Lijak: reliable wind, long ridge.
Lijak is a takeoff at about 590 m above Nova Gorica, at the western end of the Vipava Valley. It's one of the most reliable takeoffs in Slovenia: the wind here is good on most days of the year. We usually drive up, but you can also hike.
- Flight
- Ride & Fly, Hike & Fly also possible
- Getting up
- By car, or about 500 m on foot
- Takeoff
- About 590 m
- Wind
- From SE to SW
- Landing
- A meadow by the Nova Gorica–Ajdovščina road, about 65 m
- Below you
- Nova Gorica and the lower Vipava Valley
- From Ljubljana
- About 75 min by car to the landing
- Season
- All year
Up by car, down by air
By car to the takeoff
One of the most reliable takeoffs in Slovenia
The local club, Polet Nova Gorica, counts about 300 flyable days a year at Lijak, and in winter it's the most visited takeoff in Slovenia. It usually works even when light bora is in the forecast.
Flying along the ridge
Lijak sits on a long ridge above the valley. When the wind blows up the slope, we can fly along the ridge instead of straight down. Most flights of local pilots are a run along the ridge to Čaven and back.
Why it's called Lijak
Lijak means funnel in Slovenian. The name comes from the steep, funnel-shaped slope above the Lijak spring.
Questions from the trail
Can we hike up instead?
Yes. Lijak is usually Ride & Fly, but we can also walk up: about 500 m from the valley.
Can you fly there when the bora blows?
Strong bora stops flying at Lijak too. With light bora, Lijak usually still works.
Keep exploring
Ready when the sky is.
Pick a flight and a date. I'll tell you where and when once the conditions are good. You pay only after the flight.