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No less than 10 pro-workshops and 5 pro-courses were carried out this year with a special mention for Latin America and in particular Colombia where the APPI-FEDEAEREOS collaboration was particularly beneficial.

1) Colombia 2019

Following the first joint pro-workshop organized at Jerico, Antioquia, in May, an instructor pro-workshop and another tandem pro-workshop were organized in Cocorna and Barbosa. Pilots who passed the exams have received certification from both APPI and fedeaereos systems. A big thank you to the board of the Colombian federation for its energy and its desire to support high quality standards for tandem pilots and instructors.

The participants of the tandem pro-workshops benefited from the most recent knowledge on equipment aging, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasts, stress and risk management, as well as on safety procedures and operations in tandem.

For participants in the instructor pro-workshop, a week dedicated to the study of pedagogy and to field exercises served as a foundation for a period of application in personal work in the field. The final instructor exam will take place at the end of January.

The courses give a systematic method of verifying the trim and setting of the wings, as well as the proper repacking and installation of the emergency rescues. Often, our inspections revealed major problems that we had the opportunity to fix.

The Colombian tandem pilots were really well prepared for the pro-workshop tandem and the success rate was quite impressive, despite the technical conditions on landing.

These workshops provided Colombian instructors the opportunity to learn new techniques of organization and teaching, under the supervision of masters Edgar Soria and Pablo Lopez. Thanks to good preparation from the participants, the level of pedagogy was raised significantly, both in terms of mastering the content and how to transmit it.

2) Latin America 2019

The presence at the Colombian instructor pro-workshop of Peruvian, Bolivian and Ecuadorian representatives has boosted projects in the region. A first tandem workshop took place in Cuzco-Peru with the master Marko Hrgetik.

Workshops are scheduled for early 2020 in Lima-Peru, Cochabamba-Ecuador among other projects. Local instructors are already preparing future participants to ensure the best possible results.

3) Europe 2019

A Significant event in Europe, an instructor course was organized in Greece in October 2019 at the foot of Mount Olympus.

The Skill level of the attendees was exceptionally high, with some of the best Acro pilots in the world in the class, and participants from all over the world

This pro-course allowed, among other things, an opportunity to explore the application of the APPI teaching methods to piloting and acrobatic training. A good dynamic at the end of this course facilitated a number of trainings in Turkey in November with the master Shahin Fallah.

13 professional tandem pilots and Turkish instructors joined the pro-workshop in Turkey. Mr. Yigit Yildirim was also present as an APPI instructor.

Given the high number of candidates, we will organize two other tandem pro-workshops in English and Turkish from 12th to 18th January 2020 and from 11th to 17th February 2020 in the same place.

4) Russia 2019

Dynamism also in Russia with two pro-workshops organized this year with the masters Mendo Veljanovski and Dmitry Gusev.

5) Various

- Alex Ledger, APPI master and founder of APPI PPG & Paratrike, is currently running an APPI PPG & ParaTrike Master Instructor Workshop in Qatar to establish SkyMasters as a centre of Paramotoring and ParaTriking excellence there. It is run by Mohammed Ahmed Al Yafei who is President of the SkyMasters Sports Club.

- The paragliding website pages relating to professional qualifications have been updated, we invite you to consult it.
flyappi.org/spip.php?page=rubrique&id_rubrique=12
flyappi.org/?APPI-pro-workshops-pro-courses

- Job proposal: Commercial tandem flight in Tsukuba, Nasu JAPAN (around 1.5-2 hours drive from Tokyo) from May to October 2020.
Requirement: APPI Pro Tandem Certification and English or Japanese speaker.
Contact: Naohisa Okada (APPI instructor), tel & Whatapp: +819014615005, email: okada.n1969@gmail.com

6) Many pro-workshops and pro-courses are scheduled for 2020

- APPI tandem pilots pro-workshop in Oludeniz, Turkey, 12th - 18th January 2020 with Shahin Fallah, Yigit Yildirim and Artun Bayrak.
For any information and registration contact : iranparaglidingschool@gmail.com

- APPI tandem pilots pro-workshop in Oludeniz, Turkey, 11th - 17th February 2020 with Shahin Fallah, Yigit Yildirim and Artun Bayrak.
For any information and registration contact : iranparaglidingschool@gmail.com

- APPI Instructor pro-workshop with Master Instructor Manu Bonte in Pamukkale,Turkey, 15th - 23th March 2020.
For more information: secretary@flyappi.org

- APPI Tandem pilot pro-workshop with Master Instructor Marko Hrgetic in Bolivia, 20th - 28th March 2020.
For more information and registration: info@aprendeavolar.com.mx

- APPI Maintenance pro-workshop with Master Instructor Manu Bonte in Tsukuba, Japan, 30th March - 6th April 2020.
For more information: secretary@flyappi.org

- APPI Tandem pro-workshop with Master Instructor Dale Covington and Marko Hrgetic, USA, Salt Lake City, April 25 - May 6, 2020, to be confirmed.
For more information: Big Sky Paragliding School.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) APPI-FEDEAEREOS TANDEM Pro-Workshop in Colombia, 22-30 April 2019

The first APPI-FEDEAEREOS Pro-Workshop was held in JERICO, Antioquia.

Historically its the first time this type of event was jointly organized by APPI and the Colombian Federation FEDEAEREOS. The pilots that passed the exams received the certification of both systems according to their standards. Special thanks to the Fedeaereos board and specifically the vice president Héctor Arboleda, and the secretary Erik Sanchez for their dedication and energy.

Due to the large number of pilots attending (50), the Workshop had been scheduled for 9 days to allow extra time for the class and several exams days.

This workshop was given by the APPI masters Edgar Soria and Pablo Lopez. It also featured the teaching of other assistants or experts: Isabel Bernal, Lukas De Sanctis, Edinson Rodriguez, Yannick Rousse, and Jorge Serna.

They provided up-to-date information about gear aging, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasting, stress and risk management, as well as tandem safety procedures and operations. During the course a systematic check of glider trim and the reserves showed major problems with the rescue installation. The course allowed pilots to make the necessary corrections and teach the proper way to proceed.

The Colombian tandem pilots showed up well prepared to the workshop and at the end the success rate is quite impressive. A big majority of pilots even nailed the practical exam without the the need for extra flights despite technical conditions at landing. Congratulations!

Let’s hope the collaboration between APPI and FEDEAEREOS will keep on flying. We are looking forward to more joint events in the future.

2) APPI Tandem Pro Course & Pro Tandem Evaluation Workshop, May 2019, India

APPI Master Instructor Avi Malik conducted an APPI Tandem Pro Course & Pro Tandem Evaluation Workshop at his School & Club base at Kamshet in Maharashtra, India.

The Tandem Pro Course was Officially Announced on APPI Website a month ago & duly conducted from the the 6th of May to the 14th of May 2019.

A total of 8 Tandem Pilots attended the Pro Course & the Evaluation Workshop for NCTP & Pro Tandem. The Pro Course included thorough Theory Training in the subjects of Weather, Equipment, Aerodynamics, Mechanics of Flight, Piloting & Mental States. Tandem Specific topics covered Tandem Glider Trimming, Air-law, Tandem Obligations & Insurance. The flying conditions were perfect at the Pawana Lakeside to conduct the field exams that included Briefings, Set-up & Launch Procedures, timed 360's & Reversals, Descent Manoeuvres, Aircraft (U-Turn) Approaches, Spot Landings & quite a number of Ground handling Tasks as per APPI Validation Requirements.

3) APPI Tandem Pro-Course, May 2019, Macedonia

Pro tandem course in Krushevo, Macedonia, run by APPI Master instructor Mendo Veljanovski and APPI instructor Roland Dorozhani.

This course was organized by Acro Macedonia and Aero Club Albania.

The participants from China, Canada, Turkey, Albania and Macedonia had chance to add to his knowledge the newest APPI theory lessons of: gear, aerodynamics, mechanics of flights, piloting, tandem procedures, psychological approach and many other subjects of the APPI educational program.

4) APPI PPG workshop, May 2019, Albania

From 15th - 20th May APPI PPG Secretary and Master Instructor Alex Ledger visited Albania to run an Instructor Workshop.

This was organised by Artion Vreto, General Secretary of the Albanian Sports Federation.

The Workshop was a big success, producing two qualified APPI PPG Instructors and several Trainee Assistant Instructors.

Albania has huge potential when it comes to Paramotoring, which is still a relatively small sport in the country, unlike Paragliding which has been firmly established for many years.

Alex plans to return later in the year to run another Instructor Workshop. For further information about this you can email Alex on: secretary-ppg@flyappi.org or Artion on: artionvreto2012@gmail.com

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Hot APPI news

- APPI is now the Official Paragliding Education & Rating System in the UAE
APPI is now the Official Paragliding Education & Rating System in the United Arab Emirates that includes the seven Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, Fujairah & Ras Al Khaimah, from March 2019. Thanks to the EAF (Emirates Aerosport Federation) & FAI/CIVL Administration collaboration.
APPI is authorized by EAF and FAI to issue IPPI / FAI cards for nationals and residents of UAE.

- Grouping of APPI certification cards for sending to schools
We now send APPI certification cards to schools by international registered letter as soon as 4 cards are waiting to be sent. In this case, tracking is possible with a tracking number, but for some countries tracking is not assured to the destination.
On request to the secretary, it is also possible to send the cards by international express carrier (dhl, fedex, chronopost ...), but considering the high cost of this shipment, you must then pay extra shipping fee (20 € to 40 € depending on the destination).
Due to the relatively large number of APPI certification cards not received, especially in Asia and South America, we have added the possibility to print yourself the card only for affiliated members from your APPI account page.

- For technical reasons, if you are logged on the APPI website and it is not possible to see the contents of your account, you must click on LOGOUT then LOGIN to refresh your access rights to the pages of the site.

- We are working on updating the APPI website. This version will be more modern and easier to use with a smartphone or tablet. Instructors may already have a preview on this page. Attention, this version is under development and will evolve further.

2) APPI Workshop in UAE, March 2019

APPI Master Instructor Avi Malik initiated the process of establishing the APPI System in UAE by conducting two Workshops from the 7th to the 10th of March 2019 at Al Fayah Flying site in Sharjah, close to Dubai.
1. APPI Training & Preparation Workshop
2. APPI Evaluation & Certification Workshop

The Workshops were organised with the support of EAF (Emirates Aerosport Federation) & the Local APPI Pilots Hany Elsaadany & Salem Woldraha from Dubai.

The Workshops were conducted by APPI Master Instructor Avi Malik & APPI Assistant Instructor & Competition Pilot Sachin Pathare.

The Workshops were well received by the Local pilots & the Expats residing in the UAE. Work is in progress to establish the first APPI Fly Center & an APPI School in the UAE.

