Paragliding in Turkey: Pilot Checks and Fethiye Rules
The papers a Turkish tandem pilot and agency must have, the Fethiye rules in plain words, and a wing check that writes what to ask in Turkish.
Table of Contents
A tandem paraglider flight puts one pilot and one first-time passenger under one wing. At Babadağ in Fethiye, the rules that cover it sit with a local board, a written directive and a slot centre, which plans each flight’s turn in the airspace. This page puts them in plain words and turns them into a short check you can run before you pay.
The short version
Ask to see eight things before you fly. Fethiye’s flight directive asks for each one.
- The pilot: a commercial tandem pilot holds the T2 certificate. The Turkish Air Sports Federation (THSF) says it runs the training and issues the T1 and T2 levels.
- The agency: only a travel agency with a tourism sports permit for the season may sell flights at Babadağ. Pilots cannot sell on their own.
- At Fethiye: a 2026 board decision asks a pilot who is new to commercial flying at the launch site for a record of at least 250 flights. That is one site’s rule, not a national one.
- The day: the flag decides. Red means no flying. Green leaves the decision to the agency and the pilot.
- The price: no state or federation page prints a tariff, so this page prints none. Ask the agency’s price board.
A tandem flight, and who covers it
On a tandem flight a pilot and a first-time passenger are tied together under one wing. That is how the federation describes it on its paragliding page. At Babadağ a local board, a directive and a slot centre each cover a part of it. The wing check puts the parts on one wing.
The wing check
Eight cells, eight things to ask to see
A paraglider wing is a row of cells. Here each cell is one thing a passenger can ask to see before a tandem flight. Tap a cell when the pilot or the agency has shown you that thing: it fills with colour, and the Turkish message below shrinks to what is still missing.
Say it at the desk
Merhaba, uçuştan önce şunları görebilir miyim: pilotun T2 belgesi, acentenin faaliyet izin belgesi, sigorta belgesi, uçuş kartı, yolcu kaskı, yedek paraşüt, fiyat panosu? Uçuş öncesi bilgilendirme yapılacak mı?
Hello, before the flight, may I see: the pilot’s T2 certificate, the agency’s activity permit, the insurance paper, the flight card, the passenger helmet, the reserve parachute, the price board? Will there be a briefing before the flight?
The eight checks as a table
| Check | What the rules say | Source | Ask in Turkish | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The pilot’s T2 certificate | The directive asks a commercial tandem pilot for the T2 certificate. The agency keeps a copy of each pilot’s certificates. | Fethiye’s 2020 Babadağ flight directive, Turkish Air Sports Federation page (2026), checked 21 October 2026. | T2 belgenizi görebilir miyim? | May I see your T2 certificate? |
| The agency’s permit | Only a travel agency that holds a tourism-purpose sports activity permit for the season may sell paragliding flights at Babadağ. Pilots cannot sell flights on their own. | Fethiye’s 2020 Babadağ flight directive, checked 21 October 2026. | Acentenizin faaliyet izin belgesini görebilir miyim? | May I see your agency’s activity permit? |
| Insurance | A commercial tandem flight needs personal accident or seat insurance and third-party liability insurance. The directive says there is no flight without them, and the agency must make sure every passenger is covered. | Fethiye’s 2020 Babadağ flight directive, checked 21 October 2026. | Sigorta belgenizi görebilir miyim? Ben de kapsamda mıyım? | May I see the insurance paper? Am I covered too? |
| The flight card | Every flight gets a flight card from the slot centre’s system. It holds a risk acceptance form, a flight information form and the passenger briefing. The pilot carries it, and without it there is no way into the launch area. | Fethiye’s 2020 Babadağ flight directive, checked 21 October 2026. | Uçuş kartım hazır mı? Görebilir miyim? | Is my flight card ready? May I see it? |
| Helmets | Pilots wear a helmet for the whole flight. The passenger wears one at take-off and landing. The pilot fits the passenger with a helmet and shoes: no flying in slippers or sandals. | Fethiye’s 2020 Babadağ flight directive, checked 21 October 2026. | Bana uygun bir kask var mı? | Do you have a helmet that fits me? |
| The reserve parachute | A reserve parachute must be carried on every flight. The harness has a lock, and steel carabiners join the wing to it. | Fethiye’s 2020 Babadağ flight directive, checked 21 October 2026. | Yedek paraşütünüz nerede? Görebilir miyim? | Where is your reserve parachute? May I see it? |
| The briefing | Before take-off the pilot briefs the passenger on the flight plan and the area, what happens at launch, and what to expect in the air and at landing. The passenger briefing is also part of the flight card. | Fethiye’s 2020 Babadağ flight directive, checked 21 October 2026. | Uçuştan önce bilgilendirme yapacak mısınız? | Will you brief me before the flight? |
| The price board | The directive asks each agency to post its standard flight prices in writing on a board. | Fethiye’s 2020 Babadağ flight directive, checked 21 October 2026. | Fiyat panosunu görebilir miyim? | May I see the price board? |
What a ticked cell means. It means you were shown the paper or the item. It is not a verdict on the flight. The Fethiye directive says that the slot centre coordinates the airspace, and that the agencies and pilots who run the flights are responsible for carrying them out safely.
