A long day and déjà vu

Wednesday was a long day, period. It started with Marcelo and Gina picking me up at the hotel around 8:30a in Cachoeira do Sul. We drove for about 3.5 hours west on BR290 to arrive at Itagro, a Brazilian ag-operation with several late model Ipanemas and a new (100 hours) AT-402B, bought from DP Aviation. I had visited Marcos Antonio and Neusa Camargo, more fondly known as Camargo and Neusa, about 18 months ago for an article. Like then, I was welcomed with a BBQ lunch of lamb that had grazed the runway the day before. 

After spending a couple of hours visiting and admiring Camargo’s new RV10, we continued our travel west for another 1.5 hours to arrive at Uruguiania, Brazil around 5p. After a couple of trips around the block in the city center, we found the offices of Arenhart Aviacão Agricola. After introductions to Nelci Arenhart and his wife, Silvia, Nelci told me of a photo he wanted to show me when we went to the airport hangar 30 km (18 miles) outside of town for the BBQ. After the interview, we checked into the Presidente Hotel, then made the drive to the airport for a BBQ. It was now 10p and the party was just beginning. 

The photo Nelci had referred to was an 8x10 hanging on his wall along with a collection of other photos of his many years flying ag. It wasn’t too hard to recognize three people standing together from a very long time ago; Claudio Patta, myself and Nelci. It was 1995 in Campinos, Brazil when I was attending my first convention and travel to Brazil. 

About the time I took the photo from the wall for a closer look, Patta drove up. Here, 17 years later, are the three of us, together again. Naturally, we had to pose for another photo in the same position, even with me wearing a cap. 

Including Nelci’s operation, there are three flying services in the area; Nelci’s that services local farmers and two more owned by farmers that use the aircraft for just their farms. Patta has flown the last 18 years for Fazenda (farm) Guará and the third, Alberti, an Air Tractor AT-402 pilot who flies for the other farm. Both Patta and Alberti, along with all of Nelci’s pilots and technicians attended the BBQ. However, the pilots having to fly the next day, left about midnight. By the time I returned to the hotel at 2a, I was more than ready to stare at the backside of my eyelids.    

Thursday promises to be another full day starting with a visit with Patta and a long, challenging six-hour drive back to Cachoeira do Sul. If you have never driven on Latin American roads, it would be hard to imagine and even harder for me to describe the “challenges”. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Until tomorrow, 
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