Banner, Paraglider, and Motor! Done by Nik for a Vodafone campaign!

I met a dynamic person today, Nikolai. You would find him ordinary at first. Simple, unassuming, humble. But tomorrow, he is going to pull off a feat over Bangalore: flying only 200ft off the ground in his motorized tricycle-cage suspended from a paraglider!

With all the permissions in place, and in radio contact with Bangalore HAL Radar (127.7Mhz), he will be flying with a banner: “Hurry – April 7 is the last day for enrolling to vote”. His services are being used by the Election Commission, to increase awareness amongst the city’s stubborn voters.

Imagine: 200ft of pure freedom: the closest you can get to being a bird! All permissions in place!

Tomorrow (April 7^th, 2013) morning’s pattern:  (takeoff at 07:00 local from Jakkur), head over the flyover in front of Jakkur, to the Chinnaswamy stadium, over M.G. Road, Election Commission Office, over Majestic, City Railway Station, Back on M.G. Road, to Hennur Cross Road, and landing back at Jakkur. The flight will last for between 2 to 3 hours.

The evening flight pattern is yet to be finalised. The day after (April 8^th) will see him fly out of Bangalore HAL airport. The pattern remains undecided.

200ft over a city: That’s how it’ll appear to him tomorrow when he flies over Bangalore!

So, get out for a not-so-normal Sunday, to spot an aviator: Nik from the Meghalaya Paragliding Association! A flight was planned today evening, but HAL issued a weather forecast that Nik laughed at! Nik has landed and taken off in crazy winds: significant crosswinds, which most turn white-knuckled in, but he confidently flies into!

He will not be foot launching, but will be flying in a Cruiser Powered Para Glider (similar to the one in the image on the left)

*Full width images from the Meghalaya Paragliding Association, thumbnail photo shows Nik (right) with Radio One RJ Prithvi (Left).