Carlos Madureira is one of the best natural teachers I have ever learned from. Carlos shares with students his years of passion for the sport of paragliding and he is one of the most experienced instructors of the sport in the United States. He is an expert in equipment, weather and aerodynamics. Within 3 hours of my first opportunity to meet Carlos, we were tandem paragliding together above South Mountain. Prior to that, I had never paraglide before and Carlos guided me safely through launch, ridge soaring a thermal that took us 600 feet above launch, multiple exciting turns and a gentle landing 1,400 feet below. That first tandem paraglide with Carlos was one of the most exhilarating times I've ever enjoyed.
As I began my studies, Carlos helped me order and begin training on outstanding equipment (and Carlos saved me hundreds of dollars in the process). Despite the fact that Portuguese is his native language, Carlos speaks perfect English. I have never had any trouble understanding the teachings Carlos has shared with me. Carlos has immense patience. Despite times we have trained with too little wind or too much wind, Carlos has always insisted foremost on safety and made the most of our time together. I will forever be grateful for his friendship and for him starting me in the sport on the right foundation. Although I am new to the sport, it seems to me that the paragliding community in Arizona also owes Carlos for his faithful stewardship and generous help to any who ever need it.
Rich Radford - http://forensics-intl.com/rich.html