Sammy Dag Ravi Bandya Vinya Sandeep Ganesh and Pushkar drove out to Panchgani on Monday morning where they enjoyed 4 great days of fun flying. On the weekend they came back to Native Place with strawberries, Sanjay took the wine up from Mumbai and Dag served up his famous strawberries and red wine desert at Native Place … Divine!
Guys you missed it
… so did I L
Astrid
This June, Daniel Fernandes accompanied Ravi, Vinya, Bandya and Sandeep on their Bir Billing flying trip. After a day exploring Delhi en route from Mumbai they headed up the mountains further north to cooler climes and peaceful familiar surroundings.
It was raining when they got there and after a few days of being holed up in their rooms’ playing cards and relaxing the weather cleared and it was time to take off.
This time around they tasted the magic of Billing with many XC flights to the Red Temple, Golf Course and Big Face and back. After 10 full on days of flying the Nirvana Adventures paragliding crew returned home to Kamshet triumphant and satisfied.Peace Bliss & Happy LandingsAstrid Rao Nirvana Adventures
Back home to Mumbai and Kamshet but our thoughts keep going back to Bir Billing. We miss the daily flying fix, the friends we made, the general excitement and more. Doc and Piku are still there and and killing it every day with great flights. Doc has been enjoying the air and testing the thermals gearing up to fly the house thermal with the crows at Pipalkoti.Piku who arrived a few days before we left was amazed with our aerial achievements and determined to start off with an instructional tandem flight with Steve to get over his nerves and learn how to thermal.When we last spoke to him he said that he doing some serious flying under Steve’s guidance and was enjoying every minute of itSteve’s guidance was simply the best and we all have come away richer for the experience.Mike, Bruce, Flo, Severine and many others encouraged me to keep at it and I am grateful for the energy they shared with me.
Sachit and Chiqui are back in the city too but planning to make a dash for Bir once more. We will keep at it at Kamshet and are looking forward to a rocking season beginning with Tower Hill where we will explore the air with new perspective.Peace Bliss & Happy LandingsAstrid Rao Nirvana Adventures
Then the last flying day dawned and after two days of staying within familiar surroundings I was focused and ready to head out again but this time keeping the rules of the game in the fore front of my mind.At take off I decided to fix up my talk back but Steve told me he would rather have me listen that talk – ( that man has known me for years and must have thought – if we make it that easy to speak she will do all the talking)XC to Big Face - We all took off gained height and headed out for the first ridge and then the Red Temple. Hiren headed back to Billing from there, Dwane landed out at Sansal but Steve and me kept going. There were clouds at the back on the main range and our plan was to keep going up to the Big face (11 odd km away) and stay ahead of them using their lift.With one more ridge to go before reaching the big face I had a mother of a collapse and then another 40 percent asymmetric and the thought that came to mind was ‘I want to go home now’ but since I did not have the talk back at my finger tips I was reluctant let go off the brakes to voice my thought on the radio. A few moments later I processed the info and realized that my wonderfully stable good natured DHV I Airwave Mojo 2 had held me in good stead opening out with a strong determined sound. Besides it all happened so fast that I had no time to get spooked.I calmly continued to head out but have to say that I was ambivalent. We got to the Big Face and edged past the side. It was covered with thick clouds. I was jubilant but had lost height on the last leg. I scratched about for a while but there was not much lift on the mountain side and I was in no mood to head closer to the cloud buildup behind so out I went and Steve reluctantly followed me. I had spotted a valley full of terraced fields beyond and my sense of preservation made me home in for them.
I’m getting comfortable with the business of getting out over the valley scanning for power lines and other hazards and landing in a safe place by the road and that is precisely what we did. A large bunch of children greeted me, helped me to pack and carried my glider up to the road to a well placed chai ( tea) shop where we all waited for taxi to take the conquering heroes - well that’s precisely how I felt while crossing the last ridge and making it to the goal. Guess we will have to leave the return from Big Face to my next trip.The journey back from Big Face by cab was wonderful. Through forests, paddy terraced valleys and through a few streams. Back at Bir Dwane and Hiren were all packed up and ready to leave. Tomorrow I head back home too.The XC course was an amazing experience. Steve is a great teacher and it’s wonderful to be able to explore and push your boundaries with an experienced teacher showing you the ropes, allowing you to take your own decisions while laying down the rules and keeping an eye on you.To see more pictures check out the Nirvana Adventures group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=34911357213Peace Bliss & Happy LandingsAstrid Rao Nirvana Adventures
The next 5 days went off like clock work – breakfast at 9, head out to the site by 10, wait for the vultures and the wind dummies to takeoff, launch, milk the house thermal till about 3000 m and then headed out in some pre decided direction. We usually took off after 12 and it was not until past 3 pm that we met up at the Friends Café where we refreshed ourselves and indulged in an exchange notes about who got to where, the intensity of the thermals, clouds, the inversion etc.
