Organisation profile

Centre École du Markstein

• School

Centre École du Markstein is based in Oderen in the Alsatian Vosges. It has three classrooms, with a training slope and first high-flight site a few hundred metres from its base, and also offers an accommodation centre at Markstein. Introductory training is intended for people without previous experience and uses groups of eight students.

The beginner trip has a published duration of four or five days. Depending on weather, it alternates theory with practice on a gentle grassy slope and works towards a first radio-guided flight with a height difference of about 200 metres. Equipment includes harnesses with reserves and back protection, and the school uses video feedback. Daily schedules adjust to conditions.

Progression training accepts students who have completed at least one high flight during an introductory course. It offers two, four or five consecutive days, adapting content to the student’s level. Alongside piloting and landing approaches, it covers mental imagery, self-assessment, stress, weather analysis and flight mechanics. The school describes this as progress towards Brevet Initial, rather than automatic qualification after one trip.