3) APPI Pro-Workshop in Colombia, February 2019

The Colombian APPI Pro-Workshop was held in APIA, Risaralda with the help of the paragliding Club Vientos, Alejandro Bermudez, and the APIA municipality.

This workshop was given by Manu Bonte president of APPI pedagogical committee and Michael Grisey, technical director of Flyeo, a major school in Annecy, France.

This intensive workshop happened in two parts :

First part - February 4-8, was focused on pedagogy : tools to structure pedagogical process and to improve safety management have been introduced. Practical exercises on the field allowed to put them in practice.

Second part - February 25-28 provided up-to-date information about gear aging, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasting, stress and risk management, as well as tandem safety procedures and operating.

The check of the trim of the gliders showed important difference for most of the gliders proposed… which is a major safety issue. The workshop allowed us to make the necessary corrections. Special thanks to Edinson Rodriguez from Jardin, Antioquia for his help.

1-6 march, was held a final validation session of the instructors that were ready (some attended the 2017 workshop held in jerico). Michael Grisey spent previously a week in Medellin and Manisales to help the ones willing to get ready for that exam.

We had also the pleasure to welcome members of FEDEAEREOS board (colombian federation and NAC). Héctor Arboleda Vice president, appreciated greatly the contents of the pro-workshop. Erik Sanchez, Secretary and manager of a flying site close to Bogota, witnessed all examination sessions.

Constructive discussions allowed to set the bases of a future collaboration FEDEAEREOS-APPI.

4) Upcoming APPI workshops and courses

- APPI Paragliding Pro-workshop in Colombia, given in Spanish at Jericó, with by Edgar Paul Soria C. and Pablo Lopez, from 22 April to 1st May 2019.
Workshop of training, evaluation and validation of experimented tandem pilots.
Information and registration : Erik Sanchez, Secretary FEDEAEREOS, Cel/whatsapp : +573124436986, email : sanchexkf@gmail.com

- Pro-tandem course in Greece, at Mount Olympus, from 30 March until 6 April 2019.
In collaboration with Olympic Wings and Free Flight APPI schools.
Given in English, Greek and German.
Contact: info@olympicwings.com

- Pro-tandem course in Macedonia, at Krushevo, from 17 May until 26 May 2019.
In collaboration with Acro Macedonia and Aero club Albania APPI schools.
Given in English.
More Information and registration: dorozhani@gmail.com and acromacedonia@gmail.com

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Hot APPI news

- Exam questions translated in more languages
Now the exam questions for paragliding are translated in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Albanian, Greek and Serbo-Croatian.
These for PPG are available in English and Italian as well.

- APPI licenses printable from your APPI account
The licenses are now printable and valid for one year from the page of your APPI account, it includes the APPI 3rd party and accident insurance for those who have subscribed.
For instructors with an APPI "in progress" license, the term TRAINEE APPI INSTRUCTOR is displayed on the license.

- For technical reasons, if you are logged on the APPI website and it is not possible to see the contents of your account, you must click on LOGOUT then LOGIN to refresh your access rights to the pages of the site.

2) APPI Tandem Course in France, May 2018

This official APPI Tandem Course was held in Allevard, France, with the help of the paragliding schools Go2fly and with the support of Meteoblue.

12 pilots and tandem pilots of 4 different nationalities attended this workshop. For some students, this was their first contact with tandem operation, while others already had solid tandem experience. Lectures and evaluations were conducted by Alex Ciuhandu and Manu Bonte.

The intensive 8 day course provided up-to-date information about gear aging, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasting, stress and risk management, tandem procedures and operations. Emphasis was put on safety procedures, and the perfect weather in Allevard allowed the attendees to perform 12 flights per pilot.

The systematic check of the glider trim, reserves and harnesses produced some unexpected findings… for instance there were several cases where the reserve riser sleeves would not open due to velcro lock.

Overall, the skill level of the pilots attending this workshop was quite good, and examinations resulted in the certification of 6 pilots as APPI pro tandem, and 5 as non-commercial tandem pilot. No doubt all of those pilots will operate according to APPI standards. Thank you guys, we wish you nice flights shared with your passengers.

3) Upcoming APPI workshops and courses

- APPI Paragliding Pro-workshop in Nepal, given in English by Dale Covington and Olivier Cotasson, November 25th to December 2nd, 2018.
Endorsed by Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal.
Theoretical and practical validation workshop for paragliding tandem pilots and advanced pilots.
For more information and registration, contact Babu adventures International School or Blue Sky Paragliding School.
To participate in the workshop, you must book at Babu adventure school or Blue Sky paragliding at Pokhara before August 31th and pay an advance of 180 USD or 18,000 NPR.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) APPI General Assembly of April 29, 2018

It was mainly discussed the progress already made by APPI during the current year, relationships being discussed with different federations and local authorities, actions to be taken to improve the growth of APPI, as well as APPI insurance.

The report is available on the website for affiliated members.

The new executive board of APPI has been elected for 2 years. It is composed of Bruce Goldsmith as president, Alex Ledger as secretary and Christian Nougaret as treasurer.

Congratulations to the well-known Bruce Goldsmith as President of APPI.

2) Hot APPI news

- New APPI address in Switzerland:
APPI International, MSA - 41A route des Jeunes 1227 Carouge SWITZERLAND

- Exam questions translated in more languages
Now the exam questions for paragliding are translated in French Spanish, Russian and Albanian, then soon in Turkish and Greek.
These for PPG are available in Italian as well.

- APPI licenses printable from your APPI account
The licenses are now printable and valid for one year from the page of your APPI account, it includes the APPI 3rd party insurance for those who have subscribed.
It should be noted that for instructors with an APPI "in progress" license, the term TRAINEE APPI INSTRUCTOR is displayed on the license.

- New payment method for China.
Soon the UnionPay cards will be available for paying on the APPI website. This payment method is mainly used in China

3) APPI pro-workshop in Kosovo, March 2018

At the workshop took part 23 participants from: Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Turkey, France and Taiwan. It was conducted by Mendo Veljanovski, master instructor and Roland Dorozhani, instructor. The workshop was supported by CAA of Kosovo.

Participants fully focused to meet APPI standards and new knowledge.

Theory lessons took place at the conference room of the OK hotel, equipped by projector and whiteboard. Only 5 participants needed Albanian translation which was well done by simultaneous translation from English.

Every unit was prepared as a presentation with drawings and videos in Power Point. It was asked a feedback for every single topic and explained at the whiteboard. The legislation was presented by a representative of CAA of Kosovo.

Having experience from previous workshops, the participants were told that the only way of reaching their expected level is to meet APPI standards. Having that in mind, we allowed them one afternoon practicing how to trim their gliders and one afternoon practicing preparing instructor’s session.

Suitable weather conditions allowed two runs and one joker run for tandem exams and two runs for instructor practical checking.

4) PPG news

APPI PPG & ParaTrike has continued to follow a steady development through the running of Instructor Workshops around the world. In February 2018 we ran a two week Instructor Workshop with RASAT, the Royal Air Sports Association of Thailand. This was organised by Dr Nayot, the FAI/CIMA representative for Thailand and during this course we discussed the issues with Paramotor and ParaTrike competitions as there have been an increased number of accidents. Present at the workshop were two Spanish Instructors, David Graupera and Armand Rubiella, both of whom attained the APPI PPG & ParaTrike Master Instructor qualification. During a meeting attended by myself, David, Armand and Dr Nayot we had the idea of developing an APPI PPG & ParaTrike Training System for Classic and Slalom competition pilots in order to increase the pilot’s knowledge, skills and ultimately their safety. These Training Systems are currently being developed by the APPI PPG & ParaTrike Committee with the intention of explaining their importance at the FAI/CIMA AGM. At the time of writing we have the support of the Thailand and Brazilian FAI/CIMA representatives and plan to approach representatives from other countries at the World Paramotor Championships currently taking place in Thailand.

We are fortunate to have some excellent Master Instructors around which the Association is being built one step at a time. Without these people APPI PPG & ParaTrike would not be in the position it is today with a solid reputation for the promotion of safety and professionalism. RASAT set a precedent by commissioning the APPI PPG & ParaTrike Instructor workshop and this has led to other National Air Sports associations expressing interest in adopting the APPI PPG & ParaTrike Training Systems, most recently the Indian Air Sports association. With this in mind an Executive Summary was created which explains more about APPI PPG & ParaTrike.

Our focus in 2018 is as follows:
1. Develop the Competition Training Systems
2. Explain the importance of these Training Systems and how they increase pilot’s safety at the FAI/CIMA AGM
3. Research and develop a Paramotor Wing testing system in partnership with Jordi Marquillas
4. Run more APPI PPG & ParaTrike Instructor Workshops
5. Develop digital Training Log Books

In 2020 APPI PPG & ParaTrike will be putting in place some new Rules and Regulations for Professional Members. All Instructors will need to sit a refresher Instructor Workshop every 5 years and in order to stay current they will have to train and qualify at least 10 students a year. This new rule will come into effect in January 2020, giving existing APPI PPG & ParaTrike Instructors who have sat a Workshop prior to 2015 one and half years to organise another one. The reason for this due to the constant evolution of the APPI PPG & ParaTrike Training Systems. It brings us inline with existing APPI Paragliding Rules and Regulations.
For any questions contact secretary-ppg@flyappi.org

5) Upcoming APPI workshops and courses

- APPI Paragliding Pro-course in France, Rotherens, given in English by Alex Ciuhandu, June 25 to July 2, 2018.
Theoretical and practical course for paragliding tandem pilots.
For more information and registration, contact Alex Ciuhandu.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Hot APPI news

- Update of professional qualifications for paragliding members.
In accordance with the decision of the Paragliding Pedagogical Committee voted on October 2015, APPI instructors, assistants and tandem pilots who did not participate in a pro-workshop lost their APPI professional certification as of December 2017.
As a result, all APPI members with a current pro rating that attended and succeeded in one of the 26 pro-workshops that have been given worldwide so far. They form the steady foundation on which APPI will be able to keep on growing.
Any APPI members that had a pro rating from the early ages of APPI by equivalence and did not attend a pro-workshop so far, are invited to do it at their convenience. The pro-workshops schedule can be found on this page.
This necessary action was also a condition of our insurance company who offers us an excellent insurance coverage at a particularly low cost. This first year of insurance was quite positive with a very low rate of accidents, however we need to improve the number of leisure solo pilots contracting the insurance to stabilize our position, its a vital issue to be able to pursue our collaboration with our insurance.

- Availability of APPI paragliding insurance.
APPI paragliding insurance is available for European, Swiss and Turkish citizens and residents.
A summary of our insurance policy is also available in Turkish.

