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The weather conditions and mountainous terrain make Turkey the perfect place for a paragliding vacation.
    
With tandem rigs it is possible for almost anyone to participate in this adventure sport. The seaside village of Olu Deniz near Fethiye is surrounded on three sides by impressive mountains and is fast becoming the place to be in Turkey for serious Para-gliders. This corner of the Mediterranean, extending into the clear warm waters of the Southern Aegean Sea, provides excellent paragliding conditions from April until November.
Paragliding Sport in Turkey had been recognized with the discover by foreign pilots of Mount Baba(Babadag) in Fethiye, Oludeniz (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.
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.
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