A flight at Bir-Billing
- Shabbir Baldiwala
- Jun 12, 2022
- 2 min read
At a 2 hrs drive from Dharamshala, it is the best paragliding site in Asia and 2nd best in the world.
Adventure lovers throng to the place to experience the thrill of paragliding and to get a panoramic birds eye view of the hills and dales.
The procedure:
You need to report at Bir, the landing site, fill up some disclaimer forms and then you are transported by the operator to Billing, the take off site, which is at 45 mins drive from Bir and at an elevation of 2400 m.
Age limit is 12 yrs. Cost of the flight is ₹3000 per head. A pilot will guide you through the 15-20 min flight.
A guest weighing lower than 40kg may find it difficult to fly if wind speeds are high.
A video is shot on the GoPro and transferred to the guest’s mobile after landing. A few professional photographers may shoot your landing pics and you can take all the soft copies at ₹200.
The thrill:
To fly like a bird has always been a human fascination and paragliding comes very close to this wish.
It’s an exhilarating experience.
Even while waiting at the launch site, the sight of the colourful gliders billowing up in the wind before take off increases the pulse. There is a little bit of fear, a little bit of excitement and anticipation for our turn to come but it all depends on the wind…
We have to take off from a cliff with our pilot. When the wind is right, the pilot manoeuvres the glider like a kite and it swells up. At that time we have to run forward with all our might against the pull of the wind… If we do it right we can take off smoothly. If the wind changes we may not be able to take off well and we have to wait till the winds are in our favour.
Once you take off then you just sit back and enjoy the view. The pilot will manage the glider and land you safely.
The tips:
Wear comfortable clothes, preferably full pants and a full sleeved jacket.
Shoes are mandatory.
Avoid flying immediately after a heavy meal.
Early morning and late evening timings are the best due to low winds.
The theory:
The flight timing depends a little on the temperatures. Hot air keeps you in the air for a little longer.
But it also depends a lot on your luck.
The experience:
Personally, I didn’t have a good flight. The first attempt at take off failed and both myself, and the pilot were all over each other. At the second attempt, we managed to take off, but the glider didn’t open completely from one side and we couldn’t get the elevation. We managed to stay in the air for 8-9 mins and had to make an emergency landing before the designated landing area. It was a safe one though.
The others in our group had a very pleasant experience though.
“Man proposes, Nature disposes. “
Comments