Green Dragons Airsports

Name

Green Dragons Airsports

Legal name

Green Dragons Leisure Limited

Website

https://greendragonsairsports.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Sports Training and Equipment Retail

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Flight Training (611512)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerial Adventure & Flight Schools (Paragliding, Hang Gliding, Paramotoring) (THAAAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Paragliding, Skydiving & Airborne Adventure Sports (THAJABAJ)

Keywords

• Paragliding training
• Hang gliding instruction
• Paramotoring courses
• Airsports equipment retail
• Flying club membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Woldingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Flight Training Courses: BHPA-approved training courses for paragliding, hang gliding, paramotoring, and parascending. Courses include Elementary Pilot (EP) and Club Pilot (CP) levels, with pricing ranging from £490 to £899 depending on discipline. Additional conversion courses, assessment days, and 1-2-1 masterclass sessions at £150 per session.
2. Equipment Retail: Sale of new and used air sports equipment including paragliders, paramotors, hang gliders, harnesses, helmets, flight instruments, clothing, and accessories. Physical shop with actual stock available for immediate purchase or demo. Also sells second-hand equipment.
3. Equipment Servicing and Repair: Professional servicing and repair of paragliders, hang gliders, and paramotors. Registered BHPA repair centre offering comprehensive annual inspections, full strip-down and rebuild services, and reserve repacking. Turnaround within one week.
4. Club Membership: Annual club membership provides access to all private flying sites, coaching sessions, theory classes, daily morning weather reports, and preference for booking trips. Membership supports the rents paid for flying sites.
5. Overseas Flying Trips: Through sister company Thermal Chasers, organizes pilot flying trips to European destinations chosen based on optimal flying conditions. Instructors support and encourage pilots to develop skills and achieve personal bests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Green Dragons Airsports operates an air sports flying centre delivering BHPA-approved training courses in paragliding, hang gliding, paramotoring, and parascending, from beginner (Elementary Pilot) to advanced (Club Pilot) levels. It also sells new and used airsports equipment through an on-site shop, provides BHPA-registered equipment servicing and repair, runs an annual Flying Club offering access to private flying sites and coaching, and organizes overseas flying trips via its sister company Thermal Chasers.

Product overview

Green Dragons Airsports operates as a comprehensive air sports training and retail center, offering a unified platform of flight training courses and equipment services. The core offerings center on BHPA-approved training programs across four disciplines: paragliding, hang gliding, paramotoring, and parascending. These training programs range from introductory Fun Days and Youth programs through to advanced Masterclass tuition and Club Pilot consolidation. The company also operates a retail division selling new and used airsports equipment, alongside a professional servicing and repair center. Club membership provides ongoing access to private flying sites and coaching. A sister company (Thermal Chasers) extends the offering internationally with overseas flying trips. The company was established in 1974 and is the longest-running BHPA-accredited school in the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thermal Chasers: Sister company that organizes overseas pilot flying trips to Europe, selecting destinations based on optimal flying conditions for the group's skillset.

Products and services

• Paragliding Training Courses

Quantifiable outcome

• Aims to get students through EP and CP course within 10 days
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Eddie CarrollcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Accomplished and world-renowned professional skydiver with proven success in the international skydiving arena. History and experience serving with the elite British Parachute Regiment and the Red Devils. Completed over 19,000 parachute jumps spanning a 40-year career. Teamed up with Green Dragons for the Skydive Boogie 2025 trip to Florida.
• Global Mobility ExecutiveminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Platform providing senior Global Mobility and HR leaders with content, events, research, and benchmarking opportunities. Sponsored the Green Dragons Airsports team selected to represent Great Britain at the Paragliding Accuracy European Championships in 2024.
• Pinewood RelocationscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Corporate relocation company with over 30 years of experience in global mobility. Offers tailored relocation services including shipping belongings and finding accommodation. Has sponsored the Green Dragons Airsports team selected to represent Great Britain at Paragliding Accuracy World Championships in 2023, Paragliding Accuracy European Championships in 2024, and is a current sponsor of all four rounds of the 2025 British Accuracy Cup.
• P.G. Fry & CompanycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Chartered accounting firm founded by Peter Fry, established over 25 years. Specializes in accountancy, bookkeeping, payroll, company formation, financial advice, management accounts, and tax services. Has sponsored Green Dragons Airsports team members selected to represent Great Britain at Paragliding Accuracy World Championships in 2021 and 2023, Paragliding Accuracy European Championships in 2022 and 2024, and the British Accuracy Cup since 2022.
• Thermal ChaserscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company that organizes pilot flying trips. A group of pilots going to 'the right place – at the right time – with the right people' across Europe. Instructors encourage and support pilots to develop, achieve personal bests, and have fun. Destination chosen the day before to maximize flying conditions for the group's skillset.
• BHPA (British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association)coreOthersBHPA is the national governing body for hang gliding and paragliding in the UK. Green Dragons is a BHPA registered school and BHPA registered repair centre. All flying customers must be BHPA members with third-party insurance provided through membership. Parallel towing method developed by Andy Shaw was approved by BHPA.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Go Ape: UK-wide adventure activity operator offering aerial adventure courses, zip lines, and high ropes. While not flying-specific, it competes for the same 'adventure experience' customer wallet and provides a benchmark for premium outdoor activity pricing.
• British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA): National governing body for hang gliding and paragliding in the UK. Sets training standards, certifies schools, and provides insurance infrastructure. Not a direct competitor, but the regulatory ecosystem under which Green Dragons and all peers operate.
• British Gliding Association Clubs (e.g., Midland Gliding Club): UK gliding clubs and the BGA governing body operate sailplane and motor glider training on a membership and club basis. Adjacent aviation training category sharing the same pilot pipeline but using fixed-wing aircraft rather than air sports platforms.

Emerging players

• FlySpain: Spain-based paragliding and paramotoring school offering courses, tandem flights, and overseas pilot trips. Comparable training-and-trip business model, albeit focused on warm-weather European destinations rather than UK training.

Direct peers

• Sky School UK: UK BHPA-registered paragliding school running EP and CP training courses across multiple sites. Closely comparable offering in scope, customer base, and course structure to Green Dragons' paragliding and paramotoring programs.
• Cloudbase Paragliding: UK-based BHPA-registered paragliding school offering training courses and tandem flights. Operates as a direct competitor in the same UK paragliding training market with comparable course structures and beginner-to-club-pilot progression.
• Adventure Paragliding (Fly With Rob): Competitive UK paragliding school offering BHPA courses, paragliding trips abroad, and equipment retail. Comparable product mix spanning training, retail, and overseas trips targeting the same UK recreational pilot demographic.
• Lakes Paragliding: Long-established UK paragliding school in the Lake District offering BHPA-certified courses, tandem flights, and equipment sales. Comparable multi-discipline air sports training business serving recreational pilots in a different UK region.

Others

• Thermal Chasers: Sister company to Green Dragons Airsports organising overseas pilot flying trips across Europe. While part of the same corporate family, it represents the ecosystem of specialised cross-country flying trip operators adjacent to UK air sports training.
• PD Zero: Manufacturer of parascending equipment used by Green Dragons and an official training partner. Functions as a supplier in the equipment value chain rather than a direct competitor, but materially influences the parascending training ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@greendragonsairsports
• Facebookfacebook.com/flygreendragons
• Xx.com/green_dragons
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/green-dragons-airsports

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Green Dragons Airsports