Join The Staff

in order to get an APPI professional qualification at the end of the course you must:

• Be over 18 years of age,
• Submit a first aid certificate,
• Submit proof of advanced SIV certified by an APPI SIV instructor or video showing the following mandatory maneuvers:
  • Spiral dive damped exit,
  • Pitch control,
  • Stall, back fly, exit,
  • Spin 360 degrees mini, exit,
  • Maintained asymmetrical collapse, autorotation SAT type, exit.

The footage will be made from two cameras, one on the ground, the other one on the knee or the foot. And edit of that type will be provided: youtu.be/aYkBDtdm284. Submit a video of tandem flight featuring Safety procedures according to APPI (cf APPI tandem-routine), takeoff approach and landing, and the timed maneuvers of the APPI exam (720° and figure 8) (cf tandem pro-workshop info). If the master in charge has any doubt about practical skills, he might ask for a solo demo flight prior to any tandem flight. Solo tasks include:

• clean take off with safety check,
• spiral 720° exit on axis in less than 15 sec glider stabilized,
• pitch and pitch control,
• landing with 4 sec minimum straight final in a 15m diameter target.

You are an experienced Tandem pilot and you want to have your skills recognized in the APPI system you should attend a tandem Pro-workshop and pass its exams.
To qualify for APPI non commercial tandem pilot, you should provide proof of a minimum of:

• 2 years paragliding activity,
• 50 tandem flights as pilot documented.

To qualify for APPI pro tandem pilot, you should provide proof of a minimum of:

• 3 years experience paragliding activity,
• one year tandem operating,
• 150 tandem flights as pilot documented.

Contents and Exams are similar to APPI tandem courses.
Upon the result of the exam, if not failed, the master instructor in charge may validate Non Commercial Tandem Pilot status as either “pending” or “validated”, or APPI pro tandem pilot status as either “pending” or “validated”.

You are an experienced Instructor and you want to have your skills recognized in the APPI system you have to attend first a tandem pro-workshop or a tandem pro-course and validate at least non commercial tandem pilot. Then apply for an instructor Pro-workshop and pass their exams.
Instructor pro-workshop is fully focused on pedagogy applied to paragliding teaching, and guiding safety procedures and techniques.
To qualify for APPI instructor proworkshop, you should provide proof of a minimum of:

• 4 years paragliding activity,
• 2 years tandem operating, 150 tandem flights as pilot,
• 2 years instructor activity,15 students taught from first flights to first autonomy (IPPI 3),
• at least non commercial tandem validated thru APPI proworkshop or pro-course (not by equivalence).

Contents and Exams are similar to APPI ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR course.
If the exam is not fully validated, the master in charge will give to the participant a clear road-map of what they need to do to improve. Standard procedure is that the participant should re-take the exams at a forthcoming pro workshop, repeat attendance of the full workshop is usually not mandatory unless the master advises it.
Each Pro-workshop concludes with a highest possible certification of APPI instructor in progress.

If the following key points are validated:

• Glider’s trim control,
• APPI system exam,
• at least non commercial tandem qualification, with tandem operation showing perfect procedures,
• pedagogical session,
• student guiding solid and professional,
• theory grade above or equal to 4/5. Then the student is eligible for the final Instructor exam.

Instructor validation is obtained thru a check with a master after the end of the workshop. During this check, the student has to:

• show they handle perfectly the APPI website, documents and student registration,
• show they master APPI pedagogical tools,
• give theoretical course to students,
• give practical course in the field prepared with the APPI session tool,
• show good safety management.

If the practical course does not involve flight, they will also guide at least one student at take off, in flight and in approach and landing.

Instructors with Swiss or French tandem or instructor certification may contact the secretary for simplified procedure. This simplified procedure gives limited prerogatives and excludes tandem certification. To get full prerogatives attend a pro-workshop is mandatory.

APPI tandem pilots, assistant instructors or instructors are encouraged to attend Pro-workshop when they have the chance. This leads to an update of the certification date added to the pilot’s APPI profile, and will certify that the tandem pilot or APPI instructor updated his knowledge.

APPI does not make any profit on the workshops, the price is fixed freely by the masters who organize it. We strive to keep a low cost to enable everyone to participate.