His record attempt, mostly over the Atlantic Ocean, will see him endeavour to cover the 1,350km (nearly 840 miles) from Jerez de La Frontera in southern Spain to Tenerife, a journey that will see him flying down the west coast of Africa.

Ramon has timed his record bid to coincide with the third Los Realejos International Paragliding Festival, due to start on Friday (April 27) at Socorro beach in the north of Tenerife.

The holder of five current FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) world records, Ramon now plans to start his epic flight on Monday (April 23), aiming to beat his own existing distance record of 951km.

He will have with him a fuel load of 65kg and special safety equipment that includes a wet suit, life vest, radio beacons, water-activated strobe light, tracking devices and a self-inflating life raft.

The real-time progress of his flight can be followed on www.draconexion.com.

The five-day festival will feature some of the world’s leading exponents of the arts of paragliding, hang gliding and parachuting.

The festival has quickly established itself on the international schedule of paragliding events, due in no small part to the fact that Tenerife offers perfect all-year-round conditions for the sport.

At the first staging of the event two years ago, two new world records were set, one for paramotor altitude at 5,395 metres and the other in acrobatics when 75 manoeuvres were achieved in a vertical tumble of 1,900 metres, massively overhauling the previous record of 30.

The first day of this year’s festival will be devoted to a welcoming party, checking of participants’ credentials and an official opening.

The real fun gets underway the following morning with first take-offs set for 11am.

Among the record attempts planned for this year is a crack at the world paramotor distance mark in which Spanish pilots César Maldonado, Francisco Renedo, Ramón López Santiago and Ramón Morillas will endeavour to fly from Andalucia in mainland Spain to Los Realejos.

The leading Spanish pilots taking part in the festival will be joined by a galaxy of world’ leaders in the sport from Austria, the United States, Venezuela, the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.

Running alongside the aerial activities will be a series of concerts, which will culminate in a spectacular and colourful pyromusic show as the climax to the closing ceremony.