There is a lot of work waiting. Not just in preparing the trikes – of which there is two that needs to be collected and assembled but also in the amount of flying that needs to be done. Depending on the weather we are going to put on some serious airtime.
The SOSF have finally confirmed their need to use me as a pilot for their Indian Ocean adventures. The road to this point has been paved with some uncertainty but I am happy (and relieved!) that we are booked to go to the Seychelles for the first two weeks of Feb. In all the years of visiting these islands, this time it will be for slightly different reasons. Still flying, but not for purely research or whale shark reasons. It will be for training and familiarization mostly. I need to get type rated on the SOSF new amphibian plane and then we need to familiarize some of the crew with the aircraft – how to get it on and off the ship amongst other things!
There are two of us – Mike, a very experienced pilot and instructor from Florida and the US. He is an expert at flying the amphibian trike and will be giving me a conversion onto it. For the two weeks we are to help the crew get the ropes of the new plane. It will be a learning curve for all of us – not just the pilots but also for the boat crew to see what is actually possible and what is not. Hopefully by the end of the two weeks everybody will be happy.
