Paragliding in Lebanon
By Mike Annear, edited by Suzie Gneist.
I've been lucky enough to travel quite a bit through my work, and I usually try to fit a glider into my luggage if I can. In January this year I made a side trip to Lebanon, on advice from some Lebanese colleagues at my then workplace in Doha, Qatar. The situation in Lebanon has since changed of course - this July I watched in dismay the TV coverage as the country was once again torn to pieces by bombing. I feel extremely fortunate to have visited Lebanon before this happened. The following is my account of that trip, and of the wonderful group of Lebanese pilots that I had the privilege of flying with.
January 2006
Before I left Qatar for Beirut, I jumped online and posted a request for any pilots paragliding in Lebanon, and by that afternoon I had a couple of replies. One was from local pilot, Alan Debs. Within a few emails he had checked the forecast, organised hotel accommodation and arranged to pick me up from the airport. My colleagues were right. After a three-hour flight from Qatar, over many kilometres of empty sand, the snow-capped mountains of Lebanon finally rose up as we approached Beirut airport. Alan picked me up from the airport and after a quick tour of Jounieh Bay where he lives, and meeting his wife and family, he dropped me off at a waterfront hotel.
Jounieh Bay is a beautiful place; I explored the area around my hotel on foot that evening and everyone I met was incredibly friendly, the food amazing, and the French music drifting through the old waterfront buildings alluded to its colonial past.
Meziara
The next morning we drove up to the take-off near Meziara village. I was kicking myself for not having my camera within reach during the drive up the mountain - there is a lot to see in this part of Lebanon. On the drive I spotted what looked like a 747 parked on the take-off. I asked Alan if I was seeing things. He responded, "Just wait… you will see." As we approached the paragliding club take-off area, Alan explained that some of the locals near there were 'a little bit eccentric'. This explained the house built in the shape of a 747, complete with wheels, and a 'Virgin Mary' in the vertical stabiliser (the original 'Virgin airlines'?).
The take-off area was huge, with a spectacular view back to the snow-capped peaks further east. The conditions looked good, so Alan called the military from his cell phone to let them know paraglider pilots would be flying in the area.
Paragliding is entirely legal in Lebanon, mainly due to the combined effort and diligence of the local pilots in co-operating with the powers that be. There is a huge push for eco-tourism activities in the country. This is ideal for paragliding, as the country has mountains and all-year-round flying conditions.
Alan is a seasoned, rated PWC pilot, although he no longer competes since having had two beautiful kids. He is also the local Ozone dealer. I watched his very slick, easy flying style as he ran off the take-off, and followed him off once I'd set up my still and video cameras on my helmet and harness. Alan had given me a pair of fleecy gloves as I set up, and after barely five minutes in the air I had put them on - it was freezing cold, yet to my surprise we were still hooking into nice big thermals.
I had received a very comprehensive 'site induction', where Alan had pointed out the choice of landing areas on the way up as well as from the take-off before launching. Some of the local pilots had climbed out and headed off in different directions. I wasn't quite so lucky (or skilled) and despite climbing above launch was soon heading out to try out the landing paddock, kicking myself for not following a local pilot in a thermal that now had him heading towards cloudbase.
Another pilot had landed about the same time I did, so we piled into his retrieve car and headed back up to the take-off for another go. I got to explore the ridge a bit further this time, but nothing like the photos of epic flights that Alan later showed me over dinner at his family home with a clear message saying: "Come back in May!"
On our way back from Meziara we visited a coastal site. Alan flew, but I could see from his launch that the wind was already getting fairly crossed to the west so I decided to stay with the car.
Our Lady of Lebanon
The next day we headed back up the hills to the north-east of Jounieh. Dominating the skyline of the bay is 'Our Lady of Lebanon', an amazing church accessed by a cable car heading up to the Harrisa area. We went to a launch north of the church, overlooking the bay, and, once again, Alan explained the local conditions and pointed out the cross-country options and landing areas.
We were joined by a tandem pilot and passenger, and after a bit of parawaiting, watched them take to the sky. Despite overcast conditions they appeared to be staying up. Alan sprang to life and was right behind them. This is a very nice site; on a good day you can get some pretty impressive height over the bay city itself, and it's a good cross-country kick-off point. The landing area is big and easy, and there are numerous bomb-outs along the beachfront, including near the hotel I was staying in.
