Himachal
Paragliding
Paragliding: 5 Safety Tips
On April 7, 2019, a tourist from Kerala and his pilot jumped off a paragliding site in Kullu in a tandem flight. It was meant to be a joyride in the sky, an adventure to be remembered for days to come. But within minutes of the take off, the paraglider crash landed near the bank of Beas river in Dobhi village. Both the tourist and pilot were badly hurt and later succumbed to their injuries in a local hospital.
While the district administration closed the case terming it as an “accident,” these deaths have yet again raised a question mark over the safety standards practiced by the paragliding companies.
Just like Bir Billing, paragliding sites in Kullu district also witness crashes almost every year, prompting many to term the airborne sport as risky. But is it so? The WildCone spoke to a number of professional paragliders and safety experts and all of them had this unanimous view about paragliding: It’s as risky as driving a car home but you need to be careful and take precautions.
Suresh Kumar Thakur, a seasoned paraglider and a rescue expert from Bir Billing with more than two decades of experience, says, “I have been flying for more than Twenty years now and I can say this much that paragliding is one of the safest adventure sports. But then accidents do happen. There is always a risk involved even in driving if you are not being careful.”
According to Mr Thakur, pilot error is the number one reason why accidents happen and emphasizes that you must know your pilot before taking off.
“There could be a problem with the equipment or weather might be bad for flying but I have seen that in most cases it was the pilot that erred. So, besides other things like the condition of the equipment you must check about your pilot before going for tandem flying. You must take precautions” says Mr Thakur.
In this article, I am listing out the top tips these experts have shared for minimizing the risk factors and for you to have a safe tandem paragliding experience. Happy flying!
1. Check the company profile
There are dozens of companies in the valley that conduct tandem paragliding but not all of them are good or follow safety norms. So, before you choose one, do a background check on some of the top companies that conduct paragliding in Kullu-Manali. Find out about their track record in tandem paragliding, their experience in flying, and yes, check if there has been any accident involving these companies.
You can also check from friends, who have done paragliding, and take their feedback and then decide the one company with a good record. You should select a company having experienced pilots with clean flying records.
2. Check the pilot experience
As said earlier, most accidents are caused due to pilot error. Don’t fly with a pilot, who seems careless, lacks flying knowledge and shrugs off safety precautions. So, you need to be very very careful and should know in advance who your pilot is. You need to check the track record of your pilot before you leap off a hill. You also need to check whether a pilot is a drug addict or has alcohol problem (well, it’s true. There have been occasions when it came to light that some pilots were into drugs).
There are many licensed pilots in Kullu, some of them experienced and many of them plain greenhorns. Some of them may not even have a license to fly. Ask all the right questions about a particular pilot’s flying experience, his safety record etc. The idea is to be careful and take all precautions. Don’t fly with a pilot you think is amateur.
3. Check the flying equipment
Many a times, accidents have been caused by poor flying equipment. Before, you select a company, inquire about the condition of the canopy, harness, canopy lines, reserve parachute, carabiners etc as equipment malfunction can cause an accident. Check the condition of the helmets also. Check if they are using good quality safety equipment. Say yes to flying only when you are sure about the good condition of the flying equipment.
According to Suresh Kumar Thakur, advanced gear in paragliding has also become a cause of concern. “In recent years, paragliding has seen some really advanced gear that accelerate the flying speed. To handle such gear, you need experienced pilots. So again, fly with a pilot who is experienced, has good knowledge of flying and can handle advance gear,” says Mr Thakur.
4. Check the safety measures
You must also check if the company you are flying with has all the safety measures in place. All the companies, which conduct tandem paragliding, are supposed to be equipped with requisite safety measures and having medical and rescue teams in case of any mishaps.
5. Never fly in unsuitable weather conditions
It’s important that you fly in suitable weather conditions only. Ideally it should be a clear sunny day with smooth wind blowing. You should never say yes to flying if the weather is too windy or if it is lightening or there are too many black clouds forming.
A wind speed between 5 kms per hour to 20 kms per hour is considered ideal. Wind speed of 35 kms per hour and above is considered dangerous. Many pilots tend to take risk by flying in bad weather. A good pilot never does that and neither should you.
