Flown and reported by: “Pretend Pilot”
I had been standing there going over my daughter’s homework when the phone rang. It was the Cub Flounder, “Ron, Flounder here, I need a little bail-out,” he said. “I’ve been going crazy: Greece to South America to Japan to Australia…now I’m in Vegas and I’m beat! Could you cover the March FOTM for me?” I had recently returned from my own adventures but after a moment’s hesitation I accepted the challenge. I asked where I’d be going but that information hadn’t quite been released yet. So I agreed to meet up with “The Flounder” in Las Vegas.
This would be a great excuse to fly my favorite plane, the Dash 8, and check out this new download (I’m a late bloomer, what can I say?) from a Mr. Frolov. It was one of those overcast, blustery, rain-driven, miserable, typical late February mornings when I set out from KPDX on a VOR-hopping route to Klamath Falls, OR. Flight Time to K.Falls was 1:14. [Pict_01] From K.Kalls to Reno, NV in 0:51, [Picts_ 02 and 03 ] and then Reno on in to Vegas [Pict_04] in 1:28. I met up with “Flounder” in a French Bistro under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower (the Las Vegas one). He said that he really needed a “Get Away” and wondered if I’d be willing to shuttle him to St. Maarten/Princes Julianna in his own plane, the Flounder-One. He thought that it wouldn’t be too far out of the way for March’s flight, but I wondered how he knew that if he didn’t know where the March flight was? Oh, and one more thing, we’d have to wait to leave until after he attended tonight’s Rondo Veneziano Concert!
I waited impatiently at the terminal listening to http://www.plr.org/ until Flounder finally arrived, his left arm in a cast, nearly 2 hours after our pre-arranged time. “And…how was the concert?” I asked, nodding toward the cast. “Concert was great” he replied, but then continued, “…until a rabid fan was pushing toward a taxi outside the venue and knocked me into the street!” “So, what’s the damage?” I asked. “Nothing a little time on the beach watching planes land won’t fix." Shoot! Now I’m jealous, not of the fractured arm but of the time Flounder would have on this Caribbean vacation near Princes Julianna airport.
So anyway, we departed westbound at 23:45 PM February 28th and arrived in St. Maarten in time for Sunday Brunch at the local resort. [Picts_ 05 and 06 ]
The Flounder and I met up again on Monday March first. He smiled as he handed me the briefing packet and said, “Just try not to insult Bill for a change, he really is a good guy.” With that he waved (his “good” arm) and turned towards the beach. I parked myself up under an umbrella, ordered my “virgin” drink and tore into the information from Alejandro. “A coral reef, some lagoons, snorkeling, ‘chasing fishes’, small rocky islands…etc” Man, there MUST be a way for me to get my real self to Venezuela!
But, on to business, here I was at St. Maarten with only an MD-11. After I finished my drink I made my way over to the local FBO. Some Internet searches and a phone call later and our good British “mate” Alastair had hooked me up with his Caribbean Twotter. A couple of days later I downloaded real-world weather and set off on an island-hopping tour! St. Maarten to St. Barthelemy to St. Kitts to Montserrat to Guadalupe to Dominica to Martinique to St. Lucia to St. Vincent to Grenada to Gran Roque. [Picts_ 07 - 08 - 09 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 ] Man! It’s near impossible to trim down those 50 great pictures!
Friday I flew “The Tour” from Alejandro using the Sopwith Camel from Gran Roque to Higuerote via Mosquises. Later that same day I took the Pacific Air Sea Otter (inspiration from Tony and his VA) Higuerote to Margarita via Cumana, landing in the water just off shore from the airport. [Picts_ 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 ]
After spending the weekend soaking up some much-needed sun, I was off in the Pacific Air Beech 1900 to spend the rest of the month hopping around Venezuela. (Anyone recognize any screenshots?) Finally, I latched myself to the Caraibes ERJ to head back up the Caribbean Islands. (Tough life but somebody has got to do it!)
