The Bir Billing Flying Squad
Courage in your heart, money cash in your pocket, and faith in the chap helping you fly is all it takes to jump in the air from a cliff. 3500 meters above the ground level, tied to a paraglider with the help of strings bungee cords, you got to accept as truth that you will make it through.
Mind is a bitch and sometimes it plays cruel games with you and coincidentally those free fall moments mark the start of one such game. To divert your mind you may ask questions like what lies on the other side of the mountain range on your left, right, and backside. You may ask your flying trainer about his certifications and his experience. However, that is not the best question you should ask when you are 3500 meters up in the air because considering the way(s) we get certificates in our country his certificate may or may not help you, after all we make doctors and engineers just like that.
If you are scared, you may ask about the emergency measures they take when you fall free or something goes wrong. Most of the times, this question pops up in your head when you look down, the thick forest looks like a garden of colorful shrubs not more than few meters in height. But when you realize that you are up in the sky, amidst the clouds, and sometimes high above them, it becomes your birthright to ask about the emergency measures because you never know, ways of God are just beyond our minds you see. Most of the times they will tell you it will take at least 15-20 minutes to land safely, emergency measures come after that. In case you fall down, the rescue team will definitely find your bones, they are too good at that.
A few days ago, perhaps on 14th October a trained and skilled pilot, a lady from Czechoslovakia died in the thick forest, which looks like garden of shrubs from the sky above. She was probably a participant in the upcoming Mini World Cup but harsh winds of the Lahaul Valley knocked her down. Nevertheless, if you have to go then you have to go. So we decided to go as well.
October 16 marks the start of the Mini World Cup in Bir-Billing Valley and we were lucky enough to fly amongst the most talented and best pilots of the world. Bir-Billing is amongst the best five flying sites of the world, arguably the second best site in the world. On October 15th, pilots were doing skill and still testing in the air. When you see someone flying in the air, like a bird, it makes you feel like jumping in the air and lose control but then you have to think about your bones also. The task is simple, wear the safety gear, understand the terminology, which is Run, Push, Don’t Sit, and that’s all. The take off site is approximately 2300 meters above the sea level, and when you look at people flying around you, it looks very easy.
The Take Off Site at Biling
The Landing Site at Bir
However, you have got to ask this from the man who fell down at the time of take off, injured his knee. You would also like to ask the same thing from the guy who left his one shoe at the take-off site because it slipped while taking off [how that happened, I do not know]. May be they did not find it easy.
Once in the air, you actually do not understand what’s happening because it is your first time. Once the wind starts making mystifying noises around you, and you start gaining height, and you see other gliders flying past you, you actually come to your senses. By the time you are asked to make yourself comfortable and be seated, you are in the clouds. And all of a sudden you see a guy waving his hand towards you from another cloud.
How do you feel then? I think putting that feeling in words is not my expertise as yet. I was wondering what would happen if we collide with another glider. I did not dare ask this question because you should not ask and know about everything. As you start making rounds in the air, just like an eagle or a hawk, your trainer would ask you, “How are you feeling sir?”
Mysterious Silence
If only you can tell him how you feel. I have never remained silent in my life for 45 minutes at a stretch, even when I am asleep I speak, well sometimes. But those 45 minutes in the air are and will remain an exception.
Pessimism, realism, practicality of life, and everything else goes out of the window when you are 3500 meters above the level tied to strings and relying on an unknown guy for your life.
Optimism and Faith work well though.
The Man who Lost his Shoe [yet enjoyed]
Best Time to Visit Bir-Billing: April-May and September-October
Contact Person: Arvind Paul (Champion 2010)
Contact Number: 9418610219, Reference: Sunny “Barot King” from Hamirpur
Flying Fee: 2000-3000 per flight per person, Negotiable though. If you can speak Pahadi, helps a great deal.
Nearby Places of Interest: Barot, Baijnath Temple, and Chaprot
1 comment:
This is fantastic! Reminds me of the dalhousie paragliding! All worth the 2000 bucks per person we had to somehow arrange for in those hills for one ride! :)
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