Paragliding Interlaken

As a passenger on a tandem flight, you do not need any previous experience. You will be instructed by the pilot before the paragliding flight in the launch preparation, what you have to pay attention to during take-off, landing and also during the flight. There are no age restrictions from the age of 16, but your weight should be between thirty and one hundred kilograms. The exact weight depends on the offer and the take-off site and is shown separately when booking. No special fitness is required, but if you have any serious illnesses, you should consult your doctor and state this when booking. Sturdy shoes, long trousers and a windbreaker are compulsory. In most cases, a tandem flight is possible for children from about seven years of age, but permission from a parent or guardian is required.

Anyone wishing to practice this sport as a pilot in Switzerland must first pass two exams for single-place paragliders. One exam concerns the theoretical training, which is divided into five sections. The practical examination is completed in a maximum of three paraglider flights. This tests the pilot's mastery of the glider. This is done in three sections at take-off, during the flight and at landing within a given thirty meter circle. In order to be credited for the training, the take-off and landing area must have a minimum altitude difference of 300 meters. To fly a tandem parachute (also called a biplace) you need to pass another strict exam. The license is called in German Hängegleiter Ausweis (Licence de vol libre, Licenza per aliante da pendio, Hang gliding license) and is issued by the Swiss Confederation. Anyone who has passed these exams is allowed to fly as a paraglider pilot.

In order to be allowed to take off with a paraglider in Switzerland, only the permission of the land owner is required. The launch and landing sites are usually managed by flight schools, local clubs or even mountain railway operators. However, a concluded liability insurance is a prerequisite. As a foreign guest pilot, you must obtain confirmation from your insurance company that your insurance also covers your flights in Swiss airspace. Guarantees and coverage for third party damages must be sufficiently covered. as a pilot, you can also take out 30-day insurance with the Swiss Hang Gliding Association.

The pilot sits safely in a harness under the paraglider, which is connected to the harness by lines. He steers the flight by means of control lines. In a tandem flight, the passenger sits in a second permanently connected harness directly in front of the pilot. All the equipment fits into a backpack and weighs between fifteen and twenty kilograms. In the mountains, the flight is usually done with a forward takeoff. The paraglider is behind you and you slowly start walking until the paraglider has filled with air and is above you. If nothing is tangled, you take a few more steps accelerated downhill and already at 20 km/h the paraglider lifts you into the air.

Professionalism and safety are guaranteed in paragliding. All pilots, without exception, are tested by the Swiss Hang Gliding Association SHV and have a brevet, the hang gliding certificate. Pilots who are allowed to perform tandem flights go through an additional strict examination. There are also very strict regulations for paragliders. All parts of the paraglider must be able to withstand at least an eightfold load. Today, paragliding is the safest aviation sport of all. Between 2000-2017, an average of 8 people died while paragliding according to BFU. With 16,000 registered and licensed paragliding pilots, this is a comparably low figure. Especially if you consider that every pilot flies several times a year.

Paragliding has been around in its infancy for more than seventy years. NASA engineer Francis Melvin Rogallo received the first patent of a predecessor paraglider in 1948. Somewhat later, David Barish also developed and tested very similar gliders

In Switzerland, the German Strasilla brothers, who lived here, together with Andrea Kuhn of Switzerland, developed the world's first paraglider from drag parachutes in 1973. They registered their own paraglider patent as the Skywing. Even then, their glider had an ingenious system of arresting and control lines. Dieter and Udo Strasilla were the first people to fly together from the 3466 meter high Jungfraujoch to Lauterbrunnen, about six kilometers away, covering 2676 meters in altitude. That was the birth of paragliding in Switzerland

Even today, the world's first paraglider, an 11-cell glider made of spinnaker fabric, can still be seen. It is located in the Flugwerft Schleissheim near Munich, which belongs to the German Museum. The Bernese Alps south of Interlaken are known for their triumvirate of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau and offer ideal conditions for paragliding with peaks above 4000 meters altitude.

When you book a paragliding tandem flight through Swiss Activities, we will tell you the meeting point. However, depending on the flight, you may need to contact the provider after booking to discuss the details as the meeting point may be slightly different. If this is the case, we have described this in the text of the flight so that you know when you need to take action.

Even if the meeting point is clearly defined, paragliding can change at short notice due to weather conditions. The weather is not controllable and sometimes the pilot has to choose a different take-off point so that you can carry out the flight. Therefore, it is important that you are available by phone and email on the day of the activity (and even a day before). The provider will receive your email address and phone number when you book. They will contact you if there is a change.

All tandem flight providers offer a photo and video service. This way, you fly in a relaxed way and get unique souvenirs afterwards. You should expect to pay between CHF 40 and 45 for this service.

A small compact camera or a GoPro can usually be taken along if it can be easily attached to the harness. Mobile phones and selfie sticks are not allowed.