October 22, 2008 Astrid Rao

Reaching for Nirvana – The new Paragliding season ‘08 October to June 09’ opens

Drove up to Kamshet on Friday morning. A 5 day EP course was in progress and as it works at this time of the year it is early morning call so consequently the students crash out early, exhausted from the exertion of the ground handling and the scepter of having to wake up early the [...]

October 20, 2008 Astrid Rao

Singing the Billing Blues

  Back home to Mumbai and Kamshet but our thoughts keep going back to Bir Billing. We miss the daily flying fix,  the friends we made,  the general excitement and more. Doc and Piku are still there and and killing it every day with great flights.  Doc has been  enjoying the air and testing the [...]

October 12, 2008 Astrid Rao

Our last flying day at Billing

Then the last flying day dawned and after two days of staying within familiar surroundings  I was focused and ready to head out again but this time keeping the rules of the game in the fore front of my mind. At take off I decided to fix up my talk back but Steve told me [...]

October 11, 2008 Astrid Rao

A spate of good weather

  The next 5 days went off like clock work – breakfast at 9, head out to the site by 10, wait for the vultures and the wind dummies to takeoff, launch, milk the house thermal till about 3000 m and then headed out in some pre decided direction.  We usually took off after 12 [...]

October 3, 2008 Astrid Rao

A dramatic change in the weather

  I woke up at 6 am and rushed up to the terrace to find big clouds gathering fast over the east. The sun peeped out for a short while only to be enveloped by cloud and it began to get very dark. A huge thunder storm ensued and we thought – bother another day [...]

October 2, 2008 Astrid Rao

Bad Weather Plans

Hiren and Dwane arrive and our world becomes 'Animal Planet' Hiren and Dwane arrived in Bir last evening. They will stay on with me for the next 11 days but Ravi and the rest of the boys will head back home in a couple of dasy as the season in Kamshet is due to begin. [...]

October 1, 2008 Astrid Rao

Karanjgaon contingent heads for the Himalayas -Manali and Bir Billing

Ravi, Bandya, Vinya and Sandeep went on a flying holiday to Manali and Bir Billing in the middle of September.They met up with Steve Reed who was going to guide them around in the Himalayan air. It was rather early in the season and they headed for the Kullu Valley first where the weather was [...]