Plane Conversations

When you and I visited last, Leon and I were at Wal-Mart buying emergency clothes and supplies since our bags were lost. I honestly thought (hoped) that would be the end of the trip drama.

Later that day, our bags showed up on the doorstep where we were staying; so, we finally had our stuff.

Tuesday night’s business dinner went late; and, we had a Wednesday morning meeting before we would leave Danbury to drive to White Plains (HPN) to catch our 11:30 departure for home.  That was the plan, anyway.

Wednesday morning there was a voice message on Leon’s cell phone notifying us the 11:30 am flight out of HPN had been canceled and that we had been rebooked on a 6:05am flight. The message was sent sometime Tuesday night while we were at dinner; but. we did not get the message. He received a text message at 6:10am saying that we were booked on the 6:05am flight (you know, the one that left five minutes ago?). For us to have made that flight, we would have had to have left Danbury about 4:15 am Wednesday morning, missing our Wednesday morning meeting completely.

After calling the help desk at Delta, we were able to get a flight out of La Guardia at 3:30pm, going non-stop to Nashville.

This wasn’t toobad since it gave us a little more time for business at Danbury.  Great.  So, we left Danbury around noon for the hour and a half drive to New York’s La Guardia airport. When we were within sight of the terminal building, I got a computer call from Delta notifying us that our 3:30pm flight had been canceled due to weather in Nashville and that we had been rebooked on a Thursday morning flight departing at  8:10am.  You’re kidding me, right?

Trying to figure out how to reduce the costs of this change, we returned the rental car, checked into an airport hotel and the day was over.

Delta had canceled all flights Wednesday afternoon into Nashville (BNA) due to forecasted surface icing conditions. I appreciate the seriousness of freezing rain and what it does to an aircraft; but, interestingly, Southwest and other carriers continued to fly into BNA all Wednesday afternoon and evening.

I wonder if the cancellations had anything to do with the “passenger bill of rights” and the new penalties for people who are left stranded on aircraft or in terminals. Maybe not, but the cancellation of that many flights for a chance of bad weather seems like a very aggressive cancellation policy.

Our next trip to Danbury will be in a Cirrus SR-22 or on Southwest to Hartford, Connecticut’s Bradley / Windsor Locks Airport if the weather is too bad for the Cirrus. No more La Guardia. How much productivity is lost by traveling in this system? The FAA study says about $33 billion per year in lost time. I don’t know exactly how they came up with that number; but, I would dare say that they have not even scratched the surface of true losses since they have no way today to measure the wear and tear on the human mind and body from traveling through the airline system.   

Bottom line: The trip home got us back to Nashville one day late with travel time Danbury to home base at Smyrna was 22 hours. I think that got us down to about 45 mph average trip speed.  In the 1930’s, Delta Air Lines advertised “Speed, Comfort and Convenience.”  Not so much.

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In a recent post I commented on the study that claims delays in the airline industry costs US travelers 33 billion dollars a year in lost productivity.

Yesterday I made a small contribution to the 33 billion of lost productivity on a flight from New York back home to Nashville.

One of my business partners and I had business in Danbury and Norwalk Connecticut over a two day period. In putting the trip itinerary together it made sense to fly into New York (LGA) on Southwest, rent a car, do the multiple meetings, and then fly home the morning of the third day.

The day started with a 7am departure from the hotel in Norwalk with about a 50 mile drive to LaGuardia. We left early to avoid the worst of traffic coming into the city. The traffic was not too bad so we got to the rental car drop off at 9am and ended up at the terminal and clearing through security by 945am.   

The flight, scheduled to depart at 1135, ended up being 30 minutes late on the inbound arrival due to weather in the NY area. The weather was just some light rain and cloud cover. Nothing major, but IFR conditions nonetheless.

After boarding, the aircraft pulled way from the gate and got in line for a 45 minute wait for departure. More delay due to IFR spacing issues for landing and departing traffic.

We had to connect in Baltimore with a plane change but missed the connection due to late arrival. There was another flight to Nashville departing 40 minutes after our arrival so we rushed over to that departure gate to find out the flight was oversold. We were then put on standby for a fully booked flight 2 hours later. Reduced capacity in the airline system translates to high load factors and profit for the airlines but major inconvenience for the passenger when connections get missed.

During this process we found out that 15 of the New York passengers on the first leg were Nashville bound and all of them, like us, missed their connection in BWI.

Fortunately we were the last two passengers to get on the flight to Nashville. It was about 30 minutes late departing because it had arrived late into BWI due to weather in the Northeast.  

