Switzerland is a land of flying possibilities

Switzerland is a paragliding paradise with over 15’000 resident active pilots, and many more visiting pilots.

We provide the missing ingredients to make sure your next flying holiday is your most enjoyable.

Visiting pilots are usually missing the local knowledge and possibly also the alpine flying experience to fly with confidence. With skyShepherd we provide the perfect partner to bring the knowledge and experience to you.

Your flying time is precious

As a visitor you have a major disadvantage over pilots with local knowledge. We cut through this and help you choose the best sites to fit the flying conditions, get you to the launch and help you with meteo and route planning.

Weather conditions can differ from region to region within Switzerland. The alpine winds and thermal structures can be quite different from the flatland and soaring sites you know well. skyShepherd combines experience of local conditions and culture with familiarity with the start, landing and thermal areas.

Mainly what you need is a little encouragement and advice, and someone to check your launch and landing, and we do this and more to help you optimise you flight time, stay safe, and enjoy the Swiss culture.

Pilots with a  IPPI card level IV or V can fly freely. Pilots with IPPI card level III can only fly with supervision. See www.fai.org for details on the IPPI card.

Speed flying: a Swiss speed flying license extension is required.
Tandem: not allowed unless you have a Swiss tandem licence.

All pilots must have a CHF 1 million third party insurance. You must carry proof of this with you. Low cost, short-term insurance is available online from SHV-FSVL.

skyShepherd ‘s role is to help you enjoy your flying holiday: We are a host and a local guide, but you are solely responsible for your own actions, and their consequences.

What we will do:

• we will choose sites we think you will enjoy
• we will help you familiarise yourself with the weather, the flying area and the airspace

What we cannot do:

• we cannot fly for you, and you need to take responsibility for your own safety
• we cannot make your decision to fly or not, or how/where you fly

Information on the requirements is available at the Swiss Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association (www.shv-fsvl.ch) in German, French and Italian. A section with some English translations is also available.

• Luzern / Pilatus
• Zug
• Rigi, the queen of the mountains
• Central Switzerland
• Engelberg
• Berner Oberland, the top of Europe
  
• Valais
• Ticino
• Jura

• Site briefing, incl. start and landing, special site conditions (eg. hazards, classical routes, “house” thermals).
• Daily meteo briefing suited to both flying locally and XC opportunities.
• Advice on local “special” weather conditions
• Advice on transport to site and from landing to home
• Daily airspace briefing
• Advice on planning tools for flight planning in Switzerland, incl. site selection, meteo and airspace.
• Start assistance, when needed.
• Radio contact on PMR radio (PMR only)
• After flight debrief, where possible

• Travel to/from the flying sites, shuttles / cable cars
• Retrieve
• Instruction
• Lunch and dinner
• Landing fees
• Cancellation insurance and insurance to cover repatriation costs in the event of accident or illness
• We are not responsible for your decision to fly. Similarly, we are not responsible for any decisions you make from the point of deciding to fly, during the flight and up to and after landing. These choices are solely up to the pilot, and we accept no liability whatsoever.