Why a wing of cells
A paraglider wing is a row of fabric cells, open at the front, with lines that run down to the harness. The wing check borrows that shape: eight cells for eight checks. A filled cell is a thing you have seen. An empty one is still to ask.
Uçuştan önce belgelerinizi görebilir miyim?Before the flight, may I see your papers?
The Fethiye rules, a board, a directive and a slot centre
Babadağ, above Ölüdeniz in Fethiye, is the flight area this page describes. Three things run it: a board, a directive and a slot centre.
Fethiye District Sports Tourism Board
The district governor chairs it. The provincial director of culture and tourism, or a deputy, and the district director of youth and sport sit on it, with a representative of the travel agencies’ association. It can stop an agency or a pilot, for a time or for good.
The Babadağ paragliding directive
The Muğla Governorship approved it on 17 November 2020, and the 2026 board decision still builds on it. It lists the papers, the gear, the limits of the day and the penalties.
The slot service centre
It is attached to Kapadokya University. It coordinates the flights, announces the flag decision and runs the flight card system.
In 2026 the board added one rule. A pilot who has worked for no agency since the directive began, and who will fly commercial tandems at the Fethiye launch site for the first time, must show a record of at least 250 flights made at a launch site with a slot system.
Dated, and one site only
This is the board’s decision of 13 July 2026, for the Fethiye launch site. It is not a national rule, and other launch sites have their own. The board says in the same decision that hundreds of thousands of paragliding fans come to Fethiye every year (checked 21 October 2026).
- Hours
- Flights run from sunrise to sunset. The last take-off is at least 30 minutes before sunset, and the landing must be done by sunset.
- The flag
- The slot centre makes the weather assessment and announces the flag. Red: no flying. Green: the agency and the pilot decide.
- Weather
- No flights at night, in rain, in snow or in fog. At take-off, a ground wind above 25 km/h stops passenger flights.
- The pilot’s day
- At most five flights a day for one pilot.
- On board
- One passenger at most. No live animals or goods.
Bugün bayrak yeşil mi?Is the flag green today?
Pilot papers, T1, T2 and the national qualification
The Turkish Air Sports Federation (THSF) says it runs the training and issues the T1 and T2 certificates. They are its two tandem levels. A T1 pilot may take other pilots as passengers, but not paying ones. The Fethiye directive asks a commercial tandem pilot for T2.
The directive, from 2020, names the Turkish Aeronautical Association as the issuer of the certificate. The federation’s own page in 2026 says the federation issues T1 and T2.
A national qualification for tandem pilots also exists. A 2026 decision of the Vocational Qualifications Authority revised its standard. The federation’s page says that to sit the national exam, a pilot needs the federation’s tandem pilot training and the T2 certificate. The directive lists the national qualification certificate in the pilot’s file, when one has been issued.
- Certificates: the agency keeps a copy of each pilot’s certificate and diploma.
- Papers: a copy of the pilot’s ID and a first-aid certificate.
- Health report: valid for one year for a pilot aged 50 or over, and for two years for a younger pilot.
- Insurance and contract: the pilot’s insurance and the work contract with the agency.
- National qualification: the certificate, when one has been issued.
