VR prepares paragliders to soar above mountains in Erzincan

ERZİNCAN

In the eastern city of Erzincan, professionals from diverse fields are unwinding after long workdays by training with VR headsets, allowing them to simulate thrilling paragliding experiences before taking to the skies themselves.

Home to a landscape ideal for adrenaline sports, Erzincan attracts thrill-seekers year-round. Among the most popular outdoor activities is paragliding, which continues in all seasons thanks to the region’s favorable topography.

Participants begin with theoretical lessons and simulation training using virtual reality headsets, provided in coordination with the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK) and a local aviation and nature sports club.

Once prepared, they launch from the surrounding mountain slopes, filling the skies with colorful parachutes, especially on weekends.

Abdulkadir Eren, a lawyer and the president of the Erzincan Aviation and Nature Sports Club, described the region as a natural haven for outdoor activities.

Surrounded by mountains, Erzincan offers scenic and technically suitable flight routes for paragliding.

Stressing that many professionals today work under intense pressure, Eren said that locals often turn to rafting in the summer, skiing in the winter and paragliding throughout the year as a way to cope with stress.

Health worker and paraglider Yunus Kaya said he takes to the skies to escape the intensity of work stress and intertwine with nature, embracing Erzincan’s views from above as a form of release.

Betül Traş, a midwife who has been paragliding for three years at present, said the sport offers a unique opportunity to clear the mind and shed the stress of daily life. “We release the strain of our work and the challenges of working in the medical field in the sky.”

Yunus Emre Seçer, an aviation management sophomore and the president of the student aviation club, said he and students from various faculties are taking part in the training program. Describing their first jumps as exhilarating, he highlighted the importance of strengthening their skills through VR simulations.

Instructor Emre Aktepe, based at THK’s aviation training center in the city, explained that people from many different professional backgrounds come for training. After work, they head to the slopes to “spread their wings,” Aktepe said, inviting all aviation enthusiasts and extreme sports enthusiasts to the “capital of nature sports.”

National team paragliding athlete Adem Berk Aksoy echoed the sentiment, recommending the sport as a powerful outlet for anyone coping with professional stress.