While boarding we walked by several very frustrated Nashville bound New Yorkers who were not so lucky.

Arriving into Nashville and retrieving bags, we were out of the Nashville Airport about 630pm. The drive home from BNA is about an hour for me so the door to door travel time from the hotel in Norwalk to the house was 13.5 hours.

On the GPS navigator that trip door to door is about 900 miles driving. Based on the drive miles we averaged 70 miles per hour door to door.

I have no complaints about Southwest Airlines. Their service was good as always. They don’t control weather and air traffic flow. The gate agents did an excellent job handling the passengers, some who were not so pleasant.  

My story could be told by millions of travelers. It happens every day in the system. All you need is a little rain and low cloud ceilings in the Northeast  and the log jam begins. It doesn’t unwind until the last aircraft hit their overnight destinations.

We have a Cirrus SR-22 available to us to fly for business. Had we taken the Cirrus we could have reduced that hotel to home travel time down to about 6.5 hours. This doesn’t account for the fact that we could have done the whole trip in two days instead of three by flying on our own schedule.

Next time I think I will fly myself and spend a few dollars more on using the Cirrus than the cost of airline tickets and the exrta hotel.

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So, last time we spoke, I was in the international terminal at LAX awaiting my over 14 hour flight to Sydney.  The flight on the Airbus was long but the aircraft was amazing…at least to me as a pilot and Middle Tennessean it was.  Some components of the newest jumbo from Airbus, the A380, are built right here in Nashville and the aircraft is nothing short of a technological marvel with plentiful on-board amenities.  

Our experience began by feeling like being on a cruise ship with our flight attendants Kayleen and Jane offering fresh juices or champagne.  They made us feel quite comfortable in our home for the next 14+ hours. We departed Los Angeles at a little before 11PM Pacific Time.

We were presented with menus from which we chose a white fish supper, which was served on real linen table cloths with real linen napkins and, get this, real silverware.  Guess you can tell I don’t get out much on the jumbo jet scene sitting in upgraded seats, which were listed as premium economy.

After that dinner, it was time to snooze for a few hours.  Deep vein thrombosis is a concern on flights this long; so, after a snooze, I did some stretching to keep the circulation in order.  Afterwards, I watched a movie and took some time to do some much overdue reading before enjoying a nice, hot breakfast.

We landed at Sydney, gathered our things and prepared to depart the aircraft.  However, before we deplaned, the captain remained behind to give me a cockpit tour.  Incredible!

It took about an hour and a half to clear customs, which gave us just enough time to make our local flight to Brisbane.   We arrived there tired but excited, and to our delight there was a driver there waiting to take us to our hotel—The Stamford .

Traveling that distance, there are a multiple of opportunities for misconnects, lost luggage, poor service and other irritations.  I’m pleased to say that the most frustrating thing thus far was the inability to get my Verizon BlackBerry to function properly.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.

Next task:  getting my 90-day Australian license…….

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This past week I had the privilege of taking a tour of the Hawker Beechcraft factory and corporate headquarters in Wichita Kansas.

The tour started at our home base in Tennessee with a flight to Wichita on a new Hawker 4000. The aircraft is impressive and I will post soon with video and more information on this new generation, state of the art, mid size business jet.

Our company has operated Beechcraft King Airs for over 25 years, and much of my flying time is logged in various Barons and Bonanzas, so I have been a fan of Beechcraft for a long time.

The King Air series aircraft are without argument the most successful turboprop ever built with a production run spanning 5 decades.

The King Air C90GTX / B200GT / 350I series aircraft are still in production for civilian and military applications. All are evolved from the original King Air that first rolled of the line in 1965.   

Hawker Beech’s jet aircraft in production include the Hawker 4000, Hawker 900XP,  Hawker 750, Hawker 400XP and the Premier 1A/II. The Hawker 750 and 900 series aircraft are evolutions of the original Hawker jets manufactured in the UK and are the best selling series of business jets in the world.   

Hawker Beech also manufacturers variations of the military T-6 trainer, which is the primary trainer for both the navy and air force pilot programs.

The Beech Baron G58 twin engine and Bonanza G36 single engine piston aircraft round out the line of aircraft in production.     

Arriving to the factory at Hawker Beech’s airport in Wichita, our first stop was the delivery hangar, where new aircraft were in the final stage of delivery to the new owners.  There is a large American flag on one wall, prominently displayed as reminder that these aircraft going all over the world are made in America.

