Fly like a bird — Everything you need to know about taking a Paragliding Course in India.

“THERE’S NOTHING LIKE THE FIRST TIME WHEN YOU TAKE OFF AS A STUDENT, AND LAND AS A PILOT.”

Here’s finally a long-due, most-asked, detailed post on the paragliding course that I took in Nov’2021. I hope this provides you with enough information to embark on this thrilling yet meditative skill of flying like a bird.

About Paragliding: Simply put, paragliding is an aerial adventure sport, that involves taking-off on foot and flying a light-weight glider, while sitting on a harness.

Best Location in India to pursue paragliding courses: There are quite a number of locations and schools from where you can take a paragliding course, but when it comes to learning a skill, why not learn it from the best location or school? In India, two of the best paragliding locations and some of the best schools operate in Bir, Himachal, and Kamshet, Maharashtra. The course prices are roughly in the same range at both locations.

Bir is one of the best paragliding sites, because of its weather conditions.

Course Type, Duration, and Price:

P1 — In this 3-day course, you’ll learn about the basics of equipment, safety checks, canopy details, mushrooming and packing the glider, control familiarisation, ground handling of the glider, simulations, and other ground techniques. In some of the schools, detailed theory sessions and radio-assisted solo flights might be included as well.

Duration — 3 Days; Price: Rs. 10–15k

P2 — In the 4-day course, you’ll take radio-assisted solo flights and learn mid-air canopy handling, maneuver, S & U-turns, take-off, and landing techniques. The best part of the course is going for the FIRST SOLO FLIGHT, which sends the adrenaline rushing. The built-up of 5days of ground handling gets so much that you can’t wait to fly after a few days.

Duration — 4 Days; Price: Rs.10–15k

P3 — Here you’ll learn everything you need to be able to fly independently, including dealing with emergencies, early and fast descends, 360-degree turns, advanced theories of flight, and meteorology.

Duration — 6–7days; Price: Rs. 15k-25k

P1+P2: Rs. 20–25k (7Days)

P1+P2+P3: Rs. 35–40k (14Days)

NOTE: It’s always advisable to do both P1+P2+P3 courses together so that you learn everything in one go and gain confidence. However, if a14-day commitment is too much to ask for, doing only P1+P2 (i.e. 7days) works better. For pursuing P3 at a later date, you will have to take a refresher course at extra charge, before flying again.

Mushroomed Glider, ready to be packed, after landing.

Fitness/Pre-requisite: Basic fitness and stamina is required for the 4–5days of ground handling, because it involves continuous running with the glider, and carrying it on the shoulders, for 3–4hours a day. You’ll also have to trek with your paralglider rucksack (that weighs ~15–30kg) till the take-off point, during the solo flights.

Lunch Scenes during the course-break

Equipment: During the course, everything is provided by the school. You need to arrive on time in comfortable sportswear (preferably). Later, once you are an independent pilot, you may buy your own equipment which may cost anywhere between 1.5lac — 3lacs (subject to availability)

Take-Off Site, Billing

Some very important things to keep in mind:

• Always do the pre-flight checks meticulously (This is very very important. It’s about your life! You don’t want anything to go wrong in the air, especially while take-off)
• Wear a judicious amount of sunscreen during ground handling. You’ll be in the sun, for the most part of your day.
• Wear comfortable sportswear, good grip shoes, and goggles (it gets too sunny at times)
• Put your belongings in your harness bag always.
• Keep hydrating yourself during the session.
• Make sure that you tell someone to shoot your first solo flight and landing. Because the first solo happens only once! But don’t place too much attention on taking a video. Focus on learning first.

View from my last solo flight of the course ❤

Best Paragliding Schools in Bir (suggesting based on research and recommendations):

I took my course from Skylark Paragliding schools, which had some of the best trainers and pilots. But I’d suggest you to read about each school and then take your decision.

• Skylark Paragliding: Mr. Manu Bedi (P1+P2 — Rs. 20,000; P3: Rs. 25,000/-; P1+P2+P3 — Rs. 40,000; Course Days: 7–14days)
• Billing Paul Adventure — Mr. Arvind Paul (P1+P2 — Rs. 25,000; P3: Rs. 25000/-; P1+P2+P3 — Rs. 35,000; Course Days: 6–10days)
• PG Gurukul: Mr. Gupreet Dhindsa (P1+P2: Rs. 26,000; P3: Rs. 24000; P1+P2+P3: Rs. 40,000)
• Antigravity Paragliding School: Mr. Sushant Thakur and Vicky Thakur (P1+P2: Rs. 25,000; P3: 20–25k)

Note: Prices might differ with time, but should be around the same range as given above.

Best Paragliding Schools in Kamshet, include Temple Pilots, Indus Paragliding School, Fly Nirvana, and Orangelife Adventures

Landing Site, Bir

Things to keep in mind before selecting a Paragliding School for yourself:

• Instructor Qualifications and Experience
• Check the level & structure of the course. This should ideally include a mix of practical, theory, and simulator sessions.
• Ask to know about the level of Certification/License they provide at each level
• Always check online reviews of the school you are planning to take the course from
• Don’t always go by the cheapest fees, take a verbal review/recommendation from the locals if possible.
• Speak to the instructor before joining, for vibe-check, if they are passionate about training you.

Certifications: You are an official pilot once you complete 3 solo flights and get the certifications too.

Proof that I am a Pilot now :)

SAVE this for future reference and SHARE with friends who are interested to take a paragliding course in the future😊.