INTERNATIONAL
VOLO PER VERITAS / FLYING FOR THE TRUTH Juliana Torchetti Coppick | jutorchetti@yahoo.com.br
The Switchback Arrives in Brazil! Roraima, the first Brazilian state overflown by the Switchback!
A 14 | agairupdate.com
In the last edition of AgAir Update, I reported on the third leg of my ferry flight between the USA and Brazil piloting a Thrush Switchback. This edition completes my journey. At 5:30 am local time in Barbados, I was already at the airport, but I was only able to take off until around 6:00 am due to fuel supply logistics. In fact, if there’s anything I could confirm during that flight, it’s how things work differently when comparing some countries. In the United States, things go very well and people are usually very punctual. In places like Barbados, we need an extra dose of time and patience even to deal with simple things. On this Caribbean island, for example, the pilot is practically obliged to pay a person who
provides services, such as calling for supplies, transmitting a flight plan, booking a hotel, etc. Luckily, one of the pilots I met in Puerto Rico gave me the contact of a “handling agent” (a person who does this type of service) and I managed well. Readied plane, documentation and flight plan in order, I departed for the northern borders of South America! It was a perfect day, with a clear sky and the Thrush Switchback, as always, flying smooth and safely. The VHF radio, while in contact with Centro Piarco, displayed a true symphony of accents. Of course, the preferred language is English, but many pilots and controllers communicate in French in this airspace. Even when we use the English ➤
