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 clear and consequently flyable before heading back to Billing. Ravi had a few great flights dodging clouds and scouring around for thermals but for the rest of the boys it was mainly top to bottoms as the weather was not A-OK
I joined them on the 30th night and on the 1st morning woke to find it a clear day. But as we got up to takeoff the clouds grew, gathered and loomed and we sat on the mountain for hours watching the clouds hopeful to see a light ( the sun) shining through.
Soon there was a bunch of us (hopeful pilots) on the hill all waiting for a hole in the clouds that we could hopefully launch and fly through. In desperate times even a top to bottom can cheer a pilot.
The conversations ran like …
One pilot to another – What do you think???
Reply – Wait for a hole in the clouds and launch
New pilot at the site – What do you think …
Reply – Wait for a big hole in the clouds …the last guy that launched found his hole getting progressively smaller, becoming a non hole as he got to it.
Chorus – Raucous laughter from the rest of the pilots.
A hole in the Clouds anyone?
Later that afternoon we had some visibility for a top to bottom except for the wispy cloud just above the village of Bir. I launched for a top to bottom after Bandya who was now safely on the ground in the landing field.
Ravi speaks on the radio to me just as I am at the entrance of the wispy cloud “you may not see too well for a few minutes …”
Ravi to Bandya on the ground “can you see her …”
and then Steve’s voice from Bir Village “ I see her, I’ll take over now Ravi … Astrid maintain your heading …”
And then the veil of cloud lifted and there was light and I was able to see – praise the lord Halleluiah! One hell of an exciting top to bottom I must say.
Astrid Rao