- The The APPI education system has recently evolved a little..
♦ Open sky pilot and adventure pilot qualifications have been renamed respectively APPI 1 Discover and APPI 2 Explore.
♦ New certifications :
• Handi-friend.
It certifies people trained to help handicapped pilots, (pushers, helpers) or to help Handifly Tandem Pilots in their activity. They are trained to take care of a wide range of handicaps.
• APPI 4 intermediate pilot.
it is obtained when the pilot has APPI 3 pilot qualification with dynamic soaring AND thermal certif + minimums of 50 flights, 30 hours, 3 different sites flown. Basic SIV is recommended. This certification establishes an equivalence with FAI IPPI 4 level.
♦ Technician certifications have been reorganized in a new family: technician (in addition to leisure pilot certifications and paragliding pro certifications).
We find there so far:
• Winch operator and Winch instructor.• Rescue packer, Control & Maintenance Expert and Control & Maintenance Instructor.♦ Speed riding certifications have been disconnected from paragliding.
This means that its now possible to get speed riding leisure and professional certifications without necessarily going thru paragliding certifications. We take advantage of this to welcome into APPI the Valfrejus ATAKA speed riding team, among the most experienced speed-riding schools worldwide.

- Logbook :
The APPI logbook is now translated into Greek, Turkish and Albanian and available in the APPI download section for affiliated members.
It il also available in English, French, Spanish, Macedonian and Serbo-croatian.
A new version outlining the changes made to the APPI education system will be available soon.

- APPI exams :
The full exam database has been checked and renewed and is ONLINE. It covers the whole APPI program as well as APPI system and pro-workshops. It's already available in English, Spanish, French and Russian.
Translation in Serbo Croatian, Albanian, Greek, Macedonian, Persian and Turkish are in progress.
Affiliated members can train here.
For Instructors, the new test and exam tool is now available and fully operational :
♦ Prepare an exam or a custom test.
♦ Debrief a student after an exam.
♦ Have statistics on group test or exams.
Find a tutorial video here.

2) APPI pro-workshop reports

- SIV workshop in Bosnia & Hercegovina by APPI master Mendo Veljanovski.
The workshop was held in Ljubuski, Bosnia & Hercegovina (theory and maneuvers on the ground) and Makarska, Croatia (Maneuvers above the water).
It was organized by the local club of Ljubuski. Organization was supported by the elementary school of Ljubuski by giving us a classroom for theory lessons.
It included theory, rescue packing practice, maneuvers on the ground and maneuvers above the water.
Seven pilots out of fifteen passed SIV workshop.

- Mini workshop in Greece with APPI master Asterios Makrovasilis, November 2017.

3) PPG news

2017 ended well with APPI PPG & ParaTrike Master Instructor Alex Ledger running an Instructor Workshop in Qatar organised by the talented Qatar Airsports Team.

He will run the next APPI PPG & ParaTrike Instructor Workshop in Thailand, organised by the Royal Aeronautic Sports Association of Thailand, from the 17th February - 3rd March.

This is followed by two Instructor Workshops run at the same time over the 18th - 25th March.

One will be run by Master Instructor Zebur Mercan in the Philippines and the other by Alex Ledger and Stelios Makrovasilis in Greece, which is the second time Stelios has organised an APPI PPG & ParaTrike Instructor Workshop.

For further information about joining one of these Workshops in Thailand, Greece or the Philippines contact: PPG secretary.

4) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Paragliding Handi tandem workshop in El Bolson, Patagonia, Argentina, organized by Sylvain Galérant, Master APPI Handi, February 12-16, 2018.
By developing the practice of paragliding with people with disabilities, we want to allow an audience, often put aside, to discover new sensations. In flight, the handicap is forgotten !
By concentrating our first actions on the El Bolson site, we also want to make valid drivers and schools aware of the practice of handi flying. Both to change the look on disability but also to encourage more accessible take-off areas, maybe even to open some of them.
The chair, through Vuelo Semilla, will remain freely accessible on the site.
For more information and registration, contact Sylvain.

- Paragliding pro-workshop in Kosovo, Prizeren, April 21-30, 2018.
Given in English/Albanian with the collaboration of Aeroclub Albania and the support of Kosovo NAC, Kosovo AAC and Kosovo Aviation Academy.
For more Information and registration contact here.

- APPI Paragliding pro-workshop in Nepal, Pokhara, February 2018, date not yet fixed.
For more information contact Blue sky secretary.

See here for planned APPI pro-workshops for paragliding and here for PPG.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

The APPI team wishes you a Happy New Year 2018.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Hot APPI news

- Update of online exam questions for paragliding.
All online exam questions for paragliding online were revised, simplified and corrected.
These questions will gradually be translated into several languages, if some instructors wish to help us in this task, please contact the secretary.

- Update of the system for launching online exams or personalized tests.
Instructors now have the option to run an online exam for their students, or just a custom test.
The custom test is very useful to test students knowledge before a theory course in order to identify the weak points. It is also useful to check after the course what's has been understood.
The use of the tool is simple: the instructor selects topics and subtopics, and can ask the system to choose randomly a certain number of questions or select personally what questions he wants to ask.
Once the exams or tests are taken, the instructor can get statistics on the group of pilots that took the test, and can also get the list of wrong answers per person in order to give personalized feedback.

- Validation of tandem pilot and instructor levels during the workshops.
Following a decision of pedagogical Committee, Assistant and Instructor ratings are now accessible from the Non Commercial Tandem pilot certification (Pro tandem pilot is no longer necessary), see the APPI Paragliding educational system.
The double certification will appear on the Pro workshop certification stamp for assistants and instructors.

- Safety warnings page.
Do not forget to regularly check the Safety warnings page for hardware security issues.
This page is updated regularly.

- APPI Paragliding Pedagogical Committee notice.
Following a decision of the paragliding pedagogical committee to ensure consistency in the APPI system and at the request of our insurance company, APPI instructors and tandem pilots that were validated through equivalence in the early years of APPI must attend a pro workshop before the end of 2017.
A pro workshop is also the standard procedure for all experienced professionals wishing to get an APPI tandem or instructor rating (minimum experience: 2 years tandem/instructor activity, 150 tandem flights for tandem, 15 students for instructor).
These pro-workshops are the opportunity to share the latest knowledge about gear aging, paraglider design and ​the implications on piloting, safety procedures, teaching tools and methods.
The pro-workshops schedule can be found here.
The deadline for this operation is end of 2017. Instructors and tandem pilots that have not been checked and validated thru a pro-workshop by then will temporarily lose their pro-certification until being checked.

2) APPI workshop in Spain-Catalunya, October 2017

This latest APPI Pro-Workshop was held in Ager, with the help of the paragliding school Entrenuvols. The Catalan paragliding federation « Federacio Aeria Catalana » recognized the value of this workshop making it part of the curriculum for catalan Instructors « Technico Deportivo 1 ».

9 tandem pilots and instructors attended this workshop, some of them involved in paragliding education since the early days of the sport.

This intensive workshop provided up-to-date information about gear aging, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasting, stress and risk management, tandem procedures and teaching pedagogical tools.

Emphasis was put on safety procedures, and tools to structure the pedagogical process and improve safety management.

The systematic check of the trim of the gliders produced some very unexpected findings on some gliders… like for instance 2 A lines 8 cm too long on a glider recently returned from an official repair shop !! The necessary corrections were made and everyone understood the importance of « survival rule #1 : never trust » ;-)

Lectures and evaluations were conducted by Jordi Marquillas, Manu Bonte and Olivier Cotasson.

The overall level of the instructors attending this workshop was quite high, congratulations to all ! It was a real pleasure to give this workshop. Final validation of the instructors will take place in a few weeks, in order to allow enough time for mastering the tools and procedures learned.

3) PPG news

SkySchool Oman are back operating all summer and will be running regular APPI PPG Training courses for all levels from Pilot to Instructor Level.
They are also running a series of SkyWeek Adventures designed for qualified APPI PPG Pilots who wish to have a guided Paramotor Holiday around Oman’s stunning mountains, wadis, desert and remote beaches. They are an excellent way for European Pilots to escape the harsh winter!
For further information visit: www.skyschooluk.com/skyweek.

APPI PPG will be running another Instructor Workshop in Greece from 18th - 25th March 2018.
For further information contact: Stelios.

4) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Paragliding Pro-workshop in Greece, Mount Olympus, given by Asterios Makrovasilis, November 19-28, 2017.
Theory course for paragliding advanced pilots, tandem pilots and instructors pro-workshop.
For more information and registration, contact Asterios Makrovasilis.

See here for planned APPI pro-workshops for paragliding and here for PPG.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Hot APPI news

- The APPI website has been ​revamped and updated.
We hope you will find the navigation for general pages more simple and direct.
The link to log in or log out is now on a dedicated button at the top of the page.
Some unused pages have been deleted.
We have also updated the requirements for several certifications.
We are working on a complete overhaul of the site, planned for the end of the year.
APPI paragliding main page.

- The appi certification card has also been renewed showing now the ippi safepro equivalence.
Fai and IPPI logo appear for the countries where we are allowed to issue them.

2) News from the paragliding pedagogical committee

- Equivalences between APPI certifications and FAI SAFEPRO levels are now established.
They are published on the APPI website. Check for APPI pilot courses. - APPI 1 open sky pilot =>IPPI 1 - APPI 2 adventure pilot =>IPPI 2 - APPI 3 pilot =>IPPI 3 - APPI 3 pilot with soaring and alpine certifications + min. 50 flights / 30 hours on 3 different sites =>IPPI 4 - APPI 5 advanced pilot =>IPPI 5 - APPI 5 advanced pilot + perfo. certification =>IPPI 5B - APPI 5 advanced pilot + acro. certification =>IPPI 5D
You can see your APPI <-> SAFEPRO/IPPI equivalence level on your account page or APPI licence.
You can consult the SAFEPRO standard document by FAI on this page.

- Four new certifications have been created.

• IPPI 4:
  Validation by instructor for APPI 3 pilot with soaring and alpine certification + minimum 50 flights / 30 hours on 3 different sites.
• Handi-friend:
  This certify people who are taught to help handi pilots, (pushers, helpers) or to help Handifly Tandem Pilots in their activity. They are trained on a wide range of handicaps.
• Inspection and Maintenance Expert:
  APPI inspection & maintenance experts are technicians that master a wide range of techniques to inspect the glider, harness, reserve and other accessories. They are able to decide if the paraglider and ​its components are air worthy or not. They are also capable to make common adjustments and repairs.
  ​Under APPI standards, an APPI Inspection & Maintenance Expert has the necessary knowledge to manage and operate a paragliding control and repair shop.
• Inspection and Maintenance instructor:
  Instructor authorized to teach techniques to inspect the glider, harness, reserve and other accessories.

