ESKISEHIR / Inonu
There are facilities of Turkish Aviation Organization within Inonu Province which is 15 km west of Eskisehir. North facing slopes of the province, are establishing very appropriate flight conditions with especially north winds during summer months. Courses organized by Turkish Aviation Organization are performed here.
EGIRDIR
Location: There are roads and railway transportation in Egirdir, which is 60 km. away from Isparta. Local bus firms of Isparta are passing from Egirdir.
Regional Characteristics: Egirdir which is appropriate for various tourism activities with Egirdir lake and island, has very appropriate hills for paragliding parachute. Suleyman Demirel University Aerial Club is performing training flights on these hills.
ANKARA – GOLBASI
Location: Transportation to Golbaşi region, which is 27 km. away from Ankara city center can be easily maintained from city center.
Regional Characteristics: Due to closeness to Ankara it is possible to benefit from all activities and possibilities within the city. It is the region where aerial clubs of universities in Ankara are training Paragliding . Golbaşi, is also a promenade place which draw attention of Ankara residents who want get away from city life goes for weekends.
Take Off Runway: Training hill which faces to a wide plain is very appropriate for hillside parachute training due its appropriate altitude and facing wind from all aspects.
KAYSERI
Location: Ali Mountain on the territories of city in Kayseri, is 15 min. Away from city center. It can be driven up carefully. Or when you get off the bus at Ali Mountain plate with getting on to a bus, you can reach to the hill within 45 minutes by foot.
Regional Characteristics: World wide famous Cappadocia present, Kayseri is welcoming to thousands of tourists each year. Kayseri is serving possibilities to the other sportive tourism types such as skiing and cycling besides paragliding with its appropriate geography. Civil Aviation VIHE, is organizing training flights to Mount Ali.
Take Off Runway: It has an altitude difference of 600 to 750, and there are two take off runways of which one is appropriate to south winds and other one is north. Steep and smooth inclination of the hill is appropriate for hours of paragliding, but you should be careful in weathers with turbulence.
Landing Runways: There are easily landing areas in front of the hill.
Aksu / ANTALYA
Hill in Aksu province of Antalya is used as training hill by Akdeniz University, Avaiation Club. When you turn Perge ruins from Aksu turn of Antalya – Alanya road, and go for a 10 – 15 km. without entering Perge 40 – 50 m. high training hill is reached. Irrigation channel should be considered during flight.
Physical Conditions for Paragliding
For paragliding lower age limit is 16 and upper limit is 55. You can be flexible for upper age limit according to health condition. Kilo limit is minimum 40 kg, and maximum 130. Epilepsy, asthma, heart, waist and knee disordered people can not participate to hillside parachute training. For participation to hillside parachute a form declaring that health conditions are appropriate is filled.
Parachute Types
Parachutes (wings) have various sizes and types according to weight of the pilot and flight type. Parachute used by light weighted pilot, is smaller in size than heavy pilot uses. There are 5 types of parachutes showing different performances according to the training taken and experience.
Wing Structure
Paragliding can be investigated at 4 parts composed of Canopy (Dome), hook and break ropes, supporting columns and Harness (equipment).
Canopy It is made up of texture with no air transparency which will maintain parachute to remain in the air with supplying air pressure in the parachute. Canopies, is composed of approximately 40 – 60 cells according to the weight of the pilot and flight type, and these cells are connected to each other with valves for maintaining air pressure.
Hook and break ropes Ropes made up of a very resistant and light material are moderately to the canopy in order to support the pilot. Ropes in front of the canopy are collected on front columns and rear ones are collected on rear columns. Break ropes are different colored and they pass through a ring (they won’t hurl even if pilot leaves them free) and place into the final column.
Supporting Columns Supporting columns, are connecting dome ropes to equipment. They maintain suitable holding places to pilot during take off. They give possibility to use different harness usage beyond easing take off. While there are accelerators known as speed system on less developed hillside parachutes, it is fixed to harness columns on some of them.
Harness (Equipment) It is part where pilot will sit. It is basically composed of hooks passing through feet and arms for equipment of pilot. Its structure can vary according to the used material and additional equipment. There are cross columns on some harnesses. These have a structure of directly transiting body movement of pilot to upper part for more securing the dome. There are speed system connections, back protector, air bag, spare parachute division like advantages of developed harnesses. All harnesses can be modified according to the body structure of the pilot.
Meteorological Information
For performing air sports securely appropriate weather conditions are very important. Basic meteorological information is required especially paragliding Movement of the wind and shapes of the clouds are the factors initially signing for flight. Other two factors are turbulence and thermal.
Turbulence They are vertical aerial movements. Turbulences; are faced during 5 km/h exceeding impact movements, specific geographic regions, with a wind backward coming to a steep hill, in thermal entrances and exits and front regions.
Thermal It is formed with the rise of warm air mass. This air mass composes flight hindering clouds with cooling, and this is also causes hard turbulence. Thermal is more formed especially in rocky regions, asphalt areas, forest region, water region (river, lake, sea …) and agricultural areas.