PG5 is the highest level in the normal Australian paraglider pilot certification progression, but there is often confusion about what is actually required to obtain it.
The number many pilots remember is 80 hours. That is part of the requirement, but reducing PG5 to an hours target misses most of what the Advanced Pilot Certificate is intended to represent.
Under the current SAFA Qualifications Manual, the pathway also includes a minimum number of flights, specific height-gain experience, multiple genuine cross-country flights, endorsements, theory requirements, the Advanced Paraglider Wing Proficiency course and a practical Flight Test.
If you are still working towards the previous step, read Attaining Your PG4 Rating in Australia: SAFA Requirements Explained first.
PG5 requirements at a glance
To obtain a PG5 Advanced Pilot Certificate you need to:
- have held PG4 for at least 12 months;
- complete the required online learning and pass the applicable theory and practical examinations;
- hold a Radio Operator Endorsement;
- hold a Cross Country (PG/HG) Endorsement;
- complete the Advanced Paraglider Wing Proficiency course;
- complete the required PG5 Flight Test; and
- have your application recommended by an L2FI, CFI or SSO authorised to act as a Pilot Examiner.
Minimum PG5 flying experience
Before undertaking the PG5 Flight Test, you must have completed the required experience as pilot-in-command of a paraglider:
| PG5 experience requirement | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Flying experience | 80 hours |
| Flights | 200 |
| Flights with height gain greater than 1,000 ft | 5 |
| Cross-country flights | 5 |
Again, these are minimums. Reaching 80 hours does not automatically make somebody an advanced pilot.
Why both hours and flight numbers matter
Hours and flight numbers measure different things.
A pilot can accumulate a substantial amount of airtime from relatively few long soaring flights. Another can complete hundreds of short flights while having much less time operating in active air.
The PG5 requirements include both. Eighty hours provides a minimum amount of airborne experience, while 200 flights mean the pilot has also repeated the launch-to-landing cycle many times.
Every flight creates another launch decision, another assessment of conditions and another landing. Neither metric is perfect by itself, which is why PG5 then goes beyond both.
The five height-gain flights
Before the PG5 Flight Test you must also have completed five flights with height gains greater than 1,000 feet.
This is another indication that PG5 is not intended to be achieved entirely through straightforward local soaring. Significant height gain generally requires the pilot to find and use lift effectively while managing drift, traffic, terrain and changing conditions.
The point is not simply to create five large numbers in the logbook. It forms part of the broader expectation that an advanced pilot can identify and use lift competently.
PG5 requires five genuine cross-country flights
PG5 also requires five cross-country flights.
The Qualifications Manual is particularly clear that flying only along the same ridge does not qualify as one of those five XC flights.
That matters because pilots may casually describe a long coastal or ridge flight as an XC. For the qualification, the SAFA definition applies.
What counts as a cross-country flight?
The SAFA Abbreviations, Acronyms and Definitions Guide defines cross-country flying around several key concepts.
The flight must involve navigation and, for an unpowered aircraft such as a paraglider, the glider needs to have flown beyond gliding distance from the local soaring site by using up-currents or thermals to gain altitude and extend the flight.
The definition also distinguishes cross-country flying from flight operations in a small defined area requiring little navigation.
Put simply:
- A long flight is not automatically an XC.
- Flying only along the same ridge does not qualify.
- Landing somewhere other than where you launched does not automatically make the flight an XC.
You need to use lift to move beyond the local soaring environment and the flight needs to involve genuine navigation.
How far does a PG5 XC need to be?
There is no stated minimum kilometre or nautical-mile distance for each of the five PG5 cross-country flights.
A comparatively modest flight may genuinely be cross-country if it takes you beyond gliding distance of the local soaring area using lift and navigation. A very long ridge flight may cover more kilometres while still not satisfying the qualification definition.
Chasing a particular distance number is therefore the wrong objective. The requirement is about legitimate XC experience.
Why five XC flights?
One XC can teach you a lot. Five begins to establish repeated experience.
Cross-country flying requires continuous reassessment: where the next lift may be, what the wind is doing, which terrain offers sensible landing options, what airspace needs to be considered, whether there is enough height to continue and whether pushing on remains a sound decision.
Quite often good judgement means recognising when the best decision is to land.
Repeating that process over several genuine XC flights is far more useful than completing a single qualifying flight, ticking the box and never leaving the home site again.
The PG5 Flight Test
The PG5 Flight Test assesses a broader range of practical skills expected from an Advanced Pilot.
You need to demonstrate competent skills in:
- ground handling and flight preparation;
- launching and landing in light, moderate and strong conditions;
- course and turn control, particularly in traffic;
- efficient use of lift;
- soaring and effective use of thermal lift;
- top landing in light and moderate conditions;
- coping appropriately with crowded conditions; and
- appropriate VHF radio calls when required.
Viewed together, these are not isolated tricks. They are assessments of how you operate as a pilot: preparation, aircraft control, lift use, traffic management, adaptability and decision-making.
Who can conduct the PG5 assessment?
An L2FI, CFI or SSO performing the Pilot Examiner role must hold a Pilot Examiner Endorsement.
For a PG5 assessment, the examiner must also hold the appropriate advanced pilot certificate and meet the applicable flight-recency requirements, or have the required Operations Manager approval.
It is worth confirming that before arranging the assessment rather than assuming that every experienced instructor is automatically authorised to conduct that particular Flight Test.
Advanced Paraglider Wing Proficiency
Like PG4, the current PG5 requirements include completion of the Advanced Paraglider Wing Proficiency course.
Under the current definition, an advanced paraglider is a paraglider other than an EN-A or EN-B certified paraglider being operated within its certified weight range.
The course provides theoretical knowledge relating to the operation of these advanced wings. But moving onto higher-performance equipment should never be treated as the reward for reaching a particular number of hours.
Wing choice still needs to reflect current skill, currency, flying environment and the pilot's ability to manage the aircraft when conditions become difficult.
What should a pilot working towards PG5 concentrate on?
If you are already PG4, simply accumulating airtime should no longer be the main development objective.
Identify the weaknesses in your flying. If your thermalling is inconsistent, work on it. If you rarely leave your home site, broaden your site experience. If you have little genuine XC experience, start learning to plan and execute XC flights rather than waiting until you suddenly need five for an application.
If stronger-condition launching increases your workload, address that under appropriate supervision. If traffic consumes too much attention, work on predictable course control and situational awareness. If top landings are inconsistent, practise them in suitable conditions.
Technical skill and judgement should be developing together.
PG5 should represent capability, not simply longevity
A pilot can spend years in the sport without necessarily developing broad experience. Somebody can fly the same site, in the same conditions and in much the same way for hundreds of hours.
That is experience, but it is not automatically the same thing as progression.
The 80 hours and 200 flights are minimums. You also need significant height-gain flights, genuine XC experience, the required endorsements and theory, the Advanced Paraglider Wing Proficiency course and the ability to demonstrate the required skills during the Flight Test.
More broadly, an Advanced Pilot should increasingly be able to recognise conditions, manage the aircraft accurately, understand risk and make sound decisions without needing someone else to constantly tell them what to do.
Explore Pilot Development, visit Learn, or revisit Pilot Development After PG2 for the broader progression framework.
Sources
SAFA Part 149 Qualifications Manual 4.0_20260618 — §5.1.6, PG5 Advanced Pilot Certificate.
AA&D – Abbreviations, Acronyms and Definitions V7.0_20260807 — “Cross-country flight”.
Requirements and manuals can change. Always refer to the current SAFA documentation when applying for a qualification.