Post-PG2 Progression Guide
Disclaimer
This is a guide only and as such it does not cover all intricacies of free flight.
Paragliding and Hang gliding are dangerous sports and even following all flying related advice given on the pages below will not make it 100% safe. It is highly recommended to reach out to experienced locals or club site officers for further information and introduction if you are new to Canterbury flying sites.
Authors of this document and CHGPC reject any responsibility for injuries and damage inflicted while flying in the Canterbury region. By using the information in this guide, you do so at your own risk and acknowledge that this material is not a substitute for professional instruction by a certified person.
Skills for Popular Sites
This section gives you a sense of the skills you need to fly at sites in Canterbury. Every pilot is different and every day is different. It’s ultimately your decision on whether you’re ready to fly.
Experienced local pilots recently gave several talks on our local sites. Recordings are available on the club website (Club Notices) and are highly recommended alongside the written site guides. You should also seek a site briefing from an experienced pilot each time you fly a new site, ideally on the day you’re flying so they can point out any current hazards. See the relevant guide under Flying Sites for the most recent information. Note that this page is optimised for viewing on desktop and some features may not display correctly on mobile.
Your local Christchurch paragliding schools offer courses to accelerate your progression. These include courses around the area, New Zealand, and guided trips overseas. Further afield, other New Zealand and overseas schools offer a range of courses, including SIV and other programmes not offered locally. We never stop learning and we encourage you to consider seeking out continuing professional instruction.
Think like a pilot - NZHGPA
The national association has published an excellent safety system based on real incident reporting data from NZ and overseas analysed by expert pilots. We recommend all Canterbury pilots familiarise themselves with the system: https://nzhgpa.org.nz/thinklikeapilot/
Site grades
The sites here have been loosely graded for site difficulty, to help you assess where might be appropriate for your current skill level. Grades for hike and fly sites include access difficulty. Note, all sites are dangerous in the wrong conditions! Here are some guidelines on what you might expect for each category:
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Green: large accessible launch area with good abort options; large landing area, visible from launch; limited in-flight hazards in flyable conditions.
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Blue: smaller and possibly committing launch; generally good landings but not necessarily visible at launch; greater potential for turbulence in flyable conditions than green sites.
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Red: Smaller launches; potentially longer glides to smaller LZ; additional hazards on the ground and in flight, e.g. power lines, valley winds, thermal turbulence, rotor
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Black: Committing locations with potentially limited bomb-out options and local hazards, including strong thermic conditions.
Detailed site-specific information
We've categorised sites into soaring and thermic/hike-and-fly for ease of reference. Depending on the conditions, any site could be thermic or have soarable winds with the potential for turbulence. You also need some proficiency in all paragliding skills, all of the time. So remember the basics on top of the recommended skills for each site.
Navigate through the different pages by selecting the site 'tab' at the top of the soaring and thermic/hike-and-fly sections.
Soaring sites:
Taylor's Mistake - Green
Taylor's mistake is the jewel in the crown of Canterbury flying. It is the perfect location to learn a range of techniques and skills, and to grow your confidence in the air.
Recommended skill badges: none
Each pilot is different. A basic recommendation for new PG2 pilots is to spend at least 20 hours at Taylor's Mistake before venturing elsewhere. Some pilots spend longer, others progress quickly. But, every successful Canterbury pilot continues to train regularly at Taylor’s Mistake - new or master.
If your confidence is low or you have been away from flying for a while, doing a number of sleddies to practise launch and landing techniques is very useful. Some pilots spend their entire career doing hike and fly flights at Taylor's, and this is a perfectly valid and enjoyable way to fly.
Key skills
Before you go:
Check the site briefing online. Check the wind and weather forecast.
While you’re there:
Practice everything (safely)! Note: Taylor’s is too low to practice collapses or extreme maneuvers.
