South Africa’s premier XC and competition flying destination. Competition flying develops the weather reading, strategic decision-making, and precise wing control that cannot be built by recreational flying alone. It informs the teaching.

The school’s mission

Air School was founded to grow the number of capable, safe, weather-literate paragliding pilots in South Africa — and ultimately across Africa. Not to run tandem joyrides — though tandems exist as an introduction to the sport — but to produce pilots who can make their own decisions, read their own weather, and fly independently with genuine competence. Paragliding is affordable recreational aviation, and it creates real opportunities for jobs and livelihoods.