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About Paragliding
Dare to fly high and touch the skies! Then how about getting involved in some air sports and make sky as your playground. Paragliding is a blend of skydiving and hang gliding and also the best way to conquer your fear of heights.
There isn't much differnce between para sailing and Paragliding, except that para sailing is done on the beach and the parachute is tied with a boat. But in paragliding the launch site for the gliders ususally involve gentle hill sides. Since paragliders do not have to withstand the stresses of free-fall deployment, they are much lighter and aerodynamic and are designed to go up rather than down.
Paragliding Tips
Paragliding is the most simple form to fly and all you require is a para glider. A paraglider is a non-motorized, foot-launched inflatable wing, which is easy to transport, launch, and land. It is constructed of rip-stop nylon or high stress polyester fabric. The pilot is clipped into a harness and is in a comfortable sitting position. The harness and the Paraglider attached by sturdy kevlar lines. The Para gliders can fly in the air for hours with the help of the glider and climb to altitudes, more than 10,000 feet high or opt for cross-country flying adventure covering vast distances.
Ofcourse you need to be physically fit, but do not try to make too many stunts in this sports as its an out door activity and Mother Nature is full of surprises. But if you are mentally alert and strong, you can by pass any hurdle of paragliding. You need to know how to fly a glider. If you are new to this sport, better learn the basics first. The basic techniques of para gliding include – launching, turning and landing.
Paragliding Equipments
The essential equipment consists of a glider, which when inflated offers resistance to the thermal currents and retards the rate of descent, a harness that attaches the paraglider firmly and safely to the pilot. It is so designed that it can be released quickly to avoid injury, by dragging the pilot over the ground after landing.
A helmet and a reserve parachute are for the pilot's safety and a variometer to gauge the ascent or descent of the glider. For those who cannot afford the equipment cost or do not have the time to learn flying, there is an alternative. One can sit alongwith an experienced pilot in a Tandem Glider, a two-seater and while the pilot manoeuvers the glider, one can sit back and enjoy the thrill of nonpowered flying. Similar to any other adventure sport, there is a risk factor involved in paragliding, but in recent years, improved equipment and techniques have created an amazing safety record for the sport.
Major Paragliding Sites In India
Paragliding in Himachal Pradesh:
Billing in Himachal is a renowned Paragliding site and to check out the panoramic views of the Dhauladhar ranges. Solang makes a good beginner site in Paragliding. Bijli Mahadev is an excellent site for hill launching and has ideal conditions for thermal soaring. This ridge site can be approached fom Kullu and landing can be made at the Bhuntar airport. Another popular site in Bandla ridge, near Bilaspur at a height of 2, 600ft. Some other paragliding sites are located in the Trans-Himalayan region of Himachal, that is Lahaul & Spiti, Arhaul-Anu near Rohru and Garhalla Talab in Chopal in Shimal district.
Paragliding in Uttaranchal:
Garhwal makes para gliders paradise, with the Great Himalayas in North and the plains of Terai region in the south. The unique topography makes Garhwal an excellent destination for both experinced and beginner para gliders. Joy rides as well as trauining courses are also availabe for Paragliding in Garhwal. While joy rides are ususally tandem flights, accompained by a trained flier, training are for those who are new to paragliding and para sailing. Some ideal gliding sites include Naukutchiyatal in Nainital, Dayara Bugyal, Pratap Nagar, Dhanolti Ridge in Garhwal and Bedni Bugyal in Kumaon.
Paragliding in Rajasthan:
The open countryside of Rajasthan also offers gliding oppurtunites that can prove remarkable, and with permission from civil aviation authorities, these may be organised in several cities of Rajasthan where there are runways and strips available. These include Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner and Kota.
Paragliding In Maharashtra:
The flying in Maharashtra is almost entirely on the Western Ghat hill range, which run in an almost unbroken line from Gujarat in the north, to the Nilgiri Hills on the southern tip of India. Flying tends to be centred on the affluent region around Mumbai and Pune, but there is plenty of potential elsewhere in the state for pilots who are prepared to explore. Popular flying areas, include the hill stations and fort sights of Maharashtra: Matheran, Deolali, Mahabaleshwar, Singhgad and Panchgani.
Paragliding Places in India:
- Billing, HP
- Kullu, HP
- Solang, HP
- Lahaul & Spiti, HP
- Naukutchiyatal, Nainital
- Dayara Bugyal, Garhwal
- Dhanolti Ridge, Garhwal
- Bedni Bugyal, Kumaon
- Jaipur, Rajasthan
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