WHY MILE HIGH PARAGLIDING IN SUSSEX OFFERS THE BEST TANDEM FLIGHTS
YOU’RE STANDING ON THE EDGE, HARNESS TIGHT, WIND IN YOUR FACE. The pilot behind you gives a sharp nod—time to step off. Three strides and you’re airborne, the ground dropping away as the Sussex Weald unfolds beneath you like a living map. This isn’t just a flight. It’s a tactical experience, engineered for maximum thrill, safety, and views. Here’s why Mile High Paragliding doesn’t just meet expectations—it resets them.
THE LAUNCH SITES AREN’T JUST HIGH—THEY’RE STRATEGIC
Most operators pick a hill and call it a day. We don’t. We use three primary launch sites—Devil’s Dyke, Truleigh Hill, and Firle Beacon—each chosen for specific wind windows and thermal triggers. Devil’s Dyke, for example, sits at 200m ASL with a 45-degree slope facing southwest. That means we catch the prevailing wind at 12-18 knots, giving us a clean, vertical lift-off without the need for a running start. Truleigh Hill, at 198m, is our go-to for early morning glass-off conditions when the air is still and the thermals are just waking up. Firle Beacon, the highest at 217m, is reserved for days when the wind backs to the southeast—rare, but when it happens, the views stretch to the Isle of Wight and the Seven Sisters.
We don’t guess. We check the Met Office aviation forecast, Windy.com’s ECMWF model, and our own anemometers on-site. If the wind speed at launch is outside 10-22 knots or the gust factor exceeds 5 knots, we scrub. No exceptions. That’s why we have a 98% launch success rate—higher than most UK schools.
THE PILOTS AREN’T JUST CERTIFIED—THEY’RE TACTICAL
Every pilot at Mile High holds a BHPA Club Pilot rating or higher, but that’s the baseline. What matters is how they fly. Our lead tandem pilot, Mark, has 12,000 flights under his harness. He doesn’t just steer—he reads the air like a chessboard. On a typical flight, he’ll use the first 30 seconds to assess sink rates, then adjust altitude in 50m increments to hit the first thermal. If the variometer beeps at +2m/s, he’ll bank into it, tightening the turn radius to 15m to maximise climb. If it’s weaker, he’ll extend the glide to the next trigger point—usually a dark patch of gorse or a ploughed field.
We don’t do scenic meanders. Every flight has a plan: climb to 800m, ridge-soar along the Downs, then thermal up to 1,200m for the big views. If the air is lively, we’ll push to 1,500m—hence the “Mile High” name. That’s not marketing. It’s a measurable target.
THE GEAR ISN’T STANDARD—IT’S OPTIMISED
Most tandem rigs use a single-skin wing with a 30m² area. Ours? We fly the Advance Epsilon 9, a reflex-profile wing with a 33m² area and a 9:1 glide ratio. That means we can cover 9km horizontally for every 1km of descent. In practical terms, it lets us stay up longer, fly further, and land softer. The harnesses are Advance Impress 3s, rated to 120kg, with a built-in airbag and a quick-release reserve parachute. The reserve isn’t just there for show—we repack it every 6 months, not the legal 12, and we test-deploy one every year.
We don’t use generic radios. Each pilot carries a Yaesu FT-60R, tuned to the local airband frequency (122.500 MHz) and pre-programmed with the frequencies for Shoreham and Biggin Hill airfields. If a Cessna calls traffic at 1,000ft, we know about it before they do.
THE FLIGHT PATH ISN’T RANDOM—IT’S A ROUTE
From Devil’s Dyke, the standard route is a 12km ridge run along the South Downs, following the escarpment at 600-800m. We don’t fly straight lines. We use the terrain to our advantage: the dip at Saddlescombe Farm creates a venturi effect, boosting wind speed by 3-5 knots, so we’ll cut in there to gain altitude before the next thermal. If the wind is strong, we’ll cross the A23 at 1,000m and head for the thermal hotspot over Wolstonbury Hill—statistically, the best place in Sussex to catch a +3m/s climb.
From Truleigh Hill, we’ll often head east towards the coast, using the sea breeze front to gain 500m in 10 minutes. If the air is stable, we’ll land at the designated field near Edburton, a 300m x 200m paddock with a 5-degree slope for easy roll-outs. No power lines, no livestock, no surprises.
THE LANDINGS AREN’T LUCKY—THEY’RE PRECISE
Most tandem landings are a controlled crash. Ours are a three-point flare sequence. At 5 Mile High Paragliding.
