The site
The launch is 21 km from Bishkek, approximately 40 minutes by road — close enough that you can fly in the morning and still have most of the day left. The hills here are open and grassy, the thermals are steady, and the landing is soft, which is the combination that makes a site suitable for tandem flying with passengers who have never done it.
You choose the height
There are two launch points and they give quite different flights.
Location 1 — flight altitude 300 metres, 5 to 10 minutes. A short, gentle flight. Enough to know what it feels like, and the right choice if you are nervous, short of time, or bringing a child.
Location 2 — flight altitude 1 000 metres, 30 to 40 minutes. A proper flight with time to look around, work the thermals and see the whole valley laid out. If you are going to do this at all, this is the one worth doing.
How it works
You fly tandem with a pilot. Your part is to run a few steps down the slope when told; after that you sit in the harness and the pilot does the rest. No experience is needed and no training is required.
Flying depends on the weather — wind and thermals have to cooperate. We check conditions on the morning and decide on site. If the day is not flyable we reschedule, so it is worth having some slack in your plans rather than booking the flight for the morning of your departure.
