Griffin Havacılık Spor Kulübü

About Griffin Havacılık Spor Kulübü

Griffin Havacılık Spor Kulübü is an Ankara paragliding club that offers tandem flights and pilot training. Its tandem flights take off from Kumludoruk Tepesi, a hill in Ankara's historic Ayaş district west of the city that the club says has recently become well known for paragliding; there is a café on the hilltop where non-flyers can sit with a tea or coffee and watch the launches. The club's office is in Etimesgut. A tandem flight needs no previous experience. After a short pre-flight briefing, you take off strapped in with an experienced pilot holding a Türk Hava Kurumu (Turkish Aeronautical Association) approved T-2 commercial tandem licence; the club says the take-off takes only a few seconds of running, and on request the pilot can add some manoeuvres before landing. Camera footage of the flight is included in the price. Since 2010 the club has trained paragliding pilots at every level. Its instructors hold instructor and coaching certificates approved by Türk Hava Kurumu and the Turkish Air Sports Federation, and its courses, approved by Türk Hava Kurumu and the FAI, run from the P-2 beginner pilot course through intermediate P-3, P-4 and experienced-pilot P-5 levels, plus SIV emergency-manoeuvre training. Practical notes: flights run every weekend and on weekdays by reservation, starting at 09:30 and finishing at dusk. Book at least 24 hours ahead. Flights depend on the weather; if conditions are unsuitable, the flight can be moved to another date or refunded. Wear clothes suited to the season that let you run 5 to 10 metres, with boots or trainers rather than sandals. Check the club's website or call for current prices.