Wichita is the number one city for growing exports and Hawker Beech plays a big part. The percentage of aircraft exported now exceeds the percentage staying in the US and this will continue to increase as the demand for business aircraft worldwide grows faster than in the US.

One of the things that interests me most is innovation in our business and Hawker Beechcraft has done that with their new Hawker 4000. The Hawker 4000 has a   composite fuselage and uses composites in combination with traditional metal structures in other areas of the airframe. Composites are lighter but stronger than metal structure allowing savings in weight and increases in fuel efficiency and performance, as well as reduced maintenance costs.

Use of composites in aircraft sturctures is here to stay as evidenced by the Boeing 787 having a composite fuselage.

What impressed me most from the whole tour is the sense of pride emanating from the employees, from the senior management to the people on the floor. These people are proud of what they make and should rightly be proud of the 75 plus year legacy of excellence in aircraft manufacturing.

A lot has been said about the competitiveness of the US aircraft manufacturing industry in the global market.

A current issue that Hawker Beech has to deal with is to what degree they move production out of the US to save costs. The unions in Wichita are fighting for the jobs to remain US and the decisions will be difficult. Hawker Beech must remain price competitive and at the same time they cannot afford to lose the skill and aggregated knowledge of the workforce in Wichita. 

There is a positive and determined corporate culture that I admire with the leadership and employees at Hawker Beech. That will keep them in the competitive game of aircraft manufacturing well into the future.

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Loveland Colorado’s Public Works Director  has announced a new program they hope to put into place at the Ft. Collins – Loveland Airport soon and it is called “Wingless Flight”.

I heard of this concept a few years ago and then the idea went away. I am not sure why it did not take off a few years ago but I would venture a guess that TSA could not get their heads around it.  

Basically you would drive to the Ft. Collins Airport, park, check your bags and clear security there, but instead of boarding a plane you will board a bus that will take you to Denver International (DIA). Once you arrive at DIA you will be deposited in the terminal with all security screening having been handled in Ft. Collins.

So what is the advantage of this?

If properly run it could save both time and money. Parking at Ft. Collins is easy and cheap,  and clearing security and going through the lines will take a minute or two versus the sometimes hour long wait at DIA.

I think success would depend on a high frequency of bus trips with a reliable time schedule so that users of this service can count on not spending a lot of time at DIA before they actually board their flight.  

If I lived in the Loveland area and got off a flight at DIA coming home and had to wait any time at all at DIA for the bus  back to Loveland I would lose patience. Once I am home, as in back to the terminal at home base, I can’t wait to get out of the terminal building to really get home.

Operating under the premise that we all fly to save time, anything that can reduce the door to door travel experience should be a winner. If it doesn’t really save time then saving a few bucks on parking won’t push people to do it?

The comments in the 9News.com  article about this are for the most part skeptical. One commenter states that this has already been tried in Boulder a few years ago.   

I have seen an almost similar scenario in Vienna, Austria, where we checked our bags at the rail station downtown that runs non-stop to the airport. We still had to clear security at the airport; but, at least we got rid of the bags. Europe, with its developed mass transit rail system, has the airport to rail connection down to a science. Most major airports are connected to a rail system by a short walk out of the terminal building.  

Give these guys in Loveland  an “A” for effort and innovation. Time will tell if the idea catches on.

Anything to reduce friction in travel is good. With the exception of price, travel by private aircraft takes care of all of the issues this proposed service are attempting to solve. How about a private flight out of Loveland Airport non-stop to your destination on your schedule.  Bypass DIA entirely!

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Recently, as Tropical Storm Bonnie looked like she was going to take a walk up Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans, I was reminded of Hurricane Katrina, which, five years ago, lead to my unexpected move to Tennessee.  I was reminded of the powerless feeling of watching that kind of power approach my home and take nearly everything I had.  Remembering my own experiences always reminds me of the January earthquake in Haiti and how, in spite of the upheaval, I was among the most fortunate of people.

Ten months after Hurricane Katrina, my street was still without power.  Let that sink in for a minute.  Nearly one year later, in what is arguably the most advanced country on the planet, there were still people using generators.  We are now closing in on five years later and that region is STILL obviously recovering, but it’s old news.  The TV crews are gone.  The journalists are still busy covering the oil spill or some new sex scandal.  No one wants to hear about it anymore, even though Habitat for Humanity, Make It Right and many other organizations are still working tirelessly to put New Orleans and other affected areas back together.  Make no mistake, though.  It will take many more years, if not actual decades, before the area is fully recovered.  And the people still living there deal with it every single day.

