International recognition
The A.P.P.I. (Association of Paragliding Pilots and Instructors)
The aim of this association is to offer a worldwide educational system. They have representation from 50 countries, 180 associated schools and more than 7000 members in more than 122 countries (2017 data).
The A.P.P.I recognizes 5 levels of pilot, and establishes a curriculum that evolves and adapts to new needs. It has an insurance for its members with worldwide coverage in most cases.
The F.A.I. and Parapro
The International Aviation Federation (FAI) encompasses 13 disciplines including paragliding. It is a body that is dedicated to the development of the rules of each discipline and the rules of their competitions, as well as records of records and different events.
But it also prepares documents so that the level of pilots, in our case paragliding, is recognized in all countries affiliated to the FAI. This is done through the I.P.P.I. card (International Pilot Level Information) which presents 5 levels described in the document ParaProdocument, in such a way that it sets international guidelines for how pilots should be trained.
The reality of paragliding in Spain
In Spain we have degrees that are recognized by the Ministry of Education in each of the Autonomous Communities, they are relatively recent and are the best we have so far.
What happens when we want to obtain the paragliding pilot certificate?
- Once the paragliding school is established and in operation, there is a curriculum, but there is no organization that controls the quality or content of what is taught.
- The courses given within the Spanish territory are not equivalent in content and duration.
- Each autonomous region governs its own air sports federation.
- There has been a significant difference between the training in the country and, of course, between the different countries, which do not recognize Spanish training.
That is why TandemTeam has adopted a teaching method (APPI and ParaPro), which establishes a regulation of knowledge and skills and pilot levels, so that these data are recorded in a worldwide database. In this way, any pilot with this certification will be able to visit another country, being recognized his pilot level to be able to fly without problems, as well as to continue his training in other countries.
But most importantly, it will have a direct impact on the safety and quality of teaching, due to its rigor and professionalism.
In addition, you can choose from an offer of more than 180 training centers worldwide. The APPI provides very powerful educational material, being in close and constant contact with the evolution of paragliding and the latest training techniques.
In this way, we have about 1,000 schools, where the degrees that are issued will be recognized.
Consult here the APPI 2017 flight book and syllabus , with the descriptions of the different levels, structure of the teaching plan for both the student and the professional.
Is all this easy to adopt?
No.
Not only the recycling that TandemTeam has done in one of the professional workshops organized by the A.P.P.I . in Àger in October 2017, but also the implementation of the concepts, the preparation of the new theory classes and the change in the segmentation of the different courses, has meant an important effort for us.
We will be applying this methodology gradually, although it will be in the spirit of all the courses we give.
We have had to step out of our comfort zone to provide teaching that meets not only Spanish but also international standards.
We hope that it will be well received and that this evolutionary effort in teaching will be to the liking of the new pilots and that it will result in safety and quality.
