Fly Again - Daniel Velasco

My name is Justin and I am here to help my friend Daniel Velasco Fly Again . We were introduced by a mutual friend shortly after I moved to Maui in 2013. I immediately got a strong sense of his passion for paragliding. Because of that, we connected right away, and had something very important in common. We shared some waves, talked stories and hung out at the flying site from time to time but we were not able to fly together. 

Back in 2011, Daniel was in a paragliding accident on Mt Haleakala that left him with a serious spinal cord injury. His life was changed forever that day, but his determination and positive mental attitude has enabled him to continue a happy life. You'll never catch him without that great big smile!

In 2014, some of the greatest XC and Acro paragliding pilots visited the islands. These boys were honored to meet Daniel and to have him help guide them in the right direction on their flying expedition in the islands. After flying the Napali Coast, they return to thank Daniel for the beta by taking him on a tandem flight. He'll never forget flying with Veso Ovcharvo 10,000' over the island of Maui! Veso and teammate Peter are acro paragliding champions and they've started working on the movie 'Fly Again ', which is the trailer you see above. Daniel has many friends in Hawaii that want to help and now's our chance. Together, our dream is to get a custom trike for Daniel so he can Fly Again . After that, the world is his oyster and we can complete a full length movie (or many segments) that will intrigue many but inspire all!

Fast Forward to May 2016...We were given a wonderful opportunity by a very gracious man (Chris "Santa" Santacroce) who runs Project Airtime . I'd been pinging him often, letting him know about our friend Daniel and his situation. This admirable non-profit company, actually takes ANYONE (From special needs individuals to those with brain and spinal cord injuries. Individuals with illness, as well as the elderly and veterans) paragliding and in this particular case, Santa actually sent us a custom paragliding trike all the way from Utah to Maui, HI! Soon after, my friends at LIMBitless offered to help get me over to Maui to work with Daniel. From there, we called our friends and went flying!

The video below is a result of a group of friends coming together and helping our brother Fly Again . During Daniel's first flights back on the volcano, the vibes were absolutely phenomenal! It really felt like the community got instantly stronger. Sadly, we had to send the trike back, but it served its purpose...And now, another wheelchair user is getting an opportunity to experience flight. Of course, Daniel is stoked as ever on flying again. We confirmed it works well for him and had a chance to check out the design. Now, it's time for Daniel to get his own trike.


We are raising funds for a number of reasons, but the primary objective is to order a custom trike for Daniel, so he can Fly Again . He's also going to need some updated flying equipment. We made his old gear work but it just makes sense for him to be flying something newer and safer.

Another deep rooted passion Daniel is missing since his injury is mountain biking. Prior to his spinal cord injury, he competed in many triathlons. He's been searching for a way to be able to enjoy riding a bike again and recently found a company that could make him the perfect bike for Maui terrain. Like the paragliding equipment, it's expensive and a luxury that is just out of reach financially for paraplegic student.
In addition to the flying and biking equipment, I noticed a few things while spending a couple weeks with Daniel at his house. The owners of the house he's been renting from, for years, really like him and want him to stay as long as he wants. They've said it would be ok if he wanted to update the kitchen to be accessible for his wheelchair. I was impressed how Daniel makes it work around his house without an accessible kitchen. It's small, so his wheelchair barely fits- definitely not any room for turning, fitting under the counter or reaching the stovetop and into the oven. A friend helped build some wood ramps at the exterior doors but they're getting a little worn and could use some love. I can only imagine how much more efficient Daniel could be if only his kitchen was updated to be accessible for him.

Helping Daniel means so much to the flying community because we've never seen him lose focus of his passion, even in the toughest times. He's an inspiration to everyone, not just pilots. I, myself, was involved in an accident that left me with a spinal cord injury (minor comparatively) but it wasn't until that life changing event that I realized how the simplest things can so easily be taken for granted. Like the ability to make yourself some food or shower or drive. We need to help others that could use it, show gratitude and love one another.

Thank you for supporting our efforts. You will not only help Daniel reach his goals, but something very meaningful, profound and inspirational will come out of this fundraiser. We couldn't be more excited about the Fly Again project, and with your donation, you are involved in and responsible for an experience that will touch the hearts of so many people. Special thanks to all who have been part of this journey thus far: Project Airtime, LIMBitless, Veso Ovcharov , Peter Loncar , Pono Tim, Vanh Vongvilay , Igor Maui , Chris Hoyte , Tony Lathrop at Paradise Aerial Photography , Phil the Thrill, ProFlyte Paragliding Maui , Harvey Lillard , Nate Nelson , Jesse Richman  and Cruser Putnum .