Today is Wednesday, around noontime, in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Yesterday, I met with Aerovic, whom AgAir Update featured on its cover earlier this year (Thrushes in Equador, AgAir Update May 2011). Captain Jose Cabrera, Aerovic’s Operations Manager, greeted me. It was good to meet the man the article featured, along with the company. Aerovic is one of the larger aerial application companies with a long history in Ecuador. It operates 10 turbine Thrush and treats about 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) a year of bananas, along with some rice and sugar cane work. Typical application rates on bananas, at 1.5 to 2.0 gallons per acre are $9 to $12 USD.
After leaving Captain Cabrera, I was able to meet with Tita, our “contact” lady. She introduced us to her boss, Xavier Pérez-MacCollum, that owns and operates ARICA, a general aviation maintenance and avionics shop, as well as a Robinson Helicopter dealer. Xavier welcomed me, although I had no specific business with him, he was kind enough to allow me to work with Tita.
That wrapped up the day. Enjoyed an excellent dinner at El Caracol Azul (The Blue Shell), supposedly (according to TripAdvisor) the number two restaurant in Guayaquil. I believe it. Very affordable and excellent food and service. I had the covina (sea bass). Unbelievable. Good sea bass comes from the deep waters of the southern Pacific along the coast line of South America.
This morning, I visited with LAN Ecuador. This company, also a very large operation, has one AT-402, two turbo Thrush and five turbo Ag-Cats (Mills Conversions from Mid-Continent Aircraft Sales & Service). It treats about 75,000 hectares a month (185,000 acres) during the five busy months of the season and about 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) a month the other seven months of the year, that comes to about 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) a year, plus rice and sugar cane. The bananas spraying makes up about 90% of their applications.
My hosts were Captain Xavier Moya, Chief of Ag-Operations and Johny Ricardo, Chief of Maintenance. They were very kind to stop their morning’s work and explain to me how the company operated.
Founded in 1954 by Luis Adolfo Noboa, LAN Ecuador is not affiliated with LAN Chile airlines, or LAN ECU airline, a division of LAN Chile airlines. Oddly enough, when the airline moved into Ecuador, it had to pay LAN Ecuador for using its similar name!
There’s a really good sushi bar across the street, Noe, where I plan to have a light lunch. With Guayaquil so close to the Pacific Ocean, the seafood found here is excellent.
So, time to close out this blog. Tomorrow, I return to the United States, take a day of rest and then will be at the Duster Doin’s being held Saturday at Mark Gary’s airstrip in Inverness, Mississippi. I hope to see ya there!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Bien Dia from Ecuador!
A couple of months ago, Grant Lane (often times a travel partner) asked me if I would like to accompany him and his Latin American sales rep, Pat Kornegay, to Ecuador. My answer should have been obvious to him, as of all the tens of times I had traveled to Latin America, from Spain to Cuba to throughout Central and South America, I had yet to visit Ecuador. Yes, when?
Lane Aviation has a large customer who is based in Guayaquil. He needed to visit with this customer, as well as other operators. This is a perfect arrangement for me to meet AgAir Update readers as well as gather more operator articles. Another customer of Grant’s, Rob Price, arranged for him to meet Tita Costa Alvear, who has arranged for two or three more operator meetings during our travel.
Setting up travel in Latin America is very different from other parts of the world. It is part of the culture to not be very specific. We Americans, at least me, want to know where we are going before we leave. When we departed the U.S., the only visit for sure was with a large ag-operator, AIFA. Tita had been sent emails requesting her help, but no response. We had three days set aside to visit, but only one operator assured, which would only take half a day.
Today is Tuesday, our second work day in Ecuador. For trips like this, I like to travel to my destination arriving a day early to get my bearings and basically rest for the intense days to follow. We departed the U.S. on Saturday, taking 14 hours of travel to arrive at GYE, seven hours in the air and seven hours of layovers, etc.
Yesterday, we had a great visit with AIFA. This large ag-operation has over 200 employees with both a flying operation (about 15 a/c) and sell chemicals to the banana plantations. During our visit, at AIFA, bumped into Juan Philips of TAD and Terry Humphrey of Thrush Aircraft Company. Small world, with none of us knowing the other would be in Ecuador, much less that day! Juan and Terry were there to provide training to AIFA pilots in the company’s dual cockpit Thrush. AIFA is in the process of opening an ag-school. There is a five to eight student demand because of a shortage of Ecuadorian pilots. Traditionally, only Ecuadorian pilots fly ag.
