DO NOT USE OTHER’S EQUIPMENTS!!!!

 

You are always told that ‘’DO NOT USE OTHER’S EQUIPMENTS’’. Well, I was never told that when I started paragliding.
Two years before, I went to a trip to Bir, it was raining there when I reached. After 2-3 days the weather cleared and was suitable for flying. I went on the site and saw that it was too windy for me, resulting; I had to sit, observing others fly. My friend Ram, from manali, gave me a lot of information about that site. He wanted to fly but he didn’t get his glider, so I gave him my glider to fly as he was in that weight range. I never knew that he changed the settings of my harness.
The very next day, the weather was good for flying. I opened my glider, pined up my harness, and was ready for a flight. I picked my glider up and felt that I had no feeling on my glider, I thought it may be because of the extra weight that I am carrying in my harness to equalize my weight. I pushed myself off the ridge and leaned forward everything was normal. But when I tried to sit in my harness, it took me back with it. I got damn scared!!! I was not getting the judgment of my brake lines nor could I see the landing area. I don’t what happened but I got a strike in my mind and tried for weight shift though I never practiced for it any time, a picture of a biker came in my mind while doing weight shifting to sharpen his turns. While doing this I made a judgment of landing, the mountain was too high so I could take as much time I wanted. At last I landed down safely, in the landing area, without any damage to myself and my glider.
That day I learned a lesson, never use other’s gliders and don’t let anyone use yours.
PLEASE NOTE: IT MAY RESULT MORE DANGEROUS, OTHER THAN JUST A LESSON.