Paragliding during the day is certainly safe and common, but what about at night?
This question piqued the interest of the Daily Chairman of the Indonesian Aero Sport Federation, Young Marshall Andi Wijaya. He has since encouraged paragliding pilots to test night flights.
Previously, the Chairman of the Indonesian Paragliding Center, Asgaf Umar, tested night flying at the Salena Paragliding Site in Palu, Central Sulawesi. This was followed by another test at Modangan Beach in Malang, East Java, by a team led by Andi Wijaya alongside the then Commander of the Abdurachman Saleh Air Base.
Coinciding with the full moon on Saturday night (June 22, 2024), another night flight trial, dubbed “Full Moon Flying,” was conducted.
“This aims to perfect the night flying SOP so that we can meet safety flying aspects, as there has been no SOP for night flying until now,” said Asgaf Umar.
The Full Moon Flying was directly overseen by Andi Wijaya, who is also the Assistant for Air Potential to the Chief of the Air Staff.
“The perfection of this SOP is a mandate from the Chief of the Air Staff, so we are overseeing the trials and also directly participating in this night flight,” said the former Commander of Abdurrahman Saleh Air Base in Malang (2018-2019).
He also explained that the Chief of the Air Staff, Marshal Tonny Harjono, has mandated intensive development of this achievement sport while simultaneously promoting aero tourism.
“In addition, this paragliding sport is expected to bring economic benefits to the local community by increasing visits from local and international tourists to the paragliding sites,” said the 1990 Air Force Academy graduate.
Therefore, at the same location, Andi Wijaya, accompanied by the Commander of the TGKH ZAM Air Base, Colonel Pilot Erwin Sugiandi, promised to soon sign the night paragliding SOP.
It is noteworthy that this Full Moon Flying event was participated in by pilots from Jakarta, East Java, Palu, and Lombok. ***
