AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2023 - 37

Pilots have substantially replaced sea captains as the
informal links to relatives scattered among the islands.
" N28X, now leaving controlled airspace.
Have a nice night. " GPS and loran were not
a thing, and the nondirectional beacon on
St. Kitts was inop. No worries; I knew the
distance and bearing, and found the shore
waves flashing phosphorescently as we
approached St. Kitts.
My trips to the islands became
frequent enough that ground handlers
and tower controllers became familiar
with my aircraft's unusual paint scheme
and greeted me by name. Pilots have
substantially replaced sea captains as the
informal links to relatives scattered among
the islands. A hand-delivered birthday gift
or get-well card knits families and friends
together. After giving an around-the-island
flight to a customs agent, including waving
at his house, I never again paid duty when
arriving with a lawn mower or a computer
for my dad. Generally, a pilot doesn't have
to buy their own drinks if they are a part of
the inter-island neighborhood.
Flying aerobatics in Europe pushed
my borders out and I found good fellows
in several countries. Many endure as
favorites today. I'm proud to wear a Polish
Aerobatic Team patch and will forever be
in their debt. Gradually, word spread, and
introductions accumulated.
My first Mooney flight to South
Author Don Peterson and grandson have
explored the world in his Mooney. Above:
The approach to St. Barts.
America was in 2012. I checked my 9-yearold
grandson out of second grade, telling
the principal we were headed off in a
small airplane for three months below
the Equator. " But how will he get an
education!? " " Did you hear the part about
flying around in South America? " I replied.
He ended up enrolled in the " UruguayAmerican
School " in Mercedes, Uruguay,
quickly picking up playground Spanish and
the rudiments of fútbol. I lured the boy by
promising to take him to the piranha petting
zoo. A simple lad, he took the bait. We made
the entire trip from northern Nevada to
Buenos Aires and back without filing IFR.
That is a carefully parsed sentence. Nothing
calms an agitated immigration or customs
officer like a garrulous lad with a hundred
rapid-fire questions. Want great photos
from your trip? Give a child their own
point-and-shoot. People engage laughing
children, not grownups.
I'm busy expanding my neighborhood
again. My wife and I have already set up a
home in Colombia, halfway up an Andean
mountainside. We've been negotiating
for permission to temporarily base the
airplane here, obtain airplane insurance
to cover the Western Hemisphere, confirm
the details for landing and entry permits to
several countries, and thinking through the
logistics of aircraft maintenance and spare
parts in unequipped places. The local field,
SKMZ, is at 6,860 feet, with one-way-inone-way-out
operations, and no published
instrument approaches. It does have
scheduled airline service! Nearby terrain
rises to nearly 18,000 feet. It's a volcano. It
smokes. A big eruption in 1985 reduced the
population by 25,000 people.
Different than our three-month visit in
2012, we expect to branch out across South
America, seeking sights, cultures, and new
neighbors not available via airliners or tour
buses. The internet has already connected
us to GA pilots in Brazil and Argentina,
plus several here in Colombia. I hope to
reconnect with one of my former students,
Pablo Landoni, who became the youngest
first officer in Argentine history. My wife
is a Latina, and she will take over from the
charming, hyperactive child, making sure
we're not overly delayed by bureaucrats.
Boundaries come from hard-learned
lessons, respect for others, and a sense of
self preservation. Borders are where the
next lessons begin. Neighborhoods are
where you are welcome, and anxious to
return. Don Peterson is a flight instructor
and A&P/IA with more than 40 years of
flying experience.
AOPA PILOT / December 2023
37
DON PETERSON
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2023

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