Later in the morning, Grant, Pat and I departed from AIFA’s maintenance facility at GYE in the company Seneca for a short 20-minute flight north to Estrella. This airstrip is in the middle of large banana plantations with three competing operators on it. AIFA treats 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) from Estrella. This is only about a one-third of all the bananas the company sprays from five different airstrips.
Time to wolf down some breakfast, then off to meet Tita and whoever the operators are she has lined up for us today.
Follow photos of the trip on AgAir Update's Facebook page.
Until next time, Blue Sky and Tailwinds...
Lane Aviation has a large customer who is based in Guayaquil. He needed to visit with this customer, as well as other operators. This is a perfect arrangement for me to meet AgAir Update readers as well as gather more operator articles. Another customer of Grant’s, Rob Price, arranged for him to meet Tita Costa Alvear, who has arranged for two or three more operator meetings during our travel.
Setting up travel in Latin America is very different from other parts of the world. It is part of the culture to not be very specific. We Americans, at least me, want to know where we are going before we leave. When we departed the U.S., the only visit for sure was with a large ag-operator, AIFA. Tita had been sent emails requesting her help, but no response. We had three days set aside to visit, but only one operator assured, which would only take half a day.
Today is Tuesday, our second work day in Ecuador. For trips like this, I like to travel to my destination arriving a day early to get my bearings and basically rest for the intense days to follow. We departed the U.S. on Saturday, taking 14 hours of travel to arrive at GYE, seven hours in the air and seven hours of layovers, etc.
Yesterday, we had a great visit with AIFA. This large ag-operation has over 200 employees with both a flying operation (about 15 a/c) and sell chemicals to the banana plantations. During our visit, at AIFA, bumped into Juan Philips of TAD and Terry Humphrey of Thrush Aircraft Company. Small world, with none of us knowing the other would be in Ecuador, much less that day! Juan and Terry were there to provide training to AIFA pilots in the company’s dual cockpit Thrush. AIFA is in the process of opening an ag-school. There is a five to eight student demand because of a shortage of Ecuadorian pilots. Traditionally, only Ecuadorian pilots fly ag.
Later in the morning, Grant, Pat and I departed from AIFA’s maintenance facility at GYE in the company Seneca for a short 20-minute flight north to Estrella. This airstrip is in the middle of large banana plantations with three competing operators on it. AIFA treats 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) from Estrella. This is only about a one-third of all the bananas the company sprays from five different airstrips.
Time to wolf down some breakfast, then off to meet Tita and whoever the operators are she has lined up for us today.
Follow photos of the trip on AgAir Update's Facebook page.
Until next time, Blue Sky and Tailwinds...
Monday, June 20, 2011
AgAir Update to Brazil - Final
Wednesday evening
Wednesday evening the XX SINDAG Mercosul Aviacion Agricola Congress opened with several hundred in attendance. Awards were given to individuals who had made contributions to Latin American ag-aviation during the last year, of which yours truly received one.
Thursday, Day 5 - The conference started at 9 am with multiple speakers throughout the day and the exhibit hall open all day, as well. Working a trade show exhibit hall for 10 hours straight for two days can be tiring, but necessary. This is where I meet old friends from past visits and make new ones. It also provides me an opportunity to work with clients that are exhibiting.
I’m not sure how many ag-pilots were in attendance. I do know the exhibit hall was full the first day and guess there were around 400 pilots. There were 40+ exhibitors. Trade shows in Latin America are considerably different from other countries. For one thing, it is common for exhibitors to have extremely beautiful Brazilian models at their booths. Usually, there is an air show as was both days of this convention. Often, the air show pilots are ag-pilots. This year there was a Decathlon, Extra 300 and Christian Eagle performing over the beach. Flight rules must be a bit different for aerobatics in Brazil, because the aircraft flew over the crowd, hotel and exhibit hall on the deck. When the exhibit hall finally closed, it was time to socialize at the bar and during dinner.
Friday, Day 6 - Had more speakers and the exhibit hall is open throughout the day. It is not as busy as the first day, so this gives me time to visit with exhibitors. Since my Spanish and Portuguese is almost nonexistent, I have my Brazilian rep, Gina, translate for me. “Lost in the translation” can easily happen. I have to be extremely careful my message is clear and will translate as I intend for it.
