Forest pilots

They do exist. Not a myth, but pure pilots, hard men, determined, and true expert.

Safety is an item to be discussed, but life could be also.

Some of them never return.

The forest is like a carnivore plant: you land on top of the 120 ft trees, and tthey open like giant jaws, for you to settle down, and then, and then….they eat you, included the aircraft.

The airplane is lost forever…

The pilot, most of them…never returns.

They just told me: take a 100 ft rope. Before adjusting the harness, make a roll with that rope and have it around the body.

We, all the Amazonia pilots, do it. That will give us a chance to survive. The rope is used to descend from the top of the trees into the ground.

It is not a game, it is survival.

Reaching the floor is just the first step: ants and jaguars will kill you.

We are not kidding! It is really difficult to survive.

Just a few did.

Sitting with them and having a beer, is like to travel into the 4^th dimension. Listening to them is magic.

The question is that they are somehow heroes, but unknown heroes.

They are outstanding pilots: no place for most of us!

Do take your huge knife!

Yes, I will have it with me, and the rope.

Beacons, PLBs and so only are useful before crashing. The top cover of the trees is like a giant trap, not a single radio wave can escape into the air.

Do fly over the Amazonas. It is like a highway, it is plenty of boats going up and down.

Land next to one of them. If none in sight, land very close to the border and attach your plane to a tree to have some day a chance to retrieve it.

As you have a dinghy, sleep there and overwater. That way you get rid off the ants and jaguars (and jaguars are huge!).

Briefing was extensive and helpful. Tomorrow I will buy the rope !

I will depart Belem the 4^th, and fly low, at1000 ft if possible. I will fly to Santarem, around three hours ahead, and the 5^th or 6^th, into Manaus.

What about piranhas at Santarem?

Do not worry: Santarem has green waters, and downstream, those waters mix with the brown ones of Amazonas river. Piranhas are on the brown waters, but you don´t have to worry too much about them. You have to worry about the crocodiles !

The airplane is ready. All the maintenance items and repairs have been done. Also it has been refuelled , for some 10 hours´endurance.

Fees were high, around $100.

As usual, everybody is very kind, but also as usual, the procedures take a long time.

When filing the flight plan, I was requested the estimated enroute time: three hours !

Endurance, please?

10 hours !

You wants to say 6 hours?

No, I want to say 10 hours!

It is the funny part of the story. But the full fan will be those flights where reserves will be one or two hours. Then….I will not have fun !

Fuel is cheaper than at Natal. Here it is sold at 6,61 Reals, and at Natal, sold at 7,9.

I was informed about the contrary: the north is to be more expensive than the south. That is the reason I put also much more fuel at Natal than necessary. I tried to save but I failed !

So now I have fuel to fly into Manaus and may be into Boa Vista.

I still have not the clearance to fly over Venezuela. Would I not be cleared to fly over Angel´s Fall, I would avoid Venezuela and enter Colombia from Brasil. If so, I would not fly into Boavista.

Adventure?