PART 3 SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR AERO ADVENTUREDRAFT ACTIVITIES SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR AERO ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES Contents Sr. No. Topic Page 1 References 3 2 Important Notes 3 3 Acknowledgements 3 4 Leave Minimum Impact 4 5 Preface 5 6 Paragliding 7 7 Hot Air Ballooning 18 8 Parasailing 26 9 Skydiving 30 10 Air Safari 37 11 ParamotoringDRAFT & Powered Parachute 40 Part 4 - Aero Activities Page 2 of 47 1. References 1.Adventure Tour Operators of India (ATAOI) - http://www.atoai.org 2.ISO 21101:2014 Adventure tourism - https://www.iso.org/standard/ 54857.html 3.FAI (https://www.fai.org/) 4.BHPA http://www.BHPA.co.uk/ 5.APPI - www.appifly.org 2. Important Notes This document is “Work in Progress” and is a draft version. Current version of the document is only for internal review. Use of the words like “he”, “him”, “his” etc are purely used for simplification and they include all genders. Disclaimer: Maharashtra Adventure Council (MAC) has developed this Document. The aim is to assist Organizations and individuals from Maharashtra in the prevention and reduction of injury/illness in adventure activities and make them safer and more enjoyable. MAC cannot and does not warrant the accuracy or the completeness of this guide and content and, as a result, will not be liable to any person or Organization for any loss or damage of any nature, whether arising out of negligence or otherwise, which may be occasioned as a result of the use of this set of safety guidelines and recommendations. 3. Acknowledgements MAC formed ‘Safety Guidelines Group’ (SGG) for drafting this Document. SGG members comeDRAFT with work experience from diverse fields like competence in Air-based adventure, running organizations in directorial capacity, experts in aviation field and running voluntary organizations in the field of adventure. Criteria considered while preparing this Document are: should be user- friendly, implementable and most importantly EFFECTIVE in helping ensure safety and promote excellence for air-based Adventure Activities. On behalf of MAC and adventure fraternity, I acknowledge the huge efforts put in by the group in preparing The Document, and thank the following individuals: Persons who contributed various sections of The Document: Part 4 - Aero Activities Page 3 of 47 1. Mr. Amarjeet Malik 2. Mr. Vistasp Kharas 3. Mr. Sachin Pathare The author of section number 11 Paramotoring PPG and PPC guidelines is Mr. Samson Dsilva. There are more persons who were consulted on specific points and whose opinions have influenced this Document 4. Leave Minimum Impact ‘Leave Minimal Impact’ practices help Adventure Programmes to minimize the impact on their environment. In the context of India, some of the constituents of environment includes but are not limited to: natural environment, socio- cultural environment and archaeological environment. This document states a) the example of the well established environment friendly outdoor ethics titled ‘Leave No Trace Seven Principles’ and b) certain recommendations specific to local conditions. Leave No Trace Seven Principles - Outdoor Ethics Notes for local conditions specific to India and Maharashtra: 1. Do not disturb or take relics from archaeological ruins or ancient shrines and caves 2. Be considerate of local populations - Avoid adversely impacting local sources of water (e.g., water tanks) and food (e.g., fields). - Be aware of and minimize adverse cultural impact on local population. - Work towards win-win associations where Adventure Programmes generate respectful earning opportunities for locals. - Avoid occasional help given to villagers on an ad hoc basis; instead explore ways of striking meaningfulDRAFT relationships with local associations like schools and village panchayats for extending meaningful help. 3. For camps set up for groups, take care to not impact streams and rivers, especially with kitchen refuse and human waste – meticulously follow practices based on Leave No Trace Seven Principles. 4. On Himalayan trails, make way for pack animals by standing away from the trail, moving to the uphill side of the trail. 5. As far as possible avoid having campfires – the deadwood in the outdoors is used by local populations, in addition to being a resource for flora and fauna; as far as possible, use stoves to save on wood being used or cooking camp-meals. Part 4 - Aero Activities Page 4 of 47 5. Preface In India and particularly in the state of Maharashtra, Paragliding is practiced as - A. An individually pursued Sport, B. Through Competitions (national as well as international) and C. Via Tandem Flying. Our main focus is on the safety guidelines for the third avenue - Tandem Flying. We trust that this information will help to frame appropriate regulation for Paragliding activity where common people participate. 