FLYING TO HEAVEN; Paragliding in Oludeniz
Those who want to have a bird’s eye view of the magnificent view of the Fethiye Bay and spend moments full of adrenaline should definitely experience the paragliding experience …
The story of the mythology hero Ikarus, which begins with pleasure, turns into ambition and ends sadly, takes place in the Gulf of Fethiye. Mythological sources describe this famous story as follows: “The father of Icarus makes a pair of wings so that his son can fly. He glues the wings to the shoulders of Lcarus with wax.
Thus, Ikarus gains the ability to fly. However, his father does not neglect to warn his son. He says that if it rises too high, the sun will melt the wax, and if it flies low, it may fall into the sea. Ikarus starts flying. After a while, he rises, but his ambitions cannot be curbed. After a little more, a little more, he rises higher and approaches the sun, and the waxes holding the wings begin to melt. Finally, the wings fall into the sea, and then Ikarus. ”The story tells that Ikarus has lost his personal ambitions. If you ask me, Ikarus must have risen to better see the fascinating view of Fethiye Bay and Oludeniz.
Today, you can see this view from the air at any time of the day and enjoy it without any problems. Babadağ, with a height of about 2000 meters rising just behind Ölüdeniz, is the first stop where you can see this view. However, it is not that easy to reach this stop. Maybe it’s easy to fly paragliding. Hopping off the back of a pickup truck on a difficult dirt road, traveling to the point where you will start flying. When we see that the route to the flight, the weather and the wind conditions are suitable, we set off from Ölüdeniz beach by loading our necessary equipment for the flight in the early hours of the morning. After Hisaronu, the narrow dirt road that will take 1.5 hours starts. The road gets so narrow and spoiled from time to time that we ignore this situation with the excitement of going paragliding.
Finally, we reach the 2nd runway at 1900 meters in Babadağ. The view here is incredibly beautiful. There are two tracks in Babadağ at 1700 and 1900 meters. These runways are used according to the state of the wind.
Time to fly
We are starting our preparations for the jump. While I was checking my cameras for the last time, Ikarus Aviation’s experienced pilot Halim, where we will fly in tandem, carefully checks our parachute and connecting ropes. By the way, he gives me the final directives. He tells me to run as fast as I can into the space ahead.
Run into the void
Ok so how far? The runway ends after 15-20 meters and we are facing a cliff. He does what he says helpless, and with his shouting to run, I start running towards the abyss in front and behind with all my strength. While I think I’m still running, I’m being pulled back by a force before I can understand how it is, then I see my feet in space. I’m surprised it’s that easy. But time is not a time to be surprised. The flight ball takes half an hour anyway. I say what is it for half an hour in front of this scene and start taking pictures. First, I take a few laps on the runway we took off and photograph those who are preparing for the flight below. Then, we begin to glide towards the beauty of Ölüdeniz that attracts people. We head towards Kumburnu, which stretches to Ölüdeniz. The umbrellas lined on the white beach and the color of the sea turning from turquoise to blue make you feel as if you are looking at a brochure about tourism. After taking a few tours on Kumburnu and taking many photos I cannot count, we turn our route to Belcekız beach for landing. We make an extremely smooth landing to the designated point by passing over the people.
WHERE, HOW IS IT DONE?
Paragliding is done in many parts of our country. It is possible to fly even in Kilyos in Istanbul. But places like Kaş and Uçmakdere stand out in this regard. Oludeniz is a phenomenon in this regard. This place attracts the most attention due to its enchanting view as well as its suitable for flight conditions. There are very reliable companies in Ölüdeniz that provide services in this regard. Safe flights in Babadağ are available between April and October. At other times, it can be dangerous because of the concern that there may be a storm.
Take-Off Runways: There are a total of three runways in Babadağ. 1700 meters south runway is very suitable for take off. 1800 meters north runway is a little small and steep. The take-off area of the 1900 meters north peak runway is quite comfortable. In general, the 1700-meter runway is usually flown from here, as it receives the south wind straight across most of the day. Around 20 wings can be laid on the very wide runway at the same time.
Prices average around $ 120.
Sky Sports Aviation
www.skysports-turkey.com
Hector Paragliding
http://www.hectorparagliding.com