Flying over Lake Como
Altolario represents the only wonderful and convenient opportunity to live the flight experience over Lake Como.
Every one of our take-offs is directed South (with the alternatives from East to West) and so they are privileged views of Lake Como. With each flight you will find wonderful landscapes, characterized by a continuos contrast between the deep blue of the water, the changing colours of woods and the white of the Alpine peaks.
The usual take-offs do not have high altitude (about 1.000 - 1.250m amsl), therefore they are easily reachable by car or thanks to a shuttle service (see homepage).
For the hiking lovers, there are innumerable trails suitable for many different abilities.
The commonly used landing is a large field close to Gera Lario harbour, which is directly under the take-off, easily landable and at the lake level (about 200m amsl).
The main "risk" to always take into account is the Breva (from here the club name), a thermal wind coming from the lake that in springtime and summertime can be often quite strong in the afternoon, sometimes making the flight problematic and even dangerous (however, nearby there are many other alternative landings).
For this reason, we
recommend the pilots who don't know this area to avoid the afternoon hours in springtime and summertime, or at least to pay much attention and adequately inform oneself before flying here.
It might be useful to call our weather station "Eolo" (+393347040908), placed at 1.700mt amsl (about 500m over the take-off).
An automatic voice will give you live information about temperature, maximum and actual speed, wind direction and trend.
For the non-pilots interested in a flight experience, it's possible to book tandem flights with serious and expert pilots.
For any information, you can contact us.
Click to view
the satellite image of our take-offs and landings, reading the detailed description in the sections below.
Montemezzo (Location La Piazza):
Altitude: 1.250 mt amsl
Drop: 1.050 mt ca (landing in Sorico or Gera Lario)
Description: This is our main and classic take-off, with South-East / South / South-West exposure.
It's a take-off representing no difficulties, quite large, grassy and not steep. The predominant wind is the Breva, coming from South / South-West. As already said, during springtime and summertime afternoons one could find intense winds, particularly at landing, although often allowing pleasant and fun soaring-flight with top-landing opportunity.
This take-off is reachable by car from Gera Lario following the direction to Montemezzo village before and then to Montemezzo mounts (about 12km of paved road in 30 minutes ca.). The take-off is exactly at the end of the street, walking finally less than 3 minutes.
Sorico (Location Fordeccia):
Altitude: 1.050 mt amsl
Drop: 850 mt ca. (landing in Sorico or Gera Lario)
Description: This is our "winter" take-off, mainly used when the snow doesn't allow to reach by car the classic take-off of Montemezzo. It also has a South-East / South / South-West exposure and it basically presents the same features of the previous take-off.
It's reachable by car from Gera Lario following the same street to Montemezzo, but turning right before Montemezzo village towards Bugiallo before and then Bugiallo mounts. (about 10km of paved road in 25 minutes ca.). The take-off is exactly at the end of the street.
2km further, in location San Bartolomeo, there is also a take-off for hang-gliding.
Sorico (Mount Berlinghera):
Altitude: 1.900 mt amsl
Drop: 1.700 mt ca. (landing in Sorico or Gera Lario)
Description: This take-off is not reachable by car and so it is a good opportunity to make a beautiful and not too hard excursion trough our mountains before the flight.
The destination is the Mount Berlinghera (1.930 mt amsl), above Sorico village.
It's reachable by car following the same street of the previous take-off to San Bartolomeo little church (1.250 mt amsl), then going on on foot for about 2 hours, crossing at the beginning a fantastic pinewood and then enjoying wonderful views of the Lake Como.
The take-off is just a bit under the peak, completely grassy, very large, not steep and with the same previous exposure. Wind conditions are equal to the other take-offs.
Montemezzo (Weather station "Eolo"):
Altitude: 1.750 mt amsl
Drop: 1.550 mt ca. (landing in Sorico or Gera Lario)
Description: Also this take-off is not reachable by car, but only after an other beautiful excursion (about 1.30 h - 500 mt drop), starting from Montemezzo - La Piazza take-off and then crossing the wood towards Sasso Canale (2.397 mt) up to our weather station.
The take-off is grassy, large enough and quite steep, with the usual exposure and wind condition.
Vercana (above Alpe Graglio):
Altitude: 1.800 mt amsl
Dislivello: 1.600 mt ca. (landing in Sorico or Gera Lario)
Description: This take-off is reachable after hiking about 2.00 h, leaving the car in location Tabbiadello in the Vercana Mounts (1.000 mt ca.) and going on on foot towards location Pighè before, then Alpe Graglio (easily recognizable by the presence of a cowshed) after a wood. Further it's possible to take-off from everywhere at different altitudes. The take-off conditions are the same of the previous one.
Gera Lario:
Altitude: 200 mt amsl
Description: Immediately after the take-off one can see the landing, a large field close to Gera Lario harbour.
The landing area is relatively easy and big.
Please always be careful to wind intensity, taking a look at the lake from noon and later in springtime and summertime: colour, waves, kitesurf and windsurf presence are very useful clues).
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