The convention came to a close with a “Magic Samba” show. This is a traditional band with Samba dancers. You would have to be there to appreciate it. The music is deafening and the dancers are talented and scantly clad.
Saturday, Day 7 - The day to return home. It has been seven days of hard traveling and intense work. Things are always more difficult in a foreign land, although I love my travels wherever they take me. The trek home started at 8a in the morning after checking out of the hotel. The ride to the airport took an hour. I always allow extra time when traveling outside the U.S. I never know what may go amiss.
The flight from Florianopolis to Sao Paulo was quick, only 50 minutes and by noon, I was collecting my luggage at baggage claim. Since I was using two different airlines, I had to recheck my luggage for the flight back to the United States. The return is easier on my pocketbook. I used duffle bags that fold into a suitcase to get my total bag number down from four to two, thus not having to pay for excess luggage.
I had over nine hours to kill before my night flight home departed at 9.30p. With my luggage, I caught an airport hotel shuttle that I have used before and know that the hotel has a good restaurant and will allow me to use its lobby. Late afternoon, I took the shuttle back to the airport, allowing more than enough time to do a little shopping and checking in with the airline.
I arrived at 5a in Miami and cleared immigration and customs before connecting on another flight at 6.50a for Atlanta. I arrive in Atlanta at 8.40a. Now, it is only two more hours before I am home at last.
Sunday is Day 8 and it is Father’s Day. My two grown children and young grandson spent the day with me and I had dinner that night with my father. Life is good...
Wednesday evening the XX SINDAG Mercosul Aviacion Agricola Congress opened with several hundred in attendance. Awards were given to individuals who had made contributions to Latin American ag-aviation during the last year, of which yours truly received one.
Thursday, Day 5 - The conference started at 9 am with multiple speakers throughout the day and the exhibit hall open all day, as well. Working a trade show exhibit hall for 10 hours straight for two days can be tiring, but necessary. This is where I meet old friends from past visits and make new ones. It also provides me an opportunity to work with clients that are exhibiting.
I’m not sure how many ag-pilots were in attendance. I do know the exhibit hall was full the first day and guess there were around 400 pilots. There were 40+ exhibitors. Trade shows in Latin America are considerably different from other countries. For one thing, it is common for exhibitors to have extremely beautiful Brazilian models at their booths. Usually, there is an air show as was both days of this convention. Often, the air show pilots are ag-pilots. This year there was a Decathlon, Extra 300 and Christian Eagle performing over the beach. Flight rules must be a bit different for aerobatics in Brazil, because the aircraft flew over the crowd, hotel and exhibit hall on the deck. When the exhibit hall finally closed, it was time to socialize at the bar and during dinner.
Friday, Day 6 - Had more speakers and the exhibit hall is open throughout the day. It is not as busy as the first day, so this gives me time to visit with exhibitors. Since my Spanish and Portuguese is almost nonexistent, I have my Brazilian rep, Gina, translate for me. “Lost in the translation” can easily happen. I have to be extremely careful my message is clear and will translate as I intend for it.
The convention came to a close with a “Magic Samba” show. This is a traditional band with Samba dancers. You would have to be there to appreciate it. The music is deafening and the dancers are talented and scantly clad.
Saturday, Day 7 - The day to return home. It has been seven days of hard traveling and intense work. Things are always more difficult in a foreign land, although I love my travels wherever they take me. The trek home started at 8a in the morning after checking out of the hotel. The ride to the airport took an hour. I always allow extra time when traveling outside the U.S. I never know what may go amiss.
The flight from Florianopolis to Sao Paulo was quick, only 50 minutes and by noon, I was collecting my luggage at baggage claim. Since I was using two different airlines, I had to recheck my luggage for the flight back to the United States. The return is easier on my pocketbook. I used duffle bags that fold into a suitcase to get my total bag number down from four to two, thus not having to pay for excess luggage.
I had over nine hours to kill before my night flight home departed at 9.30p. With my luggage, I caught an airport hotel shuttle that I have used before and know that the hotel has a good restaurant and will allow me to use its lobby. Late afternoon, I took the shuttle back to the airport, allowing more than enough time to do a little shopping and checking in with the airline.
I arrived at 5a in Miami and cleared immigration and customs before connecting on another flight at 6.50a for Atlanta. I arrive in Atlanta at 8.40a. Now, it is only two more hours before I am home at last.
Sunday is Day 8 and it is Father’s Day. My two grown children and young grandson spent the day with me and I had dinner that night with my father. Life is good...
