And we were back at Parque del Norte in Hatillo. Clear skies were the norm in the morning and we have pending to celebrate the “surprise” Birthday to Edgardo Rivera. The pilots Darwin Hernández and David Garber began the flight actions, arriving at the area flying all the way from Isabela.
As the morning progressed, pilots from the Kamikaze families starting to arrive.
Kamikaze pilots…
David Garber and his wife Amara
Alberto Sabah, his wife Mercedes and daughter Jessica
Luis Ruiz, his wife Jessica and sons Ian Darrell and Noah Enrique
Keith Gould and his girlfriend Kathie
Ricardo Gonzalez and his wife Ermelinda
Mario Muñiz, his wife Ivonne and son Jordan
Edgardo Rivera and his wife Wilnelia
Ben Doyle, his wife Andrea, their daughter Emma, and Parents
Noel Vale and his wife Tata
Jose “Cheo” Roman
Tim Slauson
Darwin Hernandez
Sammy Badillo
Jomar Crespo
Living the Experience …
From different parts of the island arrived to Hatillo to enjoy their experiences…
Raymond Arana of Quebradillas
Angel and Jailene from Carolina
Anicef and his sons Lucas and Nemías from Hatillo
Steven Leon and Taisha from Barceloneta
Moises from Juncos
Pilots and Students…
Early in the morning the wind was beginning to pick up intensity so, we understood that we had to hurry with the flights.. Even, Ricardo managed to get out and fly around, but he landed like a “turtle”. Which was documented by fellow pilots for posterity 😊.
Mario, for his part, helped his son Jordan with paragliding training. Jordan looks better and better at paragliding! While Cheo Román said present after a couple of weeks of rest to an injured leg.
Given the strong intensity of the winds, some pilots flew briefly, as was the case with Sammy and Ricardo, while others were more dedicated to practicing. This was the case for Tim, Keith, Alberto, Mario, Jordan and little Noah. Beside, Cheo and Jomar shared and rested a bit from their injuries.
In the meantime, Edgardo and Darwin flew a bit more…
“Wing Partners” Edgardo and Darwin…
Edgardo and Darwin have become “Wing Partners”. They are two of the most active pilots in the Team and their progress has been remarkable. They are always looking for a new challenge to overcome. This time we begin to prepare them to perform Tandem Demo Flights in the future. For this, each of them would begin their training during the day taking the other as a passenger to fly.
The first to put on the Paramotor was Darwin and Edgardo would go as a passenger. The instructions for the entire process were given and Luis was aware of all the details and doubts that arose. Pablo was also attentive and collaborating with the details. After a few minutes, Darwin managed to fly with Edgardo. He even performed a “Touch & Go” with Edgardo and take off again!!!
👉Part of the Fly, Darwin at the Control and Edgardo working this Video👈
Then, it was Edgardo turns, and Darwin will be the passenger. After two attempts, Edgardo managed to do it, although he was not as relaxing as Darwin because had problem with the balance of the bar and Darwin obstruct his visibility. Their first Demo Flight in their history. Congratulations 🙂!!!
Later in the day, they flew with their paramotors and even reached Arecibo on their Cross flights along the coast 💪.
Edgardo’s birthday…
As usual in our family of pilots. This time was Edgardo’s turn. Ivonne was in charge of making a Custom Cake special to Edgardo. It have designs of the Puerto Rican flag that he carries on his paraglider and even the whales that Edgardo has seen on his flights (and tried to film without much success 🤣).
The birthday party was a success. Food, drinks and even a “piñata”, which, although it is hard to believe, ended up hitting and knocking Edgardo to the ground. An epic and unforgettable scene 😲😲😲!!!
Towing Time…
David Garber, once he made the Demo flights that he had yet to do, took out his new “Towing” system with a 500 ft long rope. The first to fly with the system was Keith, who was twice flying over 300 ft above Parque del Norte. For this he used a 23 meter BGD Luna 2 paraglider. Other pilots to receive the Towing fly were Ian Darrell and Ben Doyle.
Closing of Activity…
Parque del Norte close gates at 6 PM, so, we packed up our gear and were ready to leave by 5 PM. But, at the time Edgardo was putting away his equipment, he found out that Darwin was going to return home flying back to Isabela. So, he changed his plans 🙄…
Picture with his wife Wilnelia, that she give him ground support since he was flying away in Cross with Darwin… this meant a greater sacrifice since at that time he had to go to Isabela and then return back in route to Aguas Buenas… But it was his birthday and Wilnelia pleased him 💪!!!.
Darwin and Edgardo arrived in Isabela in 14 minutes… Wilnelia and Jomar were assisting and took some dinner with them at Isabela. And so the activities of the day were officially closed.
Thank everyone who was present on such a special and unforgettable day. Blessings 🙏!!!
Photos…
