by Chloé Foster

By day three, everyone was starting to feel the lack of sleep and constant running.  Everyone met for breakfast at 7:30, and during breakfast Greg Rolle provided another pilot de-briefing to prepare us for the flight to Exuma.  He presented an overview of the day’s activities, including flying to George Town, Exuma and plans for lunch.  By 9:00 am we were back on the ferry on our way to the airport.

Since not all of the planes had fueled up since we left, a number of the planes made a pit stop in Marsh Harbor to fuel before the longer leg of the flight.

The flight from Abaco to Exuma was the longest flight yet and by the time we landed everyone was ready for lunch. We were met by Rhonda Ingraham and loaded onto buses for the short scenic ride to the Palm Bay Resort. The ocean looked like a magazine spread. You could hardly tell where the teal ocean met the cloudless blue sky. Everyone was already anticipating the cool ocean water after the hot flight.

Walking up to the Palm Bay Resort did not do the resort justice; it was not until you walked out the back of the resort and headed for the villa that you realized the true beauty of the location. The Resort faced east and the sun sent its reflection running over the motionless ocean.  Everyone was pulled between the idea of lunch and the idea of a dip in the waters. We all dropped our stuff off and headed back to the bus so we could catch the ferries out to Stocking Island.

Pulling up to Stocking Island made you want to stay and never leave. It was a true Bahamas location, not a single person in the group wanted to leave when the time came to depart. We had lunch at Chat N’ Chill and everyone had the opportunity to watch the locals make Conch Salad, go snorkeling, and even feed and pet sting rays.

By 4:30 we were heading back to the resort where we had time before dinner to relax. A lot of people took naps or relaxed; others kicked back at the pool or relaxed on the beach.

Dinner was held at Splash (the resort bar and restaurant). The dinner was delicious and afterwards the Bahamas Tourist Office presented Bahamas Gateway FBO specialist certificates to everyone and Bahamas jackets to the Flying Ambassadors and special guests. We also had two individuals on the trip who were celebrating their birthday, and it was arranged for two cakes to be brought out for everyone to share.

After dinner it was time to get some rest for the next morning’s 9 am departure from Exuma back to Florida.

Overall the trip was beneficial and helpful. All those who attended learned something new and have wonderful stories to share and ideas to get more pilots flying to the Bahamas. With so many islands so close to Florida, it is an opportunity you don’t want to miss, because it is truly Better in the Bahamas!

By Chloé Foster

Today was the second day of the Bahamas FAM trip, and everyone met for breakfast around 7:30. Greg Rolle held a quick pilot’s de-briefing to prepare us for the next leg of the trip. He went over flight plans and requirements to ensure that all the pilots had everything they needed. After a quick breakfast everyone had about 2 hours before the bus arrived to take us back to the airport. People could either go to local shops or enjoy a morning walking along the beautiful beach!

Two hours went by too quickly and we were soon back on the bus and heading for Treasure Cay, Abaco. Watching everyone take off into the clear blue sky was something many people don’t get to see. By the time we landed at MYAT everyone was ready to take a break. We were met by Melinda Williams who broke us up into groups and put us on taxies that we took us over to a ferry. From there we took a short ferry ride to Green Turtle Cay. The water was cool, brilliantly blue and everyone was taking advantage of the beautiful photo opportunities.

If we thought Grand Bahama was amazing, pulling up to Green Turtle was breathtaking. The resort was in fact small cottages that ran along the coast line. Each one over looked the beautiful bay. Entering the resort was like entering a page in a travel magazine and the resort representatives were friendly and helpful.

The rooms were adorable, each one designed to make you feel like your home away from home. Sadly, we only had about 30 minutes before we had to board the Prozac charter boat and take the 1 ½ hour long ride down the Abaco Out Island chain to Guana Cay.

The boat ride was beautiful. The water was warm and it was a great time to socialize and talk about past experiences in the Abacos. Pulling into Guana Cay was beautiful; tiny jelly fish were swimming all around the boat and fish were darting underneath the dock. We all got off the boat and began to make our way up to Nippers for lunch and drinks.

