Become a safer pilot

SIV Clinics

Amazing place, amazing instructors, amazing food. The experience of doing SIV in Yelapa is just incredible. You will go home happier than ever!

SIV courses - SIV Clinics

Course resume

The most important course for flying safely! This SIV course (SIV CLINIC) is therefore designed to teach you to master your glider in all critical situations that you can experience.

And this course is done in Yelapa, a paradise beach on the Pacific coast.

What to expect to learn

Equipment inspection and preparation
Understanding the importance of stess control
Towing technique
Reserve parachute throw technique
Paraglider design limits
All the SIV manouvers that you can autonomously
Packing and storing reserve
Theory: Design and Materials, Aerodynamics, Paragliding technique of flight, Dangerous Situations

Yelapa, PVR

6 days

Altitude 600-800 m

Trans Alps Adventure

Detailed information

SIV courses - SIV Clinics - Yelapa, Mexico

(APPI SIV Certified instructor)

Our courses are high level with a focus on active pedagogy and autonomy. You will learn as much as you can during the course. We offer double than our competition.

As a general recommendation, you should take an SIV course before you put yourself in any potentially unsafe situations, such as flying in strong thermal conditions without a proper theoretical and practical background. We recommend the SIV course for all those pilots who are jumping up to the higher-class gliders or getting their first EN-B wings.

The course includes

An active pedagogy APPI paragliding course

with a fluent English.
Experienced instructors and assistants
10 hours of flight theory and post-flight sessions

(Towing, Safety, Equipment, Aerodynamics, Paragliding technique of flight and manouvers Dangerous Situations, Analysis)
5 days of manouvers under a supervision

2 tows per day
Simulation on the simulator
Printed training material
Certification ADVANCED SIV APPI Rating

International paragliding rating.
Videos of the manouvers
Necessary equipment

Lifejackets, towing bridles

Maneuvers you will do

Pitch control

Dolphins, dynamic exit control
B-Stall

For the first-timers
Big Big Ears
Asymmetrical collapses
Control of direction / counter steering / cravats management
SAT Auto rotation and exit
Frontal collapses
Spiral control

dynamic and smooth exit
Flying with D (or C ) on accelerated flight
Twisting
Stall point

Search the stall point and how to recover
Back fly

Master back fly
Full stall
Spinning

Fast and hard spin excercises

Cost: US$1200-1400

Daily schedule:

First day
10:00 AM 17:00 - theory and equipment check with a lunch break. !!!THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT!!!
A place to be defined.

Second to last day
9:00 briefing and preparation
11:00 - 16:00 flights 17:00 - 19:00 theory and break down

The course does not include

Accommodation

But we can help you find something that fits your needs.
Insurance

Our courses are done with the highest focus on safety, but if you want to come insured, you are welcome.
Food and drinks

Master 'N Chief Instructor

School owner

"Dedication, professionalism, competence, passion, knowledge, progress, guidance, safety, and fun is my motto when I teach you how to fly. Our happy students are our best advertising."

Marko Hrgetic, APPI Master instructor #14372
SIV and XC Certified APPI instructor
APPI Pedagogical comity
APPI Representative Mexico
X-Alps 2019 Athlete

More than 1000 students in the various courses.

15 years of experience

About me

Upcoming SIV Clinics

20 May

SIV Yelapa

20.05.2024 - 25.05.2024

FAQ

What will you need

Own equipment: certified glider within flight weight range, certified harness, proper reserve, certified helmet, and radio VHF
Finished A3 course or equivalent
Required airtime / to be able to launch and land alone
Knowledge of A3 theory

So why should I do an SIV course (SIV Clinic)?

It is one of the most important or the most important course for your flying safety. You learn to control your paraglider in all kinds of critical situations and learn to control and feel the energy of the paraglider. It is also a mandatory course for all advanced pilots or pilots that want to fly tandems or to become an instructor.

When should I do an SIV course?

After you know to take off and land safely you should be doing a basic SIV course (SIV Clinic)
When you want to prepare yourself for flying in rough conditions
When you change your glider to a higher level
When you have not done it in a long time
When you feel insecure about your flying skills and equipment
We recommend the SIV course (SIV Clinic) once per year
When you think that you need it

Who can do an SIV course (SIV Clinic)

Pilots that know how to take off and land for basic SIV course (SIV Clinic)
Pilots that have 20 h of flight time for the advanced course

For whom is the SIV mandatory

For pilots flying EN-B or higher
Pilots flying tandem

So what kinds of SIV there are?

