Paragliding
in this area is a treat that not many people have discovered
yet. Compared with the Alps thereare very few pilots in the
sky. Most of the time this is a major advantage, because there
are fewer gliders to fly clear of. However, it does mean that
a pilot can be short of people to fly with and to explain
exactly where the take-offs and landings are.
This region offers stunning mountain and coastal flight as well as the rare and special experience of paragliding over the Cathar castles, particularly Peyrepertuse. In fact from there it is possible to fly a cross-country triangle to include Mont Tauch (near Tuchan) and the castle of Quéribus.
As with any paragliding location it is vital to ask for advice from a local pilot before flying. You also need to read and digest the safety information on the notice boards and “fiches site”. This region has some surprises in store for the unwary, such as fields of vines into which you DO NOT want to land, primarily from the point of view of danger – many have metal supports – but also to avoid spoiling the vines. If you fly Leucate of course the normal precautions for cliff flying apply. Mountain and valley winds can be deceptive. It is quite possible to find that the wind strength increases considerably while you are flying, or that the direction has swung through 180°.
This advice applies in any area of France that you may paraglide. If you take the proper care it is a wonderful location to fly in.
For the region in general see the web site of the Languedoc League of Free Flight. It gives the flying sites by department (Lozère, Gard, Héault, Aude and Pyrenées-Orientales).
Pyrenées-Orientales
The Pyrenées-Orientales is good place to start. See the web site of the Departmental Committee of Free Flight which lists schools and clubs, sites, repair workshops etc.
There are many mountain flying sites in the Pyrenées-Orientales, including Font Romeu and Ceret. English-speaking pilots living in this area are Udo Peters and Jenny Sayell. They have experience of many of the sites here and in the Aude département and can be contacted on 04 68 96 35 18 or 06 27 01 38 62. E-mail info@fly1166.com. Web site Clear Skies, www.fly1166.com. They also speak French and German. If you’ve never tried paragliding they can arrange a tandem flight for you. If you are an experienced pilot already, Clear Skies run fly guided holidays and short breaks.
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