Greetings
from Brazil!
There
is nothing in the world like flying to the South side of the globe to fly
HoneyBee G2's with friends. That is precisely what Jeremy and I are up to this
week. We boarded a plane in Grand Rapids with our tickets, bags, and laptops
and arrived 26 hours later where we were met by our friends Sebastian and Paulo.
Because Jeremy and I were able to get some sleep on the plane, we went right to the "real airport" in Goiania to see Sebastian's Flight Operations, HoneyBee G2's, meet a few friends and finally have dinner at "Copa Cabana", one of the nicest restaurants in downtown Goiania. A good night's rest later and Jeremy and I were off to the airport for a good time with friends.
Having
flown at Escolinha Airport
(Portuguese means "Little School") with Ebson (CFI) in the hills of
Goiania has been an eye opener. I am not a stranger to flying in international
airspace but here at Escolinha I have seen how great CFI's (like Ebson and
others) who truly LOVE aviation and the ones they teach make all the difference
in the world; at least in this part of the Brazilian aviation world. When this
goes on, it breaths life into an airport and this airport is more than alive.
There is a plethora of aircraft flying everyday. These guys exhibit flying in
harmony and they are doing it at a field that is being extended, getting a new
taxiway and sustaining an active (and I mean active!) flight training program
every where you look on the field. There are more commercial operations at
"Little School" than I ever remember seeing at a field this size.
Aviation is booming at "Little School" and HoneyBee G2 is thrilled to
simply be here and in some small way just be a part of it. I am especially
looking forward to flying many, many HoneyBee G2 from this
"Little-Busy-School". It is especially sweet when you get to work
with people that have withstood the test of time; those associated with the
challenges of doing international business together. When it is all said and
done and the dust settles, the best part is you are still with your friends.
Selfishly speaking I desire this kind of fire and passion for aviation to spread across the US again. With this kind of spirit, everyone wins...and if everybody wins, nobody looses.
Make a flying friend today...even if he is on the other side of the Earth!
Take
care,