13th Nov, Sat, 1999
Gliding

(Photos/pics for this travelogue might be available on My Tourism Photo Album)

                       
Today I went for Aerosports.  I did winch gliding (not Hang gliding).  It was so much fun.  I was up in the air for some 6-7 minutes. Actually its  a 2 seater glider and a pilot controls it once it is airborne after a launch from diesel generator operated winch.

At one point of time he (pilot) said, look at the speedometer (u have full controls in your seat too). It was some 50 knots (*1.8 kmph, i guess) and the altitude was some 170 m.  And then he almost nose-dived the glider and kept on asking me the speed: it was increasing like hell 55,60,70 and up till 100. He did this till we were almost on the roof of a building and then he suddenly took off again.  That was really good.  I did not do parasailing (wherein u r hooked to a jeep and tied to a parachute and then the jeep runs on a runway and u lift in the air to a considerable height.  Also there were microlight flights.  I did only Gliding.  I really enjoyed it.

And u know what, these machines are not very costly : sub 20k USD!  But the problem in India is getting a Private Pilot License which itself is a time taking process (U need 70-80 launches before being eligible to apply for a PPL).
U can see the details of the (exactly the same model: Super Balnik L23) glider that I went in at
http://www.nwi.net/~blanikam/ba/prod01.htm#Photos
 

Back to home page

 Last updated: Nov 21, 2005