Paragliding sport is to take off by means of running from a high hill instead of plane with a parachute similar to free style jumping parachute on the first look. Parachute, which is lied on a inclined and high hill, is filled with air with the running of pilot and take off with pilot. Periods of the flights can continue for kilometers / hours in connection with the experience of pilot and performance of the materials used. Although it can be for single person, there is two persons ( tandem ) wings.
Paragliding , whose first trial had been made in 1940s, and numerously modified till today. There were lots of structural improvements which has increased the flight period and security of perform. First paragliding was similar to free style diving parachute. It had turned into an aerophyl structure which has high raising power instead of its pressure enduring characteristic with changing in time. Paragliding parachute wing structure had reached to its appropriate shape for easy to take off, slowly descending ratio and good flying performance, beginning from 1980s.
Paragliding Sport in our country had been recognized with the discover by foreign pilots of Mount Baba in Fethiye, Ölüdeniz (Blue Lagoon) region at the beginning of 1990s, and actively started in university clubs initially. Being the most economical aerial vessel and being inside the natural sports, maintained it to be performed by a massive number of people today. Paragliding Parachute Sport, which does not require a special skill or much effort basically, is very easy and enjoying to do after a standard training. Paragliding training are organized by THK, university clubs and private clubs.
Some of the Flight Zones
| Turkey is a country which should be discovered by fond of air sports such as Paragliding , Glider, Parachute and Balloon. |
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ÖLÜDENİZ - BABADAĞ
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Location: Mount Baba, which is in the province territory of Fethiye of Muğla city, is 7 km inside from the coastal line. It rises just after the Ölüdeniz (Blue Lagoon) beach and faces just towards to south. You can reach to take off runway via a 45 minutes from Ölüdeniz stabilize but nearly smooth road.
Flight Season: Secure flights can be performed between April and October.
Regional Characteristics: Ölüdeniz, which is the first place where paragliding is performed in Turkey, has a world - wide fame. Its unique nature, sun and sea is enchanting thousands of national and foreign tourists every year, and has a structure appropriate for all kinds of outdoor activity. There is no transportation, accommodation and nutrition problems within the developed touristic center, region. Yacht tours are also drawing attention in the area. Mount Baba is preferred as trekking and camping area during summer and winter.
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DENIZLI - PAMUKKALE
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Location: Pamukkale is at the feet of Mount Çökelen which is 21 km away from Denizli. As it is a touristik region all kinds of transportation is available to the region.
Flight Season: Flight can be made during all seasons with its warm climate.
Regional advantages: An ancient settlement region, Pamukkale is one of the most important tourism centers of our country where thousands of tourists are coming every year with its ancient ruins and travertine formed with the settlement of lime water. |
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ANKARA - GÖLBAŞI
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Location: Transportation to Gölbaşı 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 . Gölbaşı, 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. |
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BOLU - ABANT
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Location: Abant Mountains, is 34 km. in south of the Bolu city center. Asphalt 25 km. long Abant Lake road can be used for reaching. Road transport to Bolu, which is on the Ankara - Istanbul highway passing is very easy. For reaching Abant Lake minibuses departing from city center can be used.
Regional Characteristics: Dense rain forests surrounded Bolu city is appropriate for all kinds of tourism activity. Abant Lake, whose environment has a rich plant cover, is drawing attention as a picnic and resort place during summers and an appropriate place for winter sports during winter. Abant Lake surrounding accommodation and nutrition possibilities can be benefited.
Take Off Runway: Abant Mountains have more than one take off runways appropriate for hillside parachute. Generally it is performed on the hills surrounding Örencik Plateau, near to Abant Lake, wide, plain and fully covered with grass. |
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ANTALYA / AKSU
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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.
Location: There are roads and railway transportation in Eğirdir, 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 Eğirdir lake and island, has very appropriate hills for paragliding parachute. Süleyman Demirel University Aerial Club is performing training flights on these hills. |
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EGIRDIR
Location: There are roads and railway transportation in Eğirdir, 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 Eğirdir lake and island, has very appropriate hills for paragliding parachute. Süleyman Demirel University Aerial Club is performing training flights on these hills.
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.
ESKIŞEHIR / İnönü
There are facilities of Turkish Aviation Organization within İnönü Province which is 15 km west of Eskişehir. 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. |
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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.
Delta wings is a single person flight vehicle which can fly with wind and other air impacts and has no motor. Take off, stay on air and take off area is similar to paragliding . But there is more training period for flight. There is a person connected parachute for security.
Flight Regions
Delta wing sport can also be performed at the places where paragliding can be performed.
Structure 
Wings delta wing has approximately 25 - 30 kg weight, and 10 wing long when it is opened. (folded up standard 4 m) There are beginner, intermediate and advanced class wings. Beginner class training wings are used during training, when experience gained intermediate class wings can be used for flight. But for advanced level models, long time experience and flights are required. Wing is speed up when you come through advanced level in models, and control of the wing become harder.
