This weekend, the weather conditions were windy for all parts of the island. For this reason, our flight possibilities were significantly reduced. Luis Ruiz, on the other hand, met very early in Boquerón, Cabo Rojo with Robert Rodríguez. Already at 6:30 AM they were ready for the adventure on the Freddy Rental grounds. There was also Luz Mar, who is the first passenger to take the “Live the Experience” VIP flight.
The weather was as expected. But we had not counted on the raining from yesterday, and the terrain was saturated. This complicated the take-offs since there was little room for launch. And Luis could not imagine that was just the beginning of a great adventure that he would face that morning … And there are days and days, and today was one of those. It seemed that nothing would turn out well and from the beginning .. .
Robert on the other hand, prepared everything to leave and after two failed attempts, he decided not to try again. An then Luis was ready with his passenger Luz Mar to launch… The flight gear that Luis selected was a Trike with Simonini 202cc engine of 28 HP. They had to launch quickly or they have the risk of running out of track and getting wet in a puddle of rain that was ahead. And the adventure began 😲 😲 …
In the first attempt to launch, Luis accelerated the Trike and took speed, when it was time to brake to achieve the height, the paraglider did not respond …, it turns out that it had come out with one of the corners tangled and in this side the paraglider didn’t generate any pressure (because of the darkness in the morning we could not notice the tangle situation) … So, they fell into the pool of water …, there, they discovered that the level of water was deeper than thought. And the worst thing is that the paraglider got wet and it could not be used again in the morning 😲 …
There was a second attempt, thanks to Luis that gets a second tandem paraglider in his truck. Again, they get ready and Luis verified that everything was fine. They prepared everything and tried again. This time, they barely gets out and took a bit of height. But due to bad luck, a rear wheel touched the puddle of water, causing them to lose their takeoff energy and they were back to the ground, again… This time Luis did not release the throttle and continued accelerating looking for launch, but nothing to do, on ground again… Roberto mentioned that it was an attempt worth for recording, 🤔. Fortunately, the paraglider did not get wet this time and we could try again 🙏 🙏 …
The time ran against us if we wanted to fly the clouds of Lajas … For the third attempt, we changed the place of takeoff to a drier one but with lateral limitations. An error could take our paraglider towards a gate with wires in one of the sides. So after a short attempt, we decided to abort it. The rush to leave was also playing a trick on us, and we had to stop and breathe for a moment.
We were going to try one more time, but for that, we were going to change the paramotor mounted in the Trike for the new Black Bull of 35 Hp, with that we should launch without problem. Luz Mar and Roberto helped Luis to change it. So in a matter of minutes, the new Trike was ready and with gas for a one hour flight.
The clock still clicking… Already the owner of the land, Freddy, came to share with us. This time the paraglider went straight, Luis accelerated and finally they went flying! 💪 💪 Once in the air, we headed all the way to Lajas. The flight was very smooth and pleasant, although upon reaching Lajas we could see that the clouds of fog were already disappearing. We decided then to take advantage and climb over the mountains where you can see “La Parguera” before returning to Cabo Rojo. Once in Cabo Rojo, we take the opportunity to fly over the town of Boquerón and its surroundings.
Flying back to Freddy’s grounds, and with more than an hour of flying, we still had a story to tell. Surprisingly, the engine went out 😱 😱 … and we had to quickly find where to land because we did not have the height to reach the landing area. After some quick decisions, Luis looked for a place near the road and landed softly. But, once landed, they could not get an open exit to leave the field. After an equipment inspection, we noted what was the failure. We felt short of gasoline… (10 more seconds of gasoline would be enough to arrive…)🙄 🙄
In some minutes, Freddy arrived at the side of the road. He saw what just happened. The gates of the land were closed and protected by barbed wire in all directions. A call to the people who cut the grass in the place, did not pay off. But Freddy had a Plan B. It turns out that his job is to rent heavy equipment machines and he had a “Sky Track” available. So he called his wife, to coordinate the use of it, also we look for some gasoline for the Trike. And after some minutes, there we were, mounted on a Sky Track, and with the Trike next to us leaving that closed terrain…
Luis put gasoline in the engine and it turn on without major problems. Escorted by Freddy, Luis took the Trike all the way on road PR101 to the launch site. Definitely, a unforgettable story … Soon we will include a video that covers the adventure lived that morning.
Later in the morning, after he packs the equipment. Luis would go to meet with the Kamikazes team pilots to “La Guancha” in Ponce. There were, Pablo Cruz and his wife Millie, Carlos Candido Rodríguez, David Silva and his wife Elsie. Luis even made a short flight before a large group of people, even though the winds oscillated at 20 mph+. So we decided to cancel the activity and go early to our homes. David had brought a Bacardi cake and we were eating it between stories and stories. Thanks!!! 😃
Luz Mar lista para su vuelo. 
En el aire. 
Roberto Rodriguez diciendo presente. 
En el camión de Freddy, en rescate. 
Intento de despegue mojado. 
Motor apagado, toca aterrizar!!! 
Sacando el Trike con un SkyTrack para superar verja. 
Ya fuera del terreno. 
Corriendo el Trike en la carretera. 
Llegando a La Guancha con CC, Pablo y Millie. 
Parte del vuelo, y letras de Ponce sembradas. 
Había Publico. 
David y Elsie diciendo presente.
Tremenda historia.
Una muy buena.
Para contar alos nietos y en algunos años cuando llegue la senitud.
Llenarnos de vida evocando el pasado. Y lo mejor. Sin daño alguno.
Que el señor nos siga bendiciendo con el vuelo. Un abrazo
Gracias Efraim, un abrazo!!!!