Join us in Bir, for spectacular XC flying conditions in the majestic foothills of the Himalayas. Flying the 100+ km main ridge spreading East to West with cloud bases up to 6000m, giving pilots amazing opportunities for XC flying.
Situated in the North of India at an altitude of 2400m, Bir is one of the world’s highest takeoffs. Enjoy the breathtaking mountains of the Himalayas, flying conditions are very reliable and we often fly every day of the trip and focus on training all aspects of flying. Thermals average 3-6m/s lending its self to pilots who have the base level experience in XC flying.
On a typical day, you will be driven to the takeoff, where you’ll be given a team brief/de-brief. Once everyone is ready we’ll set a task to fly and then take off together. We will fly as far as possible under radio guidance, as a team. One of The Flight Park’s guides will be with the first group and the other guides will be positioned throughout the pack, with the last one bringing up the rear. Throughout the course, the guides will switch positions through the pack so that you can get the most out of each one’s flying and guiding styles.
There are 3 main ways to get to Bir:
1. Domestic flight from Delhi to Dharamshala and from there you can get a taxi to bir.
2. Overnight bus from Delhi -ISBT Kashmiri gate, which will take you directly to Bir.
3. Fly to Amritsar or Chandigarh and get a private to Bir.
There are many lovely hostel, homestay and hotels in Bir.
Most of the places are on the Main Street of Bir or just 5 mins away.
We will be staying in a lovely hotel, if you would like to book the same let us know.
XC1 Guiding Fees: £950
XC2 Guiding Fees: £1250
Fees include XC guidance, Daily briefing & mountain transport.
XC1 Duration: 7 flying days
XC2 Duration: 10 flying days
Guide: Josh Sanderson & Stan Radzikowski
Takeoff in Bir is 2400m ASL, it is a brilliantly constructed grassy launch that is well maintained and suitable to all pilot levels. Once you arrive at the takeoff, there is a very short walk up the hill to get to the best launch spot. There we will have a briefing for the day and set a task for us to follow. After this, we will enjoy a wonderful day flying together.
House thermals after takeoff are very reliable, at the start of the day we will step climb up the ridge to get to a high point as the day reaches max heating. From there we will set out following the ridges west and completing an out and return flight of around 100km.
The usual flight will be 100km out and return with a first turn point at Dharamshala, from there we will turn back and head toward 360 which is a very distinct mountaintop. Then it’s back home to Bir, where we will land in the main landing field and go for a meal and a debrief.
We expect that you will arrive with a functional paraglider, harness, reserve parachute, helmet, and Vario/GPS.
We recommend you bring along your own trackers (Inreach / Spots). If you don’t have one then we can provide you with one, but do let us know before the course.
The weather is nice but it is really cold while flying, thus we recommend you to fly in thick layers, proper down jackets, and thick or heated gloves.
It is essential that you have travel insurance that covers you in respect of the following:
We will hand out a central grab sheet form, where we would like all pilots to fill in their emergency contact details, insurance policy, and contact numbers.
This grab sheet also mirrors all the Risk Acceptance sign-offs that are a part of this document. Please give it a good read and make sure you understand and accept the risk involved.
Please be aware of your own physical and mental limits throughout the tour and on each flight. We aim to do a lot of flying and this can be tiring, especially in heat that you may not be used to, so please be realistic and fly within your comfort and skill levels, cut the flight plan early if you feel tired. We can always change our flight plan to suit what you feel happy dealing with.
