Not long ago I got a call inviting me to fly over the Salt Flats of Sayula in a tiny aircraft called an ultralight, which I learned is a kind of Delta Wing with a small engine and room for two persons. It has three wheels and is also called a trike.
Up to that moment my policy about high and dangerous places was that I preferred to enjoy such views only when wearing a harness and attached to a rope. Nevertheless, I picked up the phone and called hang-glider expert Rodrigo Orozco for an opinion. “You have a chance to fly in an Ultralight?” he said. “Go for it! My wife and son both loved the experience!”
Safe in the knowledge that his wife and son had not only enjoyed their trike flights, but had also survived them, I accepted the invitation.
As a result, last Sunday Rodrigo drove me into Kordich Air Sports Club where I had an appointment to soar into the sky at 9 a.m.
This club is located next to a pueblito called Los Pozos, only 17 kilometers northwest of Lake Chapala (as the pelican flies) on the edge of the great Salt Flats of Sayula, a mere 30-minute drive from Guadalajara’s Periférico.
“Los Pozos International Airport” is what neighbor David García calls the place, because hang gliding enthusiasts from all over Mexico and a few other countries gather here regularly to float upon the extraordinary thermal updrafts created by the unique geography of Los Pozos, which is bounded by a high, towering cliff on one side, desert-like, treeless flats on the other, plus 80-kilometer-long Lake Chapala nearby.
“Early in the morning we have ideal conditions for flying ultralights,” said owner Pedro Kordich, who has been flying Delta Wings for some 30 years. “A few hours later, the thermals begin to rise and it’s perfect for hang gliders.” Or as Rodrigo put it, “At Los Pozos you can actually have the experience of surfing, only you are riding waves of air instead of water.”By now it was time for my ultralight flight.
First I slid into my seat behind pilot Pedro. Then he and an assistant snapped a seat belt on me and fitted a huge helmet on my head with a built-in communication system. I felt just like an astronaut about to head into space.
“Vámonos,” shouted Pedro with a big laugh, as we sped along the runway.
Suddenly we were in the air and Pedro was already turning the little flier left and right, pointing things out to me, even though we were only 20 meters off the ground. He was “steering” by weight-shifting: pushing, pulling and turning the bottom bar of a big tubular triangle. I was amazed at how maneuverable this trike was in comparison to a commercial plane, no matter how small.
Then we went up high, fast, and suddenly I could see, in one panoramic view, the towering Colima volcanoes, Lake Chapala and, I hate to say it, countless forest fires blazing in the hills all around us. It was an overpowering view.
“If we fly over one of those incendios, you might feel some turbulence,” came the tinny voice of Pedro through my earphones. I answered something, but I’m not sure what it was, as I discovered that I couldn’t hear my own voice, due to the whistling of the wind. Without a doubt I must have said, “Hey, sure, let’s fly right over a forest fire,” because that’s just what we did. Far below (maybe 400 meters?) I could see orange flames licking the sky. Suddenly our smooth ride got bumpy. Apparently this is what you would experience if you flew in the afternoon around here, which is why they do the trike flights in the morning.
The next phase of my ultralight educational experience was discovering exactly what happens when the engine fails. Pedro turned it off and – nothing! We didn’t fall. We stayed right where we were, only now, it was a whole lot quieter. This truly amazed me. Our trike was behaving as if it were a kite tethered to an invisible rope, “as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean.”
I recalled Rodrigo’s comment on his second hang-glider flight in this very place: “The thermals lifted me up and there I stayed, for over three hours. It was a wonderful experience and I didn’t come down until the sun set.”
My experience was also marvelous and I believed I was up there for at least half an hour. When I came back down to earth, however, I was told my flight had lasted only ten minutes. But those ten minutes were jam packed with rich experiences which I’ll never forget. I highly recommend you give it a try!
As I was preparing to leave, a lot of hang-glider pilots were arriving. They were all participating in an international competition which selects the six best pilots from each country for the 20th World Hang-Gliding Championships, which will be held here in Mexico in 2015 at a place called Valle de Bravo, where there are thermals similar to those of Los Pozos, but in the middle of mountains. The competitions, I discovered, are set up much like rallies: each pilot must fly above certain specific locations, which he or she verifies using a GPS. Points are gained or lost according to how skillfully this is accomplished.
One of the pilots competing was Mexican photographer and cinematographer Lars Herrmann. I asked him what he found so attractive about hang gliding.
“This sport is about nature,” said Herrmann. “It has a really strong spiritual side. It’s about being up there all by yourself, reading the weather conditions, reading the clouds. When you’re in a hang glider, everything is beautiful; there’s no war when you’re up there, no envy. You forget about everything and you concentrate on the present. You don’t worry about your possessions; you only think about flying. Hang gliding is the very best antidote for a mid-life crisis.”
A short flight in a trike costs 900 pesos and lasts ten minutes. For 1,100 pesos you can fly twice as high for 15 minutes and if you pay 1,350 pesos you can soar even higher and farther from the Los Pozos area. If you just want to sit and watch the action in the sky above, it won’t cost a centavo. Check out more info and pictures at www.aladelta.com.mx or phone Pedro Kordich (who speaks excellent English) at cell 331-270-3838. His email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Like Ana Paula Díaz, one of only three women who practice hang gliding in Mexico, you may discover that, for you too, this sport is “pura libertad,” unbounded freedom.
How to get there
From Guadalajara, take Highway 54 southwest and follow the “libre” signs for Colima. Note that this road is now divided, with four lanes and (for the moment) no potholes. About seven kilometers south of Acatlán de Juárez, watch for a sign saying San Marcos and Los Pozos. Turn left and drive straight east for two kilometers to the town of Los Pozos. Just 200 meters into the town you need to make a left turn (at the white Casa de Salud) in order to stay on the paved road which takes you through Los Pozos. If you suddenly find yourself on a dirt road, that means you missed this left turn, so go back. The rest is easy: drive two kilometers toward San Marcos and you’ll come to the well-marked gate of Kordich Air Sports Club (N20 21.009 W103 33.350). Driving time from Guadalajara’s Periférico is about half an hour; even less from Jocotepec.