Local information about flying Powered Paragliders in Cape Town, South Africa.
Visiting pilots please contact us before flying in the area, as there are many sensitive areas where PPG is not allowed.
Let us show you where the best launch sites are, and the best routes to fly.
Contact: Keith Pickersgill, Mobile 082 414-8448, Email: keith@xplorer.co.za

Durbanville & Fisantekraal area, special procedures

New Delta200 (FAD200) Airspace effective 12 February 2009.Click HERE or details and map


See our collection of WEBCAMS of local flying locations



Latest Synoptic Charts here!


Local Weather info:

LIVE Realtime Reports

  1. iweathar has several windtalkers, many are at popular paragliding sites.
    See: www.iweather.co.za or go directly to the Sunset Beach Windtalker which is very close to our Dolphin Beach PPG Training field.

    From your mobile phone, go to go.iweather.co.za (Click to preview on your PC)

  2. Live graphic indication of wind-flow over the Peninsula and Cape Flats with detailed live data at several stations:
    www.myweather.co.za

Weather Forecasts

  1. Forecast from:
    www.weather.co.za
    Weather in Cape Town

  2. SABC currently indicate:

    Click to enlarge

  3. www.weathersa.co.za offer

  4. Windfinder also has accurate wind forecasts for some of our popular flying locations:

  5. Windguru offers very accurate wind forecasts:

  6. Forecast wind speed and direction at the surface and various altitudes, for three hour intervals:
    www.weathersa.co.za/glider/SWCape/Wind.htm

  7. Forecast Spot Graph of winds for each hour
    www.weathersa.co.za/glider/images/-3419.gif

  8. Forecast Thermals strengths:
    www.weathersa.co.za/glider/SWCape/thermals.htm

  9. Iafrica has a neat graphical forecast at iafrica.com/weather/capetown

  10. Metrocast also has a good graphical page for today and tomorrow at http://www.1stweather.com/metrocast/capetown
    and the 5 days after that, and a colour Surface Wind map

  11. If your Cellphone has a WAP browser, you can get local realtime wind and weather, plus forecasts while on the run, at:
    http://wap.xplorer.co.za
    To test this service from your PC without the costs of using your cellphone, download the free Klondike WAP emulator from www.apachesoftware.com

Our local PPG Training field at Dolphin Beach

Map to the training field

Photo of the general location

Close-up of the field

Google Earth Placemark available here
Get Google Earth from: earth.google.com

PPG Training Details here

Radio Frequencies in use
For Powered Paragliding around Cape Town
Ch#FREQID
1124.800Local (TIBA)
2123.450Microlight Chat
3130.350PPG Chat (Informal)
4124.400GFA (Delta 200)
5125.800 CT Sp.Rules West
6125.600 YPT AFB Tower
7121.850 YPT AFB Ground
8131.10 Fisantekraal a/f
9119.300 Stellenbosch a/f
10121.500 Emergency
11117.000LW ATIS
12122.500LW APPR (FAR45)
13133.500 LW INFO
14127.000CT ATIS
15125.100 CT Area
16126.500CT Info
17121.900CT Ground
18118.100CT Tower
19119.700 CT Approach

Airband radio usage.

When using official airband channels in flight, we need to keep our communications brief yet clear, using acceptable terminology (Brevity & Clarity), especially in high traffic areas such as Table Bay.

We all get rusty over time, so it helps to "listen in" occassionally to remind ourselves how things are done correctly.

A few important pointers to remember:

Some terms are difficult to make out or interpret over airband which operates on AM not FM, so the reception is not as crisp nor clear.

We need to avoid using such terms and use the correctly recognised terms instead. (this is also good practice on the FM paragliding channels)

Use the term "motorised paraglider" on the radio and NOT "powered paraglider"

Yes, and No, become "Affirm" or "Affirmative" and "Negative". Never use the term "Positive" for a yes.

"Say Again" and not "repeat".

When flying in a group or a loose formation, only one person need do general radio calls for the group. The callsign "paraglider formation" may then be used for general calls, and to inform the group of intentions flight, e.g. "Paraglider formation, we shall turn 180 degrees to the right over the carpark".

If there are student pilots in the group, then it may be prudent to use the PPG Chat frequency (130.350) for informal radio contact, however someone must still make regular broadcast calls on the official local channels and then inform the group on the chat channel about possible traffic in the area.

All PPG and PHG pilots flying around Cape Town should have the above frequencies programmed into their airband radio.

Its useful to program these into your radio, and scan these while at the desk or while driving, to "learn the lingo" and keep your ear tuned into the "patter" of airtalk.