Now, shift your attention to Haiti, one of the poorest countries on the globe, if not the poorest.  Some 250,000 people died and 1.3 million were left homeless in a country of 9 million.  A disaster with proportionate damage in the United States, with a population of some  307 million people, would have left 8.5 million people dead and 44 million homeless.  It’s the population of New York City killed and the population of California and Virginia left homeless.   Those numbers are approximate, but you get the idea – massive, massive impact.  As an industry, General Aviation has sent literally hundreds of flights into the area, landing even on dirt roads, bringing in personnel and supplies after the January earthquake.  As a company, we were fortunate enough to be able to help in some small ways to the relief efforts.  As individuals, we have contributed in private ways, as well.  In April, four months after the event, reports showed that donations and contributions were dwindling.  By now, they are minuscule.

I wasn’t in that earthquake and I don’t personally anyone who was.  I don’t have a personal agenda here.  However, I lost nearly everything I owned to Hurricane Katrina and I owe the lion’s share of my recovery to individuals and organizations who reached out to help me when I was all but hopeless.  I know what it feels like to face sudden, almost incomprehensible loss.  In the attached document, I’m sharing my story with you in hopes that you will remember them.  In the global scheme of things, I was so very fortunate, while they are not.  Just because they had fewer possessions to lose at the outset does not mean that they are any less shattered.

Shame on us if we don’t support the efforts of NGOs still in the thick of things, striving to make a difference – organizations like Can Do, World Vision, Feed the Children, Habitat for Humanity and others.  Shame on us if we allow that disaster to become nothing more than a sound-bite.

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Yesterday I spent time with clients considering the upgrade of their turboprop aircraft, a King Air 200, to a business jet. Their travel needs are growing and the trips they do are reaching farther out from their home base, so a jet is in consideration.

As we talked a few questions were asked: Have the values of used aircraft hit bottom? Is it a good time to buy, and if we decide to buy what would be the best investment? These questions sound much like the questions Jim Cramer might hear on Mad Money about which stock to buy.

I have also had conversations this week with two representatives from manufacturers of business jet aircraft.

Discussions centered on the current state of the market for new and used business aircraft. One of the problems the manufacturers of new aircraft are facing is the competition with their own late model used aircraft on the open market.

Starting in late 2008, and throughout all of 2009, the prices of used business jet aircraft fell in some cases as much as 50-60%. In an uncertain economy no one was buying and sellers could not get an established value without buyers.  

A four-year-old low time jet in like new condition today may be selling for half of its new price when delivered in 2006. Compare this to 2007, and the ten years prior, when a four-year-old aircraft could sell for 85% to 105% of its new price, depending on the manufacturers backlog of orders in production for the same model.

The brokers in our industry would probably confirm that the market of used aircraft has started to move, and the first aircraft to sell are those late model low time aircraft that took a huge hit in a “no buyer” market. As worldwide buyers absorb this inventory the prices have and will continue to firm up. 

Aircraft older than ten years, although still in excellent condition, may be slow to recover their value of two years ago, if ever. The supply of older used aircraft for sale is still greater than demand and will stay that way for a few more years. Prices may not go down much more, but will most likely not recover anytime soon.

Back to the original question:  Is it a good time to buy? If you have established the need and defined the mission of business aviation for your company, then it is a good time to buy. If you are ready to upgrade to an aircraft that better fits the mission, or a newer aircraft that will provide more capability, lower maintenance costs, and better reliability, then it is a great time to buy. 

Talk to people in our industry including manufacturer sales reps and reputable brokers of used aircraft. Wheels Up contributor Jeremy Cox  is one of those guys.  

Talk to other business jet operators, flight department managers, and aircraft management companies for insight. Do the analysis that determines what aircraft best suits the mission. Look at new versus used and the pros and cons of each.

There is a lot of knowledge in our industry and most everyone I know is willing to talk to you to share what they know.

If you have the need to travel to grow your business there has never been a better time to buy. It is a buyers market and there is good value in both new and used business jets.

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There is a lot of buzz these days about “social”, evidenced by the fact that anytime a topic is brought up online with the words “social” or “social media” all of us who claim to be social tweet it out. 

So what is social and anti social about the experience of traveling by air? 

A good definition of social in this context of travel is “allowing people to meet and interact with others in a friendly way”.

Conversely, Encarta defines antisocial as “hostile or indifferent to the comfort or needs of other members of a community or society as a whole”

So here’s a question for those of you who travel routinely in the airline system: 

Would you rate the experience of airline travel social or antisocial based on the definitions presented above? Is the experience friendly or hostile?

