Main launch direction is NNW. This site is frequently used and offers good thermal soaring with cross-country (XC) potential. It tends to be busier than the South takeoffs, but the larger XC options are to the South. Most long flights do not stick to this 110 km low ridge but use it as one leg to go into the flats, either North or South. Please use common sense and obey the local rules. Region: South Africa Site record: 179.9 km Region: South Africa Site record: 58.2 km [NorthWest Paragliding League](https://www.facebook.com/NorthWestParaglidingLeague/) [Harties Site Guide](https://www.sahpa.co.za/site-guide/sites/harties/) Harties, short for Hartebeespoort, is a rocky mountain offering enjoyable flying with great cross-country potential in the North West province. Valley release conditions often prevail in the late afternoon, providing spectacular views from high above the mountain. This is a Sport-rated site due to its sensitive and complex nature, with significant hazards and logistical challenges. **Requirements:** - **Dam Access Clearance fees (mandatory)** - **Paraglider pilots:** SAHPA Membership and valid Sport license (plus 10 guided flights). Experienced Basic license pilots may obtain permission to fly under supervision. - **Hang-glider pilots:** SAHPA membership and valid C License. - **Foreign Pilots:** IPPI-5 and a valid SAHPA Foreign Membership. - New or visiting pilots should seek advice from local senior pilots as this is a complex, sensitive, and challenging site requiring a detailed briefing and oversight. **Site Rules:** - Do not break airspace restrictions. - Pilots must have a paragliding radio, reserve, and vario at all times. - If you are new to the site, you must fly with a mentor. - Do not fly commercial tandem without prior permission. - Respect property owner rules. - The site is self-governed; senior pilots who love and know the site will request a track-log from any pilot seen (or reported) breaking airspace. Pilots under investigation for airspace transgression will be denied access to the site pending the outcome of the investigation. **Dam Access Clearance (DAC):** This has been around for over two decades and is vital for pilots landing directly below launch on the North Side of the mountain. From the Fly Harties website: “It takes all of us to keep this option open. Every DAC cent goes into keeping this landowner happy. Without permission to land on his property, north side flying would become almost impossible for some, and a larger challenge than necessary for others. Even the best pilots pay a visit to north side landing. No money from DAC goes to the Harties Cableway. Our rental agreement with the landowner is R800 per month.” **Day Pass:** DAC R60 + R140 Cableway Ticket = R200.00 Payable in full at the Cableway Ticket Office. **Month Pass:** DAC R30 + R270 Cableway Ticket = R300.00 Payable in full at the Cableway Ticket Office. **12 Month Pass:** DAC must be paid at the same time as the Cableway Season Card. DAC R350 + R1000 Cableway Season Card = R1 350.00 Payable in full at the Cableway Ticket Office. Please present your SAHPA membership and SACAA license to the ticket office when purchasing any of the above options. The cableway refunds the DAC portion to FlyHarties to pay rental on north side landing. **Airspace:** The airspace ceiling is 700m ATO (2300m ASL) and rises to 1700m ATO (3300m ASL) 7km to the west. Be careful not to enter restricted airspace. **Weather:** - North West (NW) to North East (NE) - South (S) to South East (SE) **Launch Sites:** Purchase your cableway ticket at the ticket office. Take the cablecar up and follow the walkway to the top. **South Side Launch:** There is a ramp directly in front of a beautifully manicured lawn. Exceptionally good wing handling is required as the area is small and often littered with tables, umbrellas, and guests. **North Side Launch:** Accessed via a gate between the Pizza Restaurant and the Kiddies Zone. Ask at the Pizza place for the gate to be unlocked. It is a shallow rocky slope dotted with thorn trees and shrubs. The slope angle is very close to the glide angle of a wing, and pilots can expect a fair distance of ground skimming before being fully clear of the mountain. Do not sit too soon as last-minute running or rock hopping could make the difference between flying or crashing. When launching, take note of the scattered trees and shrubs and look past them, not at them. **Landing Sites:** **South Side Landing:** Landing is on the school fields to the right of launch (West of the Cableway) and any open field not surrounded by fencing. There is no safe landing directly below launch on the south side, so make sure you have enough glide to make it to landing. Leave the ridge early to avoid landing in a tree. Be on the lookout for power lines and communication cable lines: there are plenty. Also, make sure that the field you land in has an exit that is open; otherwise, you could spend hours trying to exit. **North Side Landing:** It is located on private property directly below launch, behind the hydroponic tunnels. There is a wind sock on landing. The gate has a combination lock, the code available on request on the Cableway WhatsApp Group. To exit, use the large sliding gate with combination lock (1920). The landing area is flanked by a crocodile farm and predator game farm to the west and a private game farm to the East where access is tightly controlled with electric fencing. Do not land in these areas. **Notes for Hang-Glider Pilots:** The minimum requirement to fly a hang glider from Harties is a C-License. It is strongly advised that new or visiting pilots seek advice from local senior pilots as both north and south side launches are technical and require a proper briefing. The cableway operator will load Hang Gliders once in the morning (8:30) and once in the evening (5 pm) on the service car. Access needs to be cleared