Para Gliding

by: Dev Sri

A paraglider is the ultimate portable aircraft, entirely packing up into a rucksack when not in use! Originally based upon square ram-air parachuting canopies, modern paragliders have ample performance for soaring in the gentle lifting air on windward slopes, and in suitable conditions, thermal lift makes it possible to fly substantial distances across the country.

Paragliders have no rigid structure and are kept in shape by the internal pressure of air, with the pilot suspended by lines beneath. The pilot is clipped into a harness and oriented in a sitting position for maximum comfort. After laying out the wing and lines, launching is simply a matter of moving down the slope a few steps to tension the lines and allow the wind to inflate the wing and raise it above you. A short run forward to pick up airspeed and you're airborne!

The paraglider pilot launches by 'inflating' the paraglider canopy over his head and then running down the slope of the hill, into the prevailing breeze, until the canopy lifts him away from the surface of the earth. Also like hang gliding, paragliding is unpowered flight, with none of the complications that otherwise arise from the use of an engine.

In the smooth, calm air of early morning or evening, a paraglider pilot can, with a few easy steps, launch himself from any convenient hillside or mountaintop and glide smoothly and silently to a gentle landing hundreds or even thousands of feet below. And even if this were the only experience offered by the sport of paragliding, it would well be worth it for those of us who have dreamed throughout our lifetime of imitating the simple, unencumbered flight of the birds.

But paragliding offers more or in the more active air of midday, a paraglider pilot with more advanced skills and experience can launch into soaring conditions, where rising parcels of sun heated air can carry paraglider and pilot aloft, sometimes thousands of feet above the point of launch, allowing the pilots to fly freely for several hours.

One of the greatest appeals of paragliding is the elegant simplicity of the sport; from the equipment required to the techniques involved. The paraglider wing itself is a mere 15 pounds of nylon or dacron cloth, fabricated into a series of ram air inflatable cells, to which is sewn an array of thin supporting lines which attach to the pilot's harness. The entire system will fit in a corner of the trunk of your car, or onto a backpack that you can take with you on a hike.

Paragliding in Kerala

At Vagamon which is also known as the 'Scotland of Asia', with its rolling grass lands and with a history of the bygone British era with cool climate during most parts of the year conducts a paragliding festival. There are many tourist destinations in Kerala that provides paragliding training. Paragliding in India is highly popular at the tourist locations of Kerala. Kerala adventure paragliding is popular.

Reaching these places is very easy as all the modes of transport are easily available. The air, rail, and road transportation is well developed as many people from all over come for paragliding. Due to assume and easy travelling, more and more people have started paragliding at these popular regions in Kerala.