Check the current wind matches the forecast
Ideas to master your skills
Launch
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Master different launch techniques
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Try different launch techniques in different wind strengths
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Launch from different places
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Do some awkward ground handling, regain control, launch
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Abort take off and kill the wing
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Ground handling - tip touches, kiting (up and down the hill), walk around obstacles, let the wing fall but not touch the ground,....
In flight
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Fly in the gut
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Fly to the cliffs (conditions dependent - get a site brief)
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Pitch and roll control
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Practice descent techniques
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Wingovers / other maneuvers (under instruction)
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Soar in different wind strengths and directions
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Experience thermals in the heat of summer
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Practice working your way up the hill, while keeping a safe distance from the terrain and proceeding to the landing zone when you’re too low.
Landing
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Touch and go (at launch and in the gut)
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Slope landings
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Top landings (at the launch, behind the road, at the gut)
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Spot landing (top landing and at the bottom)
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Abort a top landing when low by flying back onto the ridge
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Kill techniques for the wing
Check out a recent site talk for more information:
Thermal / Hike and Fly sites:
Little River - Blue
The Little River site is recommended as an entry point to thermal flying. You have more altitude than the Gondola or other Port hills sites on launch, giving you a better chance at finding lift and a clear thermal trigger from the nearby spur. The launch is also less hazardous than the Gondola.
Recommended skill badges: NWTO, HWTO, ABRT, STO, IGH, ACTFLY, GAGGLE, THERM, METEO, SIV, METEO, SPOTL
There are specific rules and hazards associated with Little River. Check the site guide for information on the landing options and the signs of a NE wind.
Key skills
Before you go:
Check the site briefing online. Check the wind and weather forecast.
Practice the following skills:
Launch
Ground Handling
In Flight
Landing
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Good forward and reverse launch skills, including:
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Competent at aborting your launch.
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Able to deal with wind direction changes during launch.
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Able to respond to sudden changes in wind strength.
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Be comfortable holding the glider steady above your head in 45 degree wind changes.
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Proficient at pulling up your glider at an angle to the wind (not straight).
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You must understand how to react to a frontal or asymmetric collapse.
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Pitch and roll control in bumpy conditions, including stopping the glider from shooting forward.
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Practice relaxing in your harness when it’s bumpy.
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Practice with a vario can help, but isn’t a must.
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Understand flying etiquette in thermals
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Able to navigate to the landing.
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A good understanding of the glide of your wing and when you need to head to landing.
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Situational awareness of when other pilots are landing.
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Understand different methods to estimate wind strength and direction while flying.
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Recognise and avoid sources of turbulence.
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Able to land safely in different wind conditions.
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Reliably land within 5m of target.
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Familiarity with increased glide in thermic and nil-wind conditions.
While you’re there:
Match your mental weather model to the conditions on the day. Is it what you expected? Do you need to change your plan?
Get a briefing on the landing field before going up the hill, so you know where it is and can identify any hazards.
Understand the local site rules (e.g. landing outside of the nominated LZs is reserved for emergencies only.)
Ideas to master your skills
On the ground, you can practice matching your mental weather model to the conditions on the day at a new site. You can also try to observe other pilots or clouds in the air to identify active thermals. Try and figure out where the trigger is, taking the wind into account.
In the air, you can practice most flight skills that you do at Taylor’s. Try to stay further away from terrain than you might at your usual flight, since you may encounter unexpected turbulence. If trying to join a thermal, aim to keep at least 100m above terrain, since this is generally the minimum height necessary to deploy your reserve and thermals are turbulent.
Check out a recent site talk for more information:
Sites Summary Table
This table summaries the key skills you should develop before progressing to each site. Check both the full progression page and the site guide before flying a site for the first time.
Soaring Sites
Launch
Ground Handling
In Flight
Landing
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Reverse launch in strong winds (20km/h+).
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Cobra launches are useful.
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Practice setting up your gear safely in strong winds.
SWTO, ABRT
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Pitch and roll control
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Ability to hold the wing steady overhead in moderate wind.
IGH
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Soaring in strong winds.
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Comfortable keeping an eye on visual indicators of wind strength while flying (wind on water, other pilots, etc).
