Crosswinds Massala

Nandi Take Off in Cross Winds from Dipankar Roy on Vimeo.


There is nothing more amusing as an after-thought than the memory of a near perfect crosswind take off. At the same place and the same time a week earlier I was all over the place trying to orient a glider that was determined to come up sideways. Of course it helps to learn from mistakes. Vrata pointed out on the previous occasion that I was tugging the brakes even before the glider came over head. So, this time I was determined to make it right. On the hill and in strong winds the wing will react fast to brakes so braking has to be at a minimum and subtle. I pulled the risers and let the wing come up on its own - its better to wait till the glider is overhead because at that point its not as wild as while its in the arc while coming up (Note to myself: the way I pulled the risers was not correct, I was tugging it towards myself when I should have stepped back a bit and pulled it upwards, will fix it next time). You will notice in the video that just after I turned around, for a brief moment, I was trying to bend forward and keep my arms behind. However, I was airborne in a split second so I had to correct my position accordingly.

The view from the ridge above has a calming effect. The rush you feel at the take off slowly dilutes and the mind now concentrates on two things - Left Brake and Right Brake. It takes a while to get into a rhythm with the beats and the turns and keeping track of other pilots. Then, you look around and start to enjoy the view. Once in a while you watch a bird fly by under you and you realize what a wonderful sport this is. Just so that I am in their good books, I thanked the hill and a bird that was soaring with me before I left the ridge and headed for the landing field.

I left the ridge a few minutes too late not realizing that it may take a while to lose height over the landing zone. It took me a good 8-10 minutes of figure of 8's and a few 360's to get down. The lights were just about switched off for the day when I touched down. I packed my glider in complete darkness, well, maybe my teeth were shining because I was grinning from ear to ear after the wonderful flight.