Tuesday 16 / April / 2024
Muscat: Visually impaired Omanis are being offered the chance to paraglide without a companion over the dunes of the Sultanate to break a world record.
Falcon Adventures, a company that offers paragliding and paramotoring in Muscat, is all set to train blind people for the first time in Oman.
“They will take off, control and land alone with the help of our training,” Syed Hamid Raza, the founder of Falcon Adventures.
“We will guide them with a wireless communication system, which is placed in their helmet, but they will need lots of systematic training,” he added.
Raza added: “We have a proper programme that will last roughly two weeks, and involves training the blind and helping them take their first solo flight. First, all the selected individuals who have a sharp mind are given lectures and ground handling and are put on a simulator, which teaches them how to control the glider.
“Eventually, when we are satisfied that they are ready to fly, we will take them for their first solo flight from a height of 300ft,” he added.
Raza says he wants to create activity for disabled people and involve them in his record breaking attempt. He wants to form a blind paragliding team for the first time in the world and attract more young Omanis to take part in adventure sports, drawing more adventure tourists to Oman.
“I want to invite the youth of Oman to see that if a blind person can paraglide, then so can they because paragliding is a safe sport,” he said.
“I know that even though a person may be blind, they have very keen senses and their mind is a lot sharper, which is a God-gifted ability. I want them to feel that they can do anything if they put their mind to it. Also this will be new record as previously a blind person had jumped from 250ft. In Oman,it will be from 300ft.”
Raza is a retired Major of the Pakistan Army, and was involved in training armed forces personnel in martial arts and adventure sports.
According to Raza, he has approached the disabled Olympic Committee of Oman to select blind people to undergo training in paragliding.
“The basic ground training will be done at As Seeb beach and the flight will be from the Al Nahda Dunes,” he said.
The event is expected to be carried out in collaboration with the Oman Paralympic Committee.
“I entered this country with a vision to promote adventure sports in Oman, especially for the youth of Oman, who should be provided facilities where they can excel to best of their ability,” Raza said.
He further stated that he wants to direct the young energy of Oman into something positive.
“My mission and aim is to put Oman on the map of adventure sports all over the world and GCC countries,” Raza said.
Adventure sports are the best way to explore Oman to the fullest and Oman has everything to offer to an adventurous tourist, said Raza.
