Paragliding in Romania

AZLR is the only Qualified Entity accredited by AACR (Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority) for AUN (Non-powered Ultralight Aircraft) in Romania.

What is needed to fly in Romania

  1. A VALID PILOT LICENCE IPPI MINIMUM LEVEL 4
  2. 3rd party insurance
  3. Submit a flight plan (VFR notification) for
    ANY TYPE OF PARAGLIDING ACTIVITY ( https://vfr.caa.ro/)
  4. It is forbidden to train foreign pilots by foreign instructors without licenses recognized by the Romanian state!
  5. Commercial tandem flying is forbidden!

In Romania for each flying day it’s mandatory to submit a flight plan (also called VFR notification). Once you have an account the process it is straight forward and it takes just a minute to submit one.

 

Failing to submit a VFR notification it is subject of fines, according to the law!

In the past years Romania became a known destination for paragliding trips, hosting competitions many competitions like Pre-Paragliding World Cups, 2 Paragliding World Cups and even accuracy Europeans.

The pilots loved the landscapes, the smooth conditions (compared to the Alps for example), the mixture of terrains and the people.

A mix of flying conditions is waiting for you, from hills flying in spring, to mountains in summer months. Even the flatland flying  si possible with flights over 300 km, in the Easter part of the country.

Romania offers a lot of flying places but some of them are difficult to reach or in order to reach them you will need 4×4 cars or you need to hike and fly.

 

People are friendly and polite, the youngsters speak English. In some areas people speak also Hungarian or German. On the country side probably you will encounter less English speakers, and, yet, the people are kind and helpful. Just be polite and it will be fine.

How to create an account

In order to create an account visit the page https://vfr.caa.ro/register

 

Fill in the data and submit a picture with an ID.  Keep in mind to provide a valid phone number because, in case of an accident or incident, it will be used to contact you. 

After this you will get a confirmation email. 

 

We recommend to create an account few days before going to fly because the account has to be approved. It will make things easier. 

Also save the login data on your phone too, it will be easier to mark yourself, in time, as ‘‘landed‘‘.

 

Next step is to add your glider ( or gliders if you have more than 1 with you) in the AIRPLANE section.

 

In this section, for the registration (matriculation) number we recommend to use this format, AZLR-INITIALS- a number/comp number. For example AZLR-JD-513.

 

AZLR is the acronym for Romanian Free Flight Association and it is differentiate the paragliders in the system.

Submit a VFR notification

You need to go to „MY FLIGHT” tab and select +New Fly Notification:

 

Now you can select one of the gliders previously added. 

 

Set the max altitude for your flight ( max altitude for VFR flights in Romania is 3050 m asl/ FL 105– the limit for class G airspace). Check also the airspace restrictions for the area you are planning to fly. 

 

Select the take off and the landing. In case you are planning a hike and fly you will need to add in advance the take-off and the landing in the MY AIRFIELDS tab, using the coordinates.

 

Select the take-off and landing time. The notification must be submitted 30 min before the flight start. After landing you MUST to close the flight within 15 min after landing, otherwise the Search and Rescue Activities will start. We recommend to set an alarm on your phone, with the declared landing time, as reminder to mark yourself as landed and to avoid unnecessary hales. If you are planning an XC flight, set the landing time accordingly, later on the day, but before sunset. 

 

Draw the planning route. In case of XC flying be sure to include the whole the area you are planning to fly. 

After you landed

After you landed you MUST to login into the account and mark yourself as LANDED ( MY FLIGHTS tab). This step it is mandatory, otherwise the search and rescue activities will start. It can be done by accessing the website using the phone.

 

In case you plan to fly in remote areas, with poor SIM connexion, it will be hard to end your flight because the lack of internet connection. Keep this in mind when you declare the landing time and be sure that at the declared time for landing you will be in area with phone coverage!

 

 

IMPORTANT: every pilot MUST submit a flight plan for himself, even if they travel with a group! Flight plans can’t be submitted for other pilots.  

 

For NOTAM warnings visit https://www.aisro.ro/  (Publications>        NOTAM). The Airspace map from XC Track it up to date too.

What flying conditions to expect

Medium thermal activity, weaker on the flats and stronger in the high mountains. It all depended on the area you are flying and the meteo conditions.

Where check the weather

Use the classic websites that you would normally use for Europe (Meteo Blue, Windy, Meteo Parapente etc)

Because in Romania we don’t have an dense network of weather stations, in some areas there is not enough real data collected and the forecast it is just purely simulation, therefore it can be inaccurate. 

