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TABLE MOUNTAIN
a preview from the Fresh Air Site Guide
Copyright © Greg Hamerton

GRADING : SPORTS ONLY + 200 flights minimum + instructor guidance at both launch sites
GPS : +- S33º57.73’ E18º24.68’ (front face)
ALTITUDE : 1000m ASL, airspace ceiling is at 1200m.
DESCRIPTION : The most awesome and complex of the Peninsula sites. Table Mountain has a presence, an energy that commands respect the moment you step outside the cablecar. The wind swirls around the mountain in shifting currents, making takeoff judgement critical. It is seldom flyable, it’s easier to cross from Lion’s Head. 
WIND : N, WSW, light SE (Maclears)
LAUNCH : 'A treacherous cliff-launch. N wind: the ‘Runway’ is on the front face, looking out over Cape Town, 200m E of Platteklip Gorge. The layout area is near the edge of the cliff, on flat rock. Expert handling of reverse launch is essential. As you run towards the
cliff, be prepared for the lip rotor and turbulence that can cause sudden sink. Leaning forwards in the harness, ready to run is essential, as you cannot afford to go off the edge with a slack glider. SW wind: the ‘Gully’ faces SSW, and is behind the cable-car station.
You have to walk away from the station along the top of the mountain for a few minutes to reach the launch site. Layout over the low bushes and rocks. Immediately after takeoff, you will find yourself in a gully, soaring along the north side of it. You soar out of the gully and onto the main rock faces which form the Twelve Apostles. Light ESE: ‘Maclear’s Beacon’ site is 100m E of Maclear’s Beacon, just below a rocky ridge (30 minutes hike from the Upper Cablecar Station in an E direction).		 Table Mountain is a scary place to fly
LANDING : LaMed (W side), or rugby field in Upper Orange Street on the N side.
DIRECTIONS : refer to the Fresh Air Site Guide.
CAUTIONS : refer to the Fresh Air Site Guide.
CARETAKER : Glen Club, Cape Peninsula National Parks (regular pilots need a Wild Card).
PERMISSION : Guidance by a local pilot at this sensitive site is mandatory. Sports (advanced) pilots only! Minimum
200flights experience. 2 guided flights are needed from each launch site with an experienced local before flying solo. Note - if you tell the ticket office that you are pilot you should be able to get a free return ride (down) should you not fly. Regular pilots should buy a Wild Card (covers all sites in Cape Peninsula Park).
SOUTH AFRICA'S TOP FLYING SITES
LIONS HEAD paragliding siteLion's Head PORTERVILLE paragliding sitePorterville SIR LOWRY'S PASS flying siteSir Lowry's Pass HERMANUS flying siteHermanus
TABLE MOUNTAIN flying siteTable Mountain MAP OF AFRICA flying siteMap of Africa Paradise Ridge flying siteParadise Ridge Bulwer flying siteBulwer
The Dam flying site near JohannesburgThe Dam Barberton flying siteBarberton De Aar record flying site in South AfricaDe Aar Map of flying sites in the Western CapeSite map
FRESH AIR SITE GUIDEPssst! You may print out this page, but you really need all the other good things that go with the Fresh Air Site Guide (detailed current information on more than 135 sites covering all of South Africa, pictures, maps, Cross Country flying tips, travel guidance). Don't miss the best flying during your holiday!
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