SKY PARAGLIDING
Kaş - Antalya - Turkey
For tens of thousands of years, we humans have looked to the sky and have envied the spontaneous flight of hawks and eagles soaring on outstretched wings. We have longed for the freedom of the air and have dreamed of unlimited vistas and quiet retreats in the clouds. But such longing and dreams were frustrated until only the last century or so.
Human flight is now an everyday reality. With the recent development of paragliding, free flight is now so accessible, easy and affordable, that few with the desire to touch the sky are denied. Paragliding is the latest variation of wings for recreational flying and opens doors to many adventures. Our modern wings allow us to realize the flying dream safely and easily. 
We at Sky Paragliding wish to become your partner in the sky. No matter what your motivation, we hope that you will embark on a skyward journey with us. The journey is fun, fascinating and rewarding. We invite you to take part in the quest to realize the oldest dream. You will change your outlook, your perspective and your sense of the possible. You will change yourself
Throughout the history the mankind was in dream of flying in the word of birds. We are the grandchilds of our great ancestors, Daedalus-Ikrus, Hazerfan, Leonardo da Vinci, Abbas ibn-Firmas, Jacques Garnerin, George Cayley, Otto Liliental and much more who inspired us in flying with their love of flying that they reflects by their flying stories, flying passion, flying pioneers through their works. Now with the influence of this We the Sky Paragliding Team gathered to make this dream comes true.
Since 1990 apart from the national and international competitions that we have brought to a successful conclusion, we also succeeded in becoming a highly reputable and sought after team in all the festivals and aerobatic shows we have participated in so far. The employees of our professional Sky team is applying the maximum security standards and frequent the strong discipline. Aware of the many responsibilities Sky Paragliding has chosen the companies of obtaining their equipment which have a reputation for producing the worlds most reliable and finest equipments. All the equipment is periodically renewed regarding the validity that the manufactures suggests.
Tandem Paragliding
Tandem paragliding is the easiest and safest way to experience the marvel of free flight - that is - flying without a motor. Tandem flights involve flying as a passenger with a pilot in a shared adventure. The passenger and the pilot have separate harnesses that are attached by spreader bars to the paraglider wing. The purpose of the tandem flight is to fly with a pilot so that you can simply relax and feel the magical pleasure of soaring in the wind or catching thermals like the birds do 
The take off
We provide a short pre-departure briefing to ensure a safe and easy take-off from the Asaz Mountain 1000 m. launch site. As you put your flying suit and helmet on, you will be fitted and fastened securely into your harness by the pilot. When conditions are optimal, the pilot will inflate the glider overhead and you will take a few steps running forward until you are both floating above the ground. Just run don’t jump and don’t stop. At first, you feel a slight pull backwards, but then in a moment, you will feel an upward lift. A few steps later your feet will start to leave ground — before you know it, you are airborne and flying
The flight
Once airborne, the passenger sits back and enjoys the spectacular scenery. Any anxiety is soon forgotten by the incredible experience of flying, with its sense of freedom and birds-eye view of your surroundings. While your pilot is steering the glider to gain altitude over the mountain summit, you will start to see the dazzling blue and turquoise colours of the Mediterranean. After you gain sufficient altitude, your pilot will head the glider towards the sea. Your first view will be the Greek Island of Meis surrounded by various smaller islands. Not only will you have a marvelous view of the island, but you will also see the many diving sites that make Kaş renowned for the beauty of its underwater scenery and diversity of marine life.
As you slowly glide above the sea and smell the salty air, you may see the sunken city Kekova and Liman Ağzı to the East. To the west, you will see the amazing beach and coastline of Patara where the beautiful Carettas (loggerhead sea turtles) lay their eggs in an 18 km stretch of sandy coastline near Kalkan. Then, from your birds-eye perspective, you will take in the take in the incredible sight of Kaş ancient 3000 year-old ancient Hellenistic amphitheatre, located on the towns peninsula and the only one in Anatolia overlooking the deep blue of the Mediterranean. Just before approaching the landing zone in Kaş Harbour, you will see the ancient Sleeping Giant, one of the many Lycian rock tombs and historic sights in the town.
Starting In Kaş
Although Kaş history goes back to the 6th century B.C., the history of paragliding in Kaş has only recently been written. Arif Buhara and Arslan Öztürkmen start the paragliding business as pioneers in Kaş under the name of Skysports.
The Governor and the Mayor of the province, along with a few other notables, became interested in setting up a paragliding operation as a tourist attraction in Kaş. In October of 2000, they contacted Arif and Arslan, who jumped at the chance to start a business there. Arslan recalls, Like an arrow just out of the bow fast and to the target. It was so important for they to start flying in Kaş, because of their big love of flying. And it was nice to have one more flying site on Mediterranean coastline. I am glad that we worked for it. Correct people at the correct time. The team scouted for possible launches and Landing Zones and began taking test flights.
They knew that the site had great potential, but It is needed a road to get to launch. The local government not only agreed to build the road, but they also cleared the launch area. Consequently, Arslan and Arif recruited a team of skilled and experienced tandem pilots and, during their first season in the summer of 2001, they made almost 1,000 commercial tandem flights. Besides these, by inviting Turkish and foreign paragliding schools, clubs and several solo pilots from all over the world over 1500 flights were done in the first season.
Flying in Kaş
With its 40 minutes drive and 35 km distance the altitude is 1000m at the takeoff which has 180 of cleared and graded terrain on Asaz Mountain, facing south to the sea. From launch, you have a magnificent view of the Greek island of Meis (Kastellorizon). The tandem pilots land on the jetty in town, making their approach over the tall masts of the moored yachts and dropping onto a landing mat, just short of the concrete seawall. The solo pilots landing zone is a long concrete quay, just past the main part of town.
The summers in Kaş are hot and dry and pilots enjoy consistent flying conditions between May and October. With approximately 300 days of sunshine each year, there is the potential for great soaring and XC flights. The began taking solo pilots to Kaş for XC trips in 1994. Over the years, pilots launching from Kaş have reached altitudes of 2,400 meters and have had flights that have lasted up to seven hours and 155 kilometers in distance. Keep in mind that we have only just begun to develop this site.
There are more XC routes still waiting to be discovered from Kaş and there are many other great flying sites to discover elsewhere in Turkey. We Tьrks are known for our generosity and hospitality and the locals usually put out the welcome mat for visiting pilots. There is a saying in Turkey, A guest is Gods gift. If you are looking for fun flying, and you want to avoid the crowds, high prices and unreliable weather in Europe, check out Sky Paragliding in Kaş. But beware; your first trip probably won’t be your last
These scripts and photographs are registered under Copyright 2006, Sky Paragliding / Kaş - Antalya - Turkey. All Rights Reserved.