The federation’s paragliding page says the sport is flown in 40 provinces by 60 clubs and about 2,000 active pilots. It gives the longest flight in Turkish airspace as about 375 km, from Ayaş to Mut. These are the federation’s own figures (checked 21 October 2026).
T2 belgenizi görebilir miyim?May I see your T2 certificate?
Where flights take place, Babadağ and what the pages name
The Muğla culture and tourism directorate calls Babadağ the country’s most important paragliding area. It says 166,883 flights were made there in 2019. That figure comes from a page dated 9 July 2020, and it is the only count printed (checked 21 October 2026).
The Babadağ slope
Four launch tracks, one beach
Flights from Babadağ start on one of four named tracks and end on the sand at sea level.
- Launch tracks
- The directive names the tracks 1200, 1700, 1800 and 1900. The Muğla governorship calls the 1700 track a track “at 1,700 metres”, so the names read as heights in metres.
- Landing
- Belcekiz Beach. Kıdrak is for emergencies only. A hotel’s own field is open only to that hotel’s agency.
- The flight
- The Muğla culture and tourism directorate says a straight flight from Babadağ takes about 30 minutes.
- The flying area
- The directive’s definition of the flight area: the area the civil aviation authority has announced to pilots, a circle with a radius of 4.5 nautical miles (about 8 km) around Babadağ.
Drawn from the track names and the landing the directive lists. The tracks’ positions along the slope and the flight line are schematic.
The landing
The directive lists the landing sites: Belcekiz Beach, Kıdrak, which is kept for emergencies, and a hotel’s own field, which is open only to that hotel’s agency.
Other places appear on state pages too. They give no rules of their own for the other sites, so ask the agency which rules apply.
| Place | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Pamukkale, Denizli | The civil aviation authority’s Pamukkale slot instruction names paragliding in its scope. You plan with the slot centre at least 30 minutes ahead and ask for permission. With a red or yellow flag, permission is refused. With a green flag, the decision is left to the person and the pilot. The landing is reported within 30 minutes. The permission only means you are registered: safety stays with the person and the pilot. |
| Kaş, Antalya | The Antalya culture and tourism directorate names the foothills of Mount Asas and Kırdavlı Hill as flight sites, and says flights run through the year, depending on the weather. |
| Kemer, Antalya | The directorate says it is possible to go up to Mount Tahtalı, 2,365 metres high, by cable car from Olympos, and to glide down to Tekirova beach. |
| Alanya, Antalya | The directorate names Yassı Tepe, 700 metres high, reached by jeep safari, with a landing at Cleopatra Beach, and the foot of Cebel-i Reis Mountain at Mahmutlar, with a landing at Mahmutlar beach. |
İniş nerede yapılıyor?Where is the landing?
Before you pay, what to ask and what to wear
The wing check writes the Turkish message for you. Three more things sit outside it.
- Closed shoes: the directive says there is no flying in slippers or sandals.
- Your health: the pilot must judge your health and fitness. The directive names pregnancy, heart disease, asthma, epilepsy, a physical disability and a weight above the wing’s limit as reasons not to take a passenger. It prints no weight or age number.
- Your cover: the agency must make sure every passenger is covered by its insurance. People in an age group the policy does not cover are not taken. Ask whether you are inside it.
The kit on the rock
The directive lists the gear: a harness with a lock, helmets, a reserve parachute, steel carabiners where the wing meets the harness, and a radio the pilot carries. The pilot dresses you, fits the harness and makes the connections.
Sigorta kapsamında mıyım?Am I covered by the insurance?
Prices, what no page prints
No state or federation page prints a tariff for a flight. The directive asks each agency to post its standard prices in writing on a board. It also sets a slot service fee, which goes to the operator of the launch area and not to agencies or pilots, and it prints no amount. So this page gives no price and names no agency.
Four things are worth a direct question: the ride up to the launch, photos or video, the insurance, and the slot service fee. Ask whether each one is in the price.
Fiyata neler dahil?What does the price include?
Fiyat panosu nerede?Where is the price board?
