A boy with a

dream....

My name is Higinio; my friends and students calling me “Ike.”

I would like to share a little of my “story” with you and how personal aviation

has changed my life…

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After my parents divorced as a child, my mother and I moved into my grand

parent’s house in downtown Asunción Paraguay. This magnificent house was designed by a famous architect and perfectly situated to overlook the historic center of the city. This stunning view included the bay, rivers, and the vast flat land that lies beyond what we call “Paraguayan Chaco.”

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The house itself was very special to me. It featured 4-floors, large balconies & terraces, nautical architecture (my grandfather was a sailor), steel doors &

portholes, no inner corners, and dominated by curved, fluid-spaces.  Since my was a Historian (among many other things), everything in it was old & authentic – like living in a beautiful museum.

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I particularly remember going with my grandfather to the basement where many treasures were kept: vintage manuscripts from illustrious heroes, a blunderbuss from the time of the Spanish Conquest, gas masks from trenches of World War I, ancient swords, coins from the time of Jesus Christ, the ancient Greeks, and even further back in time… Military uniforms, rare books, and so much more.

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My mother side family was large, so I always had family gatherings; Amid such occasions, usually in summer time, cousins of about ​​my age used to come to spend a week or two. One cousin, Sandra had a great affinity and curiosity with everything that flies. We used to have paper airplane competitions, dropping them from the highest point in the house and seeing whose would fly the longest. We spent much time recovering them from the neighbor’s rooftop, trying to not get in trouble or been catch.

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Thus, between flights and dreams, perhaps inspired by the vast blue Chaco space we had in front of us, we decided to do some design work on paper. Our goal was to build a fabulous aircraft that would transport us (pedaling) to the Paraguayans skies…. We eventually built what we would call the “GillCopter,” since our previous last name was McGill. This dream-craft came together using two bikes (one of which belonged to my younger sister, who remained terrified about us “splitting her bike in two”), a ceiling fan, two emerging (and ridiculous) folding wings, and a rudimentary rudder with my country flag proudly painted on it! Most importantly, a wicker basket under one of the “banana” seats (in vogue at the time) would contain food for our”picnics” on our trips to the Chaco. “Wow!!, How wonderful!!,” we exclaimed… “We’ve added one or two “very important” features to the design!”

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On take-offs, we were pedaling with all our strength to ascend. Once we reached straight and level flight, we would take turns pedaling – counting on our “folding wings” as a back up plan in case we could go no more. We imagined ourselves flying over the city, the river, fields, and over our cousins and friends. Then we noticed a lack of a radio transmitter for asking “landing permission” from the control tower of the local International Airport. What would we do now? Our whole operation risked coming to an end! Then, like everything else, we got our next great idea… Instead of a radio (which was out of our budget), we would deploy a street-crossing sized banner reading “Permission to land,” while circling the control tower. They would then send us signals with bare hands or spotlight that we were good to go.

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I remember my childhood memories were centered around the dream of flight. Today, I can’t recall where our series of adventures took us next, as a whirlwind of colleges, scholarships, travels, careers, and adventures now occupy my memories. One thing I do remember was keeping my little sister (today a mother of 3) happy because we never had to split her precious bicycle in two pieces!

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Life continued it’s course until a given day, about 30 years later. I was flying over the same city after taking off from nearby Chaco. With very low scattered clouds, it was a beautiful summer Sunday morning. I found myself flying just above my grandparent’s house. When I looked down, I was astonished at what I saw and how it impacted me… There was a child, standing on the house’s top terrace, staring at me. Perhaps the child was dreaming that he was flying in place of me. I found the child strangely familiar – as if I had seen him before. I smiled and waved a salute. Just then, the low cloud cover erased him from my vision. A moment later, I realized that the child was no other than myself – many years ago. I immediately became aware of what I was actually doing. FLYING! I took a moment to look at the “AirShip” I was flying… It was a Powered Paraglider with a frame and front wheel system similar to what a “flying bike” would look like. I had designed and built this “AirShip” myself. It hung from a piece of aerodynamic cloth, painted patriotically with my Country’s colors, and of course, missing a radio. THE GILLCOPTER WAS A REALITY!!! I couldn’t believe it! I was flying the same craft from my dream that took my cousin and I to flying heaven.

The old house is still there – challenging time, and now surrounded by buildings that block the view. However, that child… That child is no longer there for sure because he is here with me – looking out astonished at so many horizons seen through my own eyes.

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Flying has been such a huge part of my life. It was the realization of my biggest childhood dream. Now, years later, I devote my time and life to teaching the ART of flying to others. Much of my time is spent traveling, flying in new areas, and changing the lives of “those who dare to chase the same dream I had.” As an Instructor, my greatest satisfaction is to watch a novice pilot land after their first flight. Seeing that specific smile on their face and KNOWING how amazing they feel is my greatest reward. There is an unspoken bond created between those who have seen the world from the heavens.

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It amazes me the way the universe seems to mysteriously align – allowing those to reach their most desired goals… And often, we end up going much farther than we have ever dared to dream.