Paragliding In Mumbai

Another exciting activity that you can undertake while you stay in Mumbai is Paragliding. About 60kms away from the city is located the Western Paragliding Association or the WPA that offers people the opportunity to sail with the clouds. The WPA is a self-regulatory body of members aiming to encourage paragliding in a safe and credible manner. This association has been formed to promote the adventure sport of paragliding in India. The WPA has collaborated with paragliding associations from all over the world to gather valuable information on how to set and run such an association in India. The equipment used is from the biggest and must trusted manufacturing company in the world -Edel from Korea.

A paraglider simply put is a non-porous cloth wind that is inflated by air through which it flies, through 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 is the easiest affordable way to fly. A paraglider can be folded into a backpack and easily carried to the takeoff site and can be easily assembled and ready to fly in minutes. The weight of the entire equipement including the helmet weights between 10 to 12 kilograms and is therefore easy to carry about. A paraglider is more maneuverable flies more slowly, lands more softly and needs less space to take off and land than the other types of gliding.

Paragliding is easy to learn, but it takes a lot of practice before one can fly without supervision. As the sport is still in its infancy in India and there are very few Indian instructors all the instructors at WPA are foreigners. Mumbai weather conditions are perfect for beginners to fly in. The sea breeze is gentle and allows you to maneuver the glider easily. India has the longest flying season extending from September to March. You can manage to fly even in the off- season. So if you are an adventure sport enthusiast you can try your hand at paragliding while in Mumbai.