Tandem paragliders hone skills at Pong wetland

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, April 4

To help paragliders overcome an unstable situation during a tandem flight, the AB Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, is organising a four-day special SIV course for pilots at the Pong wetland in the foothills of Kangra district.

Nearly 150 pilots from Himachal Pradesh are being trained by experts, who are helping them hone their flying skills. The Institute has identified the Pong wetland in Kangra and Gobind Sagar Lake in Bilaspur for imparting special SIV training to the tandem paragliders.

SIV stands for ‘Sumulation d’incident en Vol’ and translates as ‘Simulating Unstable Situation in Flight’. After undergoing the special SIV course, a paraglider learns the way his particular canopy manoeuvers the correct control inputs during unstable situations.

The SIV flying course is being conducted over the Pong wetland by using buoyancy aids, radios, video equipment and support boats.

Establishing good and active flying skill is more important as this will prevent the majority of collapses and mishaps. As per HP aero-sports rules, undergoing SIV course training is mandatory for tandem paragliding pilots for renewal of their commercial licences.

Rakesh Ahluwalia, in-charge of Regional Water Sports Centre, Pong Wetland, said two outsourced trainers Jyoti Thakur and Ajay Kumar were training the pilots. “They issue instructions to the trainees through Walkie-Talkie and assist them in crashing their paragliders and facilitating their safe landing on Pong Wetland by instructing them to open their chutes,” he said.