PARAGLIDING   IN   CHIKHALDARA

INTRODUCTION

             Paragliding had, till now, been an unknown phenomenon for the whole Vidarbha(East Maharashtra).A handful sites in India are famous for paragliding, like Billing (Himachal Pradesh), Lonavala, Kamshet (Maharashtra) etc. Recently, Chikhaldara, a picturesque site in East Maharashtra region, has been explored as a potentially excellent site for paragliding.

IDEAL TERRAIN - 1

IDEAL TERRAIN 2

       Satpura range is a whooping 700 to 800 km long range of hills, running west to east, cutting India into two halves; north and south ones. Part of this range, falling in north of Amravati district, is called as MELGHAT (Mel-ghat means meeting place or conglomeration of ghats or mountains ).

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LOCATION 

          This is a very dense forest , lying in approximately 3,000 Sq. Kms ! The forest has a very rich flora and fauna, and a very big Tiger project  Chikhaldara is a hill station at approx. 3330 feet above MSL. Plains of Amravati are at 1000-1100 feet height from MSL. This makes the site a relatively cool station.

          Weather in July to October is no less than any international flying site. In summer, it is relatively dry, and deciduous forest makes this dryness more conspicuous. This is best for animal-watchers, trekkers etc.

           The southern face of the hills in Melghat makes a continuous strech of  wall, with a height ranging from 800 to 1300 feet from the bottom. And this makes it an excellent site for flying.

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ATTRACTIVE HILLS

ATTRACTIVE HILLS

       The site is best for basic paragliding, Tandom flying, Paramotoring, and also for para-winching.

       Since the south winds come from a large plane area, soaring is a good option. The length of range and thermals should make it an excellent site for cross-country.

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PARA-WINCHING

PLAIN FOR PARA-WINCHING

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RECENT  DEVELOPMENTS

A local group of enthusiasts have also started paragliding at Chikhaldara on regular basis. The plan is to develop this site as a fullfledged paragliding site. A formal Vidarbha Paragliding Sports Association has also taken shape.

HUNTING FOR GOOD TAKE OFF SITES

AND THE OUTCOME

BE ASSURED WHILE FLYING

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  CHIKHALDARA TOURISM FESTIVAL

Chikhaldara tourism festival was arranged during 25 to 27 February,2006. A paramotoring show was arranged for the tourists. A paragliders’ crew from Wings And Flights, Pune, headed by Mr. Eric Menezes, Chief Paragliding Instructor, assisted by Mr. Mangesh Dighe, Paramotor Instructor, visited the festival. After visiting many sites, the crew expressed it’s view that Chikhaldara was probably one of the best sites in India for paragliding,  given adequate basic needs and finishing touches to the much less explored take-off sites.

PRACTISING WITH INDIGENOUS  PARAMOTOR

SKY IS THE LIMIT

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