Daniel Velasco

Hawaiʻi · Colombia

Daniel Velasco

Still flying.

Adaptive paragliding pilot. The sky before the injury, the long way back, and the people and islands that made return possible.

The arc Who helped Donate

The arc

Colombia

Where it started

Paragliding began in Piedechinche. Free flight became a life, not a hobby.

Hawaiʻi

Home in the islands

Moved to Hawaiʻi and built a life between the mountains and the sea — still chasing airtime across Maui, the Big Island, and Oʻahu.

2011

The break

A Maui crash. T6/T7 spinal injury. Paralysis from the chest down. Long rehab — including Casa Colina — and a harder question: what does flying look like now?

Return

Back in the air

Local pilots showed up. Friends crossed oceans. A crowdfunded motorized trike opened the door; later, a lighter hand-built trike. Flights that mattered — including Turkey — and a Jack Russell named Boogie who goes where the adventure goes.

People who got me back up

No one returns alone. This is a living thank-you to the pilots, friends, and builders who kept the door open.

Hawaiʻi

The local pilot community

Pilots across the islands helped rebuild skill, gear, and courage after the crash. Site knowledge, shuttles, spotting, encouragement — the everyday work of community.

Island by island →

Maui school

Paraglide Maui

Home mountain school and sponsor on the lee of Haleakalā — Polipoli Flight Park, tandem and solo instruction, visiting-pilot home base.

paraglidemaui.com

Film & friendship

Veso Ovcharov & Fly the Earth

They came to Hawaiʻi; the film Fly Again tells that visit — Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, a Na Pali dream, and the push that helped reopen the sky.

flytheearth.com/fly-again

Utah

Chris Santacroce & Project Airtime

Chris’s nonprofit in Draper, Utah takes everyone flying — adaptive chairs, free tandem access, no exclusions. A north-star example of what adaptive free flight can look like.

projectairtime.org

In memory · 2019

Justin Boer & Sky Thairapy

Dear friend. We trained together in Ölüdeniz; not long after we came home, Justin was gone. He had founded Sky Thairapy to open adaptive paragliding to people with disabilities — the same calling that shaped Fly Again and AccesSurf chapters of his path.

His smile was contagious. His mission still matters.

Islands

Each island held a piece of the return. Pages for Maui, the Big Island, and Oʻahu — stories, communities, and links.

Maui Home mountain · Paraglide Maui · Polipoli Big Island Thermal sites · Big Island Soaring Oʻahu Friends, film, and coastal air

Sponsors

Brands and partners who help keep this journey in the air. Interested in joining them? Reach out below.

Support the flight

Chair R&D, travel to training and competitions, and sharing adaptive free flight take fuel. Every bit helps.

Donate

Opens email for now — we can swap this to PayPal, Venmo, or GoFundMe when you pick one.

Flying now

Adaptive pilot on a path toward solo performance — chair work adapted from a Quickie XTR, early speed-system experiments, and a longer aim: gear and skills so adaptive pilots can fly (and compete) alongside everyone else.

Contact

Press, collaboration, or just hello.

danielvelasco@yahoo.com

Personal email — confirm if you want a different address here.