Finally an update!!! My videos of flying in P.R

Sorry it took me so long to post these videos. Kris and I have been so busy since I got back from Puerto Rico that I haven't found the spare time. If you notice in the picture above I am wearing the world famous Aussie bush hat. It has traveled a long way already but I know its going to go all over the world with me.

Below is my favorite video of my favorite airport. The island of Culebra is just east of the Puerto Rican mainland and is part of P.R. It is an absolute gem of a little Island and is often overlooked. People literally fly right over it on there way to St. Thomas and the British Virgin Islands. I thought Culebra had better snorkeling here than the B.V.I myself. The runway at Culebra is only 2600 feet long and it is placed right next to a mountain. So unless you want to land with a tailwind on an already short runway you have to find some way to come over the mountain and still stop before the end of the runway.

This is where the Caravan really shines. This first video shows most of the " Mountain Approach" in which you approach the airport from the North West at 800 feet and 80 knots with 20 degrees of flaps. Keep in mind our normal approach is 120kts with 10 degrees of flaps. As you approach the island you come over Flaminco beach, at this point you can no longer see the runway you simply trust it is still there on the other side of the mountain. When you get to the mountain peak you should be less than 100 feet above the trees. At this point you drop all your flaps and pull the throttle to idle. Now the big propeller acts as an air brake and develops a huge amount of drag. So in one motion you can see I lower the nose aggressively as the prop slows down. From then on it is simply a test of nerves. All the instincts that have thus far kept me alive are screaming at me that my pitch is too steep and my airspeed too low and the trees are too close and the runway is too short...etc. But this is what the caravan was made for. By maintaining 80 knots right until touchdown I was able to make a nice safe landing each time I did this. The clip stops before the landing but I think it captures that initial descent well as I try to hug that mountainside.


These next two videos show Sean my boss flying the Flaminco approach into Culebra. This is not as aggressive as the "Mountain Approach" but it still involves flying low though a gap in the mountain and making a very sharp and low turn right before the runway. The best part is you get a great view of the Flaminco beach in the first movie. Strap in and ENJOY!




The best way to travel in the Caribean is by Scooooter!! You may not look very masculine but it is cheap and you really get a feel for the town you zoom through. Don and I decided to be really cheap and share a scooter. Unfortunately this video made it back to the office where the other pilots and support staff find it especially funny. So here they are.




And now finally this is the short clip I took at the best snorkeling spot I have ever visited. As you can see this really is a magnificent little island.