This week kept us on our toes when it came to the weather. Despite our plans to get Kent up in the air — and he’s more than ready — a storm began forming south of the island. That system eventually became Hurricane Melissa, a powerful Category 5 hurricane that battered Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti. The result for us? Strong winds and rain across nearly the entire week.
Even with those conditions, we managed to carry out two activities. They were limited, but both turned out to be truly special.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 — Training in Isabela
We arrived early at Villa Pesquera, Isabela, ready for a full day of flight training. Unfortunately, several introductory tandem flights had to be postponed due to strong winds. At the same time, the developing Hurricane Melissa was taking shape in the Caribbean Sea, just south of Puerto Rico.
Kent showed up eager to practice, and we were able to complete a few training sessions using our 13-meter Apco training paraglider. His progress has been incredible — now all we need is one good weather day to get him airborne.
By 11:00 a.m., the winds picked up even more, so we wrapped up the session. Kent took the opportunity to explore the island and enjoy some sightseeing for the rest of the day.
Thursday, October 23, 2025 — Hope Between Rain Showers
We make plans, but nature always has the final say. Once again, we returned to Villa Pesquera, Isabela, only to find erratic winds and now intermittent rain.
Kent, ever the optimist, took advantage of a few brief weather windows to run through the entire flight process — this time with the paramotor on his back. Everything is set and ready; all we need now are better conditions for his first “solo” Fly.
Kent and Amy will be leaving the island tomorrow, but they’ve promised to return soon to complete his training.
A Special Flight for Luz
As part of the day’s plans, we had also invited José Umpierre and his wife Luz, hoping to give her an introductory flight before they returned to their home at New York. They arrived around 9:30 a.m., and Luis encouraged them to be patient with the weather — if a clear window opened for flying, we’d seize it.
Sure enough, the skies gave us a brief opportunity, this after some long hours of waiting. Then, with Kent’s help, Luis took of with Luz for a beautiful flight over the coastline. It was short due to the conditions, but incredibly meaningful. Luz was overjoyed to finally experience flight — something that might not have been possible on another occasion. We captured a video of that emotional moment…
Dinner and Farewell
As the week came to an end, it was time to say goodbye to Kent and Amy — but only for now. Despite the difficult weather, we didn’t want to risk flying in unsafe conditions. We wrapped things up with a farewell dinner and plenty of good conversation, already looking forward to continuing Kent’s training when they return.
Until next time — blue skies ahead!
Photos…