METEO, SOAR
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Current top landing skills (can consistently land on target at Taylor’s).
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Can generally land within 5m of target.
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Comfortable being low above trees on approach.
TOPL
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Great place to learn and practice all of your skills!
Allendale
Taylor's Mistake
Towers
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Very good top landing skills - you can usually top land at Taylor’s in 1-2 attempts.
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Ability to slope land.
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Usually spot land within 5m of target.
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We recommend you try landing safely outside of designated landing areas at other sites before flying Towers.
TOPL+, SPOTL
Thermal / Hike and Fly Sites
Gondola (light conditions)
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Reverse launch with wind direction change.
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Nil wind forward launch.
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Your launches need to be consistently good, since there's a cliff.
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Ability to abort a launch quickly.
NWTO, ABRT, STO
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Wing control in strong wind.
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Skills to perform tip touches are recommended.
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Techniques to kill the wing in strong winds.
IGH
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Pitch control
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Understanding of brake position (do you usually fly with some brake on?).
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Can identify when conditions strengthen.
METEO
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Can generally land within 5m of target.
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Comfortable being low above trees on approach.
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Recent experience landing in nil wind with a long glide.
SPOTL
Little River
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Good forward and reverse launch skills, including:
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Competent at aborting your launch.
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Able to deal with wind direction changes during launch.
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Able to respond to sudden changes in wind strength.
For the Gondola:
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The launch at the Gondola is hazardous and other launches should be considered (above John Britten, in the col where the cars park, and near Castle Rock)
NWTO, HWTO, ABRT, STO
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Be comfortable holding the glider steady above your head in 45 degree wind changes.
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Proficient at pulling up your glider at an angle to the wind (not straight).
IGH
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You must understand how to react to a frontal or asymmetric collapse.
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Pitch and roll control in bumpy conditions, including stopping the glider from shooting forward.
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Practice relaxing in your harness when it’s bumpy.
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Practice with a vario can help, but isn’t a must.
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Understand flying etiquette in thermals
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Able to navigate to the landing.
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A good understanding of the glide of your wing and when you need to head to landing.
ACTFLY, GAGGLE, THERM, METEO, SIV
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Situational awareness of when other pilots are landing.
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Understand different methods to estimate wind strength and direction while flying.
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Recognise and avoid sources of turbulence.
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Able to land safely in different wind conditions.
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Reliably land within 5m of target.
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Familiarity with increased glide in thermic and nil-wind conditions.
For Little River and the Craigieburns:
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Able to navigate to the landing
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A good understanding of the glide of your wing and when you need to head to landing
METEO, SPOTL
Gondola (medium conditions)
Little River skills, plus:
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Skills to perform tip touches are recommended.
AGH
Mt Cheeseman / Long Spur
Red to Black
Gondola and Little River skills plus:
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Practice launching on ‘unideal’ terrain (e.g. uneven, rocks, line-snagging bushes)
NWTO, ABRT, STO
Gondola skills plus:
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Recent practice
AGH+
Gondola and Little River skills plus:
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Understand glider behaviour entering and exiting a thermal
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Rehearsed use of a reserve parachute and understanding of the minimum altitude required
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Be conservative on when you fly to avoid the strongest thermals at first
ACTFLY, GAGGLE, SIV, NAV, THERM, METEO, SELF
Skills System
These skill badges are intended to be a quick way to identify the relevant competencies for Canterbury sites. Think of these like areas where you can build skills that you can self evaluate on your practice and currency.
Skills
IGH
AGH
STO
HWTO
NWTO
ABRT
SPOTL
TOPL
NAV
ACTFLY
THERM
GAGGLE
SOAR
METEO
SIV
SELF
MEDICAL
XC
Definition
Intermediate Ground-Handling - you can hold the glider steady overhead even in thermic (rough, shifty) conditions and reliably do tip touches on either side
Advanced Ground-Handling - there really is no limit to master ground-handling and building a connection to your wing. To be advanced, you’d typically have looked up several exercises online or from your instructor and mastered them in all conditions.
