Page 20 - summer book

Q A Spread your wings and try to catch the currents,
It all about the wind and....
& & R A F A by E.C. Trujillo

What happens when you want to interview Ralf
“Rafa” Sertkol, the “Ultralight guy”, and winds aren’t
cooperating? You meet him at a different location!
As I wait for him to join me for the meeting, I see
him flying around and landing on the beach right
below me. He anchors his ultralight and comes
up to the bluff to meet me. With rushed steps and
apologizing for the delay, he shakes my hand and
introduces himself. Immediately I feel like this is a
person whose job is one that people would like to
learn about
.
Q: So Rafa, how long have you been in Mexico, and what got you into becoming an
ultralight pilot?
A: Well, I am originally from Germany, and I came on a holiday to Mexico about 40
years ago, fell in love with a Mexican girl and married her, so that got me living here.
Then, about 6 years later, I starting flying ultralights as a hobby and it became a full-
time job. At the beginning my wife wasn’t too happy with my career choice finding it
“to risky”, but with time she realized that the training/schooling I took to become a
certify ultralight pilot made it so I was safe. In fact, because of that training, I, along
with other members of the community, have participated in rescue missions when
people have gotten lost in the desert.

Q: How many flights do you normally do per day and how long do those take?
A: That varies based on passenger request and weather conditions, as it is not good
to fly the Ultralight when it is very
windy. Winds need to be pleasant
so that my passengers have a
good time. I don’t want them to be-
come sick or scared, I want them
to have a good time when they are
in the Ultralight. Most flights take
about 12 minutes, but for those
who want to live this experience
but are scared of trying I offer a
5-minute test flight. on a busy day,