TEMPLE PILOTS IN ‘GODS OWN COUNTRY’
Paragliding is perhaps the most joyful activity happening on the planet today....all pilots would agree with that. Few humans have looked so far out of the box of conformity than we pilots. Every one of us has a tale to tell, and a brief chance to see the world as a bird stands us apart from the crowd.
It’s amazing, if you look at a paraglider, a simple bundle of fabric and string that allows us to take to the skies...
The very thought of flying in Gods own beautiful country – Kerala made the us the Temple Pilots team and club pilots super excited about this flying tour to Vagamon – Kerala flying festival.
This festival in its second year running is organized by ASSTA – Adventure Sports and Sustainable Tourism Academy.
It’s a FLY – IN festival to celebrate the spirit of free flying, inviting pilots from all across the globe.
The atmosphere at paragliding festivals is very unique. 
We got together at the Mumbai airport 14 of us (Aarti Singh, Bhavna, Anand, Deepankar, Karamvir, Deev, Dhawal, TJ, Anita, Avi, Tom, David, Alice) mostly from Mumbai and Pune, and a few visiting pilot friends from Australia, UK and Netherlands. The energy was that of a school picnic of adults.
Everyone had their own brightly coloured paragliders with them and we all enjoyed drawing all the attention at the airport. The smiles and giggles (we had 4 young women pilots with us) chatter and laughter made our flight seem short even with the delays.
We were received at the Kochi airport by a smiling Bobbin and his family. We had our first sumptuous Kerala dinner and drove ahead to Vagamon which was 110kms from Kochi.
We woke up at Labor India International School to a bright sunny morning facing the sleepy town of Vagamon. We were all very pleased with the arrangements made and the hospitality that surrounded us throughout our stay. Friendly and inviting faces made our stay very special.
Soon we were driving on winding roads through lush green tea gardens towards our flying site.
There was an air of anticipation around, which all pilots have when they go to a new flying site.
They had all come to enjoy Comraderie of other pilots and relish the scenic view of the countryside from a birds eye view.  It was festivity at its best at the take off. Families and children, big banners, stalls...and volunteer students from the nearby schools all present to witness the circus in the sky!
Pilots meeting each other, some again, some for the first time, makes new bonds.
There were pilots from Russia, France, UK and Australia. The biggest contingent was from Temple Pilots Paragliding club. These were pilots who had completed P1 (beginner level), P2 (Intermediate level) certification courses of 3 and 4 days respectively. They had got their Club pilot rating and some had taken along their own gliders.
Although devoid of an easy landing area for beginners to enjoy paragliding at Vagamon, it surely promises great cross country potential for advance pilots. Club pilots with good top landing skills can enjoy flying here too. The retrieval facilities from the landing area were very prompt.
This was paragliding in India coming of age. It was Temple Pilots (a premier paragliding school) dream coming true, the dream of sharing Indian skies with Indian pilots and promoting the sport in a safe way in our country.
The pilots were received at the site by Gopa Varma the Chief organizer of the event, Vinil and others associated with ASSTA which was followed by a short inauguration ceremony.
The atmosphere soon turned into that of joy and cheer as the winds became favourable for flying.
Thrill and excitement was in the air as pilots were opening their colourful wings eager to touch new skies. The sight of pilots inflating their wings and stepping off into the skies was magical. They were like artists with their rainbow coloured wings above their heads, filling the sky with colour and movement.  The second day bought eager spectators from surrounding villages and towns. There were few stalls put with coconuts, tapioca chips and bananas. The whole atmosphere was transformed and the pilots suddenly found themselves on centre stage. A mere walk to the take off with gliders got the spectators whistling and cheering. Our club pilots welcomed their newly acquired sky god status. This day saw some drama in the sky when some dark clouds developed in front and above the take off. It was a show of a kind with only two Russians (Dimitri & Andre) and one of Temple Pilots Instructors (Avi) flying at the same time. Everyone watched with bated breath as all three of them disappeared in the dark clouds, only to appear again and come in for a spectacular top landing. The crowds welcomed them with a thunderous applause.
After every flying day, our entire team would sit for a de – brief to discuss the days flying. We were also joined by the Russian pilots who shared their experiences, some insightful, some funny, and amidst the laughter and the stories, we were once again reminded how blessed we were to belong to this amazing group of people, together to fly!  The last day of the festival saw some divine intervention. The weather conditions were fabulous and everyone was in the air. It was quite a spectacle, there were TV cameras, reporters talking to all our pilots and much louder cheering for the viewers who had increased by hundreds. We were especially proud as Temple Pilots had the only women pilots in the festival.
There was a delightful energy atop the Vagamon Mountain at 3000ft. people celebrating the joy of free flying. That last day saw some amazing flying with our pilots doing cross country flying and going to altitudes above 10,000 feet. The favourite for the spectators was the acrobatic maneuvers – the wing overs and low passes from over their heads. Some people could enjoy, taste the thirst of flying by taking tandems (two – seater) joyrides. All our Club pilots took to the skies and there were smiles all around.
The festival ended with a sumptuous dinner organized by ASSTA at Vagamon Heights and awards were given away to all amidst cheering and applause.
After the Vagamon festival we were all set to do some site explorations on the way to Munnar. Our group of pilots consisted of - Avi, Anita, Tom (Australia), Ian (Scotland), Steve (UK), Ani & Sumesh (from Munnar)
Steve led us to two incredible sites where we were atop Western Ghats in Kerala overlooking the plains of Tamil Nadu. A brand new flying site with the promise of great flying and some awesome views for pilots is like chocolate and ice-cream is to kids. We were thrilled at this discovery and the idea of flying where no one else has ever flown before. We carefully placed our chocolates and ice-creams in our memory box to be relished at a later and more apt time.
As we followed the winding roads amidst tea covered rolling hills and mountains, the scenery got more n more beautiful. It was a first for most of us in the Munnar region and we were truly spellbound and stumped by the sheer beauty. It was oooh’s and wow’s in the car as we entered Munnar, stopping along the way on roadside tea stalls for a chai with a view! The very thought of flying in this heavenly beautiful place was sending our spirits sky high.
And soon we were airborne with our cameras to capture the immense beauty and the views from the top for friends and to incite other pilots to join us on our future trips. It was sure from the very start that we were to be back every year with our club pilots. Munnar had lifetime fans in us.
Patrice and Avi touched cloudbase at 5000 feet. It was mesmerizing flying with easy thermals to escort you to dizzying heights. It was a great sight seeing flight providing ample opportunities to take great pictures.
We were a bunch of hungry fliers and after flying in the noon hours we were back in our jeeps heading for the second highest mountain in Kerala. We climbed the top in full gusto with our paraglider bags on our backs. We were awarded with some great flying with serenity of a beautiful sunset in the Nilgiri’s. It was divine flying in the valley and its not very uncommon how often we as pilots find ourselves uttering “ Oh thank you lord for this, thank you so so much “
Munnar was not just a visual treat but a feast for all senses. The quietude of this small lazy town nestled between gorgeous mountains appealed to us all pilots and we decided to be here every year. Evenings for pilots are generally beer, great local food, friendly laughter and the talk about days flying and sharing of experiences from hilarious to extremely intense. We all pilots feel so blessed with the gift of wings and be part of this community of beautiful free and enlightened souls.
Like they say “Only Angels Have Wings “
Photo Gallery of our Kerala Festival.
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