We are the only BHPA school within the M25 and being based just south of Croydon we are extremely easy to get to from most parts of London. 

We train people to fly hang gliders, paragliders, paramotors and also teach parascending. We are confident that we can offer you the training you need whatever your chosen path is to get you airborne.

We have our own 100% private flying sites that we can fly all year round in almost any wind direction. They are perfect for learning, with gentle shallow slopes and short retrieves means more flights per day. This is critical when learning to fly and is what makes us stand out from other schools that use public sites to train on.

In addition, Andy Shaw has developed a new form of towing called parallel towing which has been approved by the BHPA. This is a brilliant way for the instructor to be in direct visual and vocal contact with the students whilst on and off tow. Using this form of towing our students are able to rapidly progress through their Elementary Pilot and Club Pilot training in both paragliding and hang gliding.

Our students can do intensive courses or learn more slowly due to the lack of free time and commitments of modern day life.

Our school is run in a friendly but disciplined manner to keep our students safe and has a great history of producing competition level pilots in all disciplines. 

We are the longest established full time British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association accredited air sports flying centre in the country. We are highly trained and experienced instructors dedicated to delivering training in most disciplines or air sports. 

Our history dates back to 1974 and some would say longer due to the late Leslie Shaw’s activities dating back to the 1950’s.

Leslie John Shaw dedicated his life to teaching both adults and children to fly. Leslie was one of the very few qualified Army parachute instructors and when he left the Army he formed an Army cadet force dedicated to getting people airborne.

Back then he would use an old Land Rover with some rope to tow round and square parachutes into the air where the pilot would self-release and then be guided back down to earth by Leslie on a loudhailer. 

Leslie’s two sons Mike and Andy, had always had a passion for airborne activity and both were involved in the running of the school from an early age. Their natural ability was clear and they both excelled in a variety of competitions from accuracy to cross country. They both reached national, international and world level ranking with Andy winning several world medals.

In 1984, at the age of just 18, Andy Shaw became a fully qualified instructor. In 1988 he became the youngest Chief Flying Instructor in the UK, (possibly the world) and Green Dragons Airsports, as we know it today, was formed. 

Andy has over 40 years of experience training students a wide variety of airborne activities including, paragliding, hang gliding, paramotoring, microlights and parascending. He also is the Chief Coach of the British Accuracy team regularly taking the team to victory around the world.

The dedication and over 40 years of experience raises Green Dragons above other flying schools and it helps us develop our students into becoming confident pilots with safe decision making skills. 

We have a brilliant team of instructors that complement each other’s training styles and who are focused on keeping you safe throughout your training courses. 

Once BHPA qualified, we actively encourage our students to continue flying with us by joining our Club managed by experienced pilots and Club Coaches. Our Club helps with the often difficult jump from School to Club environment, particularly when flying busy sites.