Friday, June 17, 2011
AgAir Update to Brazil - Part Three
It’s now Thursday morning, Day 5. I’ve been remiss in keeping this blog up to date, my apologies. It may be hard to believe, but it is next to impossible to find the time to stop long enough in a quiet place to write it. However, let me back up to where I left off on Tuesday.
We caught the flight early Monday evening from Ribeirao Preto to Goianas with no problems, if you don’t call paying $400 reais for excess luggage a problem. I had three suitcases of AgAir Updates with me. Shipping to Brazil with a guaranteed arrival for a trade show is not possible, so I “muled” the newspapers. I had already spent $150 for excess luggage with American Airlines on the flight to Brazil. I would spend another $400 reais Tuesday for the flight from Goianas to Florianopolis for a total of about $650 USD for excess luggage.
Our host, Joel Rosado of AeroSafra met us at the airport and transported us to the hotel then took us to dinner for pizza. Tuesday morning, Joel met us at the hotel and we visited his operation north of town. This was at a public airport and not really where his 15 Ipanema aircraft flew from, but where he hangared and did the maintenance on them.
AeroSafra has only one customer, one of the world’s largest cotton growers, SLC, with over 100,000 hectares (240,000 acres). His company only sprays about 2/3rds of the grower’s cotton, while another flying service handles the other 1/3.
With 2p approaching fast, it was time to bid Joel farewell, although I would see him again at the trade show in Florianopolis where my next flight took me that afternoon.
Florianopolis has a portion of it that is called “the magic island”, where it is an island, mostly for tourism. The hotel is located on the north end of the island, Costao do Santinho (coast of the small saint). This hotel is a 600-room resort voted one of the best in Brazil. I believe it. Nestled in the hillsides directly on the South Atlantic Ocean. The beach is unlike any I have ever seen, sugar white sand, crashing waves and “mountains” off shore. However, I am not here for the resort, but to work the largest ag-aviation trade show in Latin America.
Every year the Mercosul Agricultural Aviation is hosted on a rotation basis with Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. This year was Brazil’s turn. Also, Brazil has its own ag-aviation convention each year. In 2011, the Mercosul and SINDAG (Brazil’s national ag-aviation association) convention are held together, as they are every third year.
Wednesday, Day 4, should have been a day of rest with it being the halfway point of the trip. Not so. My Brazilian representative, Gina Hickmann, met me in Florianopolis and had arranged for a visit to an operator a 150 kilometers (100 miles) southwest in the mountains of Luis Alves (a small banana community).
Banalves is a flying service owned by 25 banana producers. Formed in 2001, the producers wanted their own flying service, so they paved 400 (1,300-feet) meters for an airstrip surrounded by 1000-meter (3000-feet) mountains. As you can imagine, loads are limited to 100 gallons or less with the three Pawnees.
In the Serra do Mar Mountains, near Luis Alves, there are 4000 hectares of bananas (about 10,000 acres) in 900 fields and that is not an exaggerated estimate. The Pawnee is ideally suited for this type of spraying, guided by SATLOC M3 GPS units.
Wanting to beat the evening traffic into Florianopolis, we left our new friends at Banavel for the 2-hour drive back to the hotel. We would also see them again tomorrow at the convention. The convention’s Welcome Reception would be starting at 8.30p and we were going to barely make it back in time for it.
We caught the flight early Monday evening from Ribeirao Preto to Goianas with no problems, if you don’t call paying $400 reais for excess luggage a problem. I had three suitcases of AgAir Updates with me. Shipping to Brazil with a guaranteed arrival for a trade show is not possible, so I “muled” the newspapers. I had already spent $150 for excess luggage with American Airlines on the flight to Brazil. I would spend another $400 reais Tuesday for the flight from Goianas to Florianopolis for a total of about $650 USD for excess luggage.
Our host, Joel Rosado of AeroSafra met us at the airport and transported us to the hotel then took us to dinner for pizza. Tuesday morning, Joel met us at the hotel and we visited his operation north of town. This was at a public airport and not really where his 15 Ipanema aircraft flew from, but where he hangared and did the maintenance on them.
AeroSafra has only one customer, one of the world’s largest cotton growers, SLC, with over 100,000 hectares (240,000 acres). His company only sprays about 2/3rds of the grower’s cotton, while another flying service handles the other 1/3.
With 2p approaching fast, it was time to bid Joel farewell, although I would see him again at the trade show in Florianopolis where my next flight took me that afternoon.