- APPI Paragliding Pedagogical Committee notice.
Following a decision of the paragliding pedagogical committee to ensure consistency in the APPI system and at the request of our insurance company, APPI instructors and tandem pilots that were validated through equivalence in the early years of APPI must attend a pro workshop before the end of 2017.
Pro workshop is also the standard procedure for all experienced professionnels wishing to get an APPI tandem or instructor rating (minimum experience: 2 years tandem/instructor activity, 150 tandem flights for tandem, 15 students for instructor).
These pro-workshops are the opportunity to share the latest knowledge about gear aging, paraglider design and ​the implications on piloting, safety procedures, teaching tools and methods.
The pro-workshops schedule can be found here.
The deadline for this operation is end of 2017. Instructors and tandem pilots that have not been checked and validated thru a pro-workshop by then will temporarily lose their pro-certification until being checked.

3) PPG news

APPI PPG Secretary Alex Ledger ​ran a new trip called SkyWeek in France recently. The trip was designed for qualified APPI PPG pilots who wished to develop their skills while flying in some stunning locations ranging from ancient Chateaus to Glacial Mountains. As you can see from the photos the weather was absolutely stunning and culminated in an amazing flight next to Mt Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. For more information on how to take part in a SkyWeek visit: www.skyschooluk.com

Meanwhile in Oman, APPI PPG Instructor Sean Abela has led a group of experienced pilots on a flight along the stunning coastline with buoyancy devices and a support boat just in case there were any engine issues! The trip was a huge success and there are plans to fly to some islands further out to sea.

4) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Pro-workshop in Mexico, with APPI masters instructors Edgar Paul Soria Cordones and Marko Hrgetic, and APPI Instructor Miguel Gutiérrez, October 20th to November 1st, 2017, Valle de Bravo.
Given in Spanish.
Workshop for training, evaluation and validation of paragliding tandem pilots and instructors.
For more information and registration, contact APPI@paraglidingmexico.com.

- APPI pro-workshop in Spain, Ager, From October 16th to October 28th, 2017.
With APPI master instructors Jordi Marquillas and Manu Bonte.
Given in Spanish.
Workshop for training, evaluation and validation of paragliding tandem pilots and instructors.
Contact: Entrenuvols school.

- APPI Paragliding Pro-workshop in Greece, Mount Olympus, given by Asterios Makrovasilis, November 19-28, 2017.
Theory course for paragliding advanced pilots, tandem pilots and instructors pro-workshop.
For more information and registration, contact Asterios Makrovasilis.

See here for planned APPI pro-workshops for paragliding and here for PPG.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Hot APPI news

The new design of the APPI cards will soon be effective, it contains a validity date of one year, the information on your APPI insurance as well as those that have been validated during a pro-workshop, the certification logo.

It also contains for the countries concerned the IPPI / FAI logo with the level of APPI / Safepro equivalence.

You must sign the card as soon as you receive it to be valid and then paste on it the protective sticker.

2) APPI Pro-Workshop in Greece, April 2017

The third APPI Pro-workshop in Olympus, Greece was on April 1-11, 2017 with the support of Olympic Wings Paragliding School.

21 pilots, tandem pilots and instructors from Greece, Spain, Bosnia, Slovenia, Albania and China participated in this very intensive workshop. In the program, we covered the updated information on ageing of the equipment, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasting, stress management and risk management, tandem procedures and pedagogic tools.

For the Tandem pilots, the focus was on tandem safety procedures, manoeuvre, and landing approach and target.

For the Instructors, we focus sed on radio guidance, APPI pedagogical tools, and introduce the improved safety management.

This workshop was presented by Patrick Troubet-Lacoste. Special thanks to Claudia Kenk, who participated and assisted for the evaluation, Asterios Makrovasilis for the organisation, and Katerina Makrovasilis for the translation in this workshop.

The final validation of the instructors will take place in a few months, in order to give them sufficient time to master the procedures and the pedagogical tools.

3) PPG news

APPI PPG Master Instructor Raffaele Benetti organized an Instructor Workshop in Saudi Arabia on May 13^th - 27^th, 2017.

The attention level of every students during theoretical and practical lessons was really high and their progression impressive.

Almost all pilots have corrected their bad habits in just two days. Their motivation looks really high and this made easy for them to follow my instructions and corrections with a fast and impressive changing.

The support of Saudi Aviation Club was helpful and the Mohammad Al Homoud, who provided all the services and translations, was simply perfect.

I’m really impressed by this group of pilots, their ambition to become perfect pilots made easy for them to learn.

Saudi Arabia has now a great group of instructors!

4) Upcoming APPI workshops

Pro-workshop for paragliding instructors and tandem pilots are planned in Spain and Taiwan, but the dates are not yet fixed. These will be displayed in the workshops page as soon as the dates are set. See here for paragliding and here for PPG.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Hot APPI news

- The SAFEPRO standards for Paragliding by FAI ​are now available.
The new recommended Safety Profiency Standards for Paragliding, called SAFEPRO by FAI have been released.
APPI has contributed to the development of this international flight standard for paraglider pilots.
This standard is close to ​the one used by APPI, and we worked to establish a clear equivalence between the APPI levels and those defined in the safepro standard.
Equivalences will be given next month, and will soon appear on your APPI certification card with the display of the IPPI / FAI logo for the countries concerned.
This will result in some changes in the requirements for APPI pilots levels, therefore a new version of the logbook for solo paragliding pilots will be published by the end of the year.

- For 20 APPI certification cards ordered, shipping by international express mail for free.
Currently we send APPI certification cards by simple mail, because the low price of the card (8 Euros) does not allow us to do otherwise.
But ​in some countries, the cards frequently get lost and we receive claims for cards not received.
For those who wish, we can send your card by international express carrier with a tracking number (with an extra cost paid by the pilot), but the high cost of this kind of transport (up to USD $ 60 for some countries) does not allow us to do it for everybody.
In order to try to solve these card problems, we ​give instructors the possibility of sending their students’ cards to them by express international carrier (with tracking number) without incurring additional costs if they can group a minimum of 20 APPI certification cards.
For this, when you register a new student, you must choose the option "Send my certification card to: my current APPI school" and in any case notify the secretary to not send the cards immediately but to wait for a sufficient number of cards to be sent to the school address.

- Greek APPI logbook for solo paragliding pilots available.
In addition to the English, Spanish, French, Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian versions, our affiliate members can now download the Greek version of the APPI logbook for solo paragliding pilots.
Other languages are being translated.
This PDF file is accessible via the menu Instructors -> Download Documents.

2) Free "Hanuman Airlines" film by APPI

We are pleased to offer our affiliate members free access to the first film made by APPI, "Hanuman Airlines: Fly over Everest".

This film tells the true story of two Nepali lovers of paragliding and mountain climbing, who decided to take off in tandem paragliding from the top of Everest.

This film won many awards, Golden icarus and Public choice at the "Coupe Icare 2011" and more...

Babu and Lapka were elected "Adventurers of the year 2012" by National Geographic.

Babu is now a recognized APPI instructor, and still lives in Nepal.

Connect to the APPI website to see this movie, then click the green "See Hanuman Airlines" button in your APPI account page, only affiliate members can view the film.

3) Condorcitos: original paragliding simulator for young cancer patients

The initiative has the support of "Jano Por Todos" and belongs to the industrial designer and APPI instructor Pablo Sánchez. The project in Argentina will allow patients in delicate health to handle a paraglider in real time.

"For children to fly a paraglider from their beds to give them joy and hope", is how Pablo Sánchez summarizes the idea of the "Condorcitos" initiative.

Th​is initiative aims to have children in cancer treatment and in serious health condition have a wonderful experience to help them emotionally.

Pablo told "Abchoy" that it is a device (like the one shown in the image) that will transmit movement, sound, vision and smells, taking advantage of technology such as the Internet and Wi-Fi.

"It is a project for the whole country, in two months we will have it ready and luckily we already have two companies that support us".

Pablo told us that the impulse for ​this project was that a friend of his, 19, was diagnosed with cancer. From there, he quickly sought the way of saying: you are not alone, here we are​ with you.

In this context, "Condorcitos" is aimed at "alleviating hospitalizations in childhood cancer," ​by proposing flying, sailing and climbing from the bed.

"They will be able to hear, see, feel the command, movement and even the smell of mountains where the paraglider is," he finished.

The project team are looking for more support (Facebook contact of "Jano Por Todos" or Whast-App 2494-488133). Every company that finances the proposal will be acknowledged by calling a rack by the company name and they will be kept informed at all times.

Because the idea, which ​is still in its early days, beholds another dream: to spread all over the country to help the little ones.

4) PPG news

APPI PPG Master Instructors Alex Ledger, Kester Haynes and Zebur Mercan have all been involved with a BBC Documentary in which they have taught an ex Welsh Rugby Player called Richard Parks how to fly.

The next step is to lead him across Wales for a TV series called Extreme Wales.
However the typical UK weather has made this project particularly difficult! Watch this space for further information…

5) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Pro-workshop in Mexico, with APPI masters instructors Edgar Paul Soria Cordones and Marko Hrgetic, and APPI Instructor Miguel Gutiérrez, October 20th to November 1st, 2017, Valle de Bravo.
Given in Spanish.
Workshop for training, evaluation and validation of paragliding tandem pilots and instructors.
For more information and registration, contact APPI@paraglidingmexico.com.

- A pro-workshop for paragliding instructors, tandem pilots and advanced pilots is planned in Spain at Ager with APPI master instructors Jordi Marquillas and Manu Bonte, from 16 to 27 October 2017, dates to be confirmed.
Contact: info@entrenuvols.com

See here for planned APPI pro-workshops for paragliding and here for PPG.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Hot APPI news

- Please note the new APPI address:
APPI International, Crutzweg 1, 3707 Darligen, Siwtzerland.

- Note to instructors to allow their students to take out APPI insurance:
To qualify for APPI pilot and instructor insurance for paragliding (not for PPG and Paratrike), your students must be residents or nationals of the European Community, Switzerland or Turkey.
You must also register at least one qualification even with the status 'pending', and the student must fill in an ID card or passport.
To obtain an insurance certificate, you can order the APPI certification card or print it yourself by clicking on the button 'APPI member license certificate' on your APPI account page.

- General Meeting of 23 April 2017.
The report is available on the website.
It should be noted that the Executive Committee was voted last year for 2 years, so it is not renewed this year.

- APPI cards valid for one year:
The APPI card now contains information about your APPI insurance which is limited to a maximum of one year, and For eligible countries, the IPPI (FAI) card is also limited to one year.
As a result, the APPI certification card is also limited to one year.

- Improvement of the online examination system for instructors and masters:
We recommend that instructors​ ​put their students through the theoretical qualification exam using the new online examination system instituted last month (previously called "armed exam"). Masters can use the system too for workshop review​s.
It has been improved to allow greater flexibility and a more accurate display while the exam is in progress.
It also ​​enables the instructor to view the answers given by the student.
To create an exam, click on the button 'Create a new exam' from your account page, then to view in real time the progress of the exams and the results, click on the link 'My exams created', then on Refresh to reload the current information.

