A Journal, with Pictures

We had a rather leisurely departure on Wednesday February 28th, since we only had a three hours flight back to Liberia, Costa Rico, where we would overnight. The departure was easy with customs formalities well organized and after pre-flight the twelve Cirrus were lined up for take off from Marcos A. Gelabert International (Panama’s general aviation airport). As we climbed out we made a left turn and below was the entrance to the Panama canal and the Miraflores locks, quite a sight. Of course there always has to be a little excitement, so Panama ATC changed our route so here we go fly the airplane with one hand and punch in the route changes with the other, while taking in the sights. Easy flight back to Liberia and of course 30 knot gusts down the runway for our landing. Some went to the beach, others just relaxed at the hotel near the airport until the group dinner.

The next morning we have to go through the main terminal to clear customs, load the bags, pre-flight and we are off for the three hour flight to Tapichula, Mexico. For most of the flight we enjoyed a great view of the volcano’s that form the mountain range of Central America. An interesting sight is the active volcano rising out of Lake Managua, in Nicara. The forecast was for clear skies, but they got it a little wrong for our destination and we did a very interesting VOR DME approach into the airport. Welcome back to Mexico, customs and immigration, very interesting, but soon we are on our way to Argovia, Finca (plantation) resort, which is a working coffee plantation. The resort is in the mountains and up a winding road, but not to fear, there is a stop for  snacks and cold cerveza,  so the hour and a half drive was good.

We are taken to our casitas, which are sprinkled along a ridge down a stone trail in a jungle like setting. The units are rustic, but clean with everything you need, plus a veranda over looking the valley with a spectacular view. We all relax, in our case with a cold bottle of wine on the veranda, then we are off to the group dinner. It’s a fun evening, with lots of conversation and laughter, capped off by a surprise to Joyce, birthday cake and champagne with a  serenade by the wait staff.

The next day the owner of Argovia, Bruno Guseman, third generation plantation owner gives us a tour and explanation of growing, picking, processing, roasting and brewing coffee. Bruno made a special trip from Tapachula to personally conduct the tour, and he not only educated us but totally charmed us. In addition to coffee, Bruno explained that Argovia Finca had diversified, and was producing a wide range of products ranging from flowers to hard wood in addition to operating the resort.

After the tour Bruno took us through his personal home, which was constructed of hard wood and could have been the set for a movie and was,surrounded by beautiful gardens. We then had lunch, some toured the flower operation, some relaxed or went to the spa. We then had our last briefing for the trip back to Brownsville, before our last dinner together.

We arrived back in Brownsville after a four hour flight from Tapachula, to Tampico, Mexico clear customs, refuel then an hour and a half on to Brownsville. Due to late changes made by some of the group, the flight plans for all the other planes got “confused” by Mexican ATC. We spent the first 20 minutes out of Tapachula changing flight plans in the air then changing them back after Rick negotiated with the controllers. This again, re-enforced the lesson learned several times during the trip do the planning before you start the trip or you and your fellow pilots will pay the price. Tampico, was the best foreign airport experience of the trip which was fitting since Brownsville customs was excellent, so we returned to the land of good airport service we enjoy in the U.S.

That evening, those who stayed over, Rick, Connie, David and Elizabeth, Joyce and I had a very jolly evening of cocktails and dinner at a near by Italian restaurant. It was a celebration of great experiences and new friends made. The next morning we were in the air at 8:00am headed back to Hilton Head with a fuel stop in Hammond, LA. Tail winds eighty percent of the way so it was a great way to finish an incredible adventure. 5560 nautical miles and 44 hours of flying over very interesting and beautiful landscape, with visits to fascinating places, with a great group of people, it doesn’t get much better than that.  After a steak grilled on our very own barbecue, a fine bottle of wine and sleep in our own bed, we agreed it was nice to be back in the good old U.S.A.