Florianopolis has a portion of it that is called “the magic island”, where it is an island, mostly for tourism. The hotel is located on the north end of the island, Costao do Santinho (coast of the small saint). This hotel is a 600-room resort voted one of the best in Brazil. I believe it. Nestled in the hillsides directly on the South Atlantic Ocean. The beach is unlike any I have ever seen, sugar white sand, crashing waves and “mountains” off shore. However, I am not here for the resort, but to work the largest ag-aviation trade show in Latin America.
Every year the Mercosul Agricultural Aviation is hosted on a rotation basis with Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. This year was Brazil’s turn. Also, Brazil has its own ag-aviation convention each year. In 2011, the Mercosul and SINDAG (Brazil’s national ag-aviation association) convention are held together, as they are every third year.
Wednesday, Day 4, should have been a day of rest with it being the halfway point of the trip. Not so. My Brazilian representative, Gina Hickmann, met me in Florianopolis and had arranged for a visit to an operator a 150 kilometers (100 miles) southwest in the mountains of Luis Alves (a small banana community).
Banalves is a flying service owned by 25 banana producers. Formed in 2001, the producers wanted their own flying service, so they paved 400 (1,300-feet) meters for an airstrip surrounded by 1000-meter (3000-feet) mountains. As you can imagine, loads are limited to 100 gallons or less with the three Pawnees.
In the Serra do Mar Mountains, near Luis Alves, there are 4000 hectares of bananas (about 10,000 acres) in 900 fields and that is not an exaggerated estimate. The Pawnee is ideally suited for this type of spraying, guided by SATLOC M3 GPS units.
Wanting to beat the evening traffic into Florianopolis, we left our new friends at Banavel for the 2-hour drive back to the hotel. We would also see them again tomorrow at the convention. The convention’s Welcome Reception would be starting at 8.30p and we were going to barely make it back in time for it.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
AgAir Update to Brazil - Part Two
After a good night’s rest in Botucatu, my host, photographer and translator, Bruno Giraldi picked us up at the hotel for the three-hour drive to Orlandia, north of Ribeirao Preto. Here, we visited with Aeroagricola Chapadão, who operate five 375 hp Piper Brave aircraft with the IO-720 engine, three PA-25 Pawnee 235 hp and one 2010 AT502 with 600 hours logged on the past season with Chapadão.
The company treats primarily sugar cane, literally located in a sea of it. Typically, two applications are made, one an insecticide early in the season and a ripening agent later in the year. The sugar cane is on a five-year rotation plan. The first year the cane is planted and cut each year at harvest and regrows from the original plant for the next season. After the fourth season, the cane is replaced with soybeans and next season the five-year rotation starts over.
Antonio Carlito da Silva, Rogerio Veludo Riberio, Celio Rodrigues and Thiago Magalhaes Silva were our host at Chapadaão. Calrito founded the company in 1969. Growing from three Argentine-built Pawnees to its current fleet. A second AT502 is scheduled to arrive in November. The company has a policy of paying for the aircraft before ordering another one. The first and second AT502s are paid for and a third one will be bought when it can be paid for in full before its delivery, eventually replacing the remaining fleet with AT502s.
The company treats primarily sugar cane, literally located in a sea of it. Typically, two applications are made, one an insecticide early in the season and a ripening agent later in the year. The sugar cane is on a five-year rotation plan. The first year the cane is planted and cut each year at harvest and regrows from the original plant for the next season. After the fourth season, the cane is replaced with soybeans and next season the five-year rotation starts over.
Antonio Carlito da Silva, Rogerio Veludo Riberio, Celio Rodrigues and Thiago Magalhaes Silva were our host at Chapadaão. Calrito founded the company in 1969. Growing from three Argentine-built Pawnees to its current fleet. A second AT502 is scheduled to arrive in November. The company has a policy of paying for the aircraft before ordering another one. The first and second AT502s are paid for and a third one will be bought when it can be paid for in full before its delivery, eventually replacing the remaining fleet with AT502s.
 |
| Part of the crew of 25 employees during the season and about 20 full time, located in Orlandia, Brazil |
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
AgAir Update to Brazil - Part One
Saturday, 12 noon: There is always a certain degree of apprehension before a trip to Brazil, although I have made it more than a dozen times over the years. First, I must always be sure I have both my passport and visa (yes, I must have a visa to travel in Brazil, unlike the rest of South America). The airline ticket is always a challenge, trying to time when is the best price, usually three or four weeks before departure.
