We managed to have great flying stories during some of these Days!!!
After a very windy final week of February, the pattern continued into March—especially throughout the first two weeks. This resulted in forced time off from flying for many pilots. However, some managed to stay active—either by making the effort to wake up early for calmer conditions or by using the right equipment to handle stronger winds. Here, we share some of those adventures.
Sunday, March 1, 2026 – Isabela
Strong winds continued at full force. Luis Ruiz arrived in Isabela with his sons, Ian Darrell and Noah Enrique. The plan was to conduct some introductory tandem flights for Kiki Toro and her family from Camuy, some of whom were returning for another experience. However, the activity was postponed to later in the month in hopes of better conditions.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 – San Germán and Añasco
Nixon Porrata managed to fly at sunrise in his hometown of San Germán. Later in the day, he met up with Fio López, Darwin Hernández, Randy Kester, Scott Baxter, and other pilots from Illinois. They were able to complete short flights in the Añasco Valley, taking advantage of a west wind (W) flow.
Friday, March 6, 2026 – San Germán
Forced flying breaks continued. Winds of 32+ mph were recorded across various parts of the island throughout the week. Only Nixon Porrata managed to get airtime, flying at sunrise in San Germán.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 – Isabela
Luis Ruiz managed to fly despite the strong winds in Isabela. He even conducted a LIVE video addressing a disputed area affected by nearby construction close to mangroves. This story will continue in the coming days.
Thursday, March 12, 2026 – Isabela
Luis Ruiz returned to Isabela with student Pedro Gregory.
With slightly more manageable winds (17 mph with gusts up to 22 mph), Luis conducted a tandem flight for Edward from Texas, who was accompanied by his mother Sarah and brother Julián.
Pedro also practiced in strong wind conditions using a 13-meter training paraglider—his progress is clearly noticeable.
Meanwhile in the town of Guayanilla, Nixon Porrata managed an early flight, capturing some impressive footage. This is a particularly difficult area to fly, making his achievement even more noteworthy.
Friday, March 13, 2026 – Aguada
The morning over Aguada was active. Pilots Berto García and Nixon Porrata set out with the idea of taking off from Añasco, crossing the Pico Atalaya mountain range, and flying over Luis Ruiz’s home in Barrio Malpaso. In the travel, Nixon experienced issues with his paramotor while climbing the mountain and couldn’t complete the route. However, Berto successfully made it—and we include two spectacular and viral videos from his visit.
Saturday, March 14, 2026 – Isabela
Once again, plans for a full day of flying in Isabela were either postponed or limited. Luis Ruiz rescheduled several pending tandem flights due to conditions, but one did go forward. Early in the morning, he met with Aracelys Sánchez accompanied by her mother Annette, who traveled from Aguada. Luis completed the flight just before winds intensified to unsafe levels.
Also present in the area were Edgardo Rivera (the first to fly), Mario Muñiz and his wife Ivonne, Noah Enrique, Pedro Gregory, Reynel Fermaint, Javier Cordero, and Sammy Badillo.
Noah, Mario, Pedro, and Reynel practiced in strong winds before conditions became too difficult.
Edgardo and Luis Take Off in the afternoon for some radical flights using their sporty paragliders. The wind intensity was close to 25 mph with gust of 30 mph+. That type of flights required a lot of experiences and the correct equipment. For this 2 pilots there was not a major issue. Notable to mention that the GPS from Luis Ruiz clocked 64.1 mph flying downwind !!!
We hope that in the coming days, wind intensity will finally decrease so we can return to “normal” flying activities once again.
Extra Video(s)…
Photos…
