PASA (the Professional Air Sports Association) is a non-profit (501(c)(6)) organization, founded in 1997 and charged with setting standards for the operation of flight schools and certifying kiteboarding, hang gliding, and paragliding flight schools (in both solo and tandem instruction) that operate in compliance with those standards. PASA’s board is made up predominantly of hang gliding and paragliding industry leaders as well as industry leaders from Kiteboarding.
PASA established standards, best practices, and standard operating procedures for kiteboarding instruction during the infancy of the sport and continues to provide certification of Kiteboarding schools and instructors. The certification program provided by PASA has allowed kiteboarding schools to get and maintain insurance.
The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) has now formed a Risk Retention Group (Recreation Risk Retention Group or RRRG for short) to ensure affordable, stable insurance to the sports of hang gliding and paragliding. For a hang gliding or paragliding flight school to qualify for insurance issued by RRRG, the flight school must become certified by PASA and maintain that certification. This certification by an independent not-for-profit standards entity makes the certification credib
Lessons in Kiteboarding, E-Foil, Inflatable Wings - Outer Banks Kiting, NC