Short Take Off - you can reliably inflate your wing, perform all checks, and launch within a 5m square with some wind. You can also launch in tall grass or where there are some shrubs.
High Wind Take Off - you are comfortable launching in >20km/h winds and are proficient in techniques to depower your wing on launch and landing.
Nil Wind Take Off - you have mastered forward launches and can control your wing overhead.
Abort - you check your lines on launch every time and have practiced safely aborting your launch.
Spot Landing - you regularly land within 2m of your target.
Top Landing - you regularly top and slope land in varied conditions within 5m of your target.
Navigation - you can navigate to an unfamiliar landing site from launch. If possible, you are also familiar with your instrument / app.
Active Flying - you can recognise when pitch, roll, and yaw occur in turbulent conditions (rotor, thermal entry/exit) and have practiced techniques to control the wing.
Thermal Flying - you know the theory and are learning to enter, climb, exit, descend, and re-enter the same thermal reliably before moving to stronger conditions.
Gaggle flying - you’re familiar with thermal etiquette and flying with others.
Soaring - you are a confident coastal-soaring pilot. At Taylors, this means getting low and persevering back up to the top, not just staying high!
Meteorology and Weather - you know some basic theory and can match your expectations to the conditions. You can interpret pressure maps (Windy), weather stations (Zephyr), and flying-specific forecasts (Skew-T, Skysight).
Simulation d'Incident en Vol - ideally you’d do an SIV course. If you can’t, you can watch great videos on YouTube and visualise how you would respond. Only practice under qualified instruction.
Self awareness - you understand how you react under stress and practice mental tools to manage your response. You manage risk well.
First-aid training - It’s a good idea to learn first aid, especially trauma care. At a minimum, understand how to call for help.
Cross-country flying - All of the above, plus when to transition between thermals, manage clouds, assess new landings from the air, and navigate.
Example Pathways
We’ve asked a few local pilots how they progressed after their PG2 to give you some ideas. In general, we recommend honing your skills at Taylor's for around 20 hours, trying new sites with sleddies in mild conditions, then ease into the thermal sites early or late in the day. Coronet peak and Treble Cone are great mountain sites in Queenstown and Wānaka that are perfect to progress.
However you approach it, we definitely recommend a ton of ground handling - you can never have too much practice and it makes you a safer, more performant pilot.
Embedding PG2 skills
After getting my PG2 I knew I had a lot to learn, but also wanted to try new sites.
I spent my first five hours practicing the skills I learned at Taylor's Mistake, especially to get really confident with my launches and landings.
It was near the end of the season, so I went to Wanaka to ski with other paragliding friends. We did some sleddies at Treble Cone and Coronet Peak, which was one of our goals learning to fly!
Skills Glossary
This skills glossary is intended to complement CHGPC information on progression in Canterbury. You could use it to help understand some of the skills you might need to develop. Nearly all of these skills can be developed, practiced, and mastered at Taylor’s Mistake.
Note that this guide is for your information only and does not substitute for professional instruction. Local schools offer progression courses that include practical experience.
Paragliding skills can be can be categorised by phase of flight:
Pre-flight
Each pilot’s pre-flight routine is different. It’s important that you have one, not necessarily that it’s the same as someone else. Make it something you do every time, especially when preparing your gear. Several pilots have died from insufficient pre-flight checks. You can add to your routine over time and your instructor can guide you.
Before arriving at launch
Some things to consider:
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Gear: Your gear is your responsibility, even if it has a Warrant of Fitness (WOF). Lines can fray or break, reserves can be packed incorrectly or not frequently enough, and harnesses can tear. Check your gear regularly. Wings can need trimming from time to time, especially when new. Follow the manual for your wing, harness, and reserve for recommended
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Weather: Understanding the weather makes you a better pilot! Especially to build a foundation for cross-country flying. Your task is to build a mental model of the day’s weather that you can cross-check with your own observations. A good process can look like:
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Big picture - what’s going on around New Zealand? How might this affect your flying area? Any hazards? Any opportunities? Useful resources include: Windy, Metservice, Metvuw.
