The 14 hour flight had me re-check my passport over 20
times, 6-movies seen back to back, AND soaked up all the prep material saved by
me, on paragliding. Turns out that paragliding
grew out of parachuting. In the 1960's, the military needed to train
parachutists on how to perform safe landings. Repeatedly going up and down in an air-plane to drop the parachutists was complicated and time-consuming. In order
to fit more landing practice into a day, they would attach the parachutists to
a truck with a tow rope.
As the vehicle picked up speed, the parachutist would
float higher and higher. Then the parachutist would release the tow rope and
descend back to earth. Many parachutists soon became more interested in the
floating part than the landing part. For fun, they would launch themselves off
steep hills and parachute to the ground below, experimenting with how they
could harness air currents to stay in the air longer. A new sport was born.
The elliptical-shaped parachute or wing that is used to
fly by para-gliders actually folds up to the size of a backpack when it's not
used. This makes the tool-kit of paragliding considerably lighter and more
convenient to transport than hang gliders. Para-gliders use air currents and own
body weight, to fly to heights of 23,000 feet with mere paragliding sails. Imagine
the solitude, the incredible peaceJ
Now for the hard training part, the real practice on the
ground. This is the most vital skill of handling the wing on the ground. My instructor first talked me through the
technique, a detailed 101. The romanticism of paragliding being all fun was
soon dispensed with. The first step is
to push the face in the direction of the wind and walk/run forward, it is this,
that helps the launch, the take off. Simultaneously you pull on the wing, which causes
it to start filling with air. Soon, the wing transforms from a piece of elliptical
fabric dragging behind you on the ground into an inflated canopy rising over
your head. I saw myself transformed into a kite. I was never good at kite
flying, would cut my hand on the thread a zillion times, could never take off
the kite from the ground, so I started getting cold feet about paragliding and
almost ditched the flying! I did even
consider taking the option of the tandem ride, where you can enjoy the
experience without being responsible for controlling the glider. But being a
coward aint my middle name! JJ
Tom (my patient instructor) calmly kept talking me though
airflow and how it works like the brakes of a car. This analogy helped me gain
control of my runaway emotions.. At this point, the wing (the elliptical
fabric) is above my head, catching some airflow. To retain control of the wing,
I was taught to do an overhead check to ensure the wing is fully inflated and
no lines are tangled. Post check I had to run down my designated slope to work
up to flying speed. The wing slowly rises and gently picks you up with it. You
look down and your feet are no longer touching the ground. You're flying!
It is scary, unnerving and equally overwhelming. You have
to let go of the fear soonest, to control your flight. There is no one else up there
to help you! This is cut loose freedom like never known before, I was soon a soaring
bird in my mindJ
I was taught in my 4-5 hours of 101 to work with the airflow
to create the lift. Air flows over both the top and the bottom of the glider
and meets at the edge. Aerodynamics predict that the pressure on the bottom of
the glider is higher than on the top of the glider. This creates lift upwards. So
tugging the lines, shuffling own body weight, manoeuvring the glider to ensure
a constant inflow of air current, is the challenge and the thrill. Wont go into
the details of my 101 in terms of 3 basic types of rising air etc.…J , suffice to say, took all
my being to remember the steering and controlling the wing lessons, while I was
up in the sky
If I wanted to turn to the right, I pulled on the right
control and released pressure on the left. This made the right side of the wing
fly slower and the left faster. Before you know it, the glider smoothly angles
rightJ, of
course, it's all a matter of finesse and practice. Yanking on the controls can
cause the wing to act unpredictably. So its important to stay calm in the head
when sailing in the skies.
If for some reason the wing begins to deflate, due to
turbulent air or own miscalculation, 9 out of 10 times it usually re-inflates on
its own. In the rare instance it doesn't, there is an emergency parachute, which one has to deploy
I think I went into some details on this post, with the
hope that some of you readers will bite the bullet when an opportunity arises.
Go for it. Flying high above with no noise, no person, is an experience one can
only feel and cherish. No words can do justice to the feelings, when, up above.
