Official press calls Cuban pilots who escaped on a motorized hang glider "vulgar criminals"

The official Cuban press called the two pilots who arrived in the United States last Saturday in a motorized hang glider from the Cuban Aviation Club "vulgar criminals."

The government portalCubadebate published an article entitled "Reasons to report a crime", in which it is stated that the airmen stabbed the institution "in the back by stealing an aircraft with the purpose of illegally emigrating." The text appears signed by Osmel Doblado Simón, who says he has been a member of the club for 10 years,

"On March 25 this nightmare became reality, when two pilots trained in the Cuban Federation of Ultralight Aviation, called Ismael Hernandez Chirinoand David López Alfonso, who were entrusted with the care of the ultralight registration CU-U 1619, stole this aircraft like common criminals and took off without the authorization of the Air Traffic Authority of Cuba or that of the United States, and landed at an international airport in that country. country," the publication noted.

The columnist also assures that "these abominable actions constitute an invaluable loss for our Club, not only from an economic point of view, since we lose an airplane assembled with the efforts of many athletes and aeronautical specialists, who contributed a lot of time to be able to fly. on this machine sportingly.

"Their actions deprive many of our associates of their family's livelihood as theoperation of this aircraft It was a way of life for them," he added.

After saying that he feels "cheated," Doblado Simón demands the return of the motorized hang glider and added that the young people "tied up and spit on the friendly hands that helped him."

"We demand that the ultralight be returned to our Club and that our associates be compensated for the damages and losses that the actions of these unscrupulous people caused," he stressed.

Last Wednesday they came to lightexclusive images of hang gliding motorized aircraft, which now shares space with an old Cubana de Aviación plane, which also landed illegally two decades ago at the Key West Airport.

The images show that the device had an additional fuel canister tied to the bottom of the device, and one of the propellers was broken, although it has not been clarified if it broke during the flight.

The two paraglider pilots currently remain detained at the Pompano Beach Transition Center in Broward County after being processed by the United States Border Patrol in Marathon. Both are represented by Miami immigration attorney Willy Allen.

The Cuban Aviation Club (CAC) identified them as David López Alfonso, 39, and Ismael Hernández Chirino, 28, and also described them as "defected pilots." That self-financed organization requested sanctions corresponding to the severity of the case and the return of the equipment.

Heultralight equipment used It is of the “Trike” type and provided services in the tourist center of Playas del Este in Havana in the form of Air Sports.

The motorized hang glider took off at 8:05 am (local time) last Saturday from the Tarará residential area, in the Habana del Este municipality, and arrived at around 10:30 am at the Key West International Airport.