Take Off beginning to flight in our country, is to run with shouldering wings from flight hill under appropriate weather conditions. For gaining altitude, generally there must be hill facing, in other words coming from opposite direction, winds are required. In another method thermal, meaning hot air columns ascending from ground, are used. While this hot air is ascending it rises delta circulating within it together.
Flight via balloon sport, whose initial existence in the world reaches to the end of 18th century, is also densely drawing attention in our country.
For long years, as well as it is performed with the aim of individual sports, city tours with balloons are also performed during regional activities in touristic regions of our country.
Balloon takes off with heating of liquid propane gas filled into it. You can stay on air for long periods with a calm flight under appropriate wind (under 10 km/h). Directing balloon, whose appropriate flight height is between 500 - 1500 feet, altitude gain and loss, change its speed can be made easily by an experienced pilot easily.
Structure of the Balloon
There are propane gas tubes, altimeter, thermometer, wireless for communication with airport, variometer and fire extinguishers in the basket, manufactured from "vimin", generally a light and synthetic material, and which carries the passangers of the balloon.
Propane tubes, with approximately 20 kg. weight each within the basket, includes propane gas maintaining the expand of the balloon. Each tube maintains an approximately 40 - 45 minutes of flight possibility to the balloon. Total lifting force of the balloon is around 1.700 pounds.
Taking off of the balloon is maintained with heating of propane gas filled into the balloon via furnaces under it. Furnaces can be 2 or 3 pieces according to the volume of the balloon. Heat within the balloon should never exceed 120 degrees.
For maintaining landing with stopping flight, red rope is pulled within it. In this way, activated falling valve maintains the air within it run out rapidly. In case of insufficiency of emptying speed of the internal air emergency hole at the top of the balloon is opened.
Flight Rules for Foreigners
Prior to the flight via balloon, air vessel to be flight registration sign, flight aim, flight date, flight hour, flight region is informed and applied to Ministry of Communication, Civil Aviation General Directorate.
In case of a flight via balloon exceeding 15 days in our country; licenses of foreign pilots should be validated by Ministry of Communication, Civil Aviation General Directorate.
Adress :Ulaştırma Bakanlığı
Sivil Havacılık Genel Müdürlüğü
Bosna Hersek cad. No:5 06338
Emek-ANKARA
Tel: (312)212 1430
Fax: (312)212 4684
Micro light is a very basic motorized flying vessel. Micro light, which is very easy to learn
and use with basic motor structure can be for single or two persons. Command panel and indicator table is not complex. There is no importance of landing and take off runways, it can land and take off within short distances.
Micro light, can fly without motor like delta wings and glider after take off due to its aerodynamic structure. In this way, it can fly for longer hours with smaller amounts of fuel - oil.
Micro light flight is performed in our country like all countries of the world. For flying with micro light in Turkey, you should apply to Turkish Aviation Organization or aviation clubs.
Glider, is a flight vessel whose fly is maintained via pull of another motorized plane or rapid pull via a steel rope connected to a motor outside the runway.
Glider is separated from pulling rope by its pilot when it reaches to a certain altitude and begins to its free flight. Its appearance and functions of the commands are similar to the other motorized planes. But air conditions have more importance.
As glider has no motor, it has a special wing design. Special design of its wing profiles, being its wings big and wide gains glider a great rising force. Staying on air and flight of glider is maintained by air files. Air files formed during forward flight position of glider establish turbulence over wings by means of upper wings profile cross section, and also air files form a lifting force under wings due to wing under profile cross section. Thus, staying on air and flight is maintained, it can land and take off within a very short distance.
Cockpit of the glider can be for one or two persons. There are pedal, maintaining vertical axis movement of glider, and lever, maintaining vertical movement of glider in the cockpit. Other than these, there are subsidiary flight commands which will change the speed of the glider. There is also a wireless which will maintain the communication between glider and ground in the glider.
Inventor of the first glider in the world is known as Otto LILIENTAL, who had died during a trial flight on 1886 Otto LILIENTAL. Today glider sport is one of the most liked and performed air sports in Europe and the World. It is one of the oldest air sports in Turkey, Glider Flight School is opened in 1935.
Turkish Aviation Organization and aviation clubs are serving training for parachuting sports.
Falling Zones
Ankara: Administrative center of parachute school, is working under Türkkuşu General Directorate, which is the executive organ of Turkish Aviation Organization in Ankara. Due to being air traffic very dense there is no possibility for frequent falls but in special days and for training of staff parachuting is made.
İnönü: It is the main training center, in which activities of parachute school are densely performed during summer months. It is 40 km away from Eskişehir, and it is one of the regions on which all of the aviation activities at the same time and having training and accommodation facilities.
Efes: It is 70 km away from İzmir, and 15 km away from Kuşadası, and adjacent to Efes ruins and Meryem Ana church, and a touristic falling center hosting to especially parachute competitions with 1760 m long asphalt runway.
Paragliding
Deltawings
Balloon
Microlight
Gliding
Parachute