2) APPI Pro-Workshop in USA, April 2017

The second APPI Pro workshop took place April 1-11, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah with the help of Big Sky Paragliding School And the support of the United States Hang gliding and Paragliding Association, USHPA.

29 pilots, tandem pilots and instructors from the United States, Japan, Canada, Nepal and Hong Kong participated in this very intensive workshop. On the program: updated information on aging of equipment, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasting, stress management and risk management, tandem procedures and teaching tools.

For the Tandem pilots, the focus was on safety procedures. For instructors, tools to structure pedagogical sessions and improve safety management were introduced.

This workshop was presented by Manu Bonte, Marko Hrgetik and Dale Covington. USHPA sent representatives as observers and participants with Martin Palmaz, executive director, Greg Kelley, safety and training committee chair, and Julie Spiegler secretary and instructor. The cordial and constructive exchanges suggest a fruitful collaboration ahead.

Okada Naohisa, Education Officer of the Japanese Federation and Babu Sunuwar for the Nepalese Federation were also present.

The final validation of the instructors will take place in a few months, in order to give them sufficient time to master the procedures and the pedagogical tools.

3) PPG news

APPI PPG will be running an Instructor Workshop in Italy at Fly Zone Fermo on 7th - 14th May 2017.

APPI PPG Master Instructor Raffaele Benetti will be running an Instructor Workshop in Saudi Arabia for 2 weeks on 13th - 27th May.

To secure your preferred dates or to enquire about where our next workshops will take place please email : secretary-ppg@flyappi.org.

4) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI PPG Paramotor & Trike pro-workshop in Italy, Fly Zone Fermo, From May 7^th until May 14^th 2017 with Alex Ledger master PPG instructor.
For more information, email to secretary-ppg@flyappi.org.

- APPI PPG Master Instructor Raffaele Benetti will be running an Instructor Workshop in Saudi Arabia for 2 weeks on May 13^th - 27^th, 2017. For more information, email to secretary-ppg@flyappi.org.

- More workshops are being prepared in many other countries, Spain and Asia for paragliding for the 2nd part of the year 2017, then more are in preparation.
Watch this page regularly to see paragliding workshops planned or for PPG workshops, see on this page.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Hot APPI news

- The Albanian Authority (AAC) accepts the APPI pilot license:
You can now fly paragliding to Albania with your APPI pilot license.
For further information for Albania, you can contact our APPI representative / instructor in Albania Roland Dorozhani.

- Update APPI with recent developments in the Philippine Paragliding scene:
For three years, PPHGA has been the only representative to the Civil Aviation for Paragliding. While in the process of developing the Philippine National certification standards, most pilots were APPI certified. Last year, they have finally developed their national certification standards and system. PPHGA also look inspiration from APPI standards as the basis for national standards. They continue to recognize all APPI certifications and convert them to the National License for residents of the Philippines. Visiting APPI certified pilots are all welcome to fly at all flying sites without needing to convert to a National License.
However, it is a new rule in the Philippines that a National license is required for residents, and for foreign individuals working in the Philippines when flying on the accredited flying sites in this country.

- Print yourself your APPI pilot certificate:
You can print yourself your APPI license from your APPI account page by clicking on the button 'APPI Member License Certificate' including information on your APPI insurance.

- Instructors and Masters can now offer to their students to take the APPI theory exam online:
Instructors and masters are strongly advised to use the new armed examination system to to ​put their students through the theoretical qualification examination as well as ​for the masters for the workshop review.
To arm a qualification exam, click on the 'Arming a new exam' button, choose the level and the time limit.
Type the list of students​ using a comma​ to separate the license numbers.
Masters have more options to select a workshop-type exam. For the moment the workshop type exam is reserved for paragliding only.
Students must be affiliated to take the online exam ​which means that they must be up to date with their APPI membership dues.
Students will then receive an email inviting them to start the exam, and a red 'Exam in progress: xxx' button will appear on their account page to start the exam.
Instructors can see the progress of the exam in real time by clicking on 'My armed exams', (for refreshing the page click on the F5 key on your computer) .
From this they can show the details of the questions with the answer given by the student.
In the case of incorrect handling, an examination not started or in progress can be deleted.
If a similar exam is re-armed to the same student who already has an unfinished review, the previous examination will be canceled.

- For instructors:
if your student is already an APPI member from another activity (paragliding, paramotor or paratrike), use the same license number to register him/her, and do not register as a new member. We remind you that in case of multiple activities, the APPI membership must only be paid once. However the APPI certification card is specific to the activity, so one card must be ordered per activity.

2) APPI Pro-Workshop in Colombia, March 2017

The colombian APPI Pro-Workshop was held in Jerico, Antioquia with the help of the paragliding Club Aburra and the school Paragliding Medellin.

27 Colombian pilots, tandem pilots and instructors enjoyed this workshop that was held in jerico, a beautiful place located close to Medellin.

This very intensive workshop provided up-to-date information about gear aging, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasting, stress and risk management, tandem procedures and teaching tools.

For tandem pilots, the emphasis was on safety procedures. For instructors, tools to structure the pedagogical process and to improve safety management were introduced.

This workshop was given by Manu Bonte, the president of the APPI pedagogical committee and by Miguel Guttierez, the director of Alas del Hombre, Valle de Bravo, Mexico.

The systematic check of the trim of the tandem showed big difference for most of the gliders…which is a major safety issue. The workshop allowed us to assess this and make the necessary corrections.

Special thanks to olivier Cotasson, a french Instructor, and Ruben Dario Montoyas Vargas, for their help and support.

The final validation of the instructors will take place in a few months, in order to leave enough time for mastering the procedures and tools.

3) PPG news

APPI PPG Secretary Alex Ledger recently ran a very successful APPI PPG & ParaTrike Instructor Workshop in Greece. The course took place on the Aegean Sea beneath the stunning Mt Olympus and was organised by APPI Paragliding Master Instructor Stelios Makrovasilis. The weather was absolutely perfect for flying all week and allowed the 25 participants to do a lot of flying! Alex will return to Greece in November to run a second workshop.For further information contact: stelios@olympicwings.gr.

The next APPI PPG Instructor workshop takes place at Fly Zone Fermo, Italy from 7th - 14th May. For further information contact: secretary-ppg@flyappi.org.

The new PPG logbook for solo pilot has been revised and modernized. It is currently being printed, contact the APPI PPG secretary to get it.

4) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Paragliding Pro-workshop in Greece, Mount Olympus, given in English by Patrick Troubet-Lacoste and Asterios Makrovasilis, April 1-10, 2017.
Theory course for advanced paragliding pilots, tandem pilots and instructors pro-workshop.
For more information and registration, contact Asterios Makrovasilis.

- APPI Paragliding Pro-workshop in USA, Salt Lake City, Utah, given in English by Dale Covington and Manu Bonte, April 1^st to 10^th, 2017.
This intensive workshop will be a mix of classroom and field practice, and will include three sections:
A 3 day theory segment open to all interested pilots, a 2 day Tandem clinic open to current tandem pilots, and a 2 day theory course for instructors already certified thru USHPA. There will also be 2 days of practical evaluations for the tandem and instructor segments. Interested tandem pilots and instructors can qualify for their APPI tandem and instructor ratings through this course. While the opportunity to get an APPI rating from this workshop is a great benefit, the biggest benefit will be the comprehensive education and current knowledge provided.
For more information and registration, contact Dale Covington.

- APPI PPG Paramotor & Trike pro-workshop in Italy, Fly Zone Fermo, From May 7^th until May 14^th 2017 with Alex Ledger master PPG instructor.
APPI PPG will be running an Instructor Workshop in Italy at Fly Zone Fermo. To secure your preferred dates or to enquire about where our next workshops will take place please email to secretary-ppg@flyappi.org.

- More workshops are being prepared in many other countries, Spain and Asia for the 2nd part of the year 2017, then more are in preparation.
Watch this page regularly to see paragliding workshops planned.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) APPI paragliding Insurance

Turkey is the newest country where APPI insurance for paragliding is available. Turkish citizens and residents that are APPI certified for paragliding have access to insurance with their membership.

We are currently working on insurance in Mexico and will have it in place soon.

APPI Insurance for paraglider pilots is now available for the entire European community, as well as Turkish, and Swiss residents living in their country or even living abroad.

It is the responsibility of ​all instructors to promote APPI third party liability insurance for leisure paragliding pilots (the cost is only 40 to 45 euros/year for worldwide coverage up to 1,600,000 Euros!) and explain to pilots the risks of flying without liability insurance.

We recommend that all APPI instructors contact leisure pilots in their community and validate their level in the APPI rating system by having them pass the theoretical and practical tests, allowing them to have access to APPI insurance.

2) Hot APPI news

- APPI paragliding logbook for solo pilots available in French.
The logbook for solo pilots is now also available in French, in addition to English, Spanish, Macedonian and Serbo-Croatian.
The versions in Greek and Chinese will come soon.
Then more translations will come later.
This logbook can be downloaded on the download page of the APPI paragliding website for affiliated members.

- APPI Paragliding Pedagogical Committee notice.
Following a decision of the paragliding pedagogical committee to ensure consistency in the APPI system and at the request of our insurance company, APPI instructors and tandem pilots that were validated through equivalence in the early years of APPI must attend a pro workshop before the end of 2017.
Pro workshop is also the standard procedure for all experienced pilots wishing to get an APPI tandem or instructor rating (minimum experience: 2 years tandem/instructor activity, 150 tandem flights for tandem, 15 students for instructor).
These pro-workshops are the opportunity to share the latest knowledge about gear aging, paraglider design and ​the implications on piloting, safety procedures, teaching tools and methods.
The pro-workshops schedule can be found here.
The deadline for this operation is end of 2017. Instructors and tandem pilots that have not been checked and validated thru a pro-workshop by then will temporarily lose their pro-certification until being checked.

- Open Sky Tandem Pilot renamed to Non-Commercial Tandem Pilot.
The Open Sky Tandem Pilot (OSTP) qualification has been renamed to Non-Commercial Tandem Pilot (NCTP).
Moreover the APPI Tandem Pilot qualification will be called APPI Pro Tandem Pilot.
These changes are not yet made on all documents and the site, but will be gradually replaced.

3) Partnership between APPI and FAI

CIVL (Commission Internationale de Vol Libre or Hang gliding and paragliding commission) has decided to allow APPI to issue FAI IPPI cards for Mexico.

Also, recently the NAC of Bosnia and Herzegovina delegated to APPI the right to issue IPPI cards for citizens and residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The APPI card issued to pilots of Mexico and Bosnia and Herzegovina will include the FAI logo and IPPI level.

