Where to Learn to Become a Paraglider Pilot

You fold the wing into a backpack, spread it out on the slope, let the wind inflate it – and you’re flying. Alexey Druzhinin, a photographer with RIA Nоvоsтi, is certain there is no flying machine lighter, cheaper, or easier to control than a paraglider. For many years now, Alexey, one of Russia’s finest paraglider pilots, has spent his vacations in the mountains, unfurling his wing over the Himalayas, Tibet, and the Caucasus. Along with his tent and navigation tools, Druzhinin carries his camera with lenses and a dictaphone. He records his observations on the dictaphone, transcribes them at home, and posts the text online. This text, which includes details on landing spots, wind patterns, weather specifics in the region, and his impressions, serves as a guide for those planning to soar over these mountains. For those who enjoy reading about exotic adventures, it is simply captivating. Here are excerpts from Alexey Druzhinin’s diaries over the years, along with his photographs.

Climbed to 4,700 meters. Absolute freedom. At such a height by the edge of a cliff, I would have been afraid, but in the air, the higher you go, the safer it feels. The “base” (the cloud mass you can ascend to) was still low, so I decided to gain altitude in the cloud. It was a mistake. I didn’t account for the warmth, and instead of the usual frost, water flowed along the lines – brrr! As soon as I flew out of the cloud, everything froze instantly. The lines turned out beautifully, transparent and glistening. Down below, it was sweltering – the radiator on the car boiled on the way to the launch.

The sky is starry and clear in the morning. The “base” is on the Bir-Kullu divide. The wind is favorable, at 2 meters per second. I managed to catch a warm thermal and climbed with it. The feeling is always as if you’ve grasped something elusive with that rag. The air is invisible, but experience is enough to know where it should be, where the wind might have carried it, how the birds and the clouds were moving. I matched everything and understood where it should be. I landed on the southwestern ridge with good sections for tomorrow’s southward start.

Covered 60 kilometers in 3 hours. Landed on a plateau: alpine grass and nearby shepherds. I brought a small amount of freeze-dried food, about 800-1000 kcal per day (to avoid overloading the backpack), which is a meager ration. So I quickly set up the tent, nibbled on wild onions, which grew in abundance around, brewed a packet of “food,” and headed to visit the shepherds. Don’t forget the spoon and cup! The shepherds’ camp is a couple of kilometers away, past the ravine. Two brothers, about 14 and 17 years old, don’t speak Russian at all. They warmly fed me dinner: a bit of meat and tea.

While I was away, cows got into the tent – they trampled it, tore things up, and ate all the tea.

At 11:00, I took off to the east, into the canyon. I ended up in a place where the air currents alternated – sometimes rising, sometimes descending – and the paraglider collapsed! I missed the collapse: I was chatting on the radio, and by the time I reached the lines, there was barely any altitude left. I threw out the reserve parachute and maneuvered just 3 or 4 meters from the cliffs and landed. Afterward, I couldn’t stop my trembling hands for a long time.

In the morning, I took an hour’s walk for water: found a snowfield a hundred meters down the slope. Filled up a one-and-a-half-liter bottle and a pot with snow. During my absence, visitors – the cows – had stopped by. They got into the tent, trampled it, chewed on things, and tore a bit. And as a souvenir, they made a mess inside, the bastards! And they ate all the tea! Now I drink hot water with salt – it’s really delicious…

I spent the night at the summit, where there’s a Hindu monastery. It’s a small chapel behind a fence, with a little house, all perched on the mountain top at 1,500 meters. An old woman in an orange robe sat there, feeding crows and reciting mantras. Later, we talked – a colorful man, he spoke some English, told all his tales, and offered me some grass to smoke. Then he said, “See that boy? Take him with you, he’s a gift.” The boy, about 25 years old, agreed.

After a 35-kilometer flight, I landed at 3,400 meters near the ruins of a shepherd’s hut. I didn’t set up the tent, just covered myself with the wing. It was warm, while outside it was 8°C. I lay there, enjoying it: snow fields to the right, descending ridges to the left, stars and moon above. I could live here if there was a metro nearby!

The weather turned bad: everything was covered in a veil, and on the ridge, I struggled to find a thermal of +1 to +1.5 m/s. Beyond the previous ridge, to the south, it was already dark. Should I risk trying to cross the ridge and waste time? Land here and wonder how to start tomorrow? Try heading south toward the highway? In 20 minutes, I flew to the highway, landed on the eastern slope of a plateau, next to some sheds and gardens, at 2,800 meters. Just reached the nearest house when the storm rolled in: rain and wind at 15 m/s.

What’s most important in flying? Getting out in time! I managed.

Where to Learn to Become a Paraglider Pilot?

In Russia today, there are many schools and clubs that make their living teaching people to fly under a wing. Choose one with a license and official status as an aviation organization, part of the Russian aviation structures like OF SLA, ROSTO, and others. There are many in Russia – in Moscow, “Vector” and the MAI club (which Druzhinin attended), in Krasnodar, “Southern Wind,” in Saint Petersburg, Paragliding, Free Spirit in Naberezhnye Chelny, “Breeze” in Feodosia, and so on.

Training can be in groups or individually, beginning with theoretical preparation where students learn about the paraglider’s construction, basics of meteorology, and flight theory. Flight training is handled by an instructor on an individual basis and can be done any time of year, with practical sessions held at specialized paragliding sites in Moscow and neighboring regions. After successfully completing all courses, students take both practical and theoretical exams.