Nippers was a beautifully colored beach bar and grill. They had an outside bar with tables overlooking the beach and ocean with two swimming pools and a gift shop. They also had a restaurant where we ate lunch before we took the boat back to Breakers Cay, which was a beautiful private island.

Arriving back at Green Turtle, everyone made their way back to their rooms, where they got ready for happy hour and dinner at the resort’s restaurant. Molly McIntosh, the Director of Sales and Marketing, made sure that everything ran smoothly. During happy hour everyone gathered in the lounge area and watched a video of the last few years on the trip while dinner was being prepared.

After dinner, the pilots were given the opportunity to tell their “best” story and if the crowd liked it, they got a bottle of Fire in da Hole bottle of rum! All the pilots told great stories and before long everyone was laughing and having a wonderful time.

After dinner was leisure time. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism had secured 10 golf carts for anyone who wanted to go into the town and explore. Even though it was late a few people chose to go into town and went to Pineapples for a few more drinks and some late night dancing, while others called it a night.

Everyone had wished that we would have had more time on the island. Many people had hoped they would have the opportunity to go diving with the world renowned Brendal Stevens from Brendal’s Dive Center…but time was already ticking by too fast!

by Chloé Foster

Thursday 8-26-10

Today was the first day of the Familiarization Trip to the Bahamas, over 40 people with a total of 9 planes met at SheltAir at FLL. SheltAir provided a continental breakfast of juice, coffee, and bagels while Greg Rolle from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism debriefed the group. Greg went over the plans for the trip, handed out name tags and agenda booklets. A representative from both SheltAir and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism spoke to the group and after everyone had filed their eAPIS we were ready to go.

The flight was only about 45 min long, and we enjoyed perfect conditions. We landed in Freeport at the Grand Bahamas Airport and were greeted by a representative of the airport, line service technicians and a photographer. The line tech took our bags and after a few snap shots we were whisked off to Customs. Right outside of Customs the feel of the Bahamas was already in the air as we were greeted with Bahama Mamas and conch fitters. The passengers enjoyed the sun and music, while the pilots went inside to meet with Customs. After everyone went through Customs we boarded a bus to The Radisson Our Lucaya Resort.

The bus ride from the airport to the resort was short and the driver gave a nice overview of the island and what it had to offer for both pilots and tourists. Looking out the bus, you knew you were in the Bahamas. The houses were bright Caribbean colors of green, pink and blue.

Upon arrival at the Radisson Our Lucaya Resort it was obvious that it was a five star hotel. Checking in was quick and simple and the resort representatives directed everyone to their rooms. We all received ocean view rooms and the view was spectacular. It over looked the horse shoe pool that ran up to the ocean front.

Lunch, hosted by the Grand Bahamas Ministry of Tourism was a working lunch and Round Table Seminar. Greg Rolle led the discussions and Karen Seymour from the Grand Bahamas Ministry of Tourism welcomed us to Grand Bahama. We went around the table and everyone introduced themselves and the company they represented. There were over 40 aviation representatives.

After a short detailed presentation from James Turner, the Commerical/Business Development Director for The Grand Bahama Airport, about the island and all it has to offer, a number of the pilots/groups who lead fly-ins to the Bahamas had a lot to say about today’s reception at the airport. A number of concerns were addressed as well as a lot of positive feedback.

After the round table everyone was given about 1 ½ hours for leisure time so they could explore the island, sit by the pool, take a dip in the ocean or go shopping.

Everyone met back in the lobby later that afternoon to be transported to the Airport for a happy hour outside of thetower. We had the opportunity to tour the inside of the control tower, something that many of us had never had the chance to do before. The Grand Bahama Fire Department did a demonstration and everyone watched the sun set over the runway.

Then it was back to Port Lucaya for dinner at Luciano’s. Dinner was hosted by the Grand Bahamas Tourist Office and the Grand Bahama Promotion Board. The restaurant was excellent and the food was delicious. Everyone had a wonderful time and it gave everyone a chance to mingle.

