In the air you are in command

The guide can ground you. He cannot send you up

This is not a formality and not legal cover. It is how cross-country flying works: in the air you are alone, and no radio call can make the conditions safe for you specifically, right now, on your wing and with your hours.

What the guide does

• Reads the forecast and picks the area for the day
• Sets the task in two or three options of different difficulty
• Runs the briefing and guides you on the radio
• Organises the transport up and the retrieve
• Debriefs your track in the evening

What the guide can do

• Change the task or the route
• Ban a launch
• Stand you down for the day
• Turn the group back to an alternate field

What nobody can do

• Make you launch
• Make you do what the guide says if you are not comfortable
• Demand an explanation for not flying
• Guarantee that someone else's track is repeatable by you

Chasing someone else's track is not allowed. What a pilot with a thousand hours on a class D wing did is no proof that it is doable for you. That is exactly why the task is set by levels.

What you must have

We check the kit before the first flying day. Without it we do not let you into the air — this rule has no exceptions.

mandatory

No flying without this

Checked before the first flying day

• Wing, harness, helmet. A certified set. We match the wing class to your level and the destination — flatland Quixadá is not the same as Kruševo.
• Reserve parachute. Mandatory. You are responsible for the date of the last repack; we recommend at least once every 12 months, and more often before a busy season. We may ask to see the seal and the date.
• Vario or GPS with track logging. No track means no debrief, and the debrief is half the point of the trip.
• Dual-band radio. Receive and transmit on 144.000 and 433.000 MHz. The working frequency is given at the briefing before flying.
• Phone and power bank. Charged. Tracking and contact after landing go through them.
• Clothing for altitude. Cloud base on task is often above 4,000 m, and the temperature drops by about 0.65 °C per 100 m of climb. Warm gloves and layers are mandatory even on a hot day at the bottom.

Strongly recommended

Does not block clearance, but changes the outcome a lot

• Satellite tracker. Garmin inReach Mini 2 or Mini 3. Ordinary live tracking runs over the mobile network, and in the mountains of Georgia, Nepal and Pakistan coverage is far from everywhere. A tracker is the only way to say that you are alive and where you are when there is no network.
• Water and food for the day. A task day is not an hour in the air. A dehydrated pilot makes bad decisions.
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, cap. At altitude the sun is harsher than it feels.
• Oxygen. Only on the custom trips to Hunza. Not needed on other destinations.

Radio — 144.000 and 433.000 MHz, receive and transmit. You get the working frequency at the briefing before flying, and it can differ from destination to destination. A receive-only radio is not suitable: we need contact both ways.

Sort this out at home, not at launch

Insurance is mandatory for everyone on XC trips, hike & fly and courses. Without proof of a policy we do not let you into the air.

The policy must cover

• paragliding explicitly, by name. An ordinary travel policy usually excludes “extreme sports” — such a policy is not suitable
• treatment and hospitalisation — at least €100,000
• search and rescue, including helicopter evacuation — in the mountains this is the main cost
• medical repatriation to your home country
• validity in the country of the trip — a policy that only works in the EU will not help in Georgia, Nepal or Colombia

Ordinary personal liability does not cover paragliding — these are different things. Check the wording in your policy or ask your insurer directly: “is paragliding covered as an activity”. For high-altitude and remote programmes you also need altitude cover no lower than stated and no exclusion for remote areas.

The cost of a search and rescue operation falls on the pilot and their insurance. That is exactly why a policy covering search, rescue and helicopter evacuation is mandatory, not optional. An hour of helicopter time in the mountains costs thousands of euros.

Send us the policy in advance — we will look at the wording and tell you if we see a hole in it. That is a friendly hint, not confirmation of suitability: the insurance stays your responsibility.

First tell us you are alive and where you are

Everything else comes later. Until you have made contact after landing, as far as we are concerned you are in an emergency.

