Obermaubach

Obermaubach is a launch on an upper slope above the Rur valley near Düren, at about 250 m facing north to northwest, reached on foot, and sitting inside a protected FFH habitat area — which shapes almost everything about how the site can be flown. Only pilots holding the full, unrestricted paragliding license may fly here, flying is only permitted from 1 April to 30 September each year (nothing at all outside that summer half-year), and dusk flights should generally be avoided. Launching and landing are only allowed at the designated spots, the launch itself is foot-access only with no vehicles or parking on the forest tracks, and a briefing is required before anyone's first flight — beginners and unbriefed pilots don't get launch clearance here. Nearby mapped nature-conservation and FFH zones, including their buffer areas, may only be overflown at a minimum of 300 m AGL, and that same 300 m rule extends to other protected areas in the wider region and to the Eifel National Park. Because a flight above 300 m can reach farther sensitive zones, pilots are expected to carry a map of the district's FFH areas in flight (a GPS device works) and never land in their open ground. During military flying hours, the low-level training zone Area 8 also applies.

Local rules & hazards

This site sits inside a protected FFH habitat area: only pilots with the full, unrestricted license may fly here, a mandatory briefing applies before anyone's first flight, and beginners and unbriefed pilots get no launch clearance. Flying is permitted only from 1 April to 30 September each year, with dusk flights generally avoided. Nearby nature-conservation and FFH zones, including buffer areas, may only be overflown at a minimum of 300 m AGL — the same applies to other protected areas in the region and the Eifel National Park — and pilots should carry a map of the district's FFH areas in flight, since landing in their open ground is forbidden. Military low-flying activity in Area 8 also applies during operating hours.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Obermaubach, read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Obermaubach with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.