Alan showed his local knowledge (and the impressive qualities of the Ozone Mantra) by slowly circling his way towards cloudbase. I knew my older Ozone Octane probably didn't have the legs, so I settled back into a buoyant trip to take some photos and video - the scenery on the way to the landing was incredible. I flew along the highway heading toward Beirut, following some weak but steady lift and taking photos all the way.
I could hear some helicopters, but couldn't see them at first. Sure enough the choppers were down over the beach in front of me, spectacular but at a safe distance. Alan had told me about their daily coastal patrol and he had called them earlier from his cell phone to inform them of our presence. As
I headed back north towards the landing area, I could see the impressive Roman archeological site called Byblos just north of it. Even if you bomb-out you can still have a great tourist experience, as the area is dotted with Roman ruins. The landing area is a choice of beach or a parallel ex-military zone, now a large grassy area. I flew the downwind leg looking for powerlines and any other hazards that might be on the landing field, and also noting where other pilots were already packing up their gliders. There was still an old unused machine gun bunker to remind you of the war over 10 years ago. It is now a large safe landing area and also on the local bus route. As far as I know, there aren't any issues with old land mines, unlike some other sites I have flown in Eastern Europe. Alan landed shortly after and we caught the bus back towards Jounieh, where Alan caught the cable car back up to the take-off to get his car and I continued back to the hotel.
The next day he picked me up from the hotel, and gave me a lift to Beirut airport, another demonstration of amazing local hospitality! All in all, I wish I'd had longer to spend than just a few days in Lebanon.
I really enjoyed the people, culture and the flying. The local pilots and the general public that I met in the streets were very friendly and really went out of their way to be helpful.
Author's note: The events this July have demonstrated just how fast local politics can change when you are travelling. Be fully aware of the current situation in countries you are visiting by regularly checking www.smarttraveller.gov.au , and also try to learn a little about the religion, customs culture of a country before you visit it, with www.wikipedia.org being a good starting point.
By Mike Annear, edited by Suzie Gneist.
I've been lucky enough to travel quite a bit through my work, and I usually try to fit a glider into my luggage if I can. In January this year I made a side trip to Lebanon, on advice from some Lebanese colleagues at my then workplace in Doha, Qatar. The situation in Lebanon has since changed of course - this July I watched in dismay the TV coverage as the country was once again torn to pieces by bombing. I feel extremely fortunate to have visited Lebanon before this happened. The following is my account of that trip, and of the wonderful group of Lebanese pilots that I had the privilege of flying with.
January 2006
Before I left Qatar for Beirut, I jumped online and posted a request for any pilots paragliding in Lebanon, and by that afternoon I had a couple of replies. One was from local pilot, Alan Debs. Within a few emails he had checked the forecast, organised hotel accommodation and arranged to pick me up from the airport. My colleagues were right. After a three-hour flight from Qatar, over many kilometres of empty sand, the snow-capped mountains of Lebanon finally rose up as we approached Beirut airport. Alan picked me up from the airport and after a quick tour of Jounieh Bay where he lives, and meeting his wife and family, he dropped me off at a waterfront hotel.
Jounieh Bay is a beautiful place; I explored the area around my hotel on foot that evening and everyone I met was incredibly friendly, the food amazing, and the French music drifting through the old waterfront buildings alluded to its colonial past.
Meziara
The next morning we drove up to the take-off near Meziara village. I was kicking myself for not having my camera within reach during the drive up the mountain - there is a lot to see in this part of Lebanon. On the drive I spotted what looked like a 747 parked on the take-off. I asked Alan if I was seeing things. He responded, "Just wait… you will see." As we approached the paragliding club take-off area, Alan explained that some of the locals near there were 'a little bit eccentric'. This explained the house built in the shape of a 747, complete with wheels, and a 'Virgin Mary' in the vertical stabiliser (the original 'Virgin airlines'?).
The take-off area was huge, with a spectacular view back to the snow-capped peaks further east. The conditions looked good, so Alan called the military from his cell phone to let them know paraglider pilots would be flying in the area.
Paragliding is entirely legal in Lebanon, mainly due to the combined effort and diligence of the local pilots in co-operating with the powers that be. There is a huge push for eco-tourism activities in the country. This is ideal for paragliding, as the country has mountains and all-year-round flying conditions.