If something goes wrong, who to call
The directive says the slot centre is responsible for coordinating the airspace, and that those who run the flights are responsible for carrying them out safely. It adds that an agency or a pilot who breaks the rules, or skips the safety measures, is the first and only party responsible for an accident and for what follows from it in court. The board and the slot centre say they carry no responsibility, directly or indirectly. The board can stop an agency or a pilot for a time or for good, and can cancel qualification certificates.
- Tourism complaints: Alo 176 is the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s call centre. It takes questions, suggestions and complaints from citizens and visitors, around the clock. Dial 176 in Türkiye, or +90 312 176 11 22 from abroad.
- Consumer rights: Alo 175 is the Ministry of Trade’s consumer helpline. It explains the ways to solve a problem and points you to the right authority.
- The recording: the directive says commercial tandem pilots must record video during the flight. The agency keeps it for 30 days and must hand it to the board after any accident, incident or fault.
Uçuşun kamera kaydını saklayabilir misiniz?Could you keep the camera recording of the flight?
Quick answers, and the sources
Can I check a pilot’s certificate?
You can ask to see it. The directive makes the agency keep each pilot’s certificates, and the wing check prints the Turkish line to ask.
Who runs the slots at Babadağ?
A slot service centre attached to Kapadokya University. It coordinates the flights, announces the flag decision and runs the flight card system.
Does a page print the fines?
No amount is printed in the directive. It lists bans for pilots and agencies, from one month up to a year, and sends the fines back to the tourism law. This page prints none.
What about health, age and weight?
The pilot must judge your health and fitness and refuse the cases the directive names. The insurance has age limits too. The directive prints no age or weight number, so ask the agency and read the policy.
When can flights run?
From sunrise to sunset, with the last take-off at least 30 minutes before sunset. Not at night, in rain, snow or fog, or under a red flag.
Every rule on this page was taken from the page named beside it. They were checked on 21 October 2026.
- What the rules are: each one is copied from the page named beside it, with its checked date. The wing check only displays them.
- What they are not: advice, a safety verdict or a lawyer’s opinion. The directive dates from 2020, and a board can change a rule.
- Not covered: prices, agency names, and the rules of launch sites other than Babadağ and Pamukkale. The national regulation on tourism sports activities is named in the board decision and in the directive; its text is not quoted here.
- Turkish lines: the lines to say are plain phrases for a desk. They are not quotes from any page.
Read the sources
- Fethiye İlçe Sportif Turizm Kurulu (Yamaç Paraşütü) Kararı, 2026/17, 13.07.2026 (the district sports tourism board’s decision on paragliding) — Fethiye District Governorship, checked 21 October 2026
- Fethiye – Babadağ Yamaç Paraşütü ve Yelkenkanat Uçuş Yönergesi (the directive), approved by the Muğla Governorship on 17.11.2020 — Fethiye District Governorship, checked 21 October 2026
- Tandem Yamaç Paraşütü Pilotu Ulusal Meslek Standardı ve Ulusal Yeterliliği güncellendi (the national tandem pilot standard and qualification, revised by decision 2026/106 of 27.08.2026) — Turkish Air Sports Federation, checked 21 October 2026
- Yamaç Paraşütü (the federation’s paragliding branch page) — Turkish Air Sports Federation, checked 21 October 2026
- Babadağ Yamaç Paraşütü ve Teleferik İncelemesi (page dated 09.07.2020: launch tracks and the 2019 flight count) — Muğla Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, checked 21 October 2026
- Yamaç Paraşütü (Ölüdeniz and Babadağ) — Muğla Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, checked 21 October 2026
- 19. Uluslararası Fethiye Ölüdeniz Hava Oyunları Festivali Başladı (news item of 17.10.2018: the 1,700 metre track) — Muğla Governorship, checked 21 October 2026
- Pamukkale Bölgesi Uçuş Sahası Slot Uygulaması ve Hava Sahası Kullanımı Talimatı, SHT-BALON-SLOT-PAMUKKALE (the Pamukkale slot instruction) — Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM), checked 21 October 2026
- Yamaç Paraşütü (Kaş, Kemer and Alanya) — Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, checked 21 October 2026
- Alo 176 İletişim Hattı Bürosu (the Ministry’s call centre) — Ministry of Culture and Tourism, checked 21 October 2026
- Alo 175 Tüketici Danışma Hattı (consumer helpline) — Ministry of Trade, checked 21 October 2026
