From the logbook...a first!

After waiting for the weather to cooperate (I say that a lot here in Shell huh?) we were finally able to launch on some flights. It was around 1:30 when I finally took off for my first of 7 stops.

First, I went to a village about 35 minutes from Shell to return a teacher and his cargo. From there I flew 8 minutes to Conambo to drop off some more passengers that started with me in Shell. I left Conambo empty and flew 6 minutes to Alto Corrientes. I don't have a lot of experience in "Alto" and I also don't like it. The approach is always hard work, the strip is REALLY short, and if it is wet it is doubly hard. Luckily, all the hard work payed off and I landed and put on a lady and her 3.5 kids (she had one in the hopper also).

After taking off from Alto Corrientes I flew for 12 minutes to Bufeo to pick up another person that was returning to Shell. He works for a large ministry called Ecuador para Cristo. He was there doing a lot of "contract" work for Compassion International. It just so happens that another one of our pilots was in Bufeo picking people up the same time I was there. So, I let him take off first so I could get some pictures. Below is Alas 12 taking off with my airplane, Alas 14, seen in the background.

From Bufeo I took off and set a course for Chumbi, some 45 miles away, and now over 80 from Shell. Shortly after taking off I was advised of a patient in Mashient that fell out of a tree. So, I re-tuned the special black box (GPS) and made a bee line for Mashient. After flying 20 minutes we were on the ground loading up a 10 year old girl with obvious fractures, and her sister that was accompanying her.

Finally, for the woman and her 3.5 kids, we were off to the village of Chumbi. I flew 5 more minutes to Chumbi to finally drop her off. After helping them all out of the airplane I made a startling discovery. One of my sick sacks was used! Not only was it used, but most of its contents never made it inside. One of the poor little girls lost her lunch, and I found it all over my airplane floor and her chair. In my over 7 years of flying, I have NEVER had anyone puke on me...until today. I guess every dog has his day, and I finally joined the ranks of most pilots saying they have had a passenger puke while they were flying. Of course, the poor little girl didn't puke becuase of my poor flying skills and my lack of finesse, it was all due to global warming and lots of thermal convection...I hope.

Once I saw the woman and her 3.5 kids off from the airplane with all their cargo an one less lunch (remember, it was left all over the seat and floor) I set my final course for Shell. Thirty minutes later I was on the ground in Shell, cleaning up puke. We are not only just pilots and mechanics...we are nurses, doctors, cleaners, disinfectioners (that is a word!), puke cleaners, bodily fluid wipers, and blown up chicha bottle cleaners (another story). Yep, I earned my sleep today. It's always weird to think after days like today when I come home so tired, that I didn't even do anything until 1:30pm.