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There are great sites with take-offs for every prevailing wind direction within ½ to 1½ hour’s drive from our base. Our considerable knowledge of the area enables us to select the best site / take off point each day to guarantee you make the most out of the day’s conditions and fly as long as possible.
Each day we accompany you to the flying site and take care of all the logistics. One of our crew may fly as wind dummy and if you wish, will supervise your flight over the radio. You will be floating together with vultures and eagles above the rolling hills, fields, rivers, lakes and rustic little villages.
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Flying season
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Our flying season runs from November until the following June, eight months of sunshine and great flying weather. In winter the east wind blows consistently and the Tower Hill site rules. As winter comes to a close, the west wind begins to push inland by late afternoon and it is often possible to fly the east face of this site in the morning and the west face by the evening. The east west struggle hot’s up by the middle of February resulting in a short period of indecision. By March the transition is complete and the wind direction switches to blow west all day long making the Shelar site reign supreme until mid June when the monsoon winds blow in the rain clouds suspending flying for the next four months.
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Summer
March to June
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Temperature: 25° C - 36° C (77° F - 96° F)
Clear skies and consistent westerlies in the afternoons characterize this season. The air heats up by mid-morning, thermic conditions and strong winds prevail. By late afternoon, smooth laminar sea breezes gently creep up the ghats (hills) creating magical lift bands to soar upon. Sane pilots prefer to spend the mornings chilling at the guesthouse and make the most of the long evenings to soar for hours at a time.
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Winter
November to February
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Temperature: 10° C - 26° C (50° F - 78° F)
The sun shines all day long and one can have the pleasure of flying in just tee shirts and easily touch cloud base in the middle of the day when conditions are strong. Pleasant afternoons with good Cumulus build up make enjoyable flying days.
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Flying conditions
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In the Western Ghats, flying conditions are generally constant and it is possible to fly virtually EVERYDAY of the long season.
“ The low hills, rocky terrain, with endless flatlands around seems to be sculpted specially for paragliding with every bend in the road revealing a new set of ridges just begging to be flown” Hugh Miller, Crosscountry, April / May 2000 issue.
By midday the land heats up making for thermic conditions and great XC possibilities. In the evening as the sun makes its way towards the sea the wind speeds lessen and the skies become hospitable to pilots who want to soar for hours on end and cruise comfortably into the magic hour.
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Magic hour
The magic hour is how we at Kamshet refer to the Wonder wind, (also called a glass-off) a phenomena, occurring about an hour before sunset when an entire mass of air kicks off and provides valley-wide, silky-smooth lift for a magic hour!
We share this wondrous air, many a time at Kamshet. In winter the swifts often signal the magic hour. Large parties make a sudden appearance balling up in the heavens at very low levels. They too make the most of the valley wide, silky smooth lift happily darting about on their long pointed bow like wings hawking tiny winged insects in the air.
For the pilot who has been bombed out of the sky in a no lift condition only minutes before, their noisy twittering and dashing about so close overhead is a beautiful but frustrating sight. A constant reminder that, with a little bit of luck he / she too could have been gliding about until the golden sunlight faded.
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Flying sites
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Kamshet is full of picturesque sites some of which we have discovered, documented and have been flying for years. There are great sites with take-offs for every prevailing wind direction within ½ to 1½ hour’s drive. In summer the prevailing wind is west and the favorites are Shelar & Pavna. In winter Tower Hill dominates.
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