Thrush Switchback Ferry Flight to Brazil — Part 3

In the last edition I told you about the second part of my ferry flight between Fort Lauderdale and Puerto Rico. Following up, I will report on the next leg, Puerto Rico to Barbados.

The island of Puerto Rico is one of those places that make us want to take a vacation, but there was nothing at that moment that I wanted more than to continue flying towards South America. Unfortunately, I still had an impasse to resolve. I could fly about 1,700 miles nonstop for 12 hours straight from Puerto Rico to Boa Vista and not have to worry about taking a Covid test. Or, fly from Puerto Rico to Barbados with a much shorter and safer flight leg, but with the inconvenience of having to comply with Covid examination protocols when arriving on the island.

Passing through the Guyana region around noon is a headache for sure because as we well know, the famous Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) where the Northern and Southern trade winds come together and often giant cumulus buildups over widespread areas form. It is not exactly the preferred scenario for those flying in the range of 10 or 12 thousand feet. The only way to get there earlier, when taking off from Puerto Rico, is to leave around 4 A.M. However, the sun rises at 6:45 (local time). Flying over the stilldark Atlantic Ocean didn’t sound like a good idea, considering it was my first time on that route. After pondering, I decided that it would be more prudent to deal with the bureaucracy imposed by the pandemic than to risk flight safety.

I made plans for when I arrived in Barbados I would isolate myself in a hotel room. The idea sounds bad, but I didn’t need to stay more than one night in Barbados since it was not necessary to wait for the exam results to leave the island. I took off from Puerto Rico around 0630 with the sun rising and blue skies. With a headwind, the flight leg would be an estimated time of 5 hours and 15 minutes.

En route over clouds from Puerto Rico to Barbados.

Juliana Torchetti Coppick piloting over the Atlantic Ocean in a new Thrush Switchback bound for Brazil.

After a few hours of flight, I heard my name on the radio. I thought maybe I was hearing things or that I had done something wrong for the controller to be calling me by name. Fortunately, I deciphered the “mystery”. In Saint Maarten is the Princess Juliana Airport. They have frequencies like Torre Juliana with approaches and departures also with the same name. So, the name “Juliana” was heard on the radio now and then. I confess that it gives me an almost childlike joy to know that there is an airport with my name! In fact, the Princess who lends her name to the airport, became Queen of the Netherlands. I confess that I like princess tales, but I wouldn’t trade my little “winged kingdom” for anything! My helmet is my crown!

During most of the route, I flew in good weather and only a few detours to avoid meteorological conditions. As time does not forgive royalty or commoners, about 50 nautical miles from Barbados I encountered heavy cloud formations. I considered climbing to stay VFR. That’s when I came across something hitherto unprecedented for me, a Class A airspace that goes from level 085 to level 245.

The tops of the cumulonimbus layer was about 10,000 feet. I went around the island from the west and then the northwest. I asked approach control for permission to climb to 10,000 feet because only then would I be able to see the airport. Being extremely helpful, the controller authorized the cimb. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to leave the rain behind and I was able to start my descent to the airport.

As many Carribean islands receive commercial flights, runways are long, paved and well prepared for most aircraft. At 13:32, the Thrush Switchback touched the ground in Barbados, where an entourage was already on hand to take me to the examination site.

After the medical procedures, I had to wait for about three hours at the airport because the choice of transportation and overnight stay is made by the government. I also had to put on a locking bracelet. The bracelet’s function is to make the person easily identifiable by the police if they leave the quarantine. I was told that I couldn’t even go to the hotel reception. Unfortunately, I was housed in a somewhat undesirable location with a pool and sea view, but no Internet. I managed to pass the flight plan over the phone and notify my family that I had arrived well.

I made the flight plan for Manaus, even though I knew weather there at the time of my arrival would be very bad. My alternate was Boa Vista airport. It is important to remember that this type of flight airport logistics must be taken into account, as not all locations are able to receive an aircraft on an international flight. So, Boa Vista was the perfect alternate for me with the necessary agencies for my arrival.

In next month’s Part 4, I will tell you the end of that flight that today is part of the best memories I have! Also, I will take you on a journey over the Amazon jungle!