Maybe hostile is too strong of a word to use to describe traveling by airline but “indifferent to the comfort or needs…” may accurately define the experience.

As I queue up in line to take off my shoes, unload my I-Pad bag, get searched, wanded and body scanned I don’t feel real social. The weary and worn out road warriors who spend valuable hours in the waiting areas of terminal buildings most likely don’t feel social either.

Compare the experience of airline travel against the experience of traveling in a business jet or even in a small private airplane.

Come hang out in the lobby of a fixed based operation, a terminal for private flights, and see the difference in the traveler’s demeanor over what you see at a busy hub airport.

We see it every day in our business. Smiling people passing through the lobby departing to go on vacation or a business trip, or getting ready to go home from a trip, knowing they will be back home soon. Knowing the experience they are about to have will be positive from beginning to end.

I grew up flying in small airplanes and some of my fondest memories of travel were the flights riding up front with a father who was a corporate pilot. The passengers in the back of the aircraft most always enjoyed the trip with my father smoothly flying them to the destination. Even when the weather did not cooperate he somehow still made it a good experience.

So what’s it worth to you to have a social versus antisocial travel experience?  

Is there a monetary value difference in the two experiences?

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Today’s post is contributed by Captain William Rowell, currently a captain in the Phenom 100.  This Air Transport Pilot rated Mississippi native started his career with CFM in August of 2005 and is now type-rated in four different aircraft.  Enjoy, as Will recounts his trip over the Atlantic to Vienna delivering a brand-new Phenom 100.

As I sit here and ponder these last few days, I can’t help but think how inherently adventurous aviation really is. Reviewing this latest trip to foreign lands, I am reminded of how magical and inspiring flying can be. It seems to me that pilots get caught up in the day to day monotony of our “jobs” and loose sight of the wonders of FLIGHT, at least I do. However, this being the first time I crossed the Atlantic in anything but the dead of winter, I was in for an amazing tour of the world. Prepared only for the normalcies of the North Atlantic, I was impressed and inspired by the people, places, and experiences we encountered along our way.     

I was accompanied by co-captain, Troy Denson. Day One was from Smyrna, Tennessee, to Goose Bay, Canada, via Bangor, Maine. Goose Bay is a popular destination to refuel and pick up survival gear for the Atlantic crossing and the people are really great; so we stopped in to rest up for Day Two. As we settled in for the night, the next day weighed heavily on our minds. Goose Bay to Nassarsuag, Greenland, is probably the most critical leg of the entire trip because of the rapid weather changes that Greenland experiences. With limited alternates, the weather had to be good. As it turned out, the weather was great; but, the wind forced us to land on a less desirable runway. As “interesting” as the approach and landing was, it was uneventful. You just had to be there, as they say. Once on the ground, we began our planning for the next leg of the trip - Greenland to Iceland. 

Reykjavik, Iceland, is another popular destination. The folks at the FBO are always very accommodating and helpful. As it is with northern latitudes, the sun never really sets in the summer months. Paperwork extended our stay there and, although, the island is beautiful and the locals are nice enough, the lack of darkness and sleep was wearing us thin. After two days of waiting for paperwork to clear, it was time to move on!

With most of the mileage behind us, we still faced our longest day.  Day Five finally took us from Reykjavik to Wick, Scotland, and then to our final destination, Vienna, Austria.  Losing two more hours in the process, our body clocks began to suffer.  Anticipation of a speedy return home drove us to complete this mission expeditiously and with flawless execution. In other words, we didn’t need any set-backs. It was time to come home.

There were no delays at Wick and I highly recommend this stop if traveling to Europe. Andrew, the FBO manager, really has things together there. After a brief refuel, quick cup of coffee, and a few words of encouragement from Andrew, we were on our way. Three hours later, Vienna was in sight. Upon landing, we were met by the aircraft owner and a few other people. Everyone was happy to finally have the brand new Phenom 100 on the Austrian ramp. With huge grins and great anticipation, we exchanged hand shakes, paperwork, and finally, keys. Mission complete!

I wish everyone could have this experience, not only pilots.  Regardless of what we do and how much we love it, we all sometimes lose our drive or become bored with the day to day duties of working for a living.  This delivery was a chance to explore new territory, physically, emotionally, and culturally. It was more than just a delivery to me – I found a renewed passion for flying.  You don’t have to fly half way around the world to find it, you only have to take off with the right attitude.

