Greece Paragliding Trip April 2009

One week paragliding trip to Greece, 6 days of guided flying.

Dates: Sunday 12th - Sunday 19th April 2009

Flying in and around the Mount Olympus area of northern Greece.
8 fantastic flying sites covering 15 take-offs for all wind directions!

Paragliding guidance by Carlo Borsattino
BHPA Chief Flying Instructor of Flybubble Paragliding

Working with local expert, FAI certified, English speaking instructors.

General Information

We will be flying near Mount Olympus, mythical Mountain of Gods, and the Aegean Sea.

The area is perfect for improving your general flying, thermalling and cross country skills whilst enjoying the Greek hospitality and having an all-round great time!

Carlo Borsattino, CFI of Flybubble Paragliding, will be working together with staff & instructors from Olympic Wings, a local paragliding centre and school, to ensure you make the most out of the week.

Olympic Wings are approved by the internationally FAI associated Greek Paragliding Association (E.L.A.O). Stelios, the founder, is a fully qualified FAI instructor, former competition pilot and is widely known for his exceptional knowledge of local climatic and flying conditions. Olympic Wings' specialty is organizing holidays for paraglider pilots, and their family and friends, in an area which offers some of the ???best flying??

What's included & the cost?

The following is included in the cost of the trip...

Airport transfer from/to Hotel from/to Thessaloniki airport
7 nights

What's not included?

The following things are not included in the cost of the trip, as the cost of them can fluctuate a lot and we don't try to make any money out of them.

Airline flights. Airline flights to Greece are not included in the cost of the trip. Once we have received deposits from the minimum number of pilots required for the trip to go ahead then we will try to find the best price for flights for each trip and then reserve flights for the individual to pay for directly themselves. It is always best if everyone is on the same flight, but we understand this is not always possible as people come from all over the UK. All we ask is that, to minimize unnecessary delays, everyone is at the arrival airport at the same time, or earlier than the main group arrival time for the airport transfer.

Fuel & road tolls for transport & retrieves. Rather than charge for fuel you may not use, we have decided to keep the cost of fuel out of the basic cost of the trip. At the end of the week we will add up all of the fuel and road toll bills and divide this between the pilots in the group (not including instructors and guides). This seems a fairer system than charging a set cost for fuel beforehand, as it is impossible to predict how much we will have to drive and what the price of fuel will be during the trip.

Anything that isn't listed as being included in the "What's Included & How Much Will It Cost?" section isn't included!

Suitable for me?

If you are wondering whether this trip is right for you - and whether you are right for it - in summary you should consider at least the following criteria...

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What's required?

You will need at least the following things for this trip...

Compulsory:

??? Your own paraglider*
??? Your own paragliding harness*
??? Your own paragliding helmet*
??? Your own paragliding reserve parachute*
??? Your own handheld Radio*
??? Your paraglider speed system must be correctly fitted & set up
??? Adequate travel & medical insurance, including repatriation
??? Airline flights to/from Thessaloniki airport
??? A sense of humour and adventure!

*Your paraglider and paragliding harness should be the correct size and level for you.

*Your paragliding helmet must be suitable for you and adequate for paragliding use.

*Your paragliding reserve parachute must be the correct size for you, and have been recently and properly repacked.

*Your radio must be suitable and adequate (2m 5W VFH handheld transceiver) and you must ensure it is working properly, with the ability to hear and talk easily in-flight, by testing it out on the ground and in-flight BEFORE you come on the trip.

*It is every pilot's responsibility to ensure that all of their equipment is the correct size and level for them and that it is in an airworthy condition.

Highly Recommended:

The following things are not 'compulsory' but highly recommended...

??? Global Positioning System (GPS)*
??? Sun hat, sunglasses & suntan lotion!

*Whilst we do highly recommended having a GPS for all cross country flying, as they are very useful things indeed (in general, not just for this trip), it is not absolutely essential that you have one for this trip. If you do have a GPS, make sure you know how to use it before you come on the trip - don't wait to learn how to use it during the trip!

Please note that the above is not meant to be an 'exhaustive' list - it does not cover everything!
There will of course be other things that you also need for this trip, it is only meant as a guide to help you!