Professional Air Sports Association

Name

Professional Air Sports Association

Legal name

Professional Air Sports Association

Website

https://pasaschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Sports Certification Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKAJAN

Referee, Umpire & Coach Education/Certification Academies

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Camps, Academies & Training Centers

SECONDARYHSADAEAN

Refereeing, Officiating & Rules Training

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Sports Coaching & Athletic Performance

Keywords

• Flight school certification
• Air sports standards
• Kiteboarding certification
• Hang gliding schools
• Paragliding certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Nags Head

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. School Certification Fees: One-time non-refundable application fee of $300 for all schools applying for PASA certification, plus annual membership dues.
2. Kiteboarder Membership Dues: Individual kiteboarders pay $15 lifetime membership to join PASA and receive certification cards showing their skill level (Levels 1, 2, or 3).
3. Professional Instructor Membership: Instructors pay $150 per year for professional membership, which includes liability insurance eligibility, ability to certify kiteboarders, instructor profile page, certification card, and 20 free student handbooks.
4. Large Business Flight School Annual Dues: LBFS (teaching more than 200 Student Lesson Days per year) pays $500 annual membership dues to PASA.
5. Small Business Flight School Annual Dues: SBFS membership dues based on teaching activity level measured in Student Lesson Days (SLDs). Basic dues range from $935 for schools teaching up to 50 SLDs to higher amounts based on SLD count, plus additional fees for insured sites and tow devices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Professional Air Sports Association (PASA) is a non-profit 501(c)(6) standards and certification organization that evaluates and certifies kiteboarding, hang gliding, and paragliding flight schools in the United States and Canada against published operational, safety, and instructor standards. Its school certification is the prerequisite for flight schools to qualify for liability insurance issued by the Recreation Risk Retention Group (RRRG). PASA additionally administers a three-level kiteboarder skill certification (Level 1, 2, 3), the Instructor Certification Program (ICP), the Apprentice Instructor Program, and membership tiers for individual kiteboarders, professional instructors, and certified schools.

Product overview

PASA (Professional Air Sports Association) is a non-profit certification and standards organization for the air sports industry, not a traditional product company. Its portfolio consists of certification programs and memberships rather than commercial products. The core offerings include: Flight School Certification programs for kiteboarding, hang gliding, and paragliding schools; a three-level Kiteboarder Certification Program (Level 1, 2, 3); Instructor Certification Programs including the ICP and Apprentice Instructor Program; and membership tiers (Kiteboarder at $15 lifetime, Professional Membership at $150/year, and Certified School Membership). These programs provide standards compliance verification, access to insurance through RRRG, instructor credentials, and skill-level identification for kiteboarders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kiteboarder Certification Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Kitty Hawk Kites has trained over 300,000 students since 1974
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Recreation Risk Retention Group (RRRG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRRRG is the primary provider of insurance for the free flight industry. PASA's certification is required for schools to qualify for insurance issued by RRRG. PASA is a small shareholder in RRRG. PASA purchases a master policy from RRRG and provides access to SBFS members as additional insureds on that policy.
• United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSHPA has formed the RRRG to ensure affordable, stable insurance to hang gliding and paragliding. PASA aligns its standards with USHPA's instructor program and standard operating procedures. All PASA school instructors must be USHPA certified. PASA has a non-voting seat on its board for the sitting USHPA President for organizational liaison.
• The Rogallo FoundationminorOthersFounded by John Harris (PASA President), committed to preserving artifacts of Francis Rogallo, inventor of the flexible wing and father of hang gliding.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• National Ski Patrol (NSP): NSP is a non-profit that trains and certifies patrollers for ski areas, with a similar standards, training-program, and certified-member structure. Adjacent in the outdoor-recreation safety-and-certification category.
• American Canoe Association: ACA is a non-profit certifying paddling instructors and schools across canoeing, kayaking, and SUP. A thematically adjacent recreation-sport certification body illustrating the same standards-and-accreditation model PASA uses in air sports.

Broad incumbents

• Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI): PADI is the dominant global scuba diving instructor and dive-center certification body. Operates an analogous model of instructor training, dive-center affiliation, and skill-level certification cards — an instructive structural peer even though the sport is different.
• Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI): FAI is the international air sports federation overseeing multiple aerial disciplines including hang gliding and paragliding. A broader incumbent in the same category, setting top-level international rules that PASA-aligned national programs ultimately align to.

Direct peers

• United States Parachute Association (USPA): USPA is the national skydiving governing body, running a parallel model of instructor certification, school affiliation, and safety standards for another free-flight/aerial sport. Comparable structurally to PASA in mandate and member-driven non-profit governance.
• British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA): BHPA is the UK equivalent of PASA/USHPA for hang gliding and paragliding schools, running instructor certification and school rating schemes. A clear international direct peer operating the same certification-and-standards model in another geography.
• United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA): USHPA is the national governing body for hang gliding and paragliding in the US and a strategic partner of PASA; all PASA instructors must be USHPA-certified. It is the most directly comparable organization, sharing the air-sports standards and instructor-certification mission.
• International Kiteboarding Organization (IKO): IKO is the dominant global kiteboarding instructor and school certification body, competing directly with PASA's kiteboarding program for instructor credentials and student recognition. Most comparable peer on the kiteboarding side of PASA's portfolio.

Emerging players

• United States Sailing Association: US Sailing runs a national certification program for sailing schools and instructors. While a different sport, it operates the same playbook of accredited schools, certified instructors, and member benefits that PASA applies to air sports.
• United States Ultralight Association (USUA): USUA represents powered ultralight aviation, an adjacent air-sports category PASA could expand into. Operates a similar volunteer-driven standards and membership model for a closely related flying discipline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/professional-air-sports-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Professional Air Sports Association