Basic SIV if you are low time pilot and it is your first time to make collapses
Advanced SIV for pilots with more than 30 hours of flight time
Tandem SIV for commercial pilots flying XC
SIV for Competition pilots flying high-end paragliders

Why SIV in Yelapa?

We do tow there so you are getting really good altitude to do the maneuvers
It’s easy and fast, no waste of time climbing up the mountain
Good speed boat to get you out of the water
Freshwater reservoir to clean your equipment
Because it’s a piece of heaven on Earth

Why with FLUMEN?

High level of experience in ACTIVE pedagogy
Marko Hrgetic is the only APPI-certified SIV instructor in Mexico and North America currently
Professional approach
APPI SIV Clinic certificate

I would absolutely recommend

Marko’s Yelapa SIV course was an immersive paragliding experience in a beautiful holiday setting. The combination of extensive pre and post-flight briefings and excellent in-flight communication provide the best opportunity to learn and improve. The days are balanced out by the amazing beach setting of Yelapa. I would absolutely recommend this course and plan on taking it again in the future.

Evan
My 1st SIV. Flumen Esceula de Vuelo. Yelapa, MX

For a first-timer, an SIV clinic is an exercise in adrenaline management! The great preparation we received from Marko and Olivier in our ground school and daily briefs/debriefs along with Marko's always calm voice on the radio really helped keep the adrenaline from getting overwhelming. Goals were clearly established, and study material went over and demonstrated. Errors were explained and corrections were solution-oriented. Besides all that, Yelapa is just a great place to hang out for a week. (or more!)

Thank you Marko and Olivier for making me a better and more confident pilot. I'll be back for more!

Randy. Victoria, BC.
100% positive feedback

I think that an SIV course is basic when someone opts for a more advanced wing in order to know the reactions of the paraglider and be prepared for a real situation. FLUMEN structures the course with a progression that helps the Pilot execute the maneuvers starting from the simplest to the most advanced. The theory on the ground before each session is explained in a professional and didactic way to the point that it is unlikely that the student will not perform the maneuvers successfully.

Diego

Useful Information

Tips & Resources

Good to know

No cars in Yelapa. The streets are really narrow and no cars can reach the village. So it’s quite quiet. You move on foot around. Internet is not the fastest so forget to watch Netflix, anyways would be a waste of time. Yelapa is a bit hippy place with a very relaxed atmosphere.

Wildlife is really great in Yelapa and you will see parrots flying, coatis running around, whales, manta rays, and really a lot of marine life.

Beach has no strong or big waves so it’s cool for swimming and come with the family.

What to bring

Headlamp! CASH! No ATMs.
Snorkeling gear I would recommend if you stay a couple of days. Fishing equipment if you like to fish.

A quick sack paragliding bag can be useful.

How to get to Yelapa

To get to Yelapa first you need to get to Puerto Vallarta. You can get there by bus if you are close by but normally you will have to come by air landing at PVR. Puerto Vallarta is a famous tourist destination so there are plentiful airlines that fly there and also low-cost airlines for domestic flights.

From the airport, you can take a local taxi or a bus but I would recommend for the first time to take the Airport Taxi (UBER also). You should get either to the peer “Muelle de Los Muertos” that will take you 45 minutes or to the village of Boca de Tomatlan which will take you an hour and a quarter. The difference is in the schedule of the boats that leave for Yelapa. YES, THE ONLY WAY to get to YELAPA is by boat. The boats from Boca de Tomatlan leave earlier and more frequently and also the last one to leave Yelapa is to Boca. The trip with the boat from Muelle de Los Muertos lasts 50-60 minutes while from Boca is half an hour.

Info: https://www.go2yelapa.com/eng/index.html

Paragliding in Yelapa

Apart of towing, there are two paraglider takeoffs in Yelapa. The first one Tapita has an altitude of 200m ASL facing NW and it is 20-30-minute walk from the beach. It is a soaring site that needs some wind to keep you in the air. Takeoff is nice and big. You land at the beach.

The other takeoff Yelapa Tapa (not open currently) has an altitude of 700 m ASL facing NE and it’s a thermic site. It's short and not very steep in the first part so be sure what you are doing as the jungle below is dense. Normally we takeoff there around 11-12 when there is enough thermic activity. Be aware that the predominant South wind will enter around 12AM-1PM so takeoff before that happens. On a nice day you can get 300m above launch, maybe even more and you can land on some other beach and not Yelapa. To get to the takeoff you can either hike (90min easy but WARM) or get a ride on ATV from the villagers.

From October to January the winds are low and soaring is hard. February to May are great for soaring. The rest of the year I am not sure but the summer is very humid and rainy. Also, late spring and autumn are hurricane seasons so avoid those months.