About Mumbai Paragliding:

Located approximately 60 kms away from the city’s centre lies the Western Paragliding Association or the WPA, offering a chance to fly free with the birds. The WPA is a self regulatory body of members aiming to establish and to promote paragliding in a safe and credible manner. The best way to learn about paragliding is to visit us on the field. If you come with a burning desire to fly and the willingness to work towards your goals we’ll help you do the rest. The association was formed to promote the sport of paragliding in India. Over the years various forms of light aviation like hang gliding and microlighting have come to this country and then disappeared into oblivion for lack of organisation. The association hopes to keep this sport alive and kicking. A lot of dedicated effort went into setting up the guidelines for the association. Established clubs all over the world including The United States Hang Gliding Association Inc., The Finnish Aeronautical Association, The British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, and the Norsk Aero Klubb sent information, materials and valuable advice. Edel – Korea the world’s largest manufacturers of paragliders sent an instructor and equipment. The Western Paragliding Association was now ready to set out on its mission. For people unfamiliar with the sport, a paraglider can be very simply be described as being a non-porous cloth wing which is inflated by the air through which it flies via openings in the leading edge of the wing. The pilot is suspended beneath the wing on a harness and he has the controls of the paraglider in his hands. Paragliding differs substantially from other forms of gliding. For one it is less expensive. One can buy a canopy for just as much as it costs to buy a scooter. Paragliding is the most convenient, affordable and least difficult way to fly. A paraglider can be folded into a back pack, carried with ease to the takeoff site and readied for flying in minutes. It takes about three to five minutes to pack and unpack the paraglider as against the thirty minutes required to prepare a hang glider. When packed a paraglider looks like an ordinary back pack and the entire equipment along with the helmet weighs between ten to twelve kilograms and can be transported with ease. Unlike hang gliders which are semi rigid in structure, the paraglider canopy has no solid parts at all. A paraglider is also more manoevreable, flies more slowly, lands more softly and needs much less space to take off and land than any other form of gliding. Envisage the idea of flying over the sea and mountains with wings of your own. Feeling great, yes and why not? Perhaps it is the veiled thought of almost every person. Mumbai, the Dream City, actually offers you the chance of flying and pleasing your craved thoughts. Western Paragliding Association (WPA), sited about 60 kilometres from the city centre, helps in making your airborne dreams come true. This association was established to promote the new-age sport of air paragliding in India. Like any other air sport paragliding has its own risks. Veterans however feel that its greatest danger lies in the fact that it is so easy to learn. Most people make the mistake of learning for four days and then taking their paragliders out on their own and flying off any site. While people do learn to control the paraglider in their basic courses, there’s a lot more to be learnt before one flies without any supervision. Critical judgements in reading the weather are only learnt over a period of time. So if you are flying in India and someone offers you a four day course with promises of unsupervised flying after that, Take Care ! Currently paragliding in India is a free sport. There are no regulations and no licence is required for a paraglider. Over the years, light aviation in a variety of forms, such as hang gliding and micro lighting, have been introduced in the country, but got into void due to inadequate organization. Unlike others, Western Paragliding Association is dedicated to keep paragliding a lively and dynamic sport with their set of guidelines. It offers basic and advanced courses in Paragliding. Being a tourist, obviously you won’t be taking the courses, but you can definitely enjoy the ride on the wing. Worse still if training is not regulated, which means that unqualified. This could result in fatalities and kill the sport in its infancy. By adhering to high training standards, comparable to international levels, the WPA is trying to ensure flying which is absolutely safe. It is almost impossible to find Indians with instructor’s ratings and consequently all instructors with the WPA are foreigners. Imagine – standing on top of a hill, overlooking the valley, wondering what it would be like to FLY. Well, get ready to fulfill man’s oldest dream of free flying. Now you can experience the joy of personal, foot-launched flight in its purest form – on a paraglider! Paragliding is the closest humans can get to the feeling of flying like a bird. It is a fun, safe way to experience flight in its simplest form. You simply lay out a wing on a hillside or mountain, inflate it over your head like a kite, run a few steps and before you know it you’ve stepped off into the sky! Once in the air, a pilot is able to maintain and even gain altitude using lifting air currents and thermals. Landing a paraglider is extremely easy. A pilot simply steers it into the landing area, and glides down for a very gentle touch down back on to earth. Paragliding is a gift of wings, a lifelong dream come true, a taste of the freedom of your spirit, an essence of pure flight, and a countless beautiful different things to different people. Especially those who have experienced the indescribable sensations of floating like a bird over a pristine countryside. No wonder paragliding has stirred up such passion worldwide that it is one of the most popular ways to fly today. A Korean instructor and competition pilot, deputed by Edel and an American powered pilot and paragliding enthusiast have been running courses for the WPA. The WPA is still in its formative stages and is always looking for new talent in training. Qualified instructors who have wished to holiday in India might find this the chance of a lifetime. Facilities are improving by the day and remuneration is handsome by Indian standards. Paragliding in India, holds a special lure for the foreign tourist. India is a paraglider’s paradise. Moreover, this art of flying is comparatively cheap in Bombay. People who are new to paragliding need not worry, since they can enjoy this ride with the help of trainers. In basic terms, a paraglide is a non-porous cloth wing, which is puffed up with air and is flown by the use of aperture in the vital edge of the wing. The paraglider is balanced underneath the wing on a harness, while having paraglide controls in his hands. There are a wide range of flying conditions and sites that cater for the beginner through intermediate to advanced pilots. Whether it is the laminar sea breezes of Goa, to the more thermic flying conditions of the Western Ghats or whether it is the tiny bumps in the grounds, to the table top land at Panchgani or the peaks in the Himalayas, they are all here in one country. World-class equipments used for paragliding are now available in Mumbai, that too at cheap rates. India offers the longest flying season from September to March. Mumbai climatic conditions are good enough to endorse the sport and areas like Western Ghats, Panchghani, etc are beautiful to soar in the air. So what are you waiting for? Get ready to take off in the clouds, race with the birds and bring out the sport in you. India has the longest flying season extending from September to March with some flying possible even in the off-season. To top all this; world famous equipment is now available in Mumbai and at unbeatable prices for this fast developing market.

