At Gréolières, allow about 1 hour on site, including the shuttle ride up: welcome at the school, briefing, a few steps to take off following your instructor, 10 to 60 minutes in the air depending on the option, then landing, on your feet, at the foot of the school. You book without paying anything in advance and pay after the flight.
Gréolières · 06
You have booked or been given a tandem flight and wonder how it will go? Here is how a flight really works with Ailéments, at Gréolières, our main site, from the text message the day before to the video on your phone.
No experience or particular fitness level is needed. Your instructor, a state-qualified professional, flies the wing and makes every safety decision; you simply follow their movements.
To choose your option, see our tandem paragliding flight page; to learn all about flying as a pair, read our guide to tandem paragliding.
The day before, you receive a text with the time, the meeting point and the site chosen according to the weather: almost always Gréolières, sometimes Gourdon. If conditions do not allow flying, we offer you another date, free of charge.
Mountain weather has its surprises: on the day, a strengthening wind or clouds that are slow to lift can delay take-off. Leave some margin in your day rather than booking something straight afterwards.
Your time on site mainly depends on the option, in other words on how long you fly. These times apply in calm weather; if the weather makes us wait, allow up to 1 hr 30 for a child flight or an ascending flight.
| Option | Flight time | On site |
|---|---|---|
| Child flight (ages 5-6) | 10-15 min | about 1 hr |
| Ascending flight (from age 7) | 20-30 min | about 1 hr |
| Prestige flight (from age 12) | 45-60 min | about 1 hr 45 |
We meet at the landing field, at the foot of the school in Gréolières, where you park. From there, the 4×4 shuttle drives up to take-off on a private track in about twenty minutes. This is when we get to know each other: we explain the flight, answer your questions and put you at ease. At Gourdon, we meet directly at take-off.
At take-off, your instructor chooses the launch area according to the conditions of the moment, fits you with the harness and helmet, then explains the movements of the day. Depending on conditions, we take off at 1,100, 1,500 or 1,800 m.
A few steps following your instructor, and the wing lifts you up. The flight lasts 10 to 60 minutes depending on the option (details below), above the Loup valley, with the sea to the south and the Mercantour to the north.
We land at the foot of the school, where you parked. If you took the video option, filmed by your instructor, it is transferred to your phone after the activity. You pay for your flight on site, after the activity.
Pierrot sums it up like this: at take-off, you go with the pilot's movement, as if you were dancing together. You follow their steps, never sitting down or jumping: it is the wing that lifts you, not a leap into the void.
The movements asked of you change with the conditions: with more or less wind, we do not take off in quite the same way. Your instructor adapts constantly and tells you, at the briefing and again just before you go, exactly what they expect of you.
How high you fly depends on the conditions and the take-off chosen, always according to the weather of the moment. One rule never changes: we never go above 2,000 m, because of air regulations linked to Nice airport. And the view is already magnificent below that: the Mediterranean on one side, the Mercantour peaks on the other.
Flight time depends on the option: 10 to 15 minutes for the child flight, 20 to 30 minutes for the ascending flight, which uses the thermals, 45 minutes to 1 hour for the prestige flight, which goes further, and for the educational flight.
Every flight is tailor-made. Your instructor offers you the controls and some sensations, depending on how you feel; if you prefer to take in the view, they fly very gently.
Well before touching down, your instructor explains, in the air, how to land: you get all the information at the right moment, with nothing to memorise on the ground. The idea is to arrive on your feet.
If there really is a wind gradient near the ground, the very last option is to land seated, on your bottom; that is quite rare. Then we fold the wing, talk the flight through, and you get your video if you chose it.
A little apprehension is normal. Our passengers are not too scared, because we build their confidence from the shuttle ride up, so they feel as comfortable as possible. At take-off, we do not leave them time to overthink: that is the secret, according to Pierrot.
A fear of heights does not stop you flying: hanging under the wing, you do not feel the void as you would at the edge of a cliff (see our paragliding and fear of heights page). For younger passengers, we never force a child; everything is explained on our children's paragliding page.
Passengers getting equipped at the Gréolières take-off: a glimpse of the atmosphere of a tandem flight. The take-off movements change with the conditions; your instructor will tell you the ones for the day.
To keep your flight as a souvenir, the video option costs €30; it is included in the prestige flight and the educational flight.
Long trousers, trainers or closed hiking shoes, a windproof jacket or fleece depending on the season: it is cooler at altitude. Avoid skirts, dresses and heeled shoes. Full details are on our what to wear for a tandem flight page.
From age 5 for the child flight, 7 for the ascending flight, 12 for the prestige and educational flights; 90 kg maximum. Over 60, we talk it through together by phone before you book.
Prices, from the child flight at €100 to the prestige flight at €250, are on our paragliding flight prices page. You book online without paying anything in advance; if you were given a gift voucher, simply enter its number when you book. All our other paragliding activities are presented on their own page.
Duration, height, take-off, landing, clothing, weather, price.
Allow about 1 hour on site, including the shuttle ride up, for a child flight or an ascending flight, and about 1 hr 45 for the prestige flight. The weather can make us wait: leave some margin.
10 to 15 minutes for the child flight, 20 to 30 minutes for the ascending flight, 45 minutes to 1 hour for the prestige flight and the educational flight.
It depends on the conditions and the take-off chosen: 1,100, 1,500 or 1,800 m above sea level at the start. We never go above 2,000 m, because of air regulations linked to Nice airport.
You never jump and you do not sit down: you go with your instructor's movement for a few steps, like dancing as a pair, and the wing lifts you. The movements change with the wind; they explain them at the briefing.
Your instructor explains it in the air, well before touching down. We arrive on our feet; if there really is a wind gradient, the very last option is to land seated, which remains rare.
Long trousers, trainers or closed hiking shoes, a windproof jacket or fleece depending on the season. No skirts, dresses or heels.
The flight is confirmed the day before by text message. If the weather does not allow flying, we offer you another date, free of charge; on the day itself, it can also delay take-off a little.
Child flight €100, ascending flight €140, prestige and educational flights €250 (video included), video option €30 on the other flights. You pay on site, after the activity.
4 points before your first flight.
Shuttle included, for a child or ascending flight; 1 hr 45 for the prestige flight. The weather can stretch the time a little.
A few steps, like dancing as a pair, never sitting down or jumping.
Height depends on the conditions; the view stretches from the sea to the Mercantour.
Instructions given in the air, landing at the foot of the school, payment on site after the flight.