Joyce and I flew to Maine for our 2017 lobster fix and a COPA fly-in at Bar Harbor. We delayed our flight by a day and left October 16th for Owls Head, Maine. We flew in perfect weather to Delaware for lunch then over JFK with a great view of N.Y. City then on to Maine. Head winds the whole way so it was a long 8 hours in the air. We stayed at the Inn at Sunrise Point, above Camden, which is one of our favorite places. We toured the area again and soaked in the beautiful Maine fall colors and coastal beauty as well as consumed great New England sea food. Joyce found a great wooden carved mermaid that will be perfect for our cottage and of course they ship.

On Thursday we flew the 20 minute flight to Bar Harbor to join the 40+ other Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) members for a fly-in. We spent a jolly three days in Bar Harbor, dinning together, touring Cadillac Mountain and going out on the water to sail around the Bar Harbor area, see old light houses and learn about the great history of the area. The weather was perfect, the fall colors were on full display and socializing with fellow pilots was the best. Rhonda and Mike did an incredible job of organizing the fly-in of over 20 Cirrus aircraft, THANKS. On Sunday we flew back to Hilton Head and sure enough we had a head wind the whole way. We traversed 12 states and only one had weather in one, our destination, South Carolina. We did an instrument approach into Hilton Head and ended a great week of flying fun on a positive note.

Joyce and I took off early on February 17 on our way to meet 43 other  members participating in the annual COPA Mexico Adventure. Since we had to cross the country we planned to stop in Houston and visit our friends Clark and Julie Blackman and Christine Romsdahl. We made a fuel stop in Fair Hope, Alabama then dodged some storms to arrive at KCXO, Lone Star Executive airport. We had a great visit and dinner and launched for El Paso where we spent the night before leaving for our first Mexico stop Ciudad Obregon. We cleared customs, refueled, then flew the last 25 minutes to Alamos where the 22 COPA Cirrus aircraft gathered. We stayed at a incredibly charming resort and spa, Hacienda de Los Santos. The village was clean and safe as well as charming. Alamos was the northern most silver city and generated enormous wealth. The resort is made up of four of the former silver barons mansions put together to create a unique place. The second day some flew over the Copper Canyon in the morning and others explored the resort and village. The founder of the resort,Jim Swickard still acts as host at times since he is a pilot and caters to flying groups. He also owns the airport and was kind enough to give us a personal tour of the village. The gathering was great as people arrived they congregated for lunch and then in the tequila bar, where there were old friends met and new friends introduced. Over the two days of our stay there was lots of time to socialize, explore this beautiful place and soak up the unique history. The hospitality, food and drink were excellent and the only regret was we couldn’t stay longer.

On Tuesday February 23 we left Alamos to fly to Manzanillo with the COPA group. We had decided to fly in loose formation with Charles and Debbie Langdon down the Copper Canyon on our way. We got a great view flying down in the canyon, which is Mexico’s Grand Canyon. We stopped in Mazatlan for fuel, then continued to Manzanillo, flying along the beautiful coast and over Puerto Vallarta on the way. When we landed we had 22 Cirrus that had to get fuel at a self service pump, which turned into a social event as we all pitched in to push planes in place. We stayed at the Grand Isla Navidad, which isn’t in Manzanillo, but in Barra Navidad, about 20 minutes from the airport. The hotel turned out to be great, with fabulous grounds including a golf course and a little village a short boat ride away to explore. We had lots of time to socialize with fellow COPA pilots, and ended our stay with a grand cocktail party and dinner on a terrace overlooking the bay.

The Cocktails and Dinner on the final evening of the COPA event was particularly jolly. Lots of sharing of experiences, new friends made and old friends enjoyed. It was a perfect warm Mexican evening to celebrate the end of a great get adventure together.

Tomorrow, Friday, we all fly out to another Mexico destinations or on to home.

