Paragliding

[Kalkan Magic]

Hi, just wondered if anyone has done paragliding either in Kalkan or elsewhere eh Olu Deniz? I would be keen to have any recommendations as to location for doing this and any reputable businesses to use. Thanks.

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=13264.0

[alantj]

Kas is a major paragliding centre with a number of established companies offering tandem flights. You can details of these companies from a google search "Kas paragliding reviews" and see reviews of them on tripadvisor.

Last year we watched several people flying down from the mountain top and landing in the marina car park, with this company http://www.naturaparagliding.com/en/tandem-flights (they all made it).

     

[Blue Lizard]

A couple of years ago we met a young girl with her arm in plaster in The moonlight Bar...she broke it Paragliding in Kalkan .I would check your insurance cover to include it if you are thinking of doing it..on our cover it is included among "extra activities" which you have to pay for

[samson]

my OH and i did it a few years ago in Kalkan. there was a team of three then. two have since died in accidents! also landing was stopped in the harbour at that time and we landed in a field near Bezigan. OH landed on a cow pat!

[Bob & Jayne]

my OH and i did it a few years ago in Kalkan. there was a team of three then. two have since died in accidents! also landing was stopped in the harbour at that time and we landed in a field near Bezigan. OH landed on a cow pat!

A cow pat!
Holy Sh*t.
Well, it would be in India! 

I hope she didn't give you a pat on the back for jumping! 

[Lizilu20]

A cow pat!
Holy Sh*t.
Well, it would be in India! 

I hope she didn't give you a pat on the back for jumping! 
[/quote]

  that must be Bob!

 I don't think I'll be paragliding in Kalkan anytime soon going off what BL and Samson have posted.
Kalkan Magic - I've heard that the team that do the paragliding off mount Babadag are good and safety conscious but I've no experience other than what friends have told me.

[Kalkan Magic]

Thanks everyone, so helpful as always. It is for a guest so I will suggest Olu which I think operated from Mount Babadag. 😀

[pw]

A friend and his 2 sons did it from tHe mountains above Kalkan and thoroughly enjoyed it... But I heard from a reliable local source that the conditions (thermals etc) are not good, ie dangerous in Kalkan and Kas is a better/safer bet.

pw

[alantj]

Thanks everyone, so helpful as always. It is for a guest so I will suggest Olu which I think operated from Mount Babadag. 😀

Some friends paraglided at Olu, they said the drive up the very narrow steep mountain road was so terrifying that, despite the wind conditions at the top being a bit touch and go for paragliding, it was a relief to jump off the mountain top rather than face the drive back down.   

[Kuzu]

We did it in Olu....as Alantj says...the journey up is nerve racking!  Guys we jumped with were very professional.  However a single jumper crashed on take off into a rock...my guy said just keep running, as your feet just run into nowhere & off the mountain we went safely! Great views up there & we landed safely in the beach. A wonderful experience but I guess you need to weigh it all up!

[Kalkan Magic]

Thanks, gosh there are some stories aren't there? It's definitely not one for me but my friends are doing it when they visit Kalkan next month...

[Chris_S]

If it hasn't got an engine, and it's not designed to go up, then paragliding=parachute.

Only to be used in emergencies…

Or by the foolhardy

[caradog]

If it hasn't got an engine, and it's not designed to go up, then paragliding=parachute.

Only to be used in emergencies…

Or by the foolhardy

You are right Chris. I think to undertake any high risk activity in Turkey is particularly foolhardy. The safety standards just aren't there; evidenced by numerous tragic accidents in recent years.

[pw]

If it hasn't got an engine, and it's not designed to go up, then paragliding=parachute.

Only to be used in emergencies…

Or by the foolhardy

You are right Chris. I think to undertake any high risk activity in Turkey is particularly foolhardy. The safety standards just aren't there; evidenced by numerous tragic accidents in recent years.

Bloody hell....accidents happen.....everywhere not just Turkey. Assume you're not off skiing this winter?!?

[caradog]

If it hasn't got an engine, and it's not designed to go up, then paragliding=parachute.

Only to be used in emergencies…

Unfortunately it's not just a question of accidents which as you say happen everywhere, it's the lack of safety standards that contribute to those accidents. I suggest you read up on some of th deaths in  Turkey recent years and the contributory factors which were rarely "accidents"

Or by the foolhardy

You are right Chris. I think to undertake any high risk activity in Turkey is particularly foolhardy. The safety standards just aren't there; evidenced by numerous tragic accidents in recent years.

Bloody hell....accidents happen.....everywhere not just Turkey. Assume you're not off skiing this winter?!?

I agree that accidents can and do happen anywhere. Unfortunately it's not just a case of accidents though, it's the contributory factors surrounding those accidents.And the safety standards that are in place,or not, to help prevent those accidents. I suggest you read up on some of the incidents in Turkey which have frequently not simply been an "accident".

[Chris_S]

It's not the where (although this can be a contributory factor); it's the what

I have known recreational parachutists have are hale and hearty, but they have colleagues that are no longer with us.  It's risky.  I'm into the adage of not leaving an airborne, serviceable aircraft unless essential.

Flying is risky.  I love to fly light aircraft (when I'm solvent and get the opportunity).  This too, has a risk element greater than other pastimes.

Flying on an airliner is risky, though not as risky as driving to the airport.

Wherever, they all carry risk.  Whether that risk is worthwhile, it's up to the person doing it as to whether it's worthwhile.

Paragliding, is in effect, a derivative of parachuting that came out of the more controllable aerofoil type parachutes in the 70s.

It is, in total, a parachute.  Albeit a more controllable one, as evidenced by the Red Devils and their ilk at air displays.  They have had their incidents as well.

Whether Turkey is safer than anywhere in the UK is a moot point, I don't have statistics, but personally, I find a hot-air balloon more appealing on the risk element.

But then, in case you think I may be biased, to quote some back window car stickers:

"I'd rather be flying".