NAUTILUS PARAGLIDING
Kaş - Antalya - Turkey
Tandem Flight in Kaş
The amazing Kas / Antiphellos, called as "the land of sun" by the Lycians, is one of the most beautiful towns in Turkey with its unique scenery and coasts. Besides , the reason that makes Kaş different from the rest is its small town identity contrary to the developed tourism. Being one of the best of the 50 diving zones all around the world, Kaş attracts many local and foreign tourists with their vans and yacths as well as the frequenters. Also mount Asas strenghtens this attractiveness with its historical places remained from Lycian Civilization.
With the combination of this historical and natural characteristics, Kaş serves well for the tourists who seek alternative holidays, as it has become an amazing district for diving, trekking, mountain biking, rock climbing and particularly for paragliding.
Commercial paragliding started in 2001 by the help of the officials in order to serve both for experienced single pilots and adventurers in tandem flights. The trip for the tandem flight starts from the office with a specially modified vehicle. After a 45 minutes road trip with wonderful views, the vehicle arrives/reaches to the take off point which has a 1000m hight.
Tandem paragliding is designed to carry the pilot and the passenger together, and it is quite different from free parachuting. The glider is openly laid out on a hill with 20º-30º slope behind the pilot and the passenger, that are tied to each other with a particular system.
The pilot pulls the wing (canopy) from its strings then he and the passenger run together in order to take off. When the wing is filled with wind, it pulls you up in the air and your journey starts. Depending on the weather conditions the flight takes 25-45 minutes. The flight starts from Mount Assas which is on the shoulderns of Kaş, it continues through its hills and lastly above Kaş. At the end, the flight finishes on the Kaş Harbour by a smooth landing. The one and only thing the passenger has to do is to stand up when the pilot says so.
The Take of Point
The altitude of the take of point in Kaş is 1000 m. the best take off wind is the dominant southwest wind. The piste(track) is large enough to take two wings side by side. It has a good running distance and a suitable slope. The wind is tranquil and still in the mornings. Sometimes it gets stronger between 13:00 and 14:00 like 30-35 km, but becomes still again in the afternoon. The track also has an eastern direction to take off suitable for the morning wind from east.
The Flight
The thermal formations start from the morning hours. It is possible to fly for hours by using the thermals on each side of the take off. It is also possible to soarings along the hill(band) with the stable southwestern wind of 15-20 km. At the left side of the take off the first two flights in the morning and one in the afternoon is more suitable for the pilots in education beginners. It is also available to make a cross-country to Kalkan (west) cloudy days.
Landing Area
There are two possibilities for the landing. The first is the old harbour near to city center where the tandems land. Due to the narrow area and many boats around it, old harbour requires lots of experience to land. The second landing area is the new point. It is emptier and it is almost 1 km length. So that all pilots from any level can land there. In both landing areas the dominant wind is southwestern but early in the mornings and late in the evenings the wind in the evenings the wind turns to east.
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