On Friday , Feb. 24 we flew the three hour flight from Manzanillo to Cabo San Lucas arriving in time for lunch. We flew in loose formation with Charles and Debbie Langdon and spent the next few days doing fun stuff. We landed at the General Aviation airport, MMSL and were treated royally, including cheap hangar fee and “free”  Cervazas and tequila. We checked into our Hotel, the Casa Dorado, which looking out at the cape and is where the action is. Great room, and a perfect place to get some sun and relax. Breakfast was at “the office” on the beach, which was a jumping place to start you day with a bloody Mary or Mimosa then brunch. We found some good restaurants, explored and generally had a great time.

On Monday Joyce and I started our journey home. We flew up the Baja Peninsula and crossed back to Ciudad Obregon about a hour and forty five minutes, cleared customs then flew to El Paso to clear US customs. We overnight-ed in El Paso and then left early to get ahead of a front causing very high winds. The flight was less than three hours to San Marcos, Texas where visited our friends Lou and Lynne Earle. The next day we again left early to beat the winds and flew direct to Fair Hope, Alabama again another three hour flight. We celebrated Joyce’s birthday at a great resort on Mobile Bay. On Thursday, March 2nd. we flew the final two hours and forty five minutes back to Hilton Head. We had tail winds all across the country, had to make a couple of instrument approaches and had gusty winds on landing at every stop, good practice. One day short of two weeks, 37 hours in the cockpit, 15 legs and over 5000 miles added up to a fun flying trip. We visited with friends, we saw lots of interesting sights, we made new friends and managed to learned a few things. GREAT TRIP!

 

COPA members from across the country and around the world started to arrive September 7th, with the majority on Thursday the 8th. Registration opened noon on the 8th. and our amazing registration volunteers, Donna, Kim, Justin and Stan made checking in effortless. The first evening welcome party the “COPA cabana” was a very jolly event held over looking Lake Superior in front of the host hotel the Inn on Lake Superior. Pat Wadick Cirrus President with other Cirrus management  mingled with COPA members.  Friendships were renewed and made as always at this kick off party.

The next two days were packed with activities, including the annual meeting, in which Andy gave us a update on the incredible progress that has been made, Membership grew 31% since 2012, Training is up 50% year over year, fatal accident rate down dramatically and much lower than general GA, over 30 Regional Events in last 12 months and much fun stuff going on. There were lots of seminars, the exhibitor hall was full with many new exhibitors and all of the regulars, Friday, evening Cirrus hosted a great hangar party at their facility with entertainment, a few commercials and Dale Klapmeier giving an update and recognizing the COPA and Cirrus people contributing to the training that has helped improve safety. It was a great evening appreciated by COPA attendees. Thanks Cirrus! During the cocktail party many walked out to look at the flight line, Over 100 Cirrus parked together is a impressive site.

Saturday Seminars and Exhibits continued and the day ended with the annual Migration COPA Gala dinner. Another great evening, with COPA Volunteers, outgoing board members receiving recognition, Rick Beach receiving a award for his work on safety, John Ylinen accorded Volunteer emeritus status, the key note speech by AOPA president Mark Baker ending with Andy turning the gavel over to Roger. A very fine evening, and a great Migration organized by Craig Albright and the incoming Migration chair Bill Meyer. Thanks Migration committee. Sunday the flock took off for their home bases in glorious weather. See you all next year in Nashville, TN.

Weather was unsettled in the South East prior to the weekend of the COPA Jekyll Island Fly-In, however the weekend turned out to be beautiful. There were attendee’s from Alabama, Texas, Indiana, New York, Maryland, North and South Carolina, and Florida. They started arriving on Friday for a long weekend, or Saturday for the weekend or Sunday for the famous Sunday Brunch and some stayed on. Rick Dawson, hosted  dutch treat cocktails and dinner Friday evening. Saturday, COPA members took advantage of the many things to do on Jekyll Island and some flew with the Patty Wagstaff aerobatics school that brought up their Super Decathlon Aerobatic trainer. Saturday evening there were cocktails and dinner, and door prizes, including a demo ride in an Extra 300, donated by South East Aero. Sunday the final arrivals for the Jekyll Island Club Brunch and to hear aerobatic champion/air show star/super flight instructor Patty Wagstaff talk at the COPA Brunch. Some more door prizes, including a aerobatics flight won by Bob Marini from New York, were drawn on Sunday.

