A group of paragliding and hang gliding enthusiasts is seeking permission from Forsyth County Parks & Recreation to use Sawnee Mountain north of Cumming as a take-off site.
Representatives of the Southern Para Pilots flying club made a presentation Wednesday night to the parks board. They were asked to return to the board's next meeting July 6, when a vote may be taken on their request.
The organization of 80 members, mostly from the Atlanta area, proposes using the Barker House on Sawnee Mountain as a sanctioned site of the U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association for takeoffs and for limited parking.
Between two to eight pilots at a time might fly on a weekend when weather conditions allow. The group would arrange for landing sites from area landowners, conduct 5 to 10 test flights in varying wind conditions, initially open the site only to higher-rated pilots, and provide the county with a certificate of insurance.
“This site will be the only site in the entire Southeast that is close to a large population center. As such, and with the county’s support, it has the potential to become a major training and tandem flight center,” the club said in its presentation.
Sawnee Mountain Preserve, a 963-acre Forsyth Parks property, is 40 miles north of Atlanta. Southern Para Pilots' current flying sites in Georgia are Pigeon Mountain near LaFayette and Bell Mountain near Hiawassee. For information: http://www.southernparapilots.org/
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