Alan is a seasoned, rated PWC pilot, although he no longer competes since having had two beautiful kids. He is also the local Ozone dealer. I watched his very slick, easy flying style as he ran off the take-off, and followed him off once I'd set up my still and video cameras on my helmet and harness. Alan had given me a pair of fleecy gloves as I set up, and after barely five minutes in the air I had put them on - it was freezing cold, yet to my surprise we were still hooking into nice big thermals.
I had received a very comprehensive 'site induction', where Alan had pointed out the choice of landing areas on the way up as well as from the take-off before launching. Some of the local pilots had climbed out and headed off in different directions. I wasn't quite so lucky (or skilled) and despite climbing above launch was soon heading out to try out the landing paddock, kicking myself for not following a local pilot in a thermal that now had him heading towards cloudbase.
Another pilot had landed about the same time I did, so we piled into his retrieve car and headed back up to the take-off for another go. I got to explore the ridge a bit further this time, but nothing like the photos of epic flights that Alan later showed me over dinner at his family home with a clear message saying: "Come back in May!"
On our way back from Meziara we visited a coastal site. Alan flew, but I could see from his launch that the wind was already getting fairly crossed to the west so I decided to stay with the car.
Our Lady of Lebanon
The next day we headed back up the hills to the north-east of Jounieh. Dominating the skyline of the bay is 'Our Lady of Lebanon', an amazing church accessed by a cable car heading up to the Harrisa area. We went to a launch north of the church, overlooking the bay, and, once again, Alan explained the local conditions and pointed out the cross-country options and landing areas.
We were joined by a tandem pilot and passenger, and after a bit of parawaiting, watched them take to the sky. Despite overcast conditions they appeared to be staying up. Alan sprang to life and was right behind them. This is a very nice site; on a good day you can get some pretty impressive height over the bay city itself, and it's a good cross-country kick-off point. The landing area is big and easy, and there are numerous bomb-outs along the beachfront, including near the hotel I was staying in.
Alan showed his local knowledge (and the impressive qualities of the Ozone Mantra) by slowly circling his way towards cloudbase. I knew my older Ozone Octane probably didn't have the legs, so I settled back into a buoyant trip to take some photos and video - the scenery on the way to the landing was incredible. I flew along the highway heading toward Beirut, following some weak but steady lift and taking photos all the way.
I could hear some helicopters, but couldn't see them at first. Sure enough the choppers were down over the beach in front of me, spectacular but at a safe distance. Alan had told me about their daily coastal patrol and he had called them earlier from his cell phone to inform them of our presence. As
I headed back north towards the landing area, I could see the impressive Roman archeological site called Byblos just north of it. Even if you bomb-out you can still have a great tourist experience, as the area is dotted with Roman ruins. The landing area is a choice of beach or a parallel ex-military zone, now a large grassy area. I flew the downwind leg looking for powerlines and any other hazards that might be on the landing field, and also noting where other pilots were already packing up their gliders. There was still an old unused machine gun bunker to remind you of the war over 10 years ago. It is now a large safe landing area and also on the local bus route. As far as I know, there aren't any issues with old land mines, unlike some other sites I have flown in Eastern Europe. Alan landed shortly after and we caught the bus back towards Jounieh, where Alan caught the cable car back up to the take-off to get his car and I continued back to the hotel.
The next day he picked me up from the hotel, and gave me a lift to Beirut airport, another demonstration of amazing local hospitality! All in all, I wish I'd had longer to spend than just a few days in Lebanon.
I really enjoyed the people, culture and the flying. The local pilots and the general public that I met in the streets were very friendly and really went out of their way to be helpful.
Author's note: The events this July have demonstrated just how fast local politics can change when you are travelling. Be fully aware of the current situation in countries you are visiting by regularly checking www.smarttraveller.gov.au , and also try to learn a little about the religion, customs culture of a country before you visit it, with www.wikipedia.org being a good starting point.
Sand, sand , sand
Beautiful Jounieh bay
An old Villiage centre
The Plane, The Plane !
Aland Debs, ready to fly. Coastal TO
TO with its own Plane
Alan climbing out, winter thermalling.
Friendly local kids, landing area
Alan launching, Jounieh bay
Alan, Jounieh bay
Alan, Jounieh bay
Local Tandem pilot
TO with a view
Jounieh bay, from my Octane
Jounieh bay, from my Octane
Lebanon
Paragliding
Paragliding
copyright mike annear 2007