The Amazing Journey of Sunith Rao In Paragliding, Breaking Records, And More

Sunith’s journey into the skies began early—his first tandem paragliding flight was at age four, growing up in the flying haven of Kamshet, India. By ten, he was ground handling wings, and at 15, he became a certified Club Pilot. Since then, he’s flown in numerous national and international competitions, including the prestigious Paragliding World Cup Superfinal. He has completed multiple FAI triangles over 100 km and holds Indian records, including a 259 km cross-country flight—the longest ever by an Indian pilot. On World Pilot Day (April 26), Sunith shares his experience through Thermalling and Cross Country Clinics with Nirvana Adventures, inspiring and mentoring the next wave of pilots to chase the skies.

Excerpts from the interview:

What does being a pilot mean to you?

For me being a pilot is enjoying the skies and feeling at home there in a certain way that you just can’t feel on the ground. Flying high in the sky and covering hundreds of kilometres without an engine by just using understanding and knowledge of the winds and the mountains is truly a special feeling. No two flights are ever the same as weather conditions keep changing. You may have a plan for the day but you need to keep adapting it during the flight as the weather may be different from expected and so you keep having new experiences to enjoy and learn from.

What motivated you to be a pilot?

I’ve been around paragliding my whole life as my parents run Nirvana Adventures – India's oldest paragliding school based in Kamshet, Maharashtra. Since I was a toddler I have been seeing people around me fly. I flew my first tandem flight at the age of 3 so it was something I always wanted to do. Once I was 14, I started to fly solo and since then I was always thinking about how to go further and keep getting better so I could explore more of what flying has to offer and be able to fly longer distances.

What would you like to say to young pilots?

While my experience of flying is limited to paragliding nowadays there’s several different ways in which one can fly so they have the freedom to choose amongst several options. In paragliding itself for instance there’s multiple disciplines which appeal to different people. There's cross country flying for those who want to fly far and see spectacular views of the mountains, Acrobatics for the adrenaline junkies, hike and fly for those who like the idea hiking up big mountains and using a paraglider to get back down, there’s even Vol Biv in which you can fly from one mountain to another with camping gear, spend the night on the mountain slopes and take off the next day to continue your journey.

There are few women who paraglide in India or are pilots - how can this sport be pushed further for women?

I think the main reason that few women paraglide or do adventure sports in general is that societal expectations make it difficult for a lot of women to do a sport like paragliding or take part in anything that entails risk

One the opinions that I have heard from a female pilot before and I think is probably true is it’s an expensive sport most people so in their early twenties working their first jobs usually can’t afford it and once in their late twenties or early thirties a lot of women have or plan to have children because of which they can’t expose themselves to the risks of an adventure sport. Most of the women who do paragliders have either had supportive parents who helped them get into it at a young age or are ones who aren’t keen or in a hurry to have children.

I’m not sure how the sport can be pushed to women specifically but as the sport keeps growing and more people take part in it automatically the women who are drawn towards it will take part. What could help is probably if more female pilots are asked to speak about their experiences.

When you got the title of being the Indian with the longest flight in the Himalayas - how did you feel? When was this?

I remember always looking at Debu’s record flight in awe thinking that it was on a level I would never reach but as time went on and I kept getting better I started to look towards breaking it eventually. Finally, in April 2023 I felt ready and made up my mind to go for it and on the day, I felt like I was flying my best and weather conditions were totally perfect for it almost felt like the winds, mountains and even the vultures were helping me break the record. I was ecstatic when I completed the flight and was gliding back to the landing, I think a part of me couldn’t believe I had done it.

How do you ensure fitness as a pilot? Do you have a regimen you follow?

Paragliding doesn’t require you to be super fit unless you’re into hiking and flying. I still make it a point to do some bodyweight exercise and some short hikes as having some cardiovascular fitness and core strength makes longer flights more comfortable. Sometimes you end up landing far away from a road and need to walk a long way with the glider so it’s important to be fit enough to do that. Also just feeling good in general allows you to feel better in the air as well. I do like having cold showers as well as it helps me not feel as cold when I’m flying in a cold place or high altitude.

What are some sacrifices you have made for the sport of being a pilot?

I don’t really see anything I’ve had to do for the sport as a sacrifice. I feel like there was a good enough balance between flying and other aspects of my life. Others may see me spending a lot of my time flying rather than the things that everyone else is as a sacrifice but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it that way.

What is your definition of freedom?

For me freedom is the ability to do what you love doing when you want to be doing it but it’s not just limited to that as it's also about what goes on in your mind. To be free is to not always have negative thoughts and insecurities weighing you down but instead be enjoying what you are doing in the moment and that’s how flying often makes me feel.

Published on: Sunday, April 27, 2025, 07:30 AM IST