Aerial adventure: Paramotoring activities begin in Visakhapatnam

At sunrise, Rushikonda feels arsenic if it is holding its breath. I americium strapped into the paramotor harness, the soil inactive chill beneath my feet, erstwhile the helping catches the archetypal cleanable gust. The motor steadies, the formation slips backward and successful a fewer seconds I americium gliding supra the h2o arsenic the coastline shimmers beneath me. The presumption feels contiguous and unreal astatine the aforesaid time, arsenic if the time is unfolding each astatine erstwhile from 400 feet supra the sea.

Vihang Adventures, successful relation with Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), is offering this acquisition each time done its paramotoring operations astatine Rushikonda and Sagarnagar beachfront.

The enactment was formally introduced connected November 15 successful the beingness of APTDC Chairman N Balaji. Since then, the aboriginal greeting and precocious evening rides person already go sought-after slots, mostly due to the fact that these flights let passengers to ticker sunlight displacement crossed the coastline portion paramotoring steadily astatine astir 400 to 500 feet supra oversea level. The rides screen an aerial radius of astir 5 to six kilometres for riders to spot long, unbroken stretches of the beach, rocky hillocks and the gradual crook of the oversea towards the harbour.

According to Surya Teja, the pb aviator and 1 of the driving forces down the project, the squad presently manages astir 30 flights a day, with a program to summation capableness successful the coming days. He explains that the semipermanent extremity is to scope a 100 rides per day. “We are besides preparing to present Jeep parasailing and pitchy skiing truthful that visitors whitethorn program full escapade itineraries,” says Surya.

While the organisation has brought powered paragliding to the metropolis earlier for abbreviated durations, the existent programme is simply a sustained activity, designed to tally arsenic a imperishable feature. The squad includes 2 trained pilots operating 2 powered paragliders and 7 crushed unit who grip instrumentality checks, upwind appraisal and rider support.

The paramotor units utilized astatine Rushikonda and Sagarnagar incorporated Power2Fly and Fly Products designs, paired with Rotax craft engines. The two-seater configuration includes full-body harnesses, which are monitored and cross-checked by the crushed unit earlier each flight. Surya describes the thrust arsenic comfy and steady. “This was my archetypal thrust connected a paramotor. It felt unafraid and comfy up there. In fact, the full acquisition is comparable to settling into a well-supported seat that lifts gradually from the earth,” says Ch Chaitanya, who experienced his archetypal thrust astatine Rushikonda past weekend.

A dedicated information serviceman is stationed connected the formation passim the day. He monitors upwind behaviour, unreality enactment and immoderate motion of shifting conditions. The rides are halted erstwhile the upwind velocity exceeds 15 knots oregon erstwhile determination are indications of rainfall oregon cyclonic upwind patterns. Passengers person a abbreviated briefing anterior to take-off, during which they are told however to clasp the harness, wherever to spot their feet and however to awesome the aviator if they acquisition discomfort oregon privation to chopped the formation short.

Vihang Adventures has handled aerial enactment during the Araku Chali Festival, the Flamingo Festival successful Sullurupeta, the Masula Beach Festival successful Machilipatnam, the Bharuva Beach Festival successful Srikakulam and Vijayawada Utsavalu during the Dasara period. They are besides presently moving paramotoring units astatine Ramapuram Beach and Gandikota.

The organisation’s scope is not constricted to leisure. Their unit has supported NDRF teams, State catastrophe units and defence authorities by providing aerial assistance during emergencies and specialised operations.

During the precocious concluded CII Partnership Summit, Vihang Adventures signed a memorandum of knowing with the Andhra Pradesh State authorities for a heli-tourism task valued astatine ₹25 crore. The work is expected to link Visakhapatnam and Araku Valley done aerial shuttle services.