"Can you really learn to fly in six days?" It's the question I get asked more than any other. And the honest answer is: yes — with the right instructor, the right programme, and the right conditions.
Course 1 at FlyParatrike follows the APPI ParaTrike Training Syllabus — a proven, step-by-step programme designed to take you from absolute zero to your first solo flight safely and confidently. Here's exactly what that looks like, day by day.
Your first day is about foundations. We start with a comprehensive briefing — who I am, how the course works, what to expect, and the safety protocols we follow throughout.
Then we move into theory: the basics of flight, how a paraglider wing generates lift, understanding the trike, and an introduction to meteorology. This isn't dry classroom stuff — I use real examples, videos, and demonstrations to make it stick.
In the afternoon, we head to the field for your first ground handling session. You'll learn to lay out the wing, inflate it, and control it on the ground. This is where you start to feel the power of the wing and understand how it responds to your inputs.
By the end of Day 1, you'll already be handling a wing confidently. That feeling of the canopy rising above you for the first time? You'll remember it forever.
Day 2 is where things get exciting. After a morning review and more ground handling practice, we move to tandem flights.
You'll sit in the trike with me, and we'll fly together. I handle the controls while talking you through everything — take-off, climb, turns, reading the wind, and landing. You get to see and feel exactly what flying a paratrike is like, with zero pressure.
These tandem flights are incredibly valuable. They build your confidence, give you a real sense of the aircraft, and let you experience the sensation of flight before you have to think about controlling anything.
Now it's your turn to start flying. Day 3 introduces dual control flights — you're in the trike with me, but this time you're handling the controls under my guidance.
We cover take-off procedures, basic turns, altitude awareness, and landing approaches. I'm right there with you, talking you through each step and ready to take over if needed. But most students surprise themselves with how natural it feels.
We also continue with theory — covering safety procedures, emergency protocols, and more advanced meteorology. By the end of Day 3, you'll have several flights under your belt and a growing confidence that this is something you can genuinely do.
Day 4 is about progression and consolidation. More dual control flights with increasing responsibility — you're doing more, I'm doing less. We work on precision turns, altitude control, and circuit patterns.
You'll complete your first skills assessments — practical checks that confirm you've mastered each stage before moving to the next. This isn't a test to stress about; it's a structured confirmation that you're ready to progress.
By now, you're handling the trike with real competence. The movements that felt foreign on Day 1 are becoming instinctive.
This is the day most students have been dreaming about — and dreading in equal measure. But when the moment comes, it almost always feels natural.
We do a final preparation flight together. I review your procedure, we talk through the flight plan, and when I'm satisfied you're ready, I step out of the trike and you take off alone.
Your first solo flight is typically a simple circuit — take off, climb to altitude, make a circuit of the field, and land. It lasts maybe 10–15 minutes. But those 10 minutes? They change something in you. There's a moment, somewhere up there at 500 feet, when you realise: "I'm actually flying. On my own. I'm doing this."
I've seen students land from their first solo with tears in their eyes. Grown men punching the air. Quiet people suddenly unable to stop talking. It's a moment of pure, raw achievement, and it never gets old — not for them, and not for me.
The final day is about building on your solo success. You'll complete additional solo flights, working on your technique and confidence. We cover final theory modules and complete your remaining skills assessments.
By the end of Day 6, you've met all the requirements for your APPI Open Sky and Adventure Pilot certification. You receive your internationally recognised qualification — proof that you can fly a paratrike safely and competently.
After Course 1, many students go straight into Course 2 — another 6 days that takes you to APPI Pilot Level with advanced theory, navigation, and cross-country flights up to 30km. You can do both courses back-to-back (12 days total) or come back for Course 2 at a later date.
Six days is enough — more than enough — when the instruction is structured, the conditions are right, and the instructor knows what they're doing. The APPI syllabus has been refined over years of international use, and it works.
You don't need to be young. You don't need to be fit. You don't need any previous experience. You just need to show up, pay attention, and trust the process.
I'll do the rest.
— Ricardo Maciel, APPI Power Master Instructor