All three of us had interesting experiences, memorable flights and covered distances.
Hiren’s Out and Return: Hiren got to the Red Temple and back (2 ridges away and approx 8 km out and return. I got over the golf course, went on to buzz the Red Temple and then landed out in the village of Sansal.
My Out and Return: The next flying day I made the Red Temple and back while Dwane landed out at Sansal. I was buzzing from the flight and once back at Friends Café met Angus who told me that he was still feeling uncomfortable in the air – it suddenly occurred to me that he was the same guy who had an accident while going XC to Manali last October. “No more XC for me” he said but I was not paying too much attention.
The cautious lady is back: The next morning however I woke up thinking how low I was over the trees on my way back from the Red Temple. I was so determined to get across and back that I had paid scant attention to one of the cardinal rules – keep a safe landing in mind at all times. The scene of my working hard to get up, and then instead of heading out for landing deciding ah! A little more of this turning stuff and I will be able to clear the next spine back and get back to Bir and then I was sinking out once more leaving me no more option but to keep working those little thermals.
I could have bombed out into a nallah (dry stream bed) without too much trouble but it was definitely not a good landing field more likely an emergency one. Wow! I had been foolhardy. Steve had made the basic rules clear to us but I had thrown caution to the wind or should I say to the thermals.
This realization kept me flying well within the boundaries the next day. Practicing thermalling and getting to the opposite ridge and back – staying within safe distance of the official / familiar landing.
Dwane makes tracks: Steve and Dwane headed out in the direction of Jogindernagar as the right side was clouded out. I had seen him hit a thermal and go straight up like he was in an elevator while I was struggling in a not very cooperative house thermal. They landed out in Chauntra in the Tibetan school ground. It was Dwane’s day of triumph.
Racing the clouds: The next day we took off, gained height but a sudden dramatic cloud buildup took place and we had to head out and low real fast to get away from it. As the cloud passed we once more worked at getting up but once more a huge cloud came by and again it was time move safely away. I had enough of unwanted lift for the day and decided a nice landing and some time pass in the landing field would be a great way to end this cloud traffic flying day.
To see more pictures check out the Nirvana Adventures - Paragliding in India group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=34911357213
Peace Bliss & Happy Landings
Astrid Rao
I woke up at 6 am and rushed up to the terrace to find big clouds gathering fast over the east. The sun peeped out for a short while only to be enveloped by cloud and it began to get very dark. A huge thunder storm ensued and we thought – bother another day gone but, I was to learn that the big mountains hold a lot of weather surprises. Within two hours the storm has spent itself and much to our delight strong valley winds whipped up and drove the clouds away.It turned out to be such a clear blue sky day that we could see the snow covered peaks in the distance.
Quickly we geared up and regrouped – Steve, Dwane, Hiren and me caught a cab and headed up to Billing. We huddled together for a detailed brief and then hung about waiting for news that the valley winds had mellowed and for someone to take off and assess the strength of the thermals.
Everyone I know launched and had a blast. I had a great one hour forty five minutes thermalling flight that soothed away my flying blues. Celebration time it was – everyone was joyous – the magic of Paragliding in Billing prevailed.
Hiren and Dwane arrive and our world becomes ‘Animal Planet’Hiren and Dwane arrived in Bir last evening. They will stay on with me for the next 11 days but Ravi and the rest of the boys will head back home in a couple of dasy as the season in Kamshet is due to begin.The weather continued to be no good (to put it lightly) and after spending some misty time on the takeoff we decided to head out to visit Baijnath Temple and Dharamshala to kill the time. On the way there we coined a slogan for the trip ‘Animal Planet’.
Himalayan Griffon Vultures, Egyptian Scavengers, Kites, Hawks, Tree Pies, Himalayan Black Bears, Mahasheer, Mongoose, many exciting sightings and many more strange creatures with nylon wings led us to coin the term
The bad weather continues Another un-flyable day and the pilot population in Bir is getting pretty restless. Take morning walks, roam about the Tibetan colony, hang out in the two and a half eating joints around and meet discontented pilots bickering about the weather was all one had to do.While sitting at Bimala Didi’s Dhaba on one such afternoon with one such bunch we were joined by two fresh pilot arrivals who eagerly asking questions about the flying scene – Martin who had just about had enough with the conditions pounced on them saying ‘ who told you this is a good site – you have been misinformed – I have been here for days and not had a decent flight - head for Kamshet in the south that’s where the flying is” while we all laughed hysterically.To begin with we stayed at the Paradise guest house but in a couple of days we shifted out to a house in the Tibetan Colony. Belonging to Mrs Dolma a very gracious host it became home to us for the rest of our trip. Sachit and Chiqui stayed above us and we were delighted to have them as our neighbors.Each morning i woke up early and rushed up to the terrace to check on the weather, drink my morning cuppa with Hiren and Dwane, indulge in some yoga after which the weather not being favorable, we passed the time eating, walking, visiting the monasteries and hanging out - all interspersed with many hopeful glances in the direction of mountains.
