A New Chapter For Zion and Zion Paragliding

This is a bit of a personal blog from me and an update on what's been happening in my paragliding world.

Some of you may or may not know that in March of this year, me and USHPA went separate ways, meaning that I am no longer an instructor under their umbrella. This decision ultimately pushed me towards a new instructor and teaching system that I have wanted to become part of for a long time.

I've spent the best part of September in Oludeniz, Turkey taking an intensive Tandem Pro-Workshop and Instrcutor Pro-Workshop with APPI. The workshop follows an intensive schedule and covers a lot of theory, maths and physics of paragliding and if I am being honest, exams in this sense have not been something I am particularly strong at, I've always been a practical kind of guy which I think is reflected in my flying.

However, it was time to get my head down and I am delighted to announce that after many sleepless nights of studying I aced all the exams and passed with the highest possible license from the course.

This is a huge leap forward for my school but also for paragliding in Costa Rica. It has opened the door for me to invite the Master Instructors from APPI here to teach our amazing community and get more of our top pilots qualified as tandem instructors and teachers, creating a safer paragliding environment for everyone, whether you fly tandem or learn with my school or another company.

Additionally, I am proud to be part of a paragliding association that is pushing for international safety standards in teaching that go beyond other systems. I love that the level required to become an instructor required me to show that I have the practical skills to take on teaching beginners, such as demonstrating advanced SIV manoeuvres, trimming gliders and glider maintenance and showing an in-depth knowledge of the physics of paragliding. Whilst a lot of this advanced knowledge is not taught to beginners, knowing the instructors of this association are all highly trained to this level makes me proud to be joining APPI and flying their flag as an APPI Tandem Center and School.

The instructor license from APPI allows me to teach students and sign off licenses up to APPI Level 3. Officially my title with APPI is Instructor in Progress and this equates to a basic instructor from other associations you may be familiar with but with a higher standard of teaching. For my courses the format is going to change a bit so keep your eyes peeled if you're interested in learning with me, the details will be online soon of my new course curriculum which follows APPI standards. To clear up any confusion, my courses will be taught by me as the lead instructor following the APPI method but within the APPI system I need to be an instructor in progress for a year before I can take additional exams and carry the title of Instructor and sign-off on licenses up to APPI Level 5.

The future of my school and journey with APPI only starts here, I have the full intention to follow the APPI system to the highest possible rating and eventually become a Master Instructor through their association.

I want to extend my thanks and gratitude to friends, family and pilots who have supported me, and Shahin for being an awesome master to learn from. Whether you have attended one of my tours or courses in the past or have been a part of teaching me to fly all those years ago, moving on in this direction feels like such a positive leap forward and I am excited to share this next chapter with students, pilots and the community here in Costa Rica.

Safe Flying and Pura Vida,

Zion