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Busy Day

I was getting dressed this morning and heard a turbocharged Cessna 206 taking off. As I was brewing up some coffee, I heard another one beginning its takeoff roll. By the time I got to the hangar a few minutes after 8 AM, five MAF planes were in the air. All before the day had started for many of us. That's very unusual, as late passengers, no-show passengers, and bad weather routinely cause flights to leave well after 9 or 10 AM. The only plane left on the ground was HC-BQV, and that was being fueled so the mechanics could run it up again. After sitting for many months, the turbo was leaking some oil on the first run-up, so it was time to run it some more and check again. An inspection is being scheduled for next week, so it looks like it won't be too long before 'Alas 10' is flying the skies over the Oriente once again.

Most of the guys flying today have close to five hours of work planned out on paper. It might not turn out that way, as the plan invariably changes due to a variety of factors. However, there is a lot to do, as the airport was shut down all day yesterday because of poor weather in Shell. Here's a shot of Richard refueling Darryl's plane while Dave takes off in HC-BZE. Kevin is in HC-BXB waiting his turn to take-off.