with the Cableway the day before by contacting the General Manager at jackl@hartiescableway.co.za. There is very limited space for a hang glider to land on either the north or south side directly below the mountain. Most hang gliding pilots land at Jasmyn (windmill) on the south side or open fields near Xanadu Eco Estate. On the North side, be aware of open fields at big center pivots on Zilkaats Private Estate. The gate requires resident security to open and a very long walk out is guaranteed. We suggest picking an open field that is closer to Brits and the highway, watch out for overhead crop irrigation and power lines near the pub to the west of the road to Brits. **Notes for Commercial Tandem Pilots:** Commercial Tandem flights may only be flown by tandem pilots who are approved by Harties Cableway Management and FlyHarties Committee. No more than 5 flights per day may be flown by one TFI pilot. The safety of guests at the Cableway is paramount. Launching in back wind or zero wind is not permitted. TFI pilots wishing to fly commercially at the cableway must contact the FlyHarties committee for review and permission to be included on the Management list. Any non-registered Tandem Pilot found to be charging passengers for a flight will be heavily fined and their membership and access denied for three months. This rule includes launching from the North side or any of the Eastern, South Eastern launches. This is a club rule and not a site ownership rule. Free private tandem flights with family or friends are permitted. The Cableway and FlyHarties Club and its associates accept no responsibility for pilots or their passengers. All tandems may only launch from North Side or South Side Ramp and not off of the Eastern launch areas. This is for passenger safety. The FlyHarties Team has zero tolerance for tandem pilots who place their passengers at risk and warns pilots that they will be severely dealt with if any passenger sustains an injury due to negligence. Conditions are not always suitable for tandem flying, take conditions into careful consideration and make the correct call for the day. Always put safety first! **Airspace Restrictions:** The Harties site is situated close to several international airports and military air bases. Pilots must remember that the privilege to use this site exists only because of delicate, ongoing negotiation with Air Traffic Control. Should paragliding pilots break the airspace boundaries, this site may be shut down at a moment's notice. It is therefore mandatory to fly with an instrument that logs the flight and provides live information to the pilot. If the track log is called for, it has to be submitted to the committee. If not, then an immediate ban of 3 months will be enforced. Repeated violations will not be tolerated and the pilot will be denied access to the site. [FlyHarties Club](https://www.flyharties.co.za/) **PG:** Grade: Basic (with airspace restrictions question answered) requires SAHPA Basic License or equivalent IPPI 4, with a minimum of 80 flights. Sign-off required by a mentor. This site is renowned for cross-country flying as well as the hospitality of the Harties Cableway and pre-flight pizza on top. To get the most out of your experience, to remain safe, and to keep our site open, please kindly familiarize yourself with the airspace and landing restrictions. DAC Fee + Cableway Ticket required. Present SAHPA license for ticket. Airspace: Ceiling 700 meters ATO. **Site Rules:** 1. Do not break airspace. Ever! 2. Paragliding radio, reserve, vario at all times. 3. Fly with a mentor if you are new to the site. Always! 4. Do not fly commercial tandem unless pre-approved. 5. Please respect property owners' rules. The site is self-governed; senior pilots who love and know the site will request a track-log from any pilot seen (or reported) breaking airspace. Pilots under investigation for airspace transgression will be denied access to the site pending the outcome of the investigation. **PG: Sport (Plus 10 guided flights)** **HG: C License** Airspace ceiling is 700m ATO (2300m ASL), and rises to 1700m ATO (3300m ASL) 7km to the west. Be aware of airspace. **Description:** Slight grassed rocky mountain offering enjoyable flying with great cross-country potential. Often valley release conditions prevail late afternoon offering spectacular views from high above the mountain. **Wind:** NW – NE, S – SE **Launch:** Purchase your cableway ticket at the ticket office. Take the cablecar up and follow the walkway to the top. South side launch is off the ramp in front of the beautiful green lawn. The north side is accessed via a gate between the Pizza Restaurant and the Kiddies Zone. Ask at the Pizza place for the gate to be unlocked. **Landing:** South side – School Rugby fields to the West of the Cableway. Or any open area of land directly in front of launch. North side – Landing on private property at Hydroponic tunnels. To exit use large sliding gate with combination lock (1920). The landing area is flanked by a crocodile farm and predator game farm to the west and a private game farm to the East – access is tightly controlled with electric fencing. Do not land in these areas. [The Dam Site](https://stpxml.sourceforge.net/Sites/TheDam/TheDam.html) Season: Feb-May, Sept/Oct. About 300m high North or South facing ridge. Cable car from the South to the top. Rated an Advanced site. Basic pilots need a certain number of flights before flying there and have to be signed off by a Sports-rated member. South takeoff is a ramp with a cliff takeoff. North side is a shallow slope. In the dry season, the site has lots of dusties, whirlys kicking off on the North side. The site is under the JHB TMA. Maximum height gain from takeoff is 700 meters. Predominant wind direction is NW. One can fly a maximum of 30 km under the TMA towards Pretoria before reaching the CTR and having to land at Macro or Laudium.