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My area - What might happen around the area I’m flying? Local weather effects like terrain and sea breezes become more relevant at this level. You can also make good use of local weather stations. Useful resources include: Holfuy, Zephyrapp, SkySight, your eyes and the sky.
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My site - How might the weather affect my flying? Will wind funnel or create a rotor? How is today different to when I’ve flown before? Is my intended launch okay? Landing?
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Site-specific information: If you’re flying in a new area, check out any site information available. The Canterbury club has guides for several local sites (Flying Sites). Also be aware of the airspace rules where you’re planning to fly (or might end up!).
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Make sure you’re okay to fly! The IMSAFE checklist is a good resource to confirm you’re fit to fly.
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Know how to respond in an emergency: You can be prepared by bringing sufficient communication devices for where you're flying (PLB or similar in the back country). You can also undertake first aid training. The NZHGPA has advice on how to call for help: Who to Call in an Emergency
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Some Canterbury-specific advice:
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Do not fly in a North-Westerly wind. A wave pattern forms from the Southern Alps and can touch down unexpectedly and very strong. Be extremely cautious, even if the wind is NE at Taylor’s Mistake when you check. The wind station at Allendale is higher than Taylor’s and can give you some advance warning of the arrival of a NW.
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Lambing season - Several sites have limited access during lambing season. Please respect access notices and take care at non-official sites.
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Airspace - You are required to observe airspace rules and NOTAMs. Familiarise yourself before you go and be aware of any active restrictions. Some airspace can be opened and this should be posted in the Canterbury WhatsApp group.
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CHGPC Website - Great information is available on our club website, which is regularly updated.
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Pre-flight checks
Make a system you do each time. Some elements you could include:
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Equipment Inspection: Check your wing and harness for any damage, wear, or defects.
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Line check: ensure your lines are tangle free and laid out appropriately for launch.
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Harness Check: Ensure all buckles and connections are secure and functioning.
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Reserve Parachute Check: Verify that the reserve is packed correctly and accessible. Is the handle secure?
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Weather Assessment: Analyze wind conditions, temperature, and potential changes. Do the conditions match your mental model?
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Site Familiarization: Assess the launch and landing areas for hazards and suitability.
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Helmet check: ensure your helmet is securely on your head and fastened
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Radio check: check your radio is on and set to channel 40 for Canterbury. It’s also useful to check the transmit button is unlikely to be accidentally stuck on.
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Instruments: check your instruments are charged, turned on, and connected where necessary
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Airspace: understand the airspace limitations in your proposed flight area.
Helmet and harness: We can all agree that when you need a helmet or harness, you really need them. Pilots have died because they launched and forgot to do them up. We highly recommend a simple system: your harness and helmet are either completely on, or completely off. Walking around launch with a partially buckled harness or unbuckled helmet builds dangerous habits that you can avoid.
Launch
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Launch Techniques: Execute proper techniques for forward and reverse launches. You should learn to launch in conditions from nil to strong wind conditions. For hike and fly pilots an ability to launch in light downwind conditions is useful.
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Aborting launch: There’s a skill to aborting your launch, especially when the ground is uneven on advanced sites.
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Timing and Coordination: Develop timing skills for launching in varying wind conditions.
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Situational Awareness: Be aware of surroundings and other pilots during launch.
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Body Positioning: Maintain correct body position to ensure a smooth takeoff. This body position should be maintained until you are away from the hill.
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Quick Decision Making: Make rapid assessments regarding launch feasibility.
Ground Handling
Ground handling is a seriously underrated skill. Understanding your wing makes you a much better pilot in the air. Good control also makes you safer on the ground. A third of accidents happen in the launch phase. Taylor’s Mistake is the perfect site to master skills on the ground.
Talk to your instructor if you want to get better at ground handling. There are also excellent resources online.
