Paragliding school in New York
Site map Email Tel: (917) 359 6449

Below are some comments from former students. Learn more about the Let's Go Paragliding flight school's owner and head instructor, Benoit Bruneau.

My wife and I began paragliding in 2001. Throughout the years we have learned from several instructors, but the one constant has always been Benoit. My wife and I have always appreciated his knowledge in the sport and his calm way of explaining things. We have always been comfortable with his instructions from our first day of paragliding or until now that we have advanced through the different levels in the sport. We highly recommend Benoit as an instructor.

Carlos & Sandra Carrasco
Brooklyn, NY

"I learned to fly paragliders with Benoit. My brother and I got introduced to the sport by him. He taught us how to ground handle a glider and we had our first flights with him as a instructor. He always put a lot of emphasis on ground handling and I am really glad now that he did so; ground handling is the key to safe and enjoyable flying. Benoit was really careful to teach us all the tricks of the trade. Now I have flown around the world, taking off from places as high as 10,000 feet in Europe with very strong thermals."

Prof. Raul Jimenez (Princeton & Barcelona)

"My initial contact with paragliding was somewhat of an accident. I had my mind set on learning how to fly, but that concept involved a motor and wings.... And then came the picture of a paraglider on my computer and it all fell into place. An aircraft you could carry with you, hike up a mountain with and fly down with!

If someone teaches you how to jump off a mountain with a large piece of nylon over your head, you better have the right instructor. Benoit Bruneau was my instructor on my first try-out day in the field and has remained my guide on every paragliding trip I have done. I have seen many novices launch with their instructor nearby and every time I have thought how lucky I was to have Benoit at my side.

In a paragliding instructor I wasn't looking only for someone to teach me a technique and set me free. I was looking for a guardian angel, someone to look out for everything that might jeopardize my safety. Because with paragliding you must also learn to assess risks in a very clear-headed way. Once solo, no one will tell you what to do and when to do it. So, the very important challenge of the instructor is to provide the student with these tools to make the best assessment on weather, ground, gear, technique etc... so that the experience may be not only enjoyable but also safe.

Many wanna be pilots have quit because of scary launches, bad landings, and a lot of those, as I have often witnessed, were due to poor instruction. Benoit satisfied my craving for the sky by giving me glimpses of what it is really like to be a pilot. To look at the sky, to practice ground handling at every chance, to be prepared psychologically and to keep my head cool when the desire to take off was stronger that the conditions permitted. Without that kind of instruction, I am not sure I would have gone all the way. Thanks to him, I am enjoying the skies worldwide on exciting trips and exhilarating flights."

Tristan Sheridan (New York, New York)

 

"The last thing I ever thought I'd do is jump off of a mountain and fly. On a visit to the French Alps, I saw dozens of beautifully colored gliders softly floating amongst the mountain ranges - I couldn't peel my eyes away and I yearned to float so freely, but I didn't have the courage to look into it. When I met Benoit in New York and learned that he had been flying for years in the Alps, I decided to try a tandem flight. Although I'm not the type to even feel comfortable on an amusement park ride, I knew I was safe with him; his expertise on equipment, weather conditions and safety issues was that impressive. So we strapped ourselves in and Benoit guided us as we gently flew over Berkshire country farms. I'd never felt anything so exhilarating and I can't wait to do it again!"

Nina Schmir (Brooklyn, New York)