If You’ve Been Into Paragliding for a While
You’ve probably heard people talk about SIV.
For a lot of pilots, it’s a big step in their flying journey—a way to feel safer, more confident, and more in control when things get a little wild up there.
What Is SIV, Exactly?
SIV stands for Simulation d’Incident en Vol—French for “simulation of incidents in flight.”
It’s a course where you learn how to handle flight incidents, like collapses or spins, in a safe and controlled setting.
A Simple Comparison
I like to think of it like learning to drive:
- If all you ever do is cruise from home to work on quiet roads, you don’t need to know what your car does at the limit.
- You just drive gently, and that’s fine.
That’s kind of like flying early in the morning or late in the day, when conditions are smooth and calm.
But if you want to fly during the middle of the day, when thermals are active and the air is moving, it’s more like rally driving:
- It takes a different skill set.
- The air gets bumpy, and sooner or later, your wing is going to do something unexpected.
Why SIV?
Wouldn’t it be better to know how to handle that before it happens?
That’s really what SIV is about:
- Sure, you learn how to fix problems.
- But more importantly, you learn how your wing behaves when it’s pushed to the edge.
- And by doing that, you get better at avoiding trouble in the first place.
The whole point isn’t to scare you or throw you into scary situations.
It’s to give you a safe place to practice what might happen during a flight, so if it ever does happen for real, you’re ready.
The Takeaway
After an SIV course, most pilots come away feeling:
A lot more prepared
Way more in tune with their wing
