Flying in Rustavi, July 2011

You have seen it before, but this video by Levan Iasashvili (in the air with Alex Iskandarov) gives you an even better idea of the gorgeous time one has in Rustavi when the wind is right.

Great video, guys!

Paramotoring over Sighnaghi

Nodar and Rostom flying over Sighnaghi.

Tsalka Kiting | Plateau

We went to the kiting site in Tsalka once more, about 90 min. west of Tbilisi. The ice on the lake was excellent, but we also found kiting on the plateau just before Tsalka to be awesome. The main bowl is quite flat, but there are some variations that make it interesting, including a chance to go uphill a little further east. Lots of space to race back and forth. The tips of the arrow in the image above are more than 2 km apart.

A close-up shows how well the mountains even funnel the wind.


You may see the light patch running through the fields like a stripe, from top to bottom. That is the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, and the security guards at one of the stations will likely be a bit curious about what you do.

We have now also made out a good restaurant, right in the center of Tsalka, on the right as you drive west, just off the main square. It's called Pontia, and while it is simple the people are very friendly. They now already have seen the first guests come in with ski boots, so likely will not be surprised.


Film to follow.

Tsalka Kiting | Wind, Sideways

So we like wind, and if there's too much of it, we go windsurfing, and if it's a good winter, there is Plan C: ice-kiting.

It only takes about 90 min. to get out to Tsalka, over the great new road (short plug for American development assistance). The ice is thick, although you may want to watch it since it is a reservoir and the lowering of water levels does create some gaps. Not all of those freeze over quickly. Also, there are some fishing holes that are not marked. In the video, you see me looking at one of them. You wouldn't want to sink your skis into one of those. Next time, I will be wearing a life vest.

(My hands were cold, so I had not yet hooked into the harness.)

Preferable kites size would be between 1.5 and 3 sqm, with one or two larger ones in reserve. Average wind speeds were between 30 and 40 km/h, although earlier in the day they reached 60 km/h, at which point the Ozone safety chart for the 3 sqm Flow Kite suggested in firm wording that even Expert Kiters watch instructional DVDs, rather than trying their luck with the winds. Sharpening edges may also be a good idea, given the sheer ice. And you want to take an ice axe, so that you can secure the kite when it is down, and potentially claw your way out of a hole. (Definitely: helmet. On my first kiting day in the season, I was taking it easy, and my GPS still read out speeds of more than 46 km/h. Good idea: radios. So we can use pretty much all our toys. Yay!)


This is a happily exhausted me, after three hours on the ice. Haven't yet checked out the Tsalka restaurants, so as to support local people a bit, but that's next on the list.

Delphinus | Flying in Inversion

As promised, here more of an update on Delphinus, on my flight on September 5. Higher up wind from the east, but in general an inversion layer at 2000 m (as reported by Alex, from his ultralight).

I was soaring on the ridge itself for about 30 minutes. Good thermals, although pulsating, typically coming through for about three or four minutes, and then a break of around one minute. The thermal releases come up unevenly across the hill, with the strongest surges at 5.9 m/s. Typically you see the releases working their way up the hill, on the grass, or the trees below. You could probably sustain yourself up there for a long time, if you stay nimble.

At one point, I gained more altitude (see below) and then ventured east, hoping to catch thermals further out. There weren't any clouds, but I thought maybe the thermals would be blue. No luck! I slipped into the inversion, and it was all the way downhill from then.

The landing site is good, but as mentioned, plenty of sand.

The lesson is that this is a great mountain even during powerful inversions, but there's little to be gained further out. Stay close to the ridge.

Delphinus | new site!

We found a new flying location! Locals refer to the mountain as Delphinus, and it towers visibly over the road between Ananuri and Pasanauri. Yesterday, we finally decided to take a look at it. Locals immediately told us that the mountain was accessible by road, up to the main ridge.

As it turns out, there is a ridge that is almost 2 km long, running roughly east to west. You can launch at multiple points along the ridge, although the best point probably is close to the peak, since it affords a flatter takeoff point, as well as the opportunity to launch when the wind comes more from the east. At 2150 m, it is higher than Tianeti, and also seems to offer better opportunities for cross-country flying.

Two flights there so far, September 4 & 5, 2010. One took me quite a way out west, but that's a different story. The second one, on a day with strong inversion, gave good lift along the ridge, although no thermals to be found further out.

Landing in the Valley is not a problem, although you need to watch for various powerlines. Also, some of the landing sites have plenty of rocks, and several have lots of sand, which your wing may not like too much. (Obviously, watch the valley winds!)

On balance, this appears like a major new opportunity for flying in Georgia, even if Google Earth decides to show it in the darkest of colors. It may offer very significant cross-country possibilities. Even just for soaring, it presents you with the sight of beautiful mountains, church ruins, Kazbegi in the distance, two lakes, and much more.

It's probably only suitable for advanced pilots, or intermediate pilots with detailed guidance. On a day with strong eastward wind, I reached climbing speeds of 6.9 m/s. The next day, with little wind from the east, I still had short surges of 5.9 m/s, as the thermals punch their way up along the hillside. Flying needs to be pretty active.

More information and nicer photography to follow! We will also try and find out more about the mountain's great name.

Lawnmowers Fly!

Here you see a short clip with take off, ascent, soaring under clouds, spiral and then a (rough!) crosswind landing. Alex N. took me on a spin with his machine, in early September 2010.

The entire thing, except for the wing, is tiny.

In terms of paragliding, we noticed strong thermals high up. So once we have higher altitude, we should have a good chance to do more cross-country. To be explored in the next season!