Paragliding Schools in Mumbai:

Here are the most popular paragliding schools:

(1)Temple Pilots (Pune & Mumbai)

Contact Person: Anita & Avi

Kamdhenu Riddhi, C-25 S. No. 54/11,

Mahatma Society, Kothrud,

Pune 411029 India

Phone: (O) +91-20-25388621

Phone: (M) +91-9823384654

Email: paraglide@templepilots.com

Homepage: http://www.templepilots.com

(2)Nirvana Adventures (Pune & Mumbai)

Contact Person: Astrid & Sanjay Rao

2/A Takshashila apartments

Tagore Road, Santacruz west

Mumbai 400 054 India

Phone (O): +91-22-26053724

Phone (M): +91-9821430798

Phone (M): +91-09323708809

Telefax: +91 22 26493110

Email: info@nirvanaadventures.com

Homepage: Homepage: http://www.nirvanaadventures.com

(3)Wings and Flights (Pune & Mumbai)

Contact Person: Eric Menezes & Mangesh Dighe

Tupe Nagar, Malwadi,

Near Sadhana High School, Hadapsar,

Pune, India.

Phone (O): +91-9371033226

Phone (R): +91-20-26874184

Phone (M): +91-9822023790

Email : uipa@eth.net

Homepage: http://www.paraglidingindia.com

(4)Space Apple (Mumbai)

Contact Person: Samson D’Silva

“Ish-Krupa” Gajbhat, Next to Catholic Bank,

Agashi, Virar (W), Mumbai 401301

Phone (O): +91-2502586764

Phone (M): +91-9822499281

Email : info@spaceapple.com

Homepage: http://www.spaceapple.com

(5)Western Paragliding Association (Mumbai)

Laksh Aviation Pvt. Ltd.

5 Siddhisadan, S.V.P Road, Borivli (W), Bombay 400103 India

Phone (O): +91-22-28934803

Phone (O): +91-22-39519152

Phone (M): +91-9819022353

Email : admin@airandadventure.com or admin@westernparaglidingassociation.com