As the IPPI certification must be renewed yearly, the APPI certification card will show an expiration date of one year. However the certifications for paragliding aquired in the APPI system have permanent validity.

4) PPG news

The PPG logbook for solo pilot has been revised and modernized. It is currently being printed and will be ​available soon to our members.

5) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Paragliding Pro-workshop in Colombia, Jerico, Antioquia, given in Spanish by Manu Bonte, March 2-11, 2017 (date to be confirmed).
Theory course for paragliding advanced pilots, tandem pilots & instructors pro-workshop.
For more information and registration, contact Manu Bonte.

- APPI PPG Paramotor & Trike workshop in Greece, Mount Olympus on the Aegean Coastline, given in English by Alex Ledger, March 19^th to 26^th, 2017.
A 6 day APPI PPG intensive course for paramotor & trike - pilots and instructors - for the evaluation and validation of their level of knowledge and practice. The course will be implemented by examining the current theory and practical techniques within a standarized framework.
The paramotor & trike pilots and instructors who participate successfully in the course can qualify for the APPI PPG Education System pilot and instructor ratings by equivalence.
Most important, by following the course structure of powered paragliding in theory and in flight - through targeted lectures and actual simulations - the participants will attain a clear technical understanding as much as a thorough and complete knowledge base.
More information and registration here – Tel. 0030-23520-41741.

- APPI Paragliding Pro-workshop in Greece, Mount Olympus, given in English by Patrick Troubet-Lacoste and Asterios Makrovasilis, April 1-10, 2017.
Theory course for paragliding advanced pilots, tandem pilots & instructors pro-workshop.
For more information and registration, contact Asterios Makrovasilis.

- APPI Paragliding Pro-workshop in USA, Salt Lake City, Utah, given in English by Dale Covington and Manu Bonte, April 1^st to 10^th, 2017.
This intensive workshop will be a mix of classroom and field practice, and will include three sections:
A 3 day theory segment open to all interested pilots, a 2 day Tandem clinic open to current tandem pilots, and a 2 day theory course for instructors already certified thru USHPA. There will also be 2 days of practical evaluations for the tandem and instructor segments. Interested tandem pilots and instructors can qualify for their APPI tandem and instructor ratings through this course. While the opportunity to get an APPI rating from this workshop is a great benefit, the biggest benefit will be the comprehensive education and current knowledge provided.
For more information and registration, contact Dale Covington.

- More workshops are being prepared in many other countries, the location and date are not yet settled.
Watch this page regularly to see paragliding workshops planned.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Summary of the year 2016

We wish all our members a lot of fun flying for 2017.

The year 2016 was great for APPI, with many important advances for us and our members:
- Implementation of APPI insurance for paragliding,
- 7 APPI paragliding pro-workshops performed in India, Greece, Russia, USA, Dominican republic, Iran and Mexico,
- 20% increasing the number of our members,
- partnership with FAI,
- renew of the logbook and pilot levels requirements,
- updating all exam questions for paragliding (coming soon online),
- partnership between APPI PPG and Pascal Vallée, as part of "Adventure SAS".

Next year we will be working on improving the website so that it is more easily accessible to non-regulars and that it adapts for using on smartphones or tablets.

2) Hot APPI news

- APPI Insurance.
We remind you that the APPI Insurance is available for European community and Swiss residents, as well as European community and Swiss citizens even if they live abroad and very soon for the nationals and Turkish residents.
It is the responsibility of ​all instructors to promote APPI third party liability insurance for leisure pilots (the cost is only 40 euros/year for worldwide coverage up to 1,600,000 Euros !) and explain to pilots the risks of flying without liability insurance.
We recommend to all APPI instructors to contact leisure pilots around you, validate their level in the APPI rating system by having them pass the theoretical and practical tests, and so they will have access to the insurance.

- Avoid using yahoo mail.
Due to an excessive spam control, many messages sent to a yahoo or ymail email address are lost!
Moreover yahoo is not concerned with the security of its users, and repeatedly this messaging was hacked, and the data of the users were sold illegally.
We recommend our users to stop using yahoo messaging and instead use protonmail which is highly secure with all user data protected by strict Swiss privacy laws.
The personal information of our members is important to us, and we do our best to ensure that they are protected.

- APPI Paragliding Pedagogical Committee notice.
Following a decision of the pedagogical committee to ensure consistency in the APPI system, and at the request of our insurance company, APPI instructors and tandem pilots that were validated through equivalence in the early years of APPI must attend a pro workshop before the end of 2017.
Pro workshop is also the standard procedure for all experienced pilots wishing to get an APPI tandem or instructor rating (minimum experience : 2 years tandem/instructor activity, 150 tandem flights for tandem, 15 students for instructor).
These pro-workshops are the opportunity to share the latest knowledge about gear aging, paraglider design and ​the implications on piloting, safety procedures, teaching tools and methods.
The pro-workshops schedule can be found here.
The deadline for this operation is end of 2017. Instructors and tandem pilots that have not been checked and validated thru a pro-workshop by then will temporarily lose their pro-certification until being checked.

3) Partnership between APPI and FAI

It is now one year that APPI and FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale or World Air Sports Federation) have been working together to renew the FAI parapro system, the system used for FAI IPPI card (International Pilot Proficiency Identification Card).

A working group was created, APPI was invited to be part of the team, and the new parapro system (called safepro) will soon be released. It will be easy to establish clear equivalence between APPI certifications and SAFEPRO.

Because of this, CIVL (Commission Internationale de Vol Libre or Hang gliding and paragliding commission) has decided to allow APPI to begin issuing FAI IPPI cards for certain countries.

This process will begin in Mexico. Starting January 1st 2017, APPI will be allowed to issue IPPI cards for Mexican pilots. The APPI card will include the FAI logo and IPPI level.

As this relationship between APPI and FAI develops in the future, it will be implemented on a country by country basis.

This is a big step forward for APPI. It is the result of the Pedagogical committees hard work and highlights the trust and credibility developed through the collaboration on the safepro system. We would Like to thank the FAI for the opportunity to help develop and promote paragliding safety standards worldwide.

4) PPG news

We are pleased to announce the partnership between APPI PPG and Pascal Vallée. Pascal is part of "Adventure SAS" which manufactures Paramotors and ParaTrikes and has a network of 30 schools operating in France, Belgium and Holland. These schools are mostly affiliated to the FFPLUM (Fédération française d'ULM) system however the APPI PPG system is the best way for them to train and qualify instructors outside of France.

Pascal Vallée is a well known PPG champion and now an APPI PPG master instructor. As the link between APPI PPG and the Adventure network he will issue APPI PPG licenses to their existing schools while training new instructors and pilots around the world.

Below the interview of Pascal.

1. What is your background in Paramotoring?
I discovered the flight in 2005, before that I was in a motorcycle world. I started flying in 2005 and I getting my Paramotor and paragliding licence in 2006. Immediatly I was interested by the competition (I was competitor to in motorcycle). I was a competitor during 8 years and winned many competition : UK, Belgium, French and became word champion in 2012. In 2007 I started to tech in France has an instructor paramotor but I needed more knowledge and in the french system it was not possible! So I decided to start learning about FFVL (Fédération Française de Vol Libre or French Federation of Free Flight) and paragliding french world. I got my licence pilote confirmed in 2009 and monitor in 2010. Since 2009 I'm specialized in Advanced masterclass for paramotor. I also work for Adventure Paramotor has a pilot test for the wing and for the french paramotor Federation FFPLUM has a team leader for the french competition team.

2. What discipline do you currently specialise in?
My discipline now is the advanced masterclass courses. I teach about 15 masterclass per year mostly in France and sometime in Foreign country.

3. What do you think is required to help the sport grow around the world?
For me there is 3 axes for developing our sport, we must :
- promot the hight level in competition,
- find solution to interest most young pilot in our sport,
- working for improve the quality of training (beginner, advanced pilot and instructor) and knowledges in paramotor world.

4. What interests you about APPI PPG and how do you think you can help with its development?
I'm interested about APPI because it is the only solution that deals with training in a global way. French system is good but there is too much barrier preventing it from evolving and improving the quality of training. APPI is really more simple.
I think I can help APPI PPG system by my experience in paramotor teaching because I work since many year with 30 instructor in France through Adventure Paramotor network.

5. Afterwards please write a brief explanation about the courses you run and how people can contact you while submitting some photos.
Students can contact me through my website where all the technical information is present. The calendar of the masterclass is posted online in February for the year. The courses may run until the end of the year. Usualy the courses last 2 maximum 3 days.

5) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Pro-workshop in USA, Salt Lake City, Utah, given in English by Dale Covington and Manu Bonte, April 1st to 10th, 2017.
This intensive workshop will be a mix of classroom and field practice, and will include three sections:
A 3 day theory segment open to all interested pilots, a 2 day Tandem clinic open to current tandem pilots, and a 2 day theory course for instructors already certified thru USHPA. There will also be 2 days of practical evaluations for the tandem and instructor segments. Interested tandem pilots and instructors can qualify for their APPI tandem and instructor ratings through this course. While the opportunity to get an APPI rating from this workshop is a great benefit, the biggest benefit will be the comprehensive education and current knowledge provided.
For more information and registration, contact Dale Covington.

- APPI Pro-workshop in Greece, Mount Olympus, given in English by Asterios Makrovasilis, April 1-10, 2017.
Theory course for paragliding advanced pilots, tandem pilots & instructors pro-workshop.
For more information and registration, contact Asterios Makrovasilis.

- More workshops are being prepared in many other countries, the location and date are not yet settled.
Watch this page regularly to see paragliding workshops planned.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Hot APPI news

- APPI Insurance.
We remind you that the APPI Insurance is available for European community and Swiss residents, as well as European community and Swiss citizens even if they live abroad.
The problem we face is that it is mainly professionals (instructors and tandem pilots) who have subscribed.
It is important that leisure pilots subscribe to this insurance because the cost of claims by professionals is usually very high, and the very low rate we obtained from our insurance will stand only if we have enough leisure pilots to counterbalance the risk.
We need a ratio of 10-15 leisure pilots minimum for one professional.
It is also very important that every all professionals do what they can to minimize risk by conducting themselves professionally and carefully (Specially tandem pilots must avoid risky behavior).
It is the responsibility of ​all instructors to promote APPI third party liability insurance for leisure pilots (the cost is only 40 euros/year for worldwide coverage up to 1,600,000 Euros !) and explain to pilots the risks of flying without liability insurance.
We recommend to all APPI instructors to contact leisure pilots around you, validate their level in the APPI rating system by having them pass the theoretical and practical tests, and so they will have access to the insurance.

- APPI Logbook for Solo Pilots.
The logbook for solo pilots is now also available in Macedonian, in addition to English, Spanish and Serbo-Croatian.
The versions in French, Greek and Russian will come soon.
Then more translations will come later.

