Popularizing paragliding in Northeast

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 24: "Paragliding, a kind of gliding with a foot-launched glider aircraft, is a completely new and somewhat irregularly practiced adventurous sport in northeastern region. People are still not aware of the appropriate procedure of bringing happiness and thrill of paragliding," said Hemraj Bora, a pioneer paraglider in the state.

Bora said: "My first created motor was a Fresh Breeze Flyke, a glider still with me. It's as good as a new one. I kept in my 'PPG Museum'. First wing was a Silex, which I made myself. The paid accompanied tandem flights are available in many mountainous regions, both in winter and in summer seasons, as commercial gladiators. I like being able to modify machines and motors. I also like being involved with the motor aspect of it, although sometimes I work on them too much. I did build my own tandem machine, with help from quite a few locals."

"As paragliding is not a regular adventurous sports in Assam and the region, I faced many problems while making it popular. I made many aero-models of different types of aerobatics, air jets, helicopters and paragliders which can be flown with a remote-controlled device so as to popularize paragliding in this part of the country. We have formed the 'Aero Sports Association of Assam', a training and learning centre of paragliding and making of various types of paragliders, in 2010. We also make and fix paragliders that can carry two people in a fly of one-two hours and train people to fly these by pilots. We have organized many free workshops and training programmes to make people aware of paragliding and help them learn this thrilling sport to compete with other countries, " said Bora, while sharing of his experience in the adventurous sports with this reporter.

"I got my training in 2006 in Jakkur air field in Bangalore under the instruction of Vijay Sir and Bahadur Sir from Indian Army. Thenceforth, it has been my hobby and livelihood as well. It's a recreatiol and competitive adventurous sports of flying paragliders, a light weight free-flying and foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing comprising a large number of interconnected baffled cells. The wing shape is maintained by the suspension lines, the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing, and the aerodymic forces of the air flowing over the outside," Bora said while sharing the thrilling experience of paragliding.

On his next steps in highlighting paragliding among people in the State, Bora said: "This sport has immense potential to attract tourists across the globe, and our state and the region have an immense scenic beauty to woo tourists. So, I will try to introduce the commercial aspect of the sport, impart training to unemployed youths who can themselves become entrepreneurs. There are so many things that can be done with a PPG that can't be done with any other aircraft. We seem to be inventing new things like water-skiing. We will soon introduce paragliding, parasailing, joy rides, aerial advertising, and aerobatic flying across the Northeast. I will also try to introduce Aero sports activities in schools and colleges so that we can catch talented gliders young and shape their bright future."