Airstrip Fly-By with Music

OK, so the music may be a bit much, but it comes on automatically in my head when I drop below 300' AGL (above ground level) and it does spice up the video. Without it you would only hear the droning of two IO-360 engines. When I have any flight, it is common for me to make close fly-bys of other airstrips along the way in order to examine the condition of them. This video shows two airstrips GCA has served in the past. The first is a very difficult mountain strip called Saraguate. We won't be using it anymore. At one time, it was serviceable with a Cessna 206, but just barely. Now there is a fence across the middle of it, almost visible in this video. The second airstrip is at Las Flores Tzeja. You can see the shadow of our Cessna 336 Skymaster (N538JP) speeding across the ground, which is in pretty good shape but a little too short for a Skymaster. There is another, longer, better airstrip only one hour away (on foot).

Flying Low Over Xalala

Great Commission Air has provided emergency medical air service to many villages in the Ixcan and surrounding areas. Xalala is one of those villages, situated along the Rio Negro. Emergency medical transportation from here is very difficult. This low pass reveals a number of problems with that airstrip at this time, including trees that need to be cut-back, animals on the airstrip, tall grass. We hope the villages will act quickly to address those issues. This week I will be picking-up a case of thin, yellow fliers that I will drop on villages like this so that they'll know we are back and here to help. The fliers also ask them to clean the airstrip and call me for more infomation!