- APPI Paragliding Pedagogical Committee notice.
Following a decision of the pedagogical committee to ensure consistency in the APPI system, and at the request of our insurance company, APPI instructors and tandem pilots that were validated through equivalence in the early years of APPI must attend a pro workshop before the end of 2017.
Pro workshop is also the standard procedure for all experienced pilots wishing to get an APPI tandem or instructor rating (minimum experience : 2 years tandem/instructor activity, 150 tandem flights for tandem, 15 students for instructor).
These pro-workshops are the opportunity to share the latest knowledge about gear aging, paraglider design and ​the implications on piloting, safety procedures, teaching tools and methods.
The pro-workshops schedule can be found here.
The deadline for this operation is end of 2017. Instructors and tandem pilots that have not been checked and validated thru a pro-workshop by then will temporarily lose their pro-certification until being checked.

- Avoid payment with Paypal.
Due to high paypal charges and money that has evaporated from our account following a Paypal error (182 Euros), and Paypal do not answering our claims, we recommend if possible to avoid using Paypal for payment to APPI.
You can pay anyway directly by Visa card, Mastercard or bank transfer.
Thank you for your understanding.

2) First APPI Pro-Workshop Mexico October/November 2016

From 24th ​to 2nd of November was held APPI PRO Workshop in Valle de Bravo, Mexico by APPI Masters Edgar Soria (MEX), Dale Covington (USA) and Marko Hrgetic (CRO). It was the first workshop in Mexico.

The workshop was attended by 32 pilots from Guatemala, Costa Rica, USA and Mexico. ​Out of the 32 pilots, 16 came for commercial tandem license and 9 for instructor rating.

The workshop included 6 days of advanced theory and 3 days of practical and theoretical exams that gave us 12 professional tandem pilots, 3 instructors, and 3 assistant instructors. "We were lucky with the weather and the exams went smoothly, except for one bad landing".

There ​are still a few things to improve in the next workshops and the feedback ​from the pilots was quite helpful to identify the details that need to be changed. In the future, the workshops will probably be harder with less basic stuff in the theory but more in the exams both theoretical and practical. For the next Mexican workshop we will only accept pilots with a valid APPI SIV course and APPI XC course.

The schedule for the next workshops can be found here so stay tuned. The next to be held in Mexico is not in the scope for now.

We are quite happy that we will have now pilots with international licenses and also able to issue APPI licenses to their students.

We are ​really happy ​because we now have pilots with international licenses who are also able to issue APPI licenses to their students.

Pilots that want to join the international APPI community will find with those instructors the possibility to be certified at their level ​in compliance with APPI standards.

3) PPG news

APPI PPG Master Instructors Alex Ledger and Zebur Mercan are in the process of setting up a new school in Oman called ‘SkySchool Oman’.

The school will offer APPI PPG & ParaTrike pilot training, equipment distribution and maintenance, tandem ParaTrike flights, Paramotor holidays and instructor workshops.

Oman is an excellent flying location with consistent weather and offers European pilots the opportunity to escape the wintery weather and fly in a stunning part of the world. For further information, email: info@skyschooluk.com.

The next APPI PPG workshops are currently being confirmed however we are planning to run one in Greece in the Spring. To be kept up to date with developments, email: secretary-ppg@flyappi.org.

4) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Pro-workshop in USA, Salt Lake City, Utah, given in English by Dale Covington and Manu Bonte, April 1st to 10th, 2017.
This intensive workshop will be a mix of classroom and field practice, and will include three sections:
A 3 day theory segment open to all interested pilots, a 2 day Tandem clinic open to current tandem pilots, and a 2 day theory course for instructors already certified thru USHPA. There will also be 2 days of practical evaluations for the tandem and instructor segments. Interested tandem pilots and instructors can qualify for their APPI tandem and instructor ratings through this course. While the opportunity to get an APPI rating from this workshop is a great benefit, the biggest benefit will be the comprehensive education and current knowledge provided.
For more information and registration, contact Dale Covington.

- More workshops are being prepared in many other countries, the location and date are not yet settled.
One is planned in Greece for spring.
Watch this page regularly to see paragliding workshops planned.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) About the APPI paragliding insurance

Find all details here.

Has been in place for one month already.

This insurance is currently available for European and Swiss residents, and also for European and Swiss citizens living abroad.

Already many APPI members have subscribed to the insurance, and that's good.

The tricky point is that it is mainly professionals (instructors and tandem pilots) who have subscribed.

It is important that plain pilots subscribe to this insurance because the cost of claims by professionals is usually very high, and the very low rate we obtained from our insurance for professional activity will stand only if we have enough leisure pilots that purchase this insurance also.

It is the responsibility of each instructor to promote APPI third party liability insurance for leisure pilots (40 euros / year + 27 euros APPI affiliation for coverage up to 1,600,000 Euros!).

We recommend to all APPI instructors to contact leisure pilots around you, validate their level in the APPI rating system by helping them pass the theoretical and practical tests, and so they will have access to the insurance.

2) Hot APPI news

- The new logbook for paragliding solo pilots version 2.1 is available for download on the APPI paragliding website, format A5, 56 pages, only for affiliated APPI members.
This booklet contains the necessary requirements up to the advanced pilot level as well as the requirements for SIV and XC specialties.
These requirements will become the new reference for APPI pilots, and must be followed by the APPI instructors.
This logbook will be available soon for bulk purchase by instructors on the APPI website.
The Spanish version of the logbook is almost ready and will be available for download shortly.
Other versions in different languages will follow.

- Following a decision of the pedagogical committee, and at the request of our insurance company, APPI instructors and tandem pilots that have been validated by equivalence of a qualification issued by a federation or a local authority have to attend an APPI pro-workshop.
These pro workshops are the opportunity to share the latest knowledge about gear aging, paraglider design and its implications on piloting, safety procedures, teaching tools and methods.
The pro-workshops scheduled for the next 6 months can be found here.
The deadline for this operation is end of 2017. Instructors and tandem pilots that have not been checked and validated thru a pro-workshop by then will temporarily lose their pro-certification until being checked.

- The APPI temporary certification card has been renewed, displaying now your current APPI insurance policy status.
As an affiliated member, you can print it yourself from the "My account" page of your APPI website.
This temporary card does not replace your membership card, but will confirm your APPI qualifications in case of urgent need.

3) PPG news

Cayle Royce has become the first double amputee to fly a solo ParaTrike the length of the UK, from John O’Groats to Lands End.

The expedition was led by APPI PPG Secretary Alex Ledger who taught him how to fly last year. He was joined by two other able bodied pilots, James Borges and Jake Holland, and supported on the ground by APPI PPG Instructor Rob Furnival and Juliet Luffman.

The team departed John O’Groats around mid day on Thursday 21st July and arrived in Lands End around 9am on Wednesday 27th July. The trip took 6.5 days during which they covered 750 miles and spent 26 hours flying.

Cayle’s bespoke paramotor equipment was supplied by UK based company Parajet and he was sponsored by the charity Help for Heroes.

It was a truly epic journey and one which can be watched here.

All photos can be accessed here.

4) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Pro-workshop in Iran, given in English by Mendo Veljanovski and Manu Bonte, organization and translation by Mohammad Razeghi, October 13th to 23rd, 2016.
Workshop for training, evaluation and validation of paragliding tandem pilots and instructors.
For more information and registration, contact niviukiran@gmail.com.

- APPI Pro-workshop in Mexico, with APPI masters Edgar Paul Soria Cordones and Marko Hrgetic, October 24th to November 2nd, 2016, Valle de Bravo.
Workshop for training, evaluation and validation of paragliding tandem pilots and instructors. For more information and registration, contact APPI@paraglidingmexico.com.

- Second APPI PPG Instructor Workshop Thailand 2016, October 27th to November 17th, 2016.
APPI PPG Instructor Workshop run by Master Instructors Alex Ledger and Zebur Mercan.
For more information and registration, contact SkySchool Flight Centre.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) APPI paragliding insurance

Find all details here.

Our Insurance has been in place for 3 months already.

This insurance is currently available for European and Swiss residents, and also for European and Swiss citizens living abroad.

The fresh news is that in a few days it will be also available for Turkish citizens and residents.

The problem we face is that it is mainly professionals (instructors and tandem pilots) who have subscribed.

It is important that leisure pilots subscribe to this insurance because the cost of claims by professionals is usually very high, and the very low rate we obtained from our insurance will stand only if we have enough leisure pilots to counterbalance the risk.

We need a ratio of 10-15 leisure pilots minimum for one professional.

It is also very important that every all professionals do what they can to minimize risk by conducting themselves professionally and carefully (Specially tandem pilot must avoid risky behavior).

It is the responsibility of each instructor to promote APPI third party liability insurance for leisure pilots (the cost is only : 40 euros/year for worldwide coverage up to 1.600 000 Euros !) and explain to pilots the risks of flying without liability insurance.

We recommend to all APPI instructors to contact leisure pilots around you, validate their level in the APPI rating system by having them pass the theoretical and practical tests, and so they will have access to the insurance.

Note: The insurances commissioned on the APPI website and unpaid will be deleted after 7 days.

2) Hot APPI news

The field certification forms for instructors have been updated with the specifications of the new logbook.
They are available in version 2.1 up to level "advanced pilot".
They contain all the requirements for the theoretical and practical tests, but remember that your students must first pass the theoretical test available online on the APPI website.
These forms can be filled in directly via a tablet or smartphone, or printed at your choice.
Updates for other levels for professionals will come later.

Following a decision of the pedagogical committee to ensure consistency in the APPI system, and at the request of our insurance company, APPI instructors and tandem pilots that were validated through equivalence in the early years of APPI must attend a pro workshop before the end of 2017.
Pro workshop is also the standard procedure for all experienced pilots wishing to get an APPI tandem or instructor rating (minimum experience : 2 years tandem/instructor activity, 150 tandem flights for tandem, 15 students for instructor).
These pro-workshops are the opportunity to share the latest knowledge about gear aging, paraglider design and its implications on piloting, safety procedures, teaching tools and methods.
The pro-workshops schedule can be found here.
The deadline for this operation is end of 2017. Instructors and tandem pilots that have not been checked and validated thru a pro-workshop by then will temporarily lose their pro-certification until being checked.

3) First APPI Pro-Workshop in Middle East, October 2016

The first APPI Middle East Pro-Workshop was held October 13-23 in Beshahar, Iran with the help of the school ’Pars Sky’.

Besides iranian pilots, tandem pilots and instructors, we had the pleasure to welcome tandem pilots and instructors from Iceland and the Lebanon. 30 pilots enjoyed this workshop that was held in Beshahar, a beautiful place located close to the Caspian sea.