NOTE: The ATIS channels (Air Terminal Info Service) gives almost realtime update on changing weather conditions. Each time it is updated, the recording is assigned the next letter of the alphabet (e.g. "Information Delta" follows after "Information Charlie"). The key elements worth noting for PPG is wind strength and direction, QNH, visibility, and cloud cover. Make absolutely sure you do NOT accidentally transmit on these channels. It is safest to program these channels as "Transmit Inhibit" to prevent accidental transmissions.

    Reminder of certain mandatory requirements for PPG which must be adhered to:

  1. Reserves are mandatory for all Tandem flights undertaken with a paraglider-style wing, irrespective if powered, irrespective if used with a trike (even if the trike is similar to a PPC trike, its the WING that matters). Such reserves should be rated for tandem weights.

  2. It is a mandatory requirement in South Africa to fly PPG with airband radio (and be licensed to use it in SA and to operate on the correct frequencies), unless you can meet all of the following requirements to fly without airband radio:
    1. No higher than 1000 feet AGL throughout the entire flight
    2. Not approach within 5 Nautical Miles of any airspace, including GFA (General Flying Areas)
    3. Not fly under any TMA (Terminal Movements Area)
    4. Not approach within 5 Nautical Miles of any active airfield, including uncontrolled airfields.
      (Small, private airfields with very little activity are excluded, provided you make arrangements with the owners beforehand and advise them you have no airband radio).
    5. Not approach within 5 nautical miles of any established VFR routes, including the entire coastline of SA.

      Breach of any one (or more) of these requirements during any part of a flight requires airband radio operations for that flight.

    As you can see from the above, it is often impossible to comply with all these requirements, so airband radio becomes quite necessary on almost all flights.

    This implies that all PPG pilots must have their airband radio license, own an airband radio and must be on the CORRECT FREQUENCIES at all times throughout each flight.

      Exceptions:
    • PPG student under training may be on a chat channel provided the instructor monitors the local frequency, or the above requirements can be met.
    • Formation flying, formation leader to carry out radio calls on behalf of the formation, but there must be a second and third backup radio pilot in case of leader's radio failure.
    • during a formation flight, if the formation wishes to go to a chat channel to discuss changes in flightplan, conditions, etc, the entire formation to descend to the minum safe altitude (definately below 1000ftAGL) before changing to chat channel. (obviously cannot be done inside controlled airspace.) Revert back to local frequencies as soon as possible.

  3. It is a mandatory requirement that every pilot have in his possession the latest local Aeronautical Charts of the highest detail level available for his local flying areas. This is required to determine correct radio frequencies as well local airspace (controlled, prohibited, restricted, dangerous, Special Rules Areas, etc).

    For Cape Town, this is the VFR AERONAUTICAL CHART OF THE SOUTH WESTERN CAPE region (scale 1:250 000).
    Do not even think of flying anywhere in Cape Town if you do not have one of these charts in your possesion!

    This chart can be purchased from the government department of Surveys and Mapping in Mowbray. See: http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za
    A small picture of the entire chart can be seen here
    A closer view of Table Bay region can be downloaded here (1126x1024 pixels -285kb) (Note: Right-click, then select "SAVE AS")
    A larger version (for broadband users) of the Table Bay region can be downloaded here (3307x2536 pixels -2.4MB) (Note: Right-click, then select "SAVE AS")

    If this is not carried in flight, it should at least be in the pilot's car in order to review before each flight. When travelling and visiting other regions, it is imperative the pilot familiarises himself with the airspace in that region. If he does not purchase a map for that region, he must find a local pilot for a briefing and a viewing of the local pilot's charts.

    Its worth getting one in plain paper (to carry inflight) and one laminated as a wall-chart to work on with overhead projector pens. They have branches for cash sales in: Mowbray- Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloem, PMB.

      Note the following errors on this chart:
    • The Cape Town TMA's lower limit has been dropped down to 2000ft (not 2500ft as per the chart).
    • The microlight drawn over Koeberg Nuclear Power Station was intended to indicate it is possible to overfly there, above the FAR36 and below the TMA, however with the TMA being lowered to 2000ft, it is no longer possible to overfly the FAR36.
    • Some older charts have certain radio frequencies wrong and should be as follows:
      - Cape Town Special Rules West is on 125.8MHz
      - There is no Cape Town Special Rules East, all VFR traffic Eastof the extended centerline should remain on 124.8MHz
      - FAR147, Overberg Approach, from Gaansbaai Eastwards, is on 119.8Mhz (not 199.8 as indicated). This includes circuits around unmanned airfields inside the FAR147!
      - The Southern Boundary of the FAD200 (aka Delta200) has been moved Northwards to the M19 road. See details an dupdated map at: www.xplorer.co.za/d200

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