[Picts_ 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 ]
Alejandro! You make me very hungry to visit your home! What a gorgeous flight and great FOTM. Thank you so much for such inspiration and another excuse to fly a tour around Venezuela – I am already looking forward to your next flight this coming winter
I had been standing there going over my daughter’s homework when the phone rang. It was the Cub Flounder, “Ron, Flounder here, I need a little bail-out,” he said. “I’ve been going crazy: Greece to South America to Japan to Australia…now I’m in Vegas and I’m beat! Could you cover the March FOTM for me?” I had recently returned from my own adventures but after a moment’s hesitation I accepted the challenge. I asked where I’d be going but that information hadn’t quite been released yet. So I agreed to meet up with “The Flounder” in Las Vegas.
This would be a great excuse to fly my favorite plane, the Dash 8, and check out this new download (I’m a late bloomer, what can I say?) from a Mr. Frolov. It was one of those overcast, blustery, rain-driven, miserable, typical late February mornings when I set out from KPDX on a VOR-hopping route to Klamath Falls, OR. Flight Time to K.Falls was 1:14. [Pict_01] From K.Kalls to Reno, NV in 0:51, [Picts_ 02 and 03 ] and then Reno on in to Vegas [Pict_04] in 1:28. I met up with “Flounder” in a French Bistro under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower (the Las Vegas one). He said that he really needed a “Get Away” and wondered if I’d be willing to shuttle him to St. Maarten/Princes Julianna in his own plane, the Flounder-One. He thought that it wouldn’t be too far out of the way for March’s flight, but I wondered how he knew that if he didn’t know where the March flight was? Oh, and one more thing, we’d have to wait to leave until after he attended tonight’s Rondo Veneziano Concert!
I waited impatiently at the terminal listening to http://www.plr.org/ until Flounder finally arrived, his left arm in a cast, nearly 2 hours after our pre-arranged time. “And…how was the concert?” I asked, nodding toward the cast. “Concert was great” he replied, but then continued, “…until a rabid fan was pushing toward a taxi outside the venue and knocked me into the street!” “So, what’s the damage?” I asked. “Nothing a little time on the beach watching planes land won’t fix." Shoot! Now I’m jealous, not of the fractured arm but of the time Flounder would have on this Caribbean vacation near Princes Julianna airport.
So anyway, we departed westbound at 23:45 PM February 28th and arrived in St. Maarten in time for Sunday Brunch at the local resort. [Picts_ 05 and 06 ]The Flounder and I met up again on Monday March first. He smiled as he handed me the briefing packet and said, “Just try not to insult Bill for a change, he really is a good guy.” With that he waved (his “good” arm) and turned towards the beach. I parked myself up under an umbrella, ordered my “virgin” drink and tore into the information from Alejandro. “A coral reef, some lagoons, snorkeling, ‘chasing fishes’, small rocky islands…etc” Man, there MUST be a way for me to get my real self to Venezuela!
But, on to business, here I was at St. Maarten with only an MD-11. After I finished my drink I made my way over to the local FBO. Some Internet searches and a phone call later and our good British “mate” Alastair had hooked me up with his Caribbean Twotter. A couple of days later I downloaded real-world weather and set off on an island-hopping tour! St. Maarten to St. Barthelemy to St. Kitts to Montserrat to Guadalupe to Dominica to Martinique to St. Lucia to St. Vincent to Grenada to Gran Roque. [Picts_ 07 - 08 - 09 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 ] Man! It’s near impossible to trim down those 50 great pictures!
Friday I flew “The Tour” from Alejandro using the Sopwith Camel from Gran Roque to Higuerote via Mosquises. Later that same day I took the Pacific Air Sea Otter (inspiration from Tony and his VA) Higuerote to Margarita via Cumana, landing in the water just off shore from the airport. [Picts_ 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 ]
After spending the weekend soaking up some much-needed sun, I was off in the Pacific Air Beech 1900 to spend the rest of the month hopping around Venezuela. (Anyone recognize any screenshots?) Finally, I latched myself to the Caraibes ERJ to head back up the Caribbean Islands. (Tough life but somebody has got to do it!)
[Picts_ 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 ]Alejandro! You make me very hungry to visit your home! What a gorgeous flight and great FOTM. Thank you so much for such inspiration and another excuse to fly a tour around Venezuela – I am already looking forward to your next flight this coming winter
