About Cape Town Tandem Paragliding
Cape Town Tandem Paragliding was formed by Manu Wegmershaus on arrival in Cape Town in 2005. He has been paragliding since 1994 and has done thousands of flights. All other tandem pilots used by Cape Town Tandem Paragliding are SAHPA certified tandem pilots and are also paragliding instructors or assistant instructors. This means that you get the most professional pilots available to make sure that your paragliding experience is safe, fun and professional. Cape Town Tandem Paragliding is affiliated with SAHPA and Wallend-Air School of Paragliding.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to share the joy, exhilaration, serenity and beauty of paragliding with as many people as possible. We want to fly as much as possible, in as many places as possible. We want to give you an experience that you will never forget. When someone asks you "What's the best thing you have ever done?" we would like the answer, without hesitation, to be "Tandem paragliding in Cape Town!". We want to spread the good word of paragliding!
Prices:
Price of Tandem Paragliding Flight: R950.00
In-flight photography (optional extra): R150.00
Transport (pick-up and drop-off): R100.00/per person
Altitude : Top site 450m (asl), ceiling at 1200m asl
Description : Home of the Glen Paragliding Club, a consistent and beautiful site to fly, offering a panorama of Camps Bay and the Twelve Apostles. In the afternoon, Lion's Head heats up and generates a thermic, upslope breeze. Best flying is from 3pm onwards during wind-shadow conditions. Parking is on the back (CapeTown side) of Lion's Head, then a stiff hike is required up the gravel road and around to the front side. Because of the spire-shape of the peak, the wind diverges around it, causing a strong increase in wind speed at both takeoff sites when it is soarable. The wind is usually crossed from the left (S) at the topsite and very strong, and crossed from the right (NW) at the lower site. Don't pioneer a new launch site somewhere else on the mountain.
Wind : W-SW, thermic lee-side in SE
Launch : 'Lower launch' is reached after a 10 minute walk, where the path narrows from a jeep-track width into a hiking track. It is a challenging launch through a silver-leaf tree grove from a short net-covered runoff. Be meticulous in your layout and pre-flight checks. This is where to launch if it is soarable and SW. The 'Top site' is reached after another 10 minutes of brisk walking (it is NOT on the top of Lion's Head! It's below the cliffs on the NW side). It is a rocky netted launchsite that is both steep and loose underfoot. The wind is usually crossed from the left here, making good ground-handling and committed launch techniques essential for a safe get-away
FAQ
What is a paraglider?
A paraglider is a free-flying, foot-launched aircraft. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing, whose shape is formed by the pressure of air entering vents in the front. Paragliders are light and fold up fairly small, making them compact and portable.
What is paragliding?
Paragliding is a form of unpowered flight in which rising air is needed to keep the glider aloft.
This rising air can come from two sources:
1. when the sun heats features on the ground, columns of rising air known as thermals are generated
2. when wind encounters a ridge in the landscape, the air is forced upwards, providing ridge lift.
In mountainous environments, flying is mostly based around thermals, which can be used to stay aloft before heading for a landing field below the launch site. In hill environments, ridge lift is used for ridge soaring, and landing can be done either back at the launch site, or at a landing field at the bottom of the ridge. In either case, more experienced pilots can use thermals to go ‘cross country’.
Who can paraglide?
Anyone that weighs between 25-110kg can fly providing they are in good physical and mental health. Children under 18 wanting to fly must be signed off by a parent or guardian.
Who can fly a tandem paraglider?
Tandem paragliders can only be flown by SAHPA (South African Hang and Paragliding Association) approved Tandem Instructor Pilots. Commercial tandem paragliding can only be done on the basis that the flight is an instructional flight and therefore the pilot must either be a certified paragliding instructor or an assistant instructor affiliated with an official paragliding school. We are associated with Wallend-Air School of Paragliding (based in Cape Town).
What is a Tandem Paragliding Flight?
Tandem paragliding flights involve a passenger being securely strapped into a comfortable flying harness positioned in front of the pilot and connected to the pilot and the glider by spreader bars. The tandem paraglider is specially designed to carry two people and is nearly twice the size of a regular solo paraglider.
Are Take-offs and Landings Difficult?
Depending on how much wind there is, take-offs generally require just a few steps to get into the air. The less wind there is the more you will have to run. The most important thing to remember is DON'T SIT DOWN until you are well in the air and your pilot says it is ok for you to get in to your harness.
How long can I expect the flight to last?
Weather, as we all know, is very unpredictable, and even when the weather forecast says that we can expect the best possible flying conditions, this often turns out not to be the case. When we have ideal soaring conditions (the right wind direction for the site we are flying and 20-25km/h of wind) it is possible to fly for hours. However, most tandem flights will, depending on the conditions, last anything from 10 - 30 minutes. It is possible to fly for longer if you are prepared to pay an additional sum of R300.00 for an extra 15mins or R500.00 for an extra 30mins, depending on how many other people are waiting to fly!
Where do we paraglide from?
As paragliding is weather-dependent, we go to whichever site is best suited to the weather conditions of the day. There are a lot of flying sites to choose from. In Cape Town, the famous Table Mountain, Lion's Head and Signal Hill offer spectacular aerial views of the city. Sir Lowry's Pass, a short drive out of town allows you to look across False Bay towards Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula. Further afield, Franschhoek , Paarl and Hermanus all offer fantastic paragliding sites.
Paragliding In Cape Town