This very intensive workshop provided up-to-date information about gear aging, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasting, stress and risk management, tandem procedures and teaching pedagogic tools.

For tandem pilots, the emphasis was on safety procedures. For instructors, tools for structuring the pedagogical process and for improving safety management were introduced.

This workshop was given by Mendo Veljanovski, master SIV instructor and famous acro pilot from Macedonia (already known to many Iranian pilots), by Manu Bonte president of APPI paragliding pedagogical committee and by Patrick Troubet APPI master in charge of Asia.

Special thanks to Shadi Ziaei, one of the 400 woman pilots of Iran who did a huge translation job, and to Mohammad Razeghi who organized this workshop and shared also the translation work.

Final validation will take place in a few months in order to allow enough time for mastering procedures and tools.

Our insurance company already examined the possibility to widen our insurance offer to Iran whose flying community counts 8000 members.

4) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Pro-workshop in USA, San Bernadino, given in English by Dale Covington and Manu Bonte, beginning 2017 (date not yet fixed).
This intensive workshop will be a mix of classroom and field practice, and will include three sections:
A 3 day theory segment open to all interested pilots, a 2 day Tandem clinic open to current tandem pilots, and a 2 day theory course for instructors already certified thru USHPA. There will also be 2 days of practical evaluations for the tandem and instructor segments. Interested tandem pilots and instructors can qualify for their APPI tandem and instructor ratings through this course. While the opportunity to get an APPI rating from this workshop is a great benefit, the biggest benefit will be the comprehensive education and current knowledge provided.
For more information and registration, contact Dale Covington.

- More workshops are being prepared in many other countries, the location and date are not yet settled. Watch this page regularly to see paragliding workshops planned.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) The APPI insurance is available !

Find all details here.

At present, European community and Swiss residents are eligible, as well as European community and Swiss citizens living abroad.

Our broker is already working to extend the offer to Turkey and Latin America.

Due to the complexity of laws governing powered aircraft activity, for the moment this insurance will not cover PPG activities. This may change in the future.

Third party liability insurance coverage : 1,600,000 Euros.

Geographical coverage: All around the world except countries that are subject to French, Belgium or NATO embargo. Commercial activities in the USA and Canada are not covered either.

How does it work to subscribe: Log in to your APPI account, if you are eligible, the "Order insurance" button appears in your "My account" page featuring the options that are available. To subscribe to an insurance policy, you must previously have ​entered proof of your identity with an identity card or passport.

Due to excessive spam control, many messages sent by yahoo are lost. We recommend, if possible, to not use yahoo mail, but instead another mail server.

2) Various APPI infos

- Following a decision of the pedagogical committee, and at the request of our insurance company, APPI instructors and tandem pilots that have been validated by equivalence of a qualification issued by a federation or a local authority have to attend an APPI pro-workshop.
These pro workshops are the opportunity to share the latest knowledge about gear aging, paraglider design and its implications on piloting, safety procedures, teaching tools and methods.
The pro-workshops scheduled for the next 6 months can be found here.
The deadline for this operation is end of 2017. Instructors and tandem pilots that have not been checked and validated thru a pro-workshop by then will temporarily lose their pro-certification until being checked.
These changes have been ongoing for two years already and many instructors and tandem pilots have already been checked. The stamp "APPI PRO certified" appears on their profile.

- Evaluation forms up to Advanced pilot level version 2.0 are online here, available only for affiliated members.

3) Upcoming APPI workshops

- APPI Pro-workshop in Iran, given in english by Mendo Veljanovski and Manu Bonte, organization and translation by Mohammad Razeghi, October 13th to 23rd, 2016.
Workshop of training, evaluation and validation of paragliding tandem pilots and instructors.
For more information and registration, contact madrazeghi@yahoo.com.

- APPI Pro-workshop in Mexico, with APPI masters Edgar Paul Soria Cordones and Marko Hrgetic, October 24th to November 2nd, 2016, Valle de Bravo.
Workshop for training, evaluation and validation of paragliding tandem pilots and instructors. For more information and registration, contact APPI@paraglidingmexico.com.

- Second APPI PPG Instructor Workshop Thailand 2016, October 27th to November 17th, 2016.
APPI PPG Instructor Workshop run by Master Instructors Alex Ledger and Zebur Mercan.
For more information and registration, contact SkySchool Flight Centre.

4) Some upcoming paragliding events and courses

- Romania XC seminar with Bruce Goldsmith, 16 - 20 August 2016 at Brașov.
You can book your place on the seminar through the Paragliding Romania website, and there is also a dedicated Facebook page.

- Brazilian first Paragliding Online Congress, 22 - 27 August in Brazil.
The purpose of the Congress is to develop and disseminate paragliding in Brazil.
We expect to have 3 online events during 6 days in a row, representing up to 18 online presentations. It's going to be a 100% free event.
For more information and registration see here.

- Advance Coastal Clinic, Timbis, Bali, Indonesia, 25 August - 3 September 2016 with the collaboration of Temple Pilots Paragliding School.
Please write to Sachin or Temple pilots school for costs and details.

- XC seminar with Asterios Makrovasilis and Simon Kirsch at mountain olympus, Greece, 27 August-3 September 2016, with the collaboration of the school Olympic Wings.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

5) Record 226km task in Chelan at US Paragliding Nationals

More than 60 pilots made a 226km goal at the US Paragliding Nationals in Chelan on Friday 15 July 2016, making it the longest successful competition paragliding task ever flown.

The task is the longest competition task in paragliding history. The previous record was set in February this year in Australia at the Manilla Open with a 215km race to goal. Thirty two pilots made goal.

More infos on Xc mag.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org

1) Various APPI infos

- Its now official, the ministry of tourism in Ecuador has decided to use APPI as the certification system for Pro Levels.
This is a major achievement for APPI.
Edgar Soria, our APPI representative in Ecuador declared:
Es muy grato informarte que el acuerdo ministerial que incluye al Sistema Educativo APPI como certificador de pilotos tandem comerciales en Ecuador ya es Ley de la República.

- Registering your identification documents is required only if you want to buy APPI insurance later.

- New APPI IBAN: CH05 8057 2000 0173 7132 2 for those who wish to pay their APPI subscription by bank transfer. The APP heading and the bank's name remain the same.

2) APPI Pro-workshop USA may 2016

This workshop allowed instructors from USA and also Jamaica, Hong Kong, Philippines and Mexico to refresh their knowledges with up-to-date information about gear aging, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasting, procedures and teaching.

It was superbly organized by Dale Covington, who even managed to get the best weather we could ever dream of for a workshop: unflyable for the classroom days and perfect flying conditions for the field training and evaluations.

The mythical Point of the Mountain flying site was the perfect theater for those flying days with incredible scenery.

Local pilots attended the first days of the workshop, instructors followed and at the end 2 masters, 3 instructors, 3 assistant instructors and 1 tandem pilot got APPI pro workshop certification.

Special thanks to USHPA safety and Training Committee chairman Greg Kelley with whom exchanges were particularly friendly and constructive.

3) First APPI pro workshop in Republica Dominicana June 2016

The first APPI pro workshop in Republica Dominicana was held June 1-10 in Jarabacoa with the help of the school 'Vuelo Libre Dominicano'.

Besides dominican pilots, tandem pilots and instructors, we had the pleasure to welcome tandem pilots and instructors from Peru and Trinidad y Tobago. This was a very intensive workshop with up-to-date information about gear aging, flight mechanics, piloting, weather forecasting, stress and risk management, tandem procedures and teaching.

It was held in Rancho Baiguate, a beautiful natural place located close to Jarabacoa, which is also a center for nature activities.

Once again we got the best weather we could ever dream of for a workshop: unflyable for the classroom days and perfect flying conditions for the field training and evaluations.

Practical evaluations took place in two different flying sites, allowing to evaluate the pilots in very different conditions.

2 instructors, 2 assistant instructors, 5 profesional tandem pilots and 4 tandem pilots got APPI pro workshop certification.

Special thanks to Felix Adames from IDAC, the Dominican Republic Civil Aviation Agency that came to the workshop and showed support to the paragliding activity.

Many thanks also to Omar Rodriguez of Rancho Baiguate for his hospitality in his wonderful place.

4) XC Seminar with Bruce Goldsmith June 2016

Organised by Master Instructor Stelios Makrovasillis of Olympic Wings at Mt.Olympus, Greece. The XC Seminar had three APPI Master Instructors, Bruce Goldsmith, Stelios Makrovasillis, Avi Malik and over 20 XC pilots from around the world.

Bruce was extremely generous in sharing his knowledge and helping pilots understand the complex weather that surrounds Mt.Olympus with sea breeze on one side and flatlands on the other forming convergence zones that need a keen eye and knowledge to understand and navigate.

Bruce also gave a very informative presentation on the latest developments in para glider design and manufacturing. He was superbly supported by the Olympus guru Stelios who, with his clarity and experience of the local conditions, chose the sites best suited to make the most of the day's flying.

Stelios and Claudia were great hosts and the logistic arrangements were impeccable for the XC pilots. The days would end up with debriefing sessions to discuss the day's flying. It was an enriching and enjoyable experience for most pilot participants with a lot of learnings and wonderful memories to take home.

5) Some upcoming paragliding events and courses

- VI Paramotor Concentracion, Islas del Mediterraneo, 13-17 July 2016 at Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza y Formentera.
More information here.

- Brazilian first Paragliding Online Congress between the 22nd and the 27th August in Brazil.
The purpose of the Congress is to develop and disseminate paragliding in Brazil.
We expect to have 3 online events during 6 days in a row, representing up to 18 online presentations. It's going to be a 100% free event.
For more information and registration see here.

- Advance Coastal Clinic, Timbis, Bali, Indonesia, 25 August-3 September 2016 with the collaboration of Temple Pilots Paragliding School.
The Course will include the following:
1. Cliff Launching Techniques
2. Coastal Soaring Techniques
3. Top Landing Skill Development
4. Ground Handling & Kiting Skill Development
5. Safe Flying under Supervision
6. Briefing & Debriefing Sessions
Please write to Sachin or Temple pilots school for costs and details.

- XC seminar with Asterios Makrovasilis and Simon Kirsch at mountain olympus, Greece, 27 August-3 September 2016, with the collaboration of the school Olympic Wings.

- APPI Pro-workshop in Mexico, with APPI masters Edgar Paul Soria Cordones and Marko Hrgetic, October 24th to November 2nd, 2016, Valle de Bravo.
Workshop of trainiing, evaluation and validation of paragliding tandem pilots and instructors. For more information and registration, contact APPI@paraglidingmexico.com.

If you organize or know of any paragliding and paramotor festival or meeting, give us this info to share with the APPI community.

Sincerely,
your APPI team.
www.flyappi.org, www.appipower.org or www.appiparatrike.org