A tandem flight is where a pilot flies with a passenger, both of whom are in separate harnesses that are also attached to each other and the overhead wing. Passengers are asked to wear sturdy shoes for take off and landing, when they will be required to participate.

The most popular spots for tandem flights are Lion’s Head and Signal Hill in Cape Town and Wilderness on the Garden Route. Tandem flights are also offered occasionally at Bulwer in KwaZulu-Natal, Hartbeespoort Dam in North West province and Dunnottar Airfield near Springs in Gauteng. Generally, a tandem flight lasts between 10 and 30 minutes, depending on weather conditions.

Flights are always weather-dependent and so cannot be guaranteed in advance, so clients should allow for a window of several days. Anyone taking clients out commercially has to be a licensed tandem flight instructor, of which there are about 40 in the country.