Duty number for the trip

• +995 551 355 000 — for emergencies only
• For bookings — WhatsApp or Telegram, that is a different channel
• The direct number of your group's guide is given at the briefing before the first flying day — that is your first point of contact in the field

If the radio goes silent

• Radio silence is not an order
• You continue with the last agreed task
• In doubt — you land
• What to do if contact is lost is agreed at the morning briefing

If you see someone else's accident

• Do not land next to it if that is dangerous for you
• Record the coordinates
• Tell the guide on the radio or on WhatsApp
• Stay in contact
• Do not start an evacuation alone unless you are sure what you are doing

The retrieve is a vehicle, not a rescue service. Pick-up from your landing is included in the trip: we will collect you from the field during working hours and within the usual operating area. Exact coordinates and a clear description of the access speed the pick-up up many times over. Everything to do with search, helicopter, hospital, medical evacuation and repatriation is paid by your insurance.

Assess the field early and with height to spare

What to look at

• wires and poles — you see them late
• animals and people in the field
• slope and wind at ground level
• fences and irrigation ditches
• freshly ploughed or wet ground
• crops — do not land on them if there is an alternative

After landing make contact straight away: alive, coordinates, condition. Only then pack up. And do not leave a conflict with the field owner behind you — next season the next group comes here.

The key skill is deciding not to fly, in time

You climb with the kit on your back — that is 10–15 kg on top of a normal rucksack. You need to be able to walk at a calm pace for several hours and keep the strength and concentration for the flight. A tired pilot on an unfamiliar launch is the main cause of problems.

What to take

• Boots or trail runners with ankle support, broken in beforehand
• Water — at least 1.5–2 litres. If you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated
• Sunglasses, cap, sunscreen — with you, not just applied at the bottom
• A warm layer and a windproof
• A dry spare T-shirt — flying in wet clothing is cold and dangerous
• Power bank, head torch, a minimal first aid kit

Launching from an unprepared site

• We look at the site in advance on imagery and a topo map
• The final assessment is on foot, on the spot
• Slope, surface, what is behind you, what is ahead, where you are blown if the launch goes wrong
• Grass, not scree
• If it does not read clearly — we do not launch from there

When walking down is the better choice

• Always budget the strength and the daylight for walking down
• Conditions above your level while the others go — there is nothing shameful about saying no
• Flying so as not to look like a coward is the worst reason to fly of all
• The insurance must additionally cover search, rescue and helicopter: walking down injured is impossible in these places

Where the general rules do not apply

The requirements above apply everywhere. But some destinations have local restrictions that are better known before booking than at the briefing.

Highlighted in gold are the destinations where the restriction affects the kit you bring or the deadlines for filing documents.

India — the tracker exception. Our general requirement “Garmin inReach Mini 2 or Mini 3” does not apply there: satellite trackers may not be imported or used. Do not take yours to India — on the Bir-Billing trips we provide the local operator's equipment.

Once, before the trip starts

Mandatory for every participant of an XC trip and hike & fly, no exceptions. Until the document is signed and received by us, we will not be able to let you into the air. Better to do it right after the group is confirmed, not on the last evening before departure.

What exactly to send

• The completed and signed participant document — all pages
• A photo of the main page of your passport — the one you will enter the country of the trip on
• A photo of your pilot licence or certificate — both sides, if there is data on the back
• Optionally — your insurance policy: we will look at the wording and tell you if we see a hole

Why we need the passport and the licence. The passport — to arrange flight permits where they are required, for identification in an emergency and for dealing with the rescue services and your insurer. The licence — to confirm clearance and to build the group correctly by level. We do not use this data for anything else, do not pass it to third parties outside the purposes listed, and delete it after the trip ends.

If anything in the document is unclear or you are not ready to sign a particular clause — write to us before you send it. We will go through it together. There is no need to sign blind, and quietly not signing is the worst option: we simply will not be able to take you on the trip and will find out at the last moment.

Current versions

• XC Trips Booking Terms — v. 1.3 of 21.08.2026
• Safety Briefing — v. 1.0
• Participant document — v. 1.0, PDF and DOCX

What people ask most often

Not sure the destination suits you?

Send your hours, wing class and your longest personal XC — we will tell you straight whether you are ready for this destination now or whether a step down is better. It is free and commits you to nothing.