Flatlands of Macedonia

Situated at an altitude of 1350m, Krushevo is the highest town in the Balkans, 159 km from the capital Skopje, 55 km from Bitola, 32 km from Prilep, and only 68 km from the Macedonian – Greek crossing border “Medzitlia – Niki”. Main takeoff places are East and West starts. Very comfortable even for beginners, they also enjoy excellent roads connections.

On a typical day you will be driven to the take off. There you'll be given site and weather brief. Once everyone is ready we'll set a task to fly and then take off together, flying as far as possible, under radio guidance, as a team.

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Travel

You can fly into Skopje International Airport in Macedonia or Thessaloniki Airport in North Greece. We will organise airport pickups based on your timing, cost of transport to be shared by pilots on the same taxi.

Accomodation

We will be staying at Hotel Montana Palace located on the edge of town, where we've booked rooms on a twin sharing basis with breakfast. You can book a room through us or choose to stay in one of the many villas offering accommodation in town, to suit all budgets. Partners are welcome too.

Fees & Dates

Guides :
Richard Binstead
Duration : 7 days
Dates : July 21 - 27, 2024
Guiding Fees : £700
includes
XC guidance
daily mountain transport
full retrieve service
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Flying Sites

East Start 1420m ASL (41.340802, 21.256547)
It is facing east – northeast towards Pelagonia Valley. It is several minutes drive from the town and an asphalt road goes almost through the launch. When you take the paraglider out from the car, it is already on the place where it should be open. Lazy pilots will love this launch. East Start is a grassy shallow slope bordered by big trees from the South, which offers thick shadows in sunny days.

West Start 1440m ASL
It’s a secondary smaller take off place facing west – southwest, it is 500 meters away from East Start. Cars, again, can be driven right up to the launch. The same cross-country flights can be done from here. Landing fields under this launch are smaller than on the other side of mountain where there are very large fields, mostly grassy.

Pilot Level & Suitability

These XC trips are suitable for XC pilots of all levels.

The launches are generally smooth but steep and grassy with a gentle up-slope breeze. As XC pilots, you should all be good enough to fly from there with no problems so there won't always be a take-off instructor there.

Please remember that although you are on a course and we are giving you guidance, where possible, you must be self-reliant and be able to make your own decisions as well. If you bomb out then it is sometimes possible get a lift back up to take-off for another “free flight”.

Please be aware of your own physical and mental limits throughout the tour and on each flight. We aim to do a lot of flying and this can be tiring, especially in heat that you may not be used to, so please be realistic and fly within your comfort and skill levels, landing early if you feel tired, or selecting more relaxing flatland flights, if you feel you have had too much of the mountain conditions.

Typical Routes

Home thermals are everywhere: on the left, on the right side from the take off and sometimes straight ahead. All kind of different cross-country flights can be made from East start.

Usual flights are out-and-return to town Prilep to the East, all kind of triangles and zigzags in the valley or over the ridge or distance flights to the South up to the Greek border. Coming back from the South is quite difficult because in “normal” summer afternoon light north wind is blowing through the valley. A good road connection helps coming back.

90km triangle from Krushevo 65km free flight from Krushevo

Trip Checklist

01.

Flying Kit

We assume that you will arrive with a functional paraglider, harness and reserve parachute, vario/gps.

We recommend you bring along your own trackers (Inreach / Spots).

The weather is nice and warm, good enough to fly in shorts and a thin flying jacket and gloves.

02.

Insurance

It is essential that you have travel insurance which covers you in respect of the following :
1. Medical Treatment
2. Medical Repatriation
3. Search & Rescue by helicopter

We will hand out a central grab sheet form, where we would like all pilots to fill in their emergency contact details, insurance policy and contact numbers.

This grab sheet also mirrors all the Risk Acceptance sign offs that are a part of this document. Please give it a good read and make sure you understand and accept the risk involved.

Krushevo, Macedonia XC