Then, there are the arrangements to be made for the trip in itself. This trip was spurned by participating in the major South American convention, this year a combination of the Brazilian national association (SINDAG) and the Mercosul of Agricultural Aviation that is a consortium of Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and Brazil. Chile also participates. Every third year the congress is this combination, while other years there are two separate conventions.
Since I was going to make the 24-hour trek for over 5,000 miles, with a connection in Miami and a four-hour drive after landing in Sao Paulo, I decided to leave three days early and visit a couple of operators and a vendor’s Grand Opening, AeroGlobo, one of the Air Tractor representatives for Brazil (there are three), who is associated with Lane Aviation of Texas.
Sunday, June 12, 9 a.m.: AeroGlobo representative, Bruno Girhaldi and his significant other, Adriana, picked up Grant Lane and I at the Sao Paulo international airport, Guarulhos (GRU). Grant was traveling with me, as he often does, because of his affiliation with AeroGlobo.
From GRU, with a car loaded (I had four editions of AgAir Update in four duffle bags, the June Spanish edition and Spanish Show Guide, the June Portuguese edition and Portuguese Show Guide, the 40-page guides printed for the upcoming convention and personal luggage) near capacity of the Argentine-built Cheverolet Captiva. On this trip, I paid the airlines almost as much for excess luggage as I did for the airline ticket! There would be two more airline flights in Brazil, with this excessive luggage, before arriving at my final destination for the convention, Floirianopolis.
We drove about four hours to Botucatu, where the new offices of AeroGlobo are located. Owner, Fabiano Zaccarelli Cunha, hosted a grand opening at 5p with dignitaries from the city, the architect, employees, nearby ag-operators, and of course, Grant and I.
AeroGlobo has become a moving force for selling new Air Tractors throughout Brazil. Fabiano understands the potential of the market expanding into turbine powered aircraft, much like the U.S. did in the 1980s. A presentation was made providing data to substantiate his belief. Because of this, AeroGlobo has established six service centers for Air Tractor support throughout Brazil, as well as a training facility to transitioning Brazilian ag-pilots into the Air Tractor, including an AT502 simulator.
It had been a very long day and being tired was an understatement. Grant and I left early by Brazilian standards (10p) and found a Japanese restaurant for dinner. Neither of us can read or speak Portuguese, the language of Brazil. It was comical to order from the all-Brazilian menu. The Japanese item is listed in Portuguese, with a Portuguese description beneath. We may has well closed our eyes and pointed for our order! We got lucky and Grant had a beef dish and a grilled combination seafood platter, don’t ask what the combination was, please.
Monday, June 13 - Bruno picked us up at the hotel for our three-hour drive to Ribeirao Preto to meet with an operator in this region that is known as “a sea of sugar cane”. It was necessary to fill the car with petrol. My choice was gas or 100% alcohol. The price is one real ($.60 US equivalent in Brazilian currency) more for the gas, but worth it because of the improved mileage. However, Americans should not be complaining too much about the price of gas. The small Captiva held 60 liters (about 16 gallons) and cost $100 USD! Oh well...
Stay tuned for part two...
Then, there are the arrangements to be made for the trip in itself. This trip was spurned by participating in the major South American convention, this year a combination of the Brazilian national association (SINDAG) and the Mercosul of Agricultural Aviation that is a consortium of Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and Brazil. Chile also participates. Every third year the congress is this combination, while other years there are two separate conventions.
Since I was going to make the 24-hour trek for over 5,000 miles, with a connection in Miami and a four-hour drive after landing in Sao Paulo, I decided to leave three days early and visit a couple of operators and a vendor’s Grand Opening, AeroGlobo, one of the Air Tractor representatives for Brazil (there are three), who is associated with Lane Aviation of Texas.
Sunday, June 12, 9 a.m.: AeroGlobo representative, Bruno Girhaldi and his significant other, Adriana, picked up Grant Lane and I at the Sao Paulo international airport, Guarulhos (GRU). Grant was traveling with me, as he often does, because of his affiliation with AeroGlobo.
From GRU, with a car loaded (I had four editions of AgAir Update in four duffle bags, the June Spanish edition and Spanish Show Guide, the June Portuguese edition and Portuguese Show Guide, the 40-page guides printed for the upcoming convention and personal luggage) near capacity of the Argentine-built Cheverolet Captiva. On this trip, I paid the airlines almost as much for excess luggage as I did for the airline ticket! There would be two more airline flights in Brazil, with this excessive luggage, before arriving at my final destination for the convention, Floirianopolis.
