27 October 2009

Tandem Paragliding in Cape Town, South Africa


Where? Lion's Head, Signal Hill, Sir Lowries Pass, Hermanus, Franschhoek Pass, Dassklip Pass (Porterville), Noordhoek and the Garden Route from Wilderness to Port Elizabeth.
Price: ZAR 1,150.00/person
What? Since the late eighties, paragliding in South Africa has seen a tremendous growth. Presently the industry boasts more than 900 registered pilots and a staggering 1200 flying sites around South Africa. The sport is normally considered to be "Extreme" and has a degree of danger appended to it. Most people have a small degree of vertigo and could never imagine themselves dangling alone thousands of feet in the air under a "parachute". Many paraglider pilots are even slightly scared of heights!
Tandem Paragliding is the solution - with an over-sized, specially designed tandem glider and two harnesses, the sport now invites all who wish to explore the skies and soar the mountain tops, but don't want to learn to paraglide on their own.
With Tandem Paragliding, as a passenger you require no previous knowledge of the sport at all.
The pilot will brief you on take off and landing shortly before the flight.
The only important thing to remember is to listen to the instructions of the pilot and to have total confidence in his experience.
Take offs are easy and Landings are soft and most often we land on large fields with no obstacles or dangers.
Weather? Paragliding is weather reliant, but we can fly almost 200 days a year, throughout summer and winter. We do not specifically need any wind to get airborne but most suitable conditions range from 10kms per hour to a max of 30kms per hour to launch safely. The direction of the wind is also a deciding factor, the wind should be blowing directly up the slope or launching site, with a tolerance of 15 degrees off center being acceptable. Days where the weather is beautiful and clear with no clouds and good temperatures are not necessarily the most suitable conditions for paragliding, but mostly they are.

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