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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 four 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.



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