We drove about four hours to Botucatu, where the new offices of AeroGlobo are located. Owner, Fabiano Zaccarelli Cunha, hosted a grand opening at 5p with dignitaries from the city, the architect, employees, nearby ag-operators, and of course, Grant and I.
AeroGlobo has become a moving force for selling new Air Tractors throughout Brazil. Fabiano understands the potential of the market expanding into turbine powered aircraft, much like the U.S. did in the 1980s. A presentation was made providing data to substantiate his belief. Because of this, AeroGlobo has established six service centers for Air Tractor support throughout Brazil, as well as a training facility to transitioning Brazilian ag-pilots into the Air Tractor, including an AT502 simulator.
It had been a very long day and being tired was an understatement. Grant and I left early by Brazilian standards (10p) and found a Japanese restaurant for dinner. Neither of us can read or speak Portuguese, the language of Brazil. It was comical to order from the all-Brazilian menu. The Japanese item is listed in Portuguese, with a Portuguese description beneath. We may has well closed our eyes and pointed for our order! We got lucky and Grant had a beef dish and a grilled combination seafood platter, don’t ask what the combination was, please.
Monday, June 13 - Bruno picked us up at the hotel for our three-hour drive to Ribeirao Preto to meet with an operator in this region that is known as “a sea of sugar cane”. It was necessary to fill the car with petrol. My choice was gas or 100% alcohol. The price is one real ($.60 US equivalent in Brazilian currency) more for the gas, but worth it because of the improved mileage. However, Americans should not be complaining too much about the price of gas. The small Captiva held 60 liters (about 16 gallons) and cost $100 USD! Oh well...
Stay tuned for part two...
The AeroGlobo Open House welcome reception, Botucatu, Brazil.
Fabiano Zaccarelli Cunha, owner of AeroGlobo, in new offices with:
(L-R) Mauricio Melro / AeroGlobo's training director, Grant Lane / Lane Aviation,
Fabianoj / AeroGlobo and Bill Lavender / AgAir Update.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
30 years and counting...
Thirty years and counting
Last month an old crop duster friend stopped by the office for a visit. Unfortunately, I was out of town. Charlie Foster and I go back to 1974 when he was flying a Stearman in the next county, while I was in my first season flying a 235 Hutch-wing, metalized Pawnee.
Charlie’s purpose in the visit was to give me four old “AgAir Updates” he had found. Until his visit, I had always thought I became editor of AgAir Update in 1988. His gift exposed my poor memory (hey, it was over 23 years ago).
Of the four editions, the September 1981, Volume 1, Number 2, was the oldest. There was no masthead to determine who was the editor of the 10-page newsletter, unless you call the author of the “President’s Swath”, Dave McDaniel, the editor and assume the GAAA was the publisher. I guess it would be proper to believe, AgAir Update’s roots started in 1981, 30 years ago. Heck, I was about to miss celebrating AgAir Update’s 30th year!
The next oldest edition was the March/April 1982, Vol. 2, No. 1. My guess is in 1982 the publication changed from a biannual to quarterly editions. The publication still did not have a masthead, but now its editor was Donna McDaniel (Dave’s wife).
The third edition was dated February 1986, Vol. 5, No. 4. How did that happen? The publication still claims to be a quarterly, but my math says it should have been Vol. 6, No. 1. I suppose there was a missing edition in 1985. Maybe that was when the transition was to me becoming the editor. That means I have been punching away at this keyboard for 25 years. Well, not quite, since I couldn’t type at the time!
Looking through those old 1980s four editions of AgAir Update brought back many memories. A number of the faces in the pictures have flown west, while many others are no longer in the business. Even more remarkable are the advertisers supporting the publication then that still do today: Gregory Flying Service (now Airforce Turbine Service), Souther Field Aviation, Covington Aircraft Engines, Micronair Sales and Service (now Micron Sprayers), AirSouth Insurance, MId-Continent Aircraft Sales, Southeastern Aircraft Sales and Service, Stainless Steel Spray Systems and Tulsa Aircraft Engines. These companies have been with AgAir Update, and oddly enough, every edition printed since, for over 25 years. I am grateful of the support from those first advertisers. There would be many more to come.
