Wings & Waves – why to learn with us
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Any book on flying, paramotoring and kiting and every advice you get from those who are in the sport, will tell you that you need to choose your instructors and your gear carefully. Especiallly when you are new to the sport, there are a lot of pitfalls to avoid.Â
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10 (+1) reasons to learn with Wings & Waves
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learn and fly with the NZ Champions
lowest student to instructor ratio
WorkSafeNZ accredited, the only PG school in NZ to work with their safety management plan
learn from beginner to XC pilot to instructor - all in one school
learn in NZ and fly and travel around the world with us or use our connections to overseas out-fits
friendly and supportive environment to learn in
competitive prices - we import and sell direct to you
courses at best international practice and methods, not only NZ standards
Warranties / Service
Wings & Waves is the only paragliding and kiting supplier in NZ who does certified repair and warranty service in the country - that beats sending stuff overseas which always costs extra and takes a long time!
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All the leading paragliding and kiting brands appointed Wings & Waves to be their accredited repair and warranty out-fit, due to our extensive manufacturing experience.
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We also do alterations, WOFs etc. Check out our service.
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safety
Wings & Waves is the only paragliding school who works with the WorkSafe audited safety and management plan which we developed for our kitesurfing school. So far, formal safety management plans are still not compulsory for paragliding schools, but we have found the systematic and formal safety management improves even an operation like ours which already endeavoured to operate as safely as possible.
best international practice
Europe had the most developed paragliding scene in the world. Paragliding started in France, schools have been operating there for the longest time and under the most stringend rules, the majority of pilots in the world are in central Europe and several strong associations monitor and develop safe teaching. As an example: While NZ has about 800 hang gliding and paragliding pilots in the national association, Germany has about 35,000 members in an area about the same size as NZ.
As a result of such participation and long history, solid teaching standards have been developed. Permanent staff at the association monitor the progress and safety standards, advise on equipment, offer safety testing etc. All this is far beyond NZ standards and possibilities. An association with 800 members and 1 or 2 paid staff can't offer the same.
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We also exchange with Australian schools on our regular trips and courses to Bright and Manilla, with American schools on our flying trips there.
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Having learnt to fly in Austria, taught in Switzerland, US and France, co-operating with several European schools and instructors, we opt to teach by European standards, and best international standards, rather than the minimum requirements of NZ.
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Our students benefit by being confident that they leanr the best techniques in the safest possible environment from humble intructors who are quite clear on where they stand in the world. Transfers to other countries and other licenses become easy, both by knowing you are at the same standard as overseas pilots, and by transfers with other schools overseas who make it easy to transfer ratings.
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We also sort out IPPI cards for our students which are international rating cards which are valid in most countries.
Our philosophy
We are committed to providing the best possible service to our customers: The safest, most enjoyable instructions with the latest teaching methods in all courses we teach, plus top quality equipment, coupled with complete and out-standing service.
Covering the NZ requirements is not good enough in our view; we aim for best international practice in everything we do. Keeping up-to-date in our skills and knowledge is essential for our operation.
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Customer feedback helps us improve constantly and is appreciated at any time. Email us!
nz champions teaching you
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The Wings & Waves instructors hold 11 NZ Champion titles among them, ranging from about 1994 to 2016.
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As of 2016, the Wings & Waves team has won the NZ Championships 10 (!) times in a row.
In 2016, the Wings & Waves / Gin NZ even won every single title at the NZ Nationals:
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1. Overall - Reuben Muir on a GIN GTO2
1. Woman - Eva Keim on a GIN Carrera
1. EN B glider - Joe Ward on a GIN Carrera
1. EN C glider - Grant Middendorf on a GIN GTO2 L
1. EN D glider - Reuben Muir
Best up-and-coming pilot - Leighten Joll on a GIN Atlas.
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The titles range from 1995 to 2016 and all classes. This is only possible with a superior understanding of the sport, consistantly great gear matched to the right pilots, great teaching and coaching.
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We are very proud of these achievements of all our pilots.
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always up-to-date
With NZ so wonderfully far away from the rest of the world, staying up-to-date with all new developments, techniques, gear, safety issue, teaching method, flying skills etc is impossible if you don't get out there. That's why we all regularly travel overseas to catch up with what is new and exciting, to learn first hand from the best in the world.
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We do trips to Europe and work with the best schools and the manufacturers. We travel to the factories in Asia. Lukas is immersing himself in the process of developing, designing paragliders – he is going to the Gin factory and office for a couple of month.
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International competition is the other thing we do to keep on our toes. It is good to be realistic about where we stand in the world. Plus, at big competition, we meet a lot of people from the our industries: test pilots, designers, instructors, manufacturers and get to pick their brains on what is new.
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how it all started – Reuben and Eva in 1990
history of WW
Wings & Waves started in the early 1990s when paragliding teaching was in it's infancy. Reuben and Eva learnt to fly in Austria in 1988 at one of the first organised schools near Salzburg. We had just finished working for sevearal NZ America's Cup campaigns (the Big Boat campaign with KZ1). We completed our PG2 and PG3 equivelant in record time, well before we really knew what we were doing.
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Our teaching career started soon after, when our instructor had bravely taken on a group of 200 British scouts who were camping near by, then realised he was in need of some English speaking assistant instructors. And so it all started: Rather quickly, Reuben and Eva realised that they really enjoyed teaching their newly discovered sport. Teaching so early after learning, but with the keen and careful supervision of an experienced instructor, was the perfect introduction to a new found carreer.
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We went back and did another America's Cup in 1992 in San Diego where Reuben run the sail loft and Eva did PR and hung out of helicopters taking photos and developing them.
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After the un-expected intro to teaching PG, we taught in several schools in Europe, then in the US, moved on to SIV teaching and then working at European manufacturers in preparation of realising our dream to run a PG school in NZ.
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This approach put us way ahead of the largely self taught NZ paragliding community where teaching was still nearly non-existant. Instead, mates showed mates some ropes, other flogged gear and whished good luck.