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 Sitting on a swing anchored in the
sky, the sun at eye-level, birds flying alongside, a heart-shaped
pond in the far distance....this is the sight that greeted me
on my first experience with paragliding - a tandem flight, with
Pilot Avi whose silent presence comforted me, all the time expertly
maneuvering the glider.
With a vision like that constantly replaying in my mind's eyes, it was no wonder
that a few months later, I decided to learn paragliding. I was ready for a suspension
in mid-air thousands of kilometres closer to the heavens.
A single call to Anita and Avi was all that was needed to get me going. The first
day saw me `ground-handling' ....talking and understanding the glider, as they
informed me. A day and a half of ground-handling practice convinced Avi that
I was ready for a solo flight, albeit the thought that it was too soon for comfort.
Nevertheless, the next day itself, standing on a ridge 350 ft high, all techniques
memorised to perfection, I was ready to take-off on my first solo flight.
I did a top-to-bottom smooth flight lasting approximately 6-7 minutes and a smooth
safe landing, with only one desire....to climb back for more flights.
I have now completed the basic course with three splendid flights under my cap
in January 04. I am now looking forward to the next level `soaring', a luxury
that we mistakenly think is only for the birds and airplanes.
It started innocently with an exploratory tandem flight (more like a joy ride)
and my heart thirsted for the real sport...the ultimate adventure...paragliding
as a pilot, not as a passenger.
Looking back, I beamingly say with pride `Yes, I dit it' and guess what `So can
you' !!
- Priti D'Silva
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