Ölüdeniz Babadağ: launches, wind and landing

Babadağ is a mountain south of Fethiye rising to about 1,970 metres directly above the bay of Ölüdeniz. Almost 1,900 metres of height difference from launch to landing, a slope that drops straight to the sea and weather that allows flying nearly every day make it Turkey's busiest paragliding site. The crowd is the site's biggest feature and its biggest risk.

The launches

There are three main launch ramps on the mountain, named by their altitude: 1700, 1800 and 1900. The ramps sit kilometres apart and face different directions; the day's wind decides which one flies. Access is by cable car or by road, where tandem vehicles make up most of the traffic.

All the ramps have artificial surfaces and are crowded. Queue order is the site's unwritten but firm rule: do not step onto the ramp before your wing is ready, and do not hold it up once you are. Tandem pilots launch dozens of times a day; fitting into their rhythm is the solo pilot's responsibility.

The daily wind rhythm

Babadağ's air is governed by the sea:

• Morning: calm on top, often a light northerly. The hour for pilots who want a gentle flight.
• Toward noon: the sea breeze sets in and starts blowing onto the slope. South-facing faces heat up and thermals begin.
• Afternoon: the breeze strengthens. On the ramp the wind can exceed the site's limits; this is when launches close. Thermals are strong higher up, and crossing behind the mountain takes experience.
• Evening: the breeze softens and the air calms again. Sunset flights happen in this window.

For a pilot new to the site the safest hour is the morning. In the afternoon the ramp gets crowded, the air gets rough and traffic in the landing area increases; three difficulties arrive at once.

The flight

After launch, a glide south along the slope and slope thermals give the first height. On thermal days it is possible to top out over the summit and go inland for distance, but landing fields inland are few and the retrieve is hard; first flights stay on the sea side. Away from the slope, expect sink over the water; plan the descent into the bay with enough height to reach the beach.

The site's most crowded airspace is the corridor between launch and the beach. Ridge rules (right-hand rule, priority to the wing nearer the slope) are not courtesy here, they are mandatory.

The landing

The main landing is the strip along Belcekız beach in Ölüdeniz. The beach is crowded; in season the landing zone is marked and shared with tandem traffic. The rules:

• Look at the landing area before your approach: who is landing, what the windsock shows.
• The approach pattern is set at the site; do not approach from the opposite direction.
• The wind is mostly from the sea, i.e. onshore; land facing the sea.
• No spirals or manoeuvres low over the water; sink and crowds together do not forgive.

If you find yourself over the water, the sea is not a place to land; fly parallel to the shore and reach the beach.

Season and practical notes

The site is open most of the year; the busiest period runs from late spring to autumn. Summer middays are hot and crowded, spring and autumn mornings give the cleanest air. For launch permission and site rules, follow the site officials' announcement for the day; rules change with the season.

After the flight, upload the log to your dashboard: flights are grouped by launch area, so every Babadağ flight collects in one place and you can compare thermals from different days side by side. The site's daily rhythm is taught not by one flight but by the logs that accumulate over a season.