Over 1,000 feet below us, the Bay of Bengal spreads out like a rich blue carpet, with white frills. Along its edge, the coast of Pattipulam snakes its way parallell to the grey tarmac of East Coast Road. Somebody once said: “The horizon is just four kilometres away.” Whoever did so didn’t have the view I do now, bound to a paramotor’s front seat.
My instructor and flight captain for the day is S Mani Kannan, founder of Aerosports, a Palavakkam-based adventure sports company. Right now, he is sitting in the back seat, steering the trike using harnesses and a hand-held throttle. Both of us wear noise-cancelling helmets; the hum of the engine is as loud as it is reassuring in its steadiness. The second he sets the engine in neutral, killing the hum and setting us in glide mode, a tiny frog of fear leaps up my throat. I gulp it down, deciding to entrust my life in Mani’s expert hands. And then begin the mock-drops: plummeting towards the ground before gracefully curving upward again. However, instead of the shot of adrenaline I expect, is numbing contentment. It’s as if I hit the ceiling of happiness and now there is nothing to do but commit the vistas to my memory, careful not to spill a cloud.
Chennai: 07-04-2019, For City: Paramotoring Aerosports at Pattipulam near Mahabalipuram on ECR . This is for the Urban Adventures column. Photo: M. Karunakaran
Before takeoff
Paramotoring is essentially paragliding, but with the help of an engine. The engine can either be carried on your back, along with the fan, and harnessed to the wing, requiring you to perform a running launch. Or, like in this case, the engine can be part of a three-wheeled vehicle called a trike.
“The trike is made of aluminium,” explains Mani, “to keep the vehicle as light as possible. The fan is wooden for the same reason, and the tyres — balloon wheels — from Hong Kong are made to run on sand.”
On the ground, Mani’s sons Roxen, 13 and Rixen, 11, help him push the 60-kilogram trike, with its massive three-kilo red wing, to take off with its first rider of the day. The wind whips at the flailing wing and more men are called to hold the trike steady. As it gains momentum, Mani contracts and relaxes the ropes of the wing, until the wind scoops the trike into its arms and it gains height.
Roxen holds a digital anemometer in his hand, to measure wind speed. It’s 24 kmph. “The ideal average is 10 to 15 kmph, but we are still below the upper limit of 26,” he reassures me.
Chennai: 07-04-2019, For City: Paramotoring Aerosports at Pattipulam near Mahabalipuram on ECR . This is for the Urban Adventures column. Photo: M. Karunakaran
“Paramotoring began as a method employed by Air Forces, during wars,” believes Mani. “Eventually, it evolved into a sport.” In Chennai, Aerosports is the only company that offers paramotoring rides as well as lessons. While in this city, like in Goa, the coastal views are the main attraction, in other cities such as Pune, Mumbai and Delhi, it’s the hills and the wide fields that tempt adventurers in.
- The Icarus Trophy, a somewhat foreboding name for a cross-country paramotoring race, is held world over, from the US to South Africa.
- Racers from around the globe participate in this nearly 1,300-km-long challenge.
- This year, it will be held in Brazil, from October 2 to October 10.
Before Mani set up Aerosports, he was a in real estate. He started learning paragliding as a hobby. An expensive one at that — as his passion for flying deepened, he invested ₹6 lakh in the sport and it’s various gear.
Today, with his company, he trains others in powered paragliding. “There’s no license as such required to fly, as it’s only a sport,” he says. “In countries like France and Italy where it’s more popular, you are required by State to show that you’re qualified.” It takes a person 15-25 days to finish learnt how to fly solo. After 200 hours of practising solo, you will be experienced enough to take a person along on a tandem flight.
Flying family
Mani has had many students, from policemen to doctors to aeronautical engineering students to celebrities like Malayalam actor Prithviraj. “I train 10-15 students every month,” he says. However, he seems proudest of his youngest students: his two sons. “My eldest son Rixen can fly solo.”
Chennai: 07-04-2019, For City: Paramotoring Aerosports at Pattipulam near Mahabalipuram on ECR . This is for the Urban Adventures column. Photo: M. Karunakaran
Rixen all of 11, is now learning ground-handling. “You need to know the weight of your riders to balance the ropes, and change their positions,” he says, unknowingly spouting the concept of centre of gravity.
The family business involves their mother Lakshmi as well, who keeps track of bookings and finances. “We do joy rides every weekend, and get about 30 people through online bookings. Summer holidays and Pongal season are most active,” she says.
Adds Mani, “Evenings are the best time to fly.” Recalling how the sun set behind us, lighting up the specks of buildings and trees beneath, I would have to agree. But flying at night, with the moon watching, is the most special for him. “Why do you need to travel abroad? Four thousand feet up from here, you’re in a whole new country altogether.”
To fly, you must weigh between 40 and 80 kg. A ride costs approximately ₹2,500. Aerosports is at Palkalai Nagar, Palavakkam. Call 9488011194.
In this column, we hunt for adrenaline-filled activities in and around Chennai
