and Hanggliding Flying Site

Description of the area

Kourion (Curium) has been the main soaring site since the dawn of flying here. It is a short ridge located at the end of a long line of coastal cliffs that extend from Avdimou village  eastward. This site is of archeological interest and is thus sensitive. The Greek  ruins located both at the top and bottom of the ridge are tourist attractions, as is the beach itself, and so flying gets a high profile here.

Getting There

Kourion is reached by taking the coast road from the village of Episkopi, west of Limassol, a short distance to where it meets the sea. The  launches may be reached if you  take the coast road up the hill and turn into the armpit launch at the top. The LZ is the beach itself. Road signs mark the site well.

Kourion is flyable in generally southwesterly sea breezes. When winds are southwesterly the entire ridge is soar able and the air is very smooth, though a few thermals coming up from the bowl may cause mild turbulence.

As the wind moves more westerly it tends to increase in strength. (Usually the wind shifts as the sun, from east to west). Then turbulence will increase towards the Episkopi road but you may encounter wave toward the end of the ridge due the aerodynamics of the cliffs to the west. This wave typically extends out over the water perpendicular from the last third of the ridge and makes for an interesting change (hanggliders). You will usually be able to detect definite changes in air masses between the wave (warm, dry and smooth) and the turbulent air (cool and moist) below. When this happens it can still be safe to launch if  your skills are good and you use the launches at the middle of the ridge. But landing in the bowl when it gets very westerly can be difficult.

About the Launch

There are actually  two launch sites at Kourion that are regularly used (see the map) for paragliding. A brief discussion of them follows.

Armpit: This is probably the easiest launch and is the most often used. It is also the easiest to get to. But this launch should not be used when the wind is westerly because of turbulence, which can get very strong.

Lower Sand Pit: This is used when the wind becomes strong, or when a new pilot needs a less vigorous launch breeze. 

About the Landing Zone

The Curium LZ is the area directly out from the sandpit launches to the beach road. We urge all pilots to land on the ridge side of the beach road at all times. This is a busy place in the summer. The beaches are crowded, the beach side of the road is full of cars and those driving on the beach road always invade your approach corridor after you are committed. They even stop right in front of you to watch! 

There is a large field off the end of the ridge. Do not use this field as it thoroughly aggravates the people who work the land. They have some goats and horses there and believe that the gliders scare the daylights out of the animals. Please respect their wishes.

All paragliding and hang gliding pilots are welcome but we should be grateful if you observe a few basic site rules:

Flyers must hold current and relevant licenses from their controlling national body.

The rules applies to all flyers at all times as military helicopters, regularly use this area. (See the telephone list below).

The Curium antiquities site is an area of National importance and a unique treasure.

In an effort to avoid accidents which may damage the site and the pilots, flyers asked actively to avoid flying near any part of the antiquities site.

Take off areas

Official take off areas are shown on the map or take a look at the photo gallery so you can recognise them easily.

Please try to adhere to these to minimize disruption to the local farmers and shepherds.

Flying hazards

Take great care not to get blown back. The road, power lines and obvious rotor are real hazards, not to mention the antiquities sites. Sea breezes can start quickly and can catch you unaware. As a rule of thumb, at the first sign of white  waves on the sea surface please land quickly.

If you think that it is too windy to fly, it probably is - don’t take off.

Be cautious of the rotor when wind speed are high, especially around the areas marked on the map.

Useful telephone numbers:

  Akrotiri Air Traffic Control Tower 25306205 or 25-966324

  Joint Operations Control Centre (JOCC) 25263081

  SBA Police 25963610

  In the event of emergency telephone the Episkopi Med Centre  25963255

  Limassol General Hospital  25-801100

  Episkopi Fire Station  25-963211

PLEASE FLY RESPONSIBLY. REMEMBER THIS IS A HIGH PROFILE SITE IN A SENSITIVE AREA.