By April 1986, the publication was 20 pages. In 198???, after being the editor of AgAir Update as a publication of the GAAA for ??? years, I made a proposal to purchase it from the Association. In May 2011, AgAir Update, including all printed editions, was 208 pages. From the borders of Georgia, Alabama and Florida, AgAir Update has grown to be read worldwide in three languages; English, Portuguese and Spanish.
For me, the “ride” has been a good one and I intend to continue until I no longer can. As publisher/editor in the 1990s, with AgAir Update expanding to meet the needs of agricultural aviation, I could no longer focus on ag-flying and eventually retired from flying for a hire in 2000, after 27 years. It was a easy/hard decision.
At first, I missed those early morning spray jobs, or finishing up the ends after a long, satisfying day with many acres having passed under the wheels. Today, I can only imagine how trying a long day in the cockpit can be for a pilot in his late 50s, early 60s and older. I believe the way it is done is with pacing and many, many years of experience to lean on. You don’t see older pilots making high-G turns, overloaded takeoffs and pushing the envelop. Maybe there is something to the saying, “There are bold pilots and old pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots”. Did I get that right?
Until next month,
Blue Sky and Tailwinds...
Last month an old crop duster friend stopped by the office for a visit. Unfortunately, I was out of town. Charlie Foster and I go back to 1974 when he was flying a Stearman in the next county, while I was in my first season flying a 235 Hutch-wing, metalized Pawnee.
Charlie’s purpose in the visit was to give me four old “AgAir Updates” he had found. Until his visit, I had always thought I became editor of AgAir Update in 1988. His gift exposed my poor memory (hey, it was over 23 years ago).
Of the four editions, the September 1981, Volume 1, Number 2, was the oldest. There was no masthead to determine who was the editor of the 10-page newsletter, unless you call the author of the “President’s Swath”, Dave McDaniel, the editor and assume the GAAA was the publisher. I guess it would be proper to believe, AgAir Update’s roots started in 1981, 30 years ago. Heck, I was about to miss celebrating AgAir Update’s 30th year!
The next oldest edition was the March/April 1982, Vol. 2, No. 1. My guess is in 1982 the publication changed from a biannual to quarterly editions. The publication still did not have a masthead, but now its editor was Donna McDaniel (Dave’s wife).
The third edition was dated February 1986, Vol. 5, No. 4. How did that happen? The publication still claims to be a quarterly, but my math says it should have been Vol. 6, No. 1. I suppose there was a missing edition in 1985. Maybe that was when the transition was to me becoming the editor. That means I have been punching away at this keyboard for 25 years. Well, not quite, since I couldn’t type at the time!
Looking through those old 1980s four editions of AgAir Update brought back many memories. A number of the faces in the pictures have flown west, while many others are no longer in the business. Even more remarkable are the advertisers supporting the publication then that still do today: Gregory Flying Service (now Airforce Turbine Service), Souther Field Aviation, Covington Aircraft Engines, Micronair Sales and Service (now Micron Sprayers), AirSouth Insurance, MId-Continent Aircraft Sales, Southeastern Aircraft Sales and Service, Stainless Steel Spray Systems and Tulsa Aircraft Engines. These companies have been with AgAir Update, and oddly enough, every edition printed since, for over 25 years. I am grateful of the support from those first advertisers. There would be many more to come.
By April 1986, the publication was 20 pages. In 198???, after being the editor of AgAir Update as a publication of the GAAA for ??? years, I made a proposal to purchase it from the Association. In May 2011, AgAir Update, including all printed editions, was 208 pages. From the borders of Georgia, Alabama and Florida, AgAir Update has grown to be read worldwide in three languages; English, Portuguese and Spanish.
For me, the “ride” has been a good one and I intend to continue until I no longer can. As publisher/editor in the 1990s, with AgAir Update expanding to meet the needs of agricultural aviation, I could no longer focus on ag-flying and eventually retired from flying for a hire in 2000, after 27 years. It was a easy/hard decision.
At first, I missed those early morning spray jobs, or finishing up the ends after a long, satisfying day with many acres having passed under the wheels. Today, I can only imagine how trying a long day in the cockpit can be for a pilot in his late 50s, early 60s and older. I believe the way it is done is with pacing and many, many years of experience to lean on. You don’t see older pilots making high-G turns, overloaded takeoffs and pushing the envelop. Maybe there is something to the saying, “There are bold pilots and old pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots”. Did I get that right?
Until next month,
Blue Sky and Tailwinds...
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