For a tandem flight, we list as contraindications serious heart problems, pregnancy and serious joint problems. You must also weigh 90 kg at most, be able to run a few steps and stand up. No medical certificate is compulsory for a tandem flight; if in doubt, ask your doctor for advice and contact us before booking.
If in doubt: your doctorOur activities are open to everyone, subject to our conditions of participation.
On the Prestige flight, we add severe motion sickness, because the spirals can be intense: start with an Ascending flight instead.
This list does not replace your doctor's opinion: if in doubt, ask for advice before flying.
No need to be athletic: normal physical condition is enough. Your state-qualified instructor handles the take-off, the flying and the landing, and you can take the controls if you feel like it.
A few steps are enough: you follow your instructor's movement, without jumping or sitting down. A 5-year-old child is generally lifted by the wing.
Seated in the harness, legs stretched out, you enjoy the flight. All our flights are tailor-made to how you feel.
You arrive on your feet: your instructor tells you in the air, well before landing.
Our Gréolières take-offs are at 1,100, 1,500 and 1,800 m. We never go above 2,000 m, because of air regulations linked to Nice airport.
Each step is detailed on our how a tandem paragliding flight works page.
Our terms and conditions of sale ask you to report any medical constraint to the instructor beforehand.
If you have any doubts about your situation, contact us via the contact page before booking: we will advise you on the most suitable option.
Paragliding is contraindicated for pregnant women: our terms and conditions of sale put it this way, and our flight pages say flying is not recommended in case of pregnancy. These texts make no distinction by month.
The FFVL gives its licensed women members a reference point: contraindication beyond the 6th month, with several cases to be assessed according to the activity. Its document does not mention tandem flights. Your doctor remains your first point of contact.
Have you been given a flight as a gift? The gift voucher is valid for 1 year, with no extension, and can be passed on to someone close to you.
For a tandem flight, our pages ask that you be able to run a few steps and stand up, with good joints (knees, ankles). A disability, a back problem, a prosthesis or a hernia cannot be judged on a web page: ask your doctor for advice. If you have any doubts about your situation, contact us before booking.
On the FFVL side, a “Profil Handicap” (disability profile) form comes with the medical documents for the licence: the instructor fills it in before the visit to the doctor. It concerns licence holders.
No medical certificate is compulsory for a tandem flight. You need one for our courses, and the FFVL asks for a health questionnaire for the licence.
| Your case | Required | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Tandem flight | None | If in doubt, your doctor before flying |
| Paragliding course | Under 3 months old | Certificate of no contraindication to paragliding and to sustained physical activity, presented on the first day |
| FFVL licence | Questionnaire | Health questionnaire, and a certificate if you answer yes to a question |
A course involves several hours a day standing on the training slope and repeated take-off runs. Our paragliding courses are presented separately, and our FFVL licence page details the licence and the pilot certificate.
The French Free Flight Federation publishes a one-page document, the “Recommandations et contre-indications médicales au vol libre” (recommendations and medical contraindications for free flight). It is aimed at licensed practitioners, adults and minors: its criterion is anything that may lead to a lack of control over piloting or an extra risk of accident.
The file is dated 29 November 2023; we reread it on 5 November 2026. Here are its main points, summarised in our own words, to help you prepare your questions for your doctor.
| Family | Contraindication for licence holders | To be assessed according to the activity |
|---|---|---|
| Nervous system | Loss of consciousness (epilepsy, vagal faint, spasmophilia), until stable for two years | After-effects on the brain, treatments, concussion not properly followed up |
| Musculoskeletal system | Unstable shoulder, not operated on and not stabilised | Hernias, unstable spine, recovery from surgery (3 months, 6 months for the spine) |
| Heart and blood vessels | Unstabilised heart disease | Clotting disorders, certain heart treatments |
| Breathing | Pneumothorax not followed up | History of acute mountain sickness, respiratory failure |
| Diabetes, hormones | Unstable diabetes or condition that can cause a fainting spell | Treatments with a risk of hypoglycaemia |
| Ear, balance | True vertigo and unstabilised balance disorders | Hearing loss, ear infections |
| Eyesight | Eyesight that does not allow obstacles to be avoided in time | Blindness in one eye |
| Pregnancy | Beyond the 6th month, with several listed cases | Twin pregnancy, history of premature birth, severe anaemia |
These reference points are aimed at licence holders: the document does not mention tandem passengers and does not replace your doctor's opinion. Licence holders can ask the federation's doctors for a waiver. The full text is on the FFVL medical documents page.
90 kg at most, no minimum weight. Child flight from age 5, Ascending flight from age 7, Prestige and Educational flights from age 12. Over 60, we check together by phone. Everything is on our minimum age for paragliding page; for younger children, see our paragliding for kids page.
Fear of heights does not stop you flying: see our paragliding and fear of heights page. True vertigo, the balance disorders the FFVL lists for its licence holders, is a question for your doctor.
Our tandem paragliding flight page details each option, and the paragliding page brings all our flights together. Prices are on our paragliding flight prices page.
Book my flightPregnancy, heart, back, disability, asthma, certificate, physical condition.
On a tandem flight, we list serious heart problems, pregnancy and serious joint problems. Our terms and conditions of sale also require no recent operation or injury on the day of the flight. The FFVL publishes its own list for its licence holders. If in doubt, consult your doctor before flying.
Our terms and conditions of sale state that paragliding is contraindicated for pregnant women, and our flight pages say flying is not recommended in case of pregnancy, with no distinction by month. Your doctor remains your first point of contact.
No, no medical certificate is compulsory for a tandem flight. Our courses require a certificate of no contraindication less than 3 months old, presented on the first day. For the licence, the FFVL asks for a health questionnaire, and a certificate if you answer yes to a question.
Our pages say flying is not recommended in case of serious heart problems. Any heart problem must be reported to the instructor beforehand, and your doctor is best placed to answer you. For its licence holders, the FFVL lists unstabilised heart disease among the contraindications.
It depends on your situation: ask your doctor for advice, then contact us before booking. For its licence holders, the FFVL asks for hernias and spinal instability to be assessed individually, and for healing to be complete after surgery.
Our pages ask that you be able to run a few steps and stand up. If you have any doubts about your situation, contact us before booking, and ask your doctor for advice. The FFVL has a “Profil Handicap” (disability profile) form for its licence holders.
Asthma and diabetes are among the medical constraints to report to the instructor beforehand, according to our terms and conditions of sale. Ask your doctor for advice before flying. For its licence holders, the FFVL lists unstable diabetes that can cause a fainting spell among the contraindications.
Normal physical condition is enough: no need to be athletic. You must be able to run a few steps at take-off and stand up on landing, with good joints (knees, ankles). Over 60, we check together by phone.
Ask your doctor for advice before flying, and contact us via the contact page before booking: we will advise you on the most suitable option.
3 points to remember before booking.
Serious heart problems, pregnancy and serious joint problems.
You need one less than 3 months old for a course, presented on the first day.
Ask your doctor for advice, and contact us before booking.