Some ideas to get you started:
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Wing Inflation: Master techniques for inflation and control of the wing. You should be able to inflate your wing using different techniques for light and strong winds. This includes As only, As and brakes, As and Cs, and cobra launch. Advanced techniques include nose down launch.
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Brake Control: Practice effective brake input to manage wing position during ground handling. Exercises can include stall edging, Pitch and roll control,...
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Weight Shifting: Learn to shift weight effectively for directional control. You should be able to do tip touches on both sides in most conditions.
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Obstacle Avoidance: Navigate around obstacles while manoeuvring on the ground and kite your wing back up the hill.
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Advanced ground handling: learn advanced techniques including ground spin, kiting uphill, stall point control, figure of eight movements,...
In-flight Skills
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Steering and Control: Use brakes and weight shifting for effective steering.
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Pitch and roll control: techniques to ensure that your wing remains above your head at all times. In particular it is important that you understand the principles behind controlling the shoot of your wing so that it never gets too far in front of you.
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You would have done some pitch control in your PG2 course and might have not understood what all the fuss is about. Pitch can be tame in smooth air like at Taylor’s. We’ve all been there!
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Pitch and roll gets dramatically more violent in thermic and leeside air. Mastering glider control is critical for both safety and performance. Your actions, timed wrong, can be very consequential. There are incredible resources online to help you learn more. You can also ask your instructor. Even better is attending an SIV course.
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Active flying: Staying in touch with the glider and reacting to what it is doing. Important for performance and preventing collapses.
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Speed bar: an ability to use your speed bar and understand the changes it makes to your glide ratio. Speed bar can save you when it gets windy! It can also increase the risk and severity of collapses in turbulent conditions.
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Descent techniques: familiarity with a range of descent techniques, including big ears, speed bar and spiral.
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Thermal Flying: Identify and utilize thermals for altitude gain.
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Navigation: Understand navigation techniques and map reading.
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Situational Awareness: Maintain awareness of airspace, weather, and other aircraft.
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Emergency Procedures: Know procedures for dealing with in-flight emergencies, including when and how to use your reserve.
Landing
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Approach Planning: Plan the landing approach based on wind direction and terrain. Develop multiple techniques for determining wind direction and strength; especially important for flying new or more complex sites.
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Glide Path Management: Control glide slope and descent rate effectively. Setting your final glide from a number of different points and under a range of wind strengths will stop.
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Spot landing: spot landing is simply landing on target. You need practice in a variety of different conditions and approach pathways. Many sites have smaller landings than Taylor’s Mistake.
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Top and slope landing techniques: Top and slope landing are useful skills in a range of conditions. We’re fortunate to have a great site to practice our skills in Canterbury! At Taylors, you can master different approaches like landing under brakes, brake flipping, big ears from the side, big ears from the rear over the road, swooping to land, and rising up hill to land. You can practice slope landing in several places, including the Gut
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Top landing can be dangerous. Be patient and never force a landing, especially if you risk stalling your wing with deep brakes.
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Rollout Control: Manage the wing's behaviour upon touchdown. You should have a range of techniques for killing your wing particularly in strong winds. Practice killing your wing with brakes, C lines, and A lines. Develop a technique that’s effective and becomes automatic.
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Post-landing Procedures: Safely secure the wing and equipment after landing.
Final note on intermediate syndrome
Congratulations, you’ve progressed as a PG2 pilot and sampled the major local sites! You’ve also entered the most dangerous phase of your flying career as an intermediate pilot.
Intermediate syndrome, also known as the "100-hour pilot" syndrome, refers to a cognitive bias where pilots overestimate their abilities and underestimate their limitations, especially after a certain amount of flight experience. This can lead to a false sense of security and increased risk-taking, which result in several accidents per year in New Zealand.
There are no fixed rules on when you enter or exit the intermediate window, nor is it a bad thing; we all strive to progress after all! Just be aware of the risk, manage it, and fly for many years to come.