1. Large-scale participation in Paragliding is through Schools of Paragliding and Clubs of Paragliding. Flying enthusiasts learn from Instructors in these schools. Common people participate in the Tandem Flights offered by Schools and/or clubs and/or Tandem Flying Operators (that may or may not operate a School or Club). 2. Every School / Club / Flying operator follows their own Safety Guidelines and SOPs. 3. These Guidelines are primarily derived from the systems of one of the internationally recognised bodies. They are - USHPA - https://www.ushpa.org/ FFVL - https://federation.ffvl.fr/french-flying-rules APPI - http://appifly.org/ BHPA - https://www.bhpa.co.uk/ Although the above mentioned systems vary in structure and presentation, all of them are a great resource for an operator to help them ensure safety of the Participants. Two of the main Stakeholders in Maharashtra & also in India have been Kamshet and Vasai. KAPA (Kamshet Paragliding Association) and PAI (Paragliding AssociationDRAFT of India) are some of the associations working in Maharashtra with an objective to promote Paragliding and Paramotoring in the State. 4. In 2018, ATOAI (Adventure Tour Operator’s Association of India) has published Guidelines for the Operators of Adventure Tourism. These guidelines include Paragliding, Para-motoring and few more Aero Activities. In few states of India there are state level associations that have come up with their own Guidelines for operators in that state. E.g. Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand. Part 4 - Aero Activities Page 5 of 47 5. At national level, DGCA has not yet recognised/empowered any Association to be a National Governing Body to issue Licenses for Paragliding. Aero Club of India (ACI) issues licenses to pilots for the purpose of competitions, however these licenses are not for commercial flying. We hope that the Paragliding community will soon have a National level Governing Body. 6. In future, MAC is committed to assist the Government of Maharashtra for progressive revision of Maharashtra Specific Guidelines be recommended to the Operators of Paragliding and Para-motoring in Maharashtra. DRAFT Part 4 - Aero Activities Page 6 of 47 6. Paragliding Paragliding has developed significantly in Maharashtra, in India & throughout the world over the past three decades. It has developed into a mature Aerosport over the years & can be compared to any other form of sport aviation. Since more & more people are taking interest in the sport the need for quality training & more attention to safety has become a necessity. We are recommending the FAI’s (Federation of Aeronautique International) Safe Pro program that is designed to be seen as a guide for Associations, Schools, Organizations & Clubs worldwide to develop their own training programs. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI - The World Air Sports Federation, was founded in 1905. It is a non-governmental and non-profit making international organization with the basic aim of furthering aeronautical and astronautical activities worldwide, ratifying world and continental records and coordinating the organization of international competitions. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). After a century of steady growth, FAI is now an organisation of more than 100 member countries including India, forming a strong network linking all those who participate in air sports worldwide. FAI recommends the SAFEPRO PARA program which is a Paragliding safety & training program created along with USHPA, FFVL, APPI and BHPA. This program assists the participants to progress safely and become true airmen. The main Stakeholders in Maharashtra have been using APPI & BHPA systems for last 10 yearsDRAFT successfully. Please visit FAI Website https://www.fai.org/sites/default/files/civl/documents/ safepro_para_2020.pdf to access FAI’s CIVL SafePro Para, Recommended Safety Proficiency Standards for Paragliding, 2020 Edition Effective 1st May 2020. 5.1 Paragliding Schools / Organization Part 4 - Aero Activities Page 7 of 47 No organization / school is obliged to follow a particular Rating system and they are free choose the education and rating system best suited to them. Top Paragliding organizations / schools in India have been known to follow APPI & BHPA education & rating systems. The SafePro Para program should be seen as a guide for federations wanting to develop their own program. Until such time that India develops its own homegrown licensing system approved by the DGCA, MAC recommends that FAI SafePro Para program be followed by all schools & organisations. The Chief Instructors of all such institutes must hold a valid Instructor License or valid certification from any recognized or accredited organizations.