Tony Gibson Flying Career     

Private pilots license (PPL):

1986 started his PPL at the age of 15 and qualified as a pilot at the age of 17 in 1988.

Paraglider (PG) pilots license:

1989 started flying paragliders and progressed through to tandem instructor level. Presented SIV courses to pilots.     

Powered Paraglider (PPG, PPT, PPC) pilots license:

1995 converted to Powered Paragliding. Tony currently has a Grade A Instructor and tandem rating on all disciplines in the sport.   

Micro-light pilots license (MPL):

1995 qualified as a MPL pilot flying 3 axis aircraft.    

Light Sport License (LSA):

2010 qualified as an LSA pilot.      

Gyrocopter Pilots License (Gyro):

2016 qualified as a Gyro pilot

Paramotoring History      

To date Tony has logged an accumulated total of +6300 hours and +7500 flights as a Paraglider and Powered Paraglider pilot.     

He started to instruct and gained 2500 hours as a paragliding pilot and instructor before discovering that his true passion lay in Powered Paragliding. 

Tony started flying Powered Paragliders in 1995. As the sport grew in popularity, soon found himself instructing fellow paragliding pilots in the powered version of flight.     Tony started his own flight school during 1995.     

The South African Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (SAHPA) invited him to setup the training syllabus to teach students PPG flying. We proceeded to establish the PPG section of the license structure in South Africa. Tony became the first chairman of the Powered section of SAHPA. We were very involved in writing the first set of Manuals of Procedures (MOPS). He held this position for over a decade before resigning due to personal work commitments.     

Tony was also the National Licensing & Safety Officer (NLSO) for this division of SAHPA, a position I held up until 2013.

Tony was the lead instructor at Skyhub Paramotors Dubai, September 2014 – September 2017.   

Career Achievements in PPG      

South African PPG Champion since 2003 - 2014 (excluding 2 years)     

South African National Team Captain, 2007, 2009, 2012

World Championships:     

Represented South Africa in the USA, China, Malaysia, Czech Republic & Spain·      Current FAI World Record Holder: Speed of 77km/h out and return over a closed circuit of 100km.     

Member of the Nirvana Racing team      

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Powered paragliding team coach 2014-2017