The Paragliding World Cup of 2015 got underway with Union Minister of Civil Aviation P. Gajapati Raju flagging off the pilots from the Billing launch site in Bir in Himachal Pradesh
Despite the extreme overcast conditions, the pilots took to the skies amidst cheers of encouragement from the crowds that thronged Billing on the sporting event.
A total of 130 pilots represented more than 35 countries from across the globe which took part in the World Cup that concluded on October 31, 2015.
“The beautiful and surreal picturesque setting of Bir-Billing provides the perfect backdrop for the biggest aero sport event in the country,” said the minister.
The local Billing Paragliding Association of Bir Billing in Himachal Pradesh is the organiser of the event, while the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is the main sponsor.
We are confident that the Paragliding World Cup will take the popular sport of paragliding to the next level,” said Sudhir Sharma, president of the local association..
For the first time, a GPS-aided GEO augmented navigation (GAGAN), an India SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation System) Programme jointly developed by the India Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the AAI was used for live tracking of the pilots who took part in the event.
The AAI provided the pilots with GAGAN signals for accurate navigation and tracking facility. For the first time GAGAN-enabled accord receivers had been put to use in the Indian airspace.
The field at the AAI Paragliding World Cup is one of the strongest on the paragliding world tour.
The top-ranking pilots who participated in the event were Julien Wirtz of France, who had been ranked World No. 1, Vidic Jurij of Slovenia, and Torsten Siegel of Germany.
Jurij, Wirtz and Siegel held the spots of being the second, third and fourth, respectively, in the world and also in Europe.
Andreas Malecki of Germany, the former World No. 1 from September 2011 to February 2012, and Maxine Pinot of France, World No. 8 and winner of 2014 Super Cup in Turkey, were also among the top participants.
The Indian challenge was led by Ajay Kumar, who is one of India’s most experienced pilots.
The Billing Paragliding Association formed in 2006 had also successfully organised the Pre-World Cup of Paragliding in Bir – Billing in the year of 2013.
The association is the only organisation recognised by the Aero Club of India, which in turn is the only body recognised by Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the world governing body for air sports across the globe, and the Paragliding World Cup Association (PWCA).
The FAI was formed in 1905 in Brussels, Belgium.
As a competitive sport, Paragliding has already featured in some International Games like the South-East Asian Games and the Asian Beach Games. Paragliding was also short-listed in the initial list of new events for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but will now be considered for the 2024 Olympic Games to be held in Paris, France.
Bir-Billing is considered one of the most natural locations for paragliding and is about 60 kilometers away from the town of Kangra. Our Resort in Palampur is one of the finest resorts to stay at during your stay in Himachal Pradesh. You can relax and rejuvenate yourself at our Resort in Palampur. You can travel to Bir Billing from our resort in Himachal Pradesh during the day, enjoy the sport of paragliding and return to our Resort in Palampur in the evening after an enjoyable and adventurous day.
The take-off site for paragliding at Billing, situated at an altitude of 2,325 metres above sea level, had been refurbished to enable 15 to 50 gliders to take off simultaneously. The landing site at Bir, located at 1,360 metres, had also been expanded for safe landing of all the paragliders participating in the Paragliding World Cup of 2015 in India.
Michael Kuffer of Switzerland and Yuki Sato of Japan won the Paragliding World Cup of 2015, held in Bir – Billing in the state of Himachal Pradesh, in India.