Safety
Training
To fly safely in varying aerological conditions, proper training — both theoretical and practical — is essential.
Understanding the air that carries us allows for better anticipation and more effective reactions in flight.
Working toward pilot ratings (BI, BP, BPC) is an excellent way to challenge yourself and keep improving: the FFVL multiple-choice tests offer a fun way to learn.
We’ve also gathered a selection of instructional videos suited to BP and BPC levels to help you progress and fly with confidence.
Retrievability
In paragliding, retrievability is a key safety element. It refers to the ability to be located — and therefore found quickly — in the event of an incident or accident.
To achieve this, pilots use a tracker (mobile app) that can either transmit their location in real time (live tracking, accessible to everyone) or send their last known position to the FFVL via VLSafe (accessible only to instructors, safety officers, and board members).
Here's a tutorial that presents the different live tracking systems and explains how to set them up.
Tree landing kit
A paragliding tree landing kit includes essential equipment to ensure pilot safety in the event of landing in a tree.
It allows you to:
- clip yourself to a branch to secure your position,
- haul up equipment such as a rope and a descender to perform a rappel,
- cut lines if necessary,
- signal your presence to rescuers on the ground.
It’s a valuable tool for managing a delicate situation as safely as possible while waiting for — or facilitating — rescue.
The club has developed its own tree landing kit: lightweight, compact, and affordable.
Order a kit
Having a tree landing kit is good — knowing how to use it when things go wrong is even better!
The video below (in English) shows how the Chamonix PGHM (French high mountain rescue unit) operates to rescue a paraglider who has landed in a tree.
As a bonus, here are some additional tips shared by the Colmar Gendarmerie Air Unit:
https://youtu.be/SoAJVCzyaCg