The best is to compare different forests and models

Prices

Prices for accommodation and food are close to those in Europe, 

In some places, like country side, it can be a bit cheaper, while in big city areas they become more expensive. No worries, you have plenty of choices. 

Travelling

If you chose to come to Romania by plane we highly recommend to rent a car if you won’t want to spent countless hours in the buses or trains

Hike and Fly

Romania can be a good playground for hike and fly, especially for those who prefer remote places.

 

Dangers: bears. In Romania there are a lot of bears in the mountains. 

 

There are plenty of remote areas, with no villages or phone coverage. Plan the route accordingly and be sure you have a Live track device with you. 

 

Often the forecasts can be wrong, especially in the mountain areas, in mid summer with unstable air masses passing over the country. In these cases you can encounter strong storms, with large hail, gusts and heavy rain. 

 

Don’t forget the flight plan ( VFR notification)!

Popular flying places

Clopotiva, Hunedoara

When to go: from late March to October
Flying conditions: soaring + thermal
Terrain: mountains, hills, flats
Warnings: Power lines! Be aware that close to the take off, next to the landings, alongside the roads and over the entire on the valley there are plenty of power lines Not all are easy visible therefore pay extra attention at landing.
Access to take-off: by car. There is a shuttle that starts from the landing area if the weather is flyable. Contact the locals.
Wind Directions: N, NE, NW. ( with WNW the take-off is getting affected by lee)
Local Weather station: https://holfuy.com/en/camera/338

Note: In order to use the big landing area, the one next to the road with parking, you will have to pay a fee. Details at the lading bar.
There is another one (no fees) near by, a bit closer to the village, easy to spot by the wing sock.

In the area the thermals are smooth, with an average climbs of 2-3 m/s, weaker on the flats and stronger on the mountains. In the valley there are plenty of landable fields in case of bomb outs.
In case you land in a crop field, please be respectful and take your glider and packet it at the edge of the crop field.

Brasov area:
Bunloc - Postavaru - Lempes Hill

When to go: from late March to October
Flying conditions: thermal, XC, soaring (Lempes Hill)
Terrain: mountains, hills, flats
Warnings: This flying area is subject off TMA restrictions and it is regulated by NOTAM!
Contact the local schools or pilots for guidance and details.
Access to take-off: Details about the take-offs and access can be found here: https://paramania.ro/en/tandem-flights/flying-spots/
Wind Directions:
Local Weather station: Yes, ask the locals for the pass.

Note: Be aware that there are plenty of power lines and not all are easy visible. Pay extra attention before landing. In case you land in a crop field, please be respectful and take your glider and packet it at the edge of the crop field.

Uroi Hill, Hunedoara

When to go: anytime
Flying conditions: soaring, thermals
Terrain: hills, flats
Warnings: No
Access to take-off: by car or by foot (20 minutes)
Wind Directions: W, S, E
Local Weather station: https://meteo.paragliding-romania.ro/
Local club: Sky Free
Webcam: Leli Fly

Rimetea, Alba

When to go: from March to October
Flying conditions: thermals, XC, soaring
Terrain: hills + small mountains
Warnings: This area is part of LR and it a fighter train area. Before flying check here https://www.aisro.ro/ if the LR areas are activated ( Publications> NOTAM)
Access to take-off: by foot
Wind Directions: S, SE and SW on the other side of the valley
Local Weather station: https://holfuy.com/en/weather/243

Rapa Rosie + Daia Romana, Alba

When to go: anytime
Flying conditions: soaring
Terrain: hills
Warnings: This area is part of LR and it a fighter train area. Before flying check here https://www.aisro.ro/ if the LR areas are activated ( Publications> NOTAM)
Access to take-off: Rapa Rosie by foot. Daia Romana - can be accessed by car using a country road.
Wind Directions: W
Local Weather station: no

Valari, Sibiu

When to go: from March to October
Flying conditions: soaring
Terrain: hills + slow altitude mountains
Warnings: No
Access to take-off: by car
Wind Directions: S, SE, SW
Local Weather station: no

Priseaca, Prahova

When to go: from March to October
Flying conditions: Termaling + XC
Terrain: hills + small mountains and big mountains
Warnings: no
Access to take-off: accessible only with 4x4 car. On flying days the pilos go up with the help of a local farmer with a tractor. For details contact the local.
Wind Directions: SE, S, SW, WSW
Local Weather station: No

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