Page 57 - Cross Country Travel Guide 2019

Turkey has it all, says PWC pilot Dora Göksal. He shares his favourite sites with Matt Warren

Çameli
Çameli (Yaylacik mountain), in Denizli
province, has been operating as an official

site for around five years and hosted the 2018
Turkish Pre-Paragliding World Cup. About
90 minutes’ drive from Ölüdeniz, the 2,100m
mountain is accessible by road and offers
well-kept launches in most wind directions.
As well as the main, higher take-off, there
are also new, lower launch sites at 150m
and 250m AGL. This makes it a suitable
destination for pilots of all levels.
It works from February to October, with
the best conditions for XC hounds in May,
June, late August and September. While the

majority of the big flights have been to the
north, it is also possible to fly large triangles
to the south or directly to Ölüdeniz and the
coast, where you will meet the sea breeze.
Take-off can get rough on the best days so
aim to launch early and keep a keen eye out
for dust devils.

Photo: Dora Göksal

Narli

In southeast Turkey, close to the Syrian
border (stick with us), is Narli (Kardelen hill),
the destination for experienced pilots seeking
stupendous flatland flying with an eye on the
national open distance record – currently
344km from this site. In fact, in June 2014
nine Turkish pilots flew over 300km from
here, changing the “psychological boundary”
of pilots in Turkey forever.

Close to the big cities of Kahramanmaraş
and Gaziantep, which both have daily flights
to Ankara and Istanbul, Narli is a small site,
accessible by road. It is best flown in W/
NW, flying east with base up to 5,500m. Best
season for long XC is late May to mid-July.
Accidentally crossing the border into Syria
is a possibility, so it is essential you always

know exactly where you are. In a N/NW
wind you fly roughly parallel to the border.
In brief, stay north of the major highway and
seek expert local advice before flying XC.

Photo: Dora Göksal

TURKEY CROSS COUNTRY TRAVEL GUIDE 2019 57