Astrid Rao Nirvana Adventures
Ravi, Bandya, Vinya and Sandeep went on a flying holiday to Manali and Bir Billing in the middle of September.They met up with Steve Reed who was going to guide them around in the Himalayan air. It was rather early in the season and they headed for the Kullu Valley first where the weather was clear and consequently flyable before heading back to Billing. Ravi had a few great flights dodging clouds and scouring around for thermals but for the rest of the boys it was mainly top to bottoms as the weather was not A-OKI joined them on the 30th night and on the 1st morning woke to find it a clear day. But as we got up to takeoff the clouds grew, gathered and loomed and we sat on the mountain for hours watching the clouds hopeful to see a light ( the sun) shining through.Soon there was a bunch of us (hopeful pilots) on the hill all waiting for a hole in the clouds that we could hopefully launch and fly through. In desperate times even a top to bottom can cheer a pilot.
The conversations ran like …One pilot to another - What do you think???Reply - Wait for a hole in the clouds and launchNew pilot at the site – What do you think …Reply - Wait for a big hole in the clouds …the last guy that launched found his hole getting progressively smaller, becoming a non hole as he got to it.Chorus - Raucous laughter from the rest of the pilots.A hole in the Clouds anyone? 
Later that afternoon we had some visibility for a top to bottom except for the wispy cloud just above the village of Bir. I launched for a top to bottom after Bandya who was now safely on the ground in the landing field.Ravi speaks on the radio to me just as I am at the entrance of the wispy cloud “you may not see too well for a few minutes …”Ravi to Bandya on the ground “can you see her …”and then Steve’s voice from Bir Village “ I see her, I’ll take over now Ravi … Astrid maintain your heading …”And then the veil of cloud lifted and there was light and I was able to see – praise the lord Halleluiah! One hell of an exciting top to bottom I must say.Astrid Rao Nirvana Adventures
The day arrives and Sanjay drives me to the airport. I am on my way to Bir Billing for 12 whole days. Sanjay has not been able to join me once more but has organised the works. Double the amount of time as compared to last year’s trip, an XC course with Steve Reed that I will participate in along with Hiren & Dwane, and a chance to fly in the cockpit on the Delhi Gaggal sector.I am excited and euphoric and happy to be stepping out of my usual routine. The first half of the jouney was uneventful. The flight from Delhi to Gaggal was an exciting first. We flew over the mountains and came face to face with huge cumulous clouds. It was awe inspiring and educating. Also i got clued in to the fact that the weather was still to settle in.
Reached Bir in the late evening to find everything as it was last year this time. Met Ravi, Bandya, Sandeep and Vinay who gave me details of their first time mountain experence. Flying in Manali and Billing. Later that evening Steve and Suzanne came by and we went out to the 3 women’s cafe henceforth called Bimala Didi’s place as her 2nd daughter is now married and has moved away.A wonderful meal of rajma and rice, great company - Pete and Ken joined us there, and back to the guesthouse for a smoke and small talk on the terrace. A great end to an exciting day.Astrid Nirvana Adventures
The day arrives and Sanjay drives me to the airport. I am on my way to Bir Billing for 12 whole days. Sanjay has not been able to join me once more but has organised the works. An XC course that I will participate in along with Hiren and Dwane, and a chance to fly in the cockpit on the Delhi Gaggal sector.
I am excited and euphoric and happy to be stepping out of my usual routine. The first half of the journey was uneventful. The flight from Delhi to Gaggal was an exciting first. We flew over the mountains and came face to face with huge cumulus clouds. It was awe inspiring and educating. Also i got clued in to the fact that the weather was still to settle in
Reached Bir in the late evening to find everything as it was last year this time. Met Ravi, Bandya, Sandeep and Vinay who gave me details of their first time mountain experence. Flying in Manali and Billing. Later that evening Steve and Suzanne came by and we went out to the 3 women’s cafe henceforth called Bimala Didi’s place as her 2nd daughter is now married and has moved away.
A wonderful meal of rajma and rice, great company - Pete and Ken joined us there, and back to the guesthouse for a smoke and small talk on the terrace. A great end to an exciting day.
Astrid Rao
