PARAGLIDING SIV COURSE
LAKE GARDA - ITALY
Pre-Course Knowledge Base
Before the SIV course, you will receive access to the Flying Karlis coaching platform. This platform will provide you with the necessary knowledge for the course, ranging from site and safety briefing to explaining the fundamentals, roll and pitch control, rotations, and the mental aspects of learning under stressful situations. This pre-course preparation will save us a lot of time on the first day.
Learning new things takes time, and by having months to go through the information at your own pace, it will be much easier for you during the course. It is easier to recall information that you already know compared to learning it on the same day. This pre-course material will be sent to you the moment you complete the registration for the course, allowing you ample time to understand it thoroughly.
Four Fundamentals
Our SIV courses are based on Four Fundamental principles—these are the cornerstones of becoming an experienced pilot. The great thing about these principles is that you can master them without attempting high-intensity maneuvers. If you’re not ready for stalls, back flying, or nose-down spirals, that’s perfectly fine—we can still work on many valuable skills together.
Base of Support
Trusting your harness means using it as designed—this fundamental skill is essential for developing all others.
Just as a rally driver needs a proper bucket seat rather than an exercise ball for control, paragliders need proper harness support. Without it, we lose stability and balance. When we tense up or sit incorrectly, we break contact with the harness and lose its support.
This forces us to use our arms for balance—a dangerous situation for paragliders since we control the brakes with our hands. Using arms to regain balance can lead to unintentional brake input and create serious problems.
Dissociating our arms
Fighting our natural instincts is one of the biggest challenges in paragliding. Since childhood, we’ve learned to extend our arms when falling – a reflex that’s deeply ingrained but must be overcome for safe piloting.
When we lose balance in daily life, our arms automatically try to catch us. The same instinct kicks in during flight when we exceed our tilt angle or feel unbalanced.
Learning to dissociate our arms becomes easier once we fully trust and rely on our harness support. Only then can we let our arms move freely, knowing we’re secure.
Full Brake Range
Most pilots only use about 15% of their brake range – they avoid both deep brakes (30-100%) near the stall point and full release (0-15%) up to the pulleys. This limited range, especially avoiding full release, can create recovery problems.
This becomes evident in cascade incidents where wings often recover when pilots release brakes to deploy reserves. That’s why we emphasize full brake range control in our courses and require students to demonstrate comfort with full brake release before progressing to stalls.
It’s challenging because it goes against our instincts. In stressful situations, we want to hold tension in the brake lines for security. Fully releasing brakes means giving the wing full power – while necessary for recovery, this requires overcoming our natural impulses and trusting our ability to regain control if needed.
Situational awarenesss
While the first three fundamentals are essential, situational awareness determines when to apply them. This awareness comes through training and repetition, helping you understand your position in 3D space and anticipate what comes next. With practice, you’ll develop the ability to predict situations and respond appropriately, keeping you in control.
3-Day SIV Malcesine
Day one - Before the flying.
At 7am we will meet at the Landing zone to check your equipment and provide you with the life-vests, radios and waterproof bag. After the gear check we will have a short 30-40 minute briefing to re-fresh the concepts you will learn before the course, through our Pre-Course Knowledge base. We aim to take the 9:30 am Cable car on day one.
Day Two
We meet at the Cable Car station at 8am for a quick morning re-fresher briefing for each pilots flight plan, going up at 8:30 am.
Day Three
Depending on how the weather treated us on day one and two, day three is a reserve day for extra flights. We will do one or two flights on the last day. More if we need to catch up in case the weather didn’t cooperate. Our aim is to have 6-7 flights per student per course. As Garda offers the best altitude difference in Europe, we are able to cover a lot of work in one flight. More than any other location within the EU.
Through out the course you’ll have an individual de-brief after each flight, as well a plan made for the following flight.
4K - Video footage
During the course, your activities over the lake will be filmed and used for a comprehensive video debrief. This debrief is an invaluable tool for enhancing your progression as it allows us to identify and analyze the finer details that may have been missed during the flight. By reviewing the video footage, we can provide you with personalized feedback and insights that will help you optimize your learning experience and continue to advance in the most effective way possible.
300 Newtown life jackets
Based on Matt Willks and Flyeo Parapente research we went for the Seago Active 300N automatic life jacket which offers superior buoyancy, ensuring that even if you are sleeping, your head will remain above water. The 3D Contour fit allows for complete freedom of movement, which is essential for using your arms during the SIV training. Designed to be almost unnoticeable for both men and women, this life jacket provides comfort and peace of mind.
Equipped with a double crotch strap for added comfort and saftey as well as a burst zip for faster inflation, this life jacket is specifically designed to save lives. You can trust in its cylinder safe technology, which prevents the cylinder from unscrewing and ensures reliable inflation when you need it the most.
Your first swim is free. If you choose to swim multiple times, we will charge an additional 50 euros for each CO2 cylinder.
Boat in the water
We have been working with the local boat operators for years. They are extremely friendly and professional in assisting pilots who go into the water. They will be waiting for you in the water with the boat engine running, and they will listen to our radio communication. They have a lot of experience navigating the SIV courses and knowing when to start heading towards pilots in need.
2025 Dates
September
28th – 30th – places available
October
2nd – 4th – places available
6th – 8th – places available
Included in the fee – course fee, a boat in the water with a running engine, 300 NT inflatable life jacket.
Extra – Accommodation, Ski lift 10 or 17 euros per flight (depending on the time of the day), Taxi from LZ to Ski lift 3 euros per flight.
Feel free to contact us with any questions – letsdothis@flyingkarlis.com or Telegram/WhatsApp
SIA FLYING KARLIS
Reg. Nr: LV40203558447
Latgales iela 273 K-3 3
Riga, LV – 1063