Saturday

Sunday

Patty Wagstaff spoke about her career and observations of stick and rudder flying  and  her schools approach to airmanship as well as upset/recovery and aerobatics. Patty and her chief instructor Allen then answered a large number of questions.

A Big Thanks go to Gerald Gaige, South East Region Lt. Governor and Event Coördinator for the COPA Jekyll Island Fly-In.

Thanks also to a long list of sponsors, with special thanks to lead Sponsors Cirrus Aircraft, South East Aero and the Patty Wagstaff Aerobatics School. 

A great group of COPA members had a great time, thanks to Gerri.

 

On Wednesday April 20, we flew to Fort Lauderdale, KFXE, and spent the afternoon and evening with our daughter, grand daughter and son-in-law. Great visit, then Thursday morning we left for Abaco, Marsh Harbor Airport, MYAM, in the Bahamas, to meet the 40 other COPA members and partners for the annual COPA Bahamas adventure. The one and a half hour flight was great, with views of the beautiful water as we passed Grand Bahama Island, into Marsh Harbor. Customs and tie down was effortless and we were by the pool having lunch and chatting with friends by mid-day. Some took to the water by boat, others just relaxed by the pool. We spent the afternoon on the beach and then joined the group for welcome cocktails hosted by Bahamas Tourism ministry. Joe McGonigle, our organizer had everything arranged including door prizes. Lots of socializing at cocktails then dinner.

Friday was a day to explore. Some went fishing, others took boat tours, others drove to near by Treasure Cay, there were also the relaxers on the beach and pool. We explored the town of Marsh Harbor, which is a short walk from the resort. Lots to see, along the harbor side, shopping, and a restaurant for conch salad for lunch, then relax and socialize by the pool.

In the evening everyone met on the beach for cocktails, then dinner.

The Abaco Beach Resort knocked themselves out with an incredible buffet dinner, we then had entertainment and a huge bond fire on a perfect Bahamian evening.

Saturday, there was an optional ferry trip to Elbow Cay and Hope Town. We did that trip, although we had done it before, others did the many island things available. Hope Town is a historic settlement, on its own little island with lots of pretty pastel colored cottages and little shops on winding streets. There is a great beach on one side and harbor view restaurants on the other where we had lunch. . The land mark is the Hope Town Lighthouse.

In the evenings we all met at Curly Tails, for final cocktails, took one last group picture as the sunset and then had our last dinner on Abaco.

It was another great COPA Bahamas adventure, with a great group of people having a lot of fun together and experiencing flying over the incredibly interesting and beautiful Bahamas waters. Sunday some continued their adventure in the Bahamas others winged home in perfect weather. Thanks again, to Joe McGonigle for organizing the trip and Jim and Nancy Knollenberg for their help, as well as the Bahamas Tourism ministry for their support.

 

Sunday April 24, we left Marsh Harbor, MYAM, for the 45 minute flight to Nassau, MYNN. A beautiful day and a beautiful flight. This part of the trip was organized by Joyce and we were met by car and driver at Odyssey Aviation and whisked to the One and Only Ocean Club, one of the premier resorts in the world. “Nothing is to good to celebrate Gil’s birthday”, says Joyce, did I mention the car was a Bentley. The Ocean Club is a magnificent property, with extensive manicured grounds, two pools, one an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, multiple restaurants, one five star, a spa, a gym and on and on. It is a oasis from the crazy world we live in, designed to free you of any cares. You do have to be at your room at 5:30 PM when the champagne and chocolate covered strawberries are delivered by your butler so you can relax and watch the sun set. After the partying in Marsh Harbor I tried, not to successfully, to get back to a healthy life style, hitting the gym everyday. We celebrated my birthday in style and then departed Wednesday April 27, at 9:30 AM, cleared customs and had lunch in Fort Pierce arriving in Hilton Head at 2:00 PM. Another great flight and Bahamas trip.