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We wing toward the Turks and Caicos for a brief respite from the flight to California. The Phenom 100 is such a great flying machine that my new owner/pilot wants to keep going, but he has promised his wife a little time-out on the way home. He mockingly suggests that he put her birthday on the tail number so that she would let him have the new Phenom.  He confesses that to keep his two other airplanes, a Beechcraft Premier I and a Cirrus, he incorporated his wife’s birthday into the N number.

Our flight level 400 optic of the multi-hued water of the Caribbean is soon replaced by a much closer connection to the sea.  Greater Ambergris Cay appears ahead through the lazy afternoon clouds which dot the horizon. The tiny islands of the Turks and Caicos fill the southeastern area of the Caicos Bank with Greater (or Big) Ambergris Cay (at four miles long) as one of the larger of the Ambergris Cays. The entire island is a neatly organized community being constructed by DPS Development, the same folks who built the hugely successful Greenbrier Sporting Club in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.  We are absolutely awed by the airport facility they have completed.  At 5,790 feet, MBAC is the longest private airport in the Caribbean.  This illuminated strip with firefighting and state of the art construction is long and smooth, welcoming us from lofty perch over the sparkling Caribbean.

We taxi up to the door of the reception building where we are welcomed with  tropical island drinks made with Bambarra Rum, The Spirit of Turks and Caicos.  Quickly we learn that our complete enjoyment is the staff’s unrelenting goal.  With no cars, and consequently no paved roads, on the island, we are each assigned our own golf cart to whiz around the community and we delight in the freedom of our new personal transportation.  We all agree to freshen up and meet at Calico Jack’s for dinner.

The thatched hut of Calico Jack’s tropical bar, on the leeward side Ambergris Cay, is the perfect spot to watch the Caribbean sunset.  Calico Jack’s has an open air, covered dining area adjoining the climate controlled dining room. Although with nearly always perfect weather, it’s hard to imagine wanting to eat inside. With only 22 guests in residence, we are guaranteed a table at any time during the evening, (twenty homes have been completed with more under construction).  Walking to our table I’m greeted by Peter Pollock, the “P” in DPS Development.  Peter is an affable New Yorker who once worked as the General Manager of the Boston Celtics.  With an eye for appreciation, Peter has always picked real estate winners. No where is this more evident than at The Turks and Caicos Sporting Club.  After dinner, it is off to bed with thoughts of tomorrow’s bone fishing on the flats.

The sun peeks brightly into the single-room cabana where I awaken to the sound of the surf which lulled me to sleep. I enjoy my morning coffee in solitude from a deck that is eight feet above the azure Caribbean below. Designed to impart relaxation, island style, my 400 square foot cabana, is unique, not so much for what it provides, but more for what is missing.  Here there is no telephone, no internet, no television and no roof over the bathroom; yet, I have travertine marble floors and Ferette sheets. The bamboo furnishings evoke strong memories of my time spent in the Philippines when I flew  A-7 Corsairs from the deck of the USS Midway. I’m sure they hold up in the tropical humidity, but I much prefer the teak furniture on the sun drenched deck.

We are off to Calico Jack’s again in our golf carts.  I doubt any of our carts can exceed the posted 14 mph speed limit, but after some horse trading among the available carts, my pilot friend has found one that will out-run mine and he seems completely delighted. Again I think of my time living in Japan where the Western Pacific WESTPAC junior officers all had motorcycles, and horsepower couldn’t replace skillful driving on the narrow roads. I am treated to island pancakes with coconut syrup while my friends began their morning with a variety of equally appetizing breakfasts.

Famous for the waxy secretion, ambergris, from the North Atlantic Humpback whales that migrate through the islands in the winter, the island is also home to a wide variety of marine life.  Among the land dwelling creatures of Greater Ambergris are the rock iguana. The island teems with these foot-long reptiles who scurry between the areas of vegetation and who sun themselves on nearly every road and outcropping. My owner/pilot friend and I opted out of the manicure/pedicure event that his wife and mother enjoyed, instead we explored the island with Ceci Richard who showed us the original estate of Horatio Stubbs, who acquired the island from John Lightbourne, who purchased the island from the government of the Bahamas in 1811.  Horatio Stubbs planted sisal and reportedly organized a waypoint for livestock destined for the islands. The remnants of limestone and coral rock paddocks can still be found on the southern end of the island. The last private owner of the island, Henry Mensen has teamed with DPS Development to create a private sanctuary which will ultimately be comprised of 425 homes and a members only club.

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