After returning from the Dominican Republic, we ended up with several free days due to extremely windy conditions around the island. We took advantage of that time to take care of many pending tasks. By the weekend, we were back in action with activities in San Germán and Isabela…
On the 20th, Luis Ruiz arrived in Isabela due to wind-related commitments, but had to suspend activities because of the strong winds. Freddy Ramos and his family postponed their flights, and pilot Scott Sansone, already back in Puerto Rico, stopped to say hello.
Friday, January 23, 2026 – San Germán
Strong winds had been hitting the North Coast since early morning, but a window of opportunity for early flights opened up in the South. This area is frequently visited by our pilot friend Nixon Porrata, who on this occasion was accompanied by Fio López. Both managed to take off in the morning with lighter winds and fly around the San Germán area. Below, we share some videos of their adventures.
Saturday, January 24, 2026 – Isabela
As mentioned earlier, conditions were windy in the northern area, but that didn’t stop us from having some flight activity. Along with Luis Ruiz, Nixon Porrata arrived, as well as potential student Pedro Gregory. Traveling from Michigan, USA, pilot Tim Sheppard also arrived with his wife, Naomy.
Nixon managed to get some airtime, as did Luis, who conducted an introductory tandem flight with Naomy. At first, she was understandably nervous about the experience, but ended up enjoying it greatly.
Her husband Tim stayed on the ground practicing paraglider inflation and did not fly due to the strong conditions.
At the end of the day, Nixon had a motor out close to the shore and his Paraglider gets some salty water. Pedro Gregory arrives for the help, and later Fio at his home made the procedure of cleaning!!!
Sunday, January 25, 2026 – Isabela, Student Training…
We continued to experience very windy conditions. On this day, Luis Ruiz officially began training new students Francisco Oller and Pedro Gregory. Much of the morning was spent covering the theoretical aspects of the sport and answering questions related to various flight topics. Later in the day, paraglider inflation training began, using 13- and 14-meter wings suitable for strong wind conditions. Both students trained intensely, and noticeable progress is already being seen in these future pilots. Young Noah Enrique was also present, helping his father and the students during practice.
Also present throughout the day were pilot and friend Chino Morales, along with student Edwin Rivera, who arrived accompanied by his son Edgar and his speedy dog, Pity.
At one point of the day, Luis Ruiz stepped out of his comfort zone and went flying in 25 mph winds with gusts exceeding 30 mph. For this flight, he used his fast Sky Z Blade paraglider. Luis reported that while flying downwind, his GPS consistently showed speeds between 57 and 58 mph, with a maximum speed of 60.2 mph—without even releasing the paraglider speed trimmers.
Photos…
