Monday 23 of April could be the date of the new world record that the Spanish pilot Ramon Morillas plans to set: a flight of 1350 km over the sea, from the south of Spain to the Canary island of Tenerife! The stormy weather in the area has delayed the departure date giving Ramon some more days to train and test the gear at the beach in Tarifa (south of Spain). The forecasts are better for the end of this week, so Monday is the most probable day for achieving the ambitious feat, which will need strong north-east wind and clear skies along the route to be successful. Ramon, holder of 4 certified world records would so beat his own record of distance (950km) done last year, only this time virtually all the flight would go by over the Atlantic Ocean.

Ramon will take off from Jerez de La Frontera (Cadiz, south of Spain) and will fly in a south-westerly direction to Los Realejos (north of Tenerife), assisted by the trade winds or ‘Alisios’ that blow in the same way. Apart from his high-performance paraglider Advance Omega 7 (DHV2-3) and a paramotor PAP Ros 100 (modified to reduce weight), the athlete will carry 65 kg of fuel that will raise the total weight of the equipment to +100 kg at takeoff. The safety gear that Ramon will use include a special water suit, life-vest, radio beacons, water-activated strobe, tracking systems, and even a self-inflating rescue boat. He will be supported by the Spanish Air Force through two military helicopters ready to start a rescue from the sea, and the SAR on alert and following his flight through tracking systems. Still, there are risks but Ramon believes he has the best possible gear for this adventure, and the best team behind supporting him.

“Doing such a long flight and over the water may seem insane to many people, but we have meditated a lot on this and this is what motivates me: That it is difficult, but it can be done. I really feel very lucky to be able to think ‘what do I want to do’ and do it, to fulfil my dreams. The attempt to make this record is what motivates me the most. Then, if I accomplish it or not will depend on many factors”, says the adventurer.

The record attempt is part of the promotion activities organized by the Paragliding Festival of Los Realejos ‘Flypa 07′, which will take place on April 28th to May 1st.
Ramon’s position during the flight will be shown in real-time on: www.flypa.es and www.draconexion.com/latravesia

Equipment for flying 1350 km above the Ocean

• Paramotor: PAP ROS 100, mounted on a specially lightened chassis of a single piece, with a light harness made by Supair and 4 fuel tanks (two behind and two on the sides, for a total capacity of 71lts). Carbon propeller of 130cm (two-blades). Manual start (with kick-down system to restart in flight). Rescue chute. Empty weight: 30 kg.
• Paraglider: Advance Omega 7 (DHV2-3), with trimmers for reaching high speed with comfort.
• Open Helmet, with wire connections for cell phone and radio.
• Stroboscopic light to fix on the paramotor, in case Ramon has to take off or land by night. Navigation: 4 GPSs: two Garmin 76 and a MLR, and the flight logger to validate the record, “Volkslogger”.
• Tracking systems: To transmit his satellite position, both for security and to make his flight followed in real time through Internet, Ramon will carry two systems, one of Iridium and another DMR-200 of Inmarsat - of 1 kg of weight with battery for 20 hours.
• Security: Ramon will bring a big semi-rigid rectangular case (also used as a cockpit) for carrying most of the safety and navigation equipment. The case will be fixed to the paramotor with two side bars, and in case of imminent water landing the pilot will release it from the Paramotor and fix it to his own body before jumping out to the water from 1 or 2 metres above - so that he has the rescue equipment with him. On the surface of the case, under a transparent cover, all the navigation devices and transponders will be fixed (and visible for the pilot), while inside the following elements will be kept (apart from water and food):
  • Self-rescue boat: inflated by pulling a cord, it even has a cover to protect the passenger inside from the water. Weight 5kg.
  • Radio-beacon: like the ones used by ships for emergencies, it sends a signal to allow tracking by the rescue services.
  • Radio, aerial band: to communicate with the army helicopter.
  • Satellite Cell-phone Iridium
  • Flares, colour tint for the water (to be seen from the air), light bars.
• The pilot will wear a neoprene suit and a ‘condom’ system for peeing in the air during the flight. Around his neck he will have an inflatable life jacket (by pulling a cord), and the paramotor will have another one for floating and being recovered from the water if possible.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 19th, 2007 at 9:02 am and is filed under News.