Talking through my hat...
If there's
something about paragliding that surpasses every form of human flight,
it's that exuberant feeling of freedom. Never ever have we flown so free.
The birds do it, the bees do it, so why shouldn't we?
In keeping with its spirit, paragliding is free of
regulation. There is no red tape to bind us and like other extreme
sports like white water rafting and hang gliding which thrive in an unfettered
atmosphere, we are all the better for it.
Of late a dark cloud has appeared in our clear blue
sky. A few greedy people want to control paragliding and insist
on offering us help we do not want. This motley bunch of instructors,
dealers, travel agents, out-of-work publishers, commission agents, sellers
of web services and others, some of whom have never flown a paraglider
before, are offering to protect us from the DGCA!
They claim that the DGCA will take over
paragliding and kill the sport, which is quite untrue on both counts.
The DGCA's attitude towards paragliding is benign and encouraging. In
fact, when paragliders were on the negative list, all these worthies were
nowhere in sight. We were the only ones to appeal to the authorities;
and the government, in the form of the DGCA and the DGFT, came to our
rescue and permitted free import of paragliders. In doing so, they expressed
their love for the sport. So if anyone brings up the bogey of the DGCA
taking control of paragliding, we tell them that it couldn't be in better
hands.
Authority in private hands is questionable, more so
when people who seek it haven't a track record that's anything
to rave about. Once we take their fig leaf away, our intrepid regulators
have little to show us. Wasn't it Benjamin the Donkey who said "God
gave me a tail to drive away the flies, but I'd sooner have no tail and
no flies"? So, if they persist, we must treat them with suspicion
and examine their motives and anything else they might be concealing.
Meanwhile, they can keep their tales and flies to themselves.
Regulation is a two edged sword. There was once a similar lot who tried to control the sport. All these unfortunate souls fell into the hole that they dug for all of us and haven't been heard of ever since. It's poetic justice. There's another lot now, so we'll have to find that hole again....
As long as there are no compelling reasons for regulation, we can expect the sport to evolve naturally. It is probably the only airsport in which we can really excel. We have everything we need - flying sites that are the envy of the paragliding community, inexpensive aircraft and training, the shortest possible induction into the world of aviation, and an environment in which we can use our brains rather than money or technology. When it comes to ideas, imagination and skills we are second to none, and paragliding is one area where we can shine.
The future of this sport lies with those who love the freedom of the skies and they will find ways to enjoy flying without encroaching on anyone elses freedom. It might be a very good idea for such enlightened spirits to meet and share their tales of flying for, in the long run, the sport is theirs. We are therefore suggesting a forum opposed to regulation, or at least to regulation by private parties, and one that encourages interaction between all those who enjoy flying.
No doubt, we can be democratic, and elect representatives who will then proceed to rob, restrict and manipulate (generally screw us) while pretending to help us all the while. That way, we would have a choice about exactly who will oppress us and curtail our freedom. But better still, we can do things Benjamin's way. Is it surprising that paragliders belong to that tiny minority of aircraft that fly without a tail?
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