{"id":20768,"date":"2026-10-06T11:38:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T09:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ojovolador.com\/?p=20768"},"modified":"2026-10-06T11:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T09:47:08","slug":"paragliding-son-veri-mallorca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ojovolador.com\/en\/paragliding-son-veri-mallorca\/","title":{"rendered":"Paragliding in Son Ver\u00ed and the \u201cprivate sky\u201d syndrome: will seagulls be fined next?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Opinion \u00b7 Ojovolador editorial.<\/strong> This article expresses Ojovolador\u2019s editorial position.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Paragliding<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Paragliding in Son Ver\u00ed, Mallorca, Spain, is once again in the crosshairs of a handful of seafront residents. At Ojovolador we are clear: the sky above the cliff has no owner.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long before concrete colonised the clifftop between Son Ver\u00ed Nou and Cala Blava<\/strong>, before the infinity pools and the picture windows overlooking the Bay of Palma, the sea wind was already striking that limestone wall. And there, riding pure, clean dynamic lift, unpowered wings were already floating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, that same relief has become yet another stage on which property privilege seeks to privatise even the rising air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The paradox of the seagull and the paraglider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The recurring complaint borders on the aeronautically absurd: residents annoyed because a paraglider passes a few metres from the edge of the coast. It is worth reminding them of the most basic physics of ridge soaring: an unpowered aircraft does not stay up on a whim or out of a desire to peek into a garden; it stays up because the sea air is forced to rise over the cliff face. Move away from the compression zone and you end up in the water; push too far in and you enter the lee side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilot is not after anyone\u2019s privacy. With both hands on the brakes, feeling the internal pressure of the profile, reading the tension in the lines and anticipating the path ahead, the last thing on their mind is what brand of towel has been left by the pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What comes next in the complaints to the Harbour Master, the Coastal Authority and AESA? Demanding a restraining order against seagulls for violating the terrace\u2019s visual \u201ceasement\u201d? Nature flies where the wind blows, and free flight does exactly the same.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Paragliding<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Paragliding in Son Ver\u00ed: the majority who watch versus the minority who litigate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You only need to walk along the Son Ver\u00ed promenade on a day with a steady sea breeze to see the reality on the ground. Dozens of walkers, families and local residents stop, fascinated by the silent spectacle of paragliders suspended against the Balearic sunset. For the vast majority, paragliding is not a nuisance but an added value to the landscape: fabric, wind and sea in perfect harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conflict arises, invariably, when a tiny handful of owners with a well-stocked contact list and a direct line to certain newsrooms decide that their square metre of plot includes sovereignty over the surrounding airspace. They pull strings, write alarmist complaints and feed biased headlines to turn a noble, eco-friendly sport into a public-order problem.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Paragliding<\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That is what we have seen with TV3\u2019s recent report on flying in the area. C\u00e9sar Canudas<\/strong>, a sport pilot living in Mallorca who is leading the defence of paraglider pilots\u2019 rights in this dispute, has responded with a reply on Instagram<\/a> that we recommend watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is ironic that in a country like Spain \u2014 an undisputed reference and a world power in paragliding and paramotoring, home to world champions and a pioneering free-flight industry \u2014 there are attempts to criminalise one of the most respectful ways of interacting with the natural environment. It is not the first time: we already saw it with the unfounded accusations about Egyptian vultures and paragliders<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical and legal framework: the facts versus alarmism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n