After dinner several people chose to enjoy the night life, and others headed back to the hotel to rest up for an early start Friday morning.

Since 2001 the International Air Rally team has put together some of the largest International Air Rallies in North America, the most recent being the Governor General’s International Air Rally, Caribbean Air Challenge. The Challenge kicked off from Banyan Air Service on April 17. A group of around 57 aviators flew into Banyan over a two day period rallying for their 10 day trip around the Caribbean. The group consisted of aviators from around the world, including Australia, Switzerland, France, Canada and the U.S.

The Governor General’s Cup competition was established in 1953, by Right Honorable Charles Vincent Massey, First Canadian appointed Governor. The trophy awarded for this competition is one of the most prestigious of aviation awards. The competition challenges pilots in a variety of areas including aviation knowledge, flying skills, team work, and collaboration.

The International flying group made a number of stops including:
Great Exuma, Bahamas
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Constanza, Dominican Republic
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos
Providenciales, Turks & Caicos
Sky Beach Eleuthera, Bahamas
Treasure Cay, Bahamas

Banyan was proud to be the kick-off and finishing location for the Challenge.

If you are interested in next year’s Challenge or other Rallies in North America, visit the International Air Rally home page.

Visit the Banyan website to learn more about upcoming events, or you can become a Fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!

Flying in the sky is one thing, but for 14 student pilots from both Ireland and Kazakhstan participating in an international weekend flight to the Bahamas will be a new experience for many of them.

Thanks to the assistance of The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism on Friday March 5^th a large group of 13 aircraft and 31 people made up of students and instructors flew, out of Banyan on their way to Nassau in The Bahamas.

Barry Gargan, one of the students participating in the flight said, “This is my first time to fly on an international trip. I’ll be piloting the aircraft with my instructor, Carlton McLean and I’m looking forward to it.”

Once in Nassau, the students have the option of either relaxing on the beaches and exploring the island or participating in an Island Fly-Out to Staniel Cay where they will be able to partake in a sightseeing boat tour around the island.

To ensure the safety during this international flight all the students were required to meet all the prerequisites and participate in an in-depth briefing about the trip as well as garner as much additional information about such things as weather conditions and destination as they could.

Flight Instructor, Carlton McLean, has flown to The Bahamas several times, but even for him, traveling with such a large group is a new experience.

“Previously I’ve flown to The Bahamas with 2 – 4 aircraft and today it’s 13 aircraft. The logistics of getting everyone and everything ready has been our goal. We want everything to go smoothly, the documentation, eAPIS, etc and I feel confident we have everything 100% ready,” said Carlton McLean.

Banyan was proud to be the kickoff point for this Fly-Out and hope that every student gets the experience of a lifetime.

On February 20^th Banyan transformed one of its hangars into the look and feel of the Bahamas for the first Annual Bahamas Day. Bahamas Day is an event to educate people on flying to the Bahamas in their own planes or to gather information about charter flights.

Over 30 exhibitors participated and were on-sight to provide attendees with an array of information and activities about resorts, hotels and activities. Everything from the hand-rolling of cigars to samples of Bahamian rum cake was available. Even a Bahamian policeman was at the event to answer questions and partake in photos.

The day started with a breathtaking opening ceremony of both the United States National Anthem and the Bahamian National Anthem being played. The aroma of traditional Bahamian fried fish, chicken, and conch fritters filled the air. The day never slowed down and in the afternoon The Bahamas Junkanoo Shakers danced and played in a colorful, rhythmic display.

Banyan turned over the use of one of their conference rooms so that seminars on eAPIS, Flying to the Bahamas, and Preparing your Aircraft for Over Water Flight could be presented throughout the day to interested parties. A live demonstration on how to inflate a survival raft when in the water provided an interactive exhibit.

Throughout the day door prizes that had been donated by the exhibitors were given out. The door prizes ranged from goodie bags to resort get-a-ways.

There was something for everyone, and Banyan was pleased to be the first FBO to host the Annual Bahamas Day.

To see pictures of the event or a video of the Junkanoo band, visit www.banyanair.com/bahamasday.