In the next installment of his Columbian adventure, Paul filmer flew on an Easyfly Jetstream 41 and enjoyed a ramp tour of El Alcaraván Airport.
After the early morning flight back to Bogota, today was planned to be a sightseeing coach tour of the city, but it was also our Easyfly Jetstream 41 flight. We found storage lockers for our bags at Bogota Airport, so yet again said goodbye to the rest of the group, with the exception of two, Tom and Tim, who had independently booked exactly the same flights! Spooky!
SATENA ATR-42 in Bogota. © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
The check-in girl was the same person who had booked our flights, which she found most amusing, and the concept of flying somewhere just to fly on a plane was something they’d never heard of before.
Airbourne over Bogota. © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
This was my first flight on a Jetstream of any kind and this aircraft is one of the very few that looks better stretched than the original, in my eyes at least.
We boarded on the airport ramp as the aircraft is too low to use the air-bridges. The safety announcement from the single cabin crew member was only in Spanish, which wasn’t lost on some of the other passengers who could clearly see we didn’t speak the language, which they all found most amusing.
Happy campers, and bemused passengers. © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
The flight was smooth and comfortable, over the puffy clouds and green landscape, and after 33 minutes El Alcaraván Airport was in sight.
© Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Tom had already been in contact with the airport and arranged to get us onto the ramp, which was most useful as the stopover was four hours.
El Alcaraván Airport terminal. © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Upon arriving it proved difficult to find the right office or correct person. Eventually the security office took all our details and we were passed over to the guy who looks after the ramp.
View from the new control tower, with the old tower visible. © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
First on the agenda was a trip up their new control tower. As chance would have it, a LAN Boeing 737 arrived, which gave us a good opportunity to get some elevated shots from the catwalk, which was disconcerting as the floor was simply a wire fencing type of affair. Safe, but being able to see the ground beneath our feet played tricks with your brain.
LAN Boeing 737. © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Next on the agenda was the ramp itself. Our guide had a small Suzuki jeep affair which could only fit three, so two of us would have to wait behind for now, or that’s how it came across to us. Tim and I elected to wait while our guy went to get the others the obligatory hi-viz vests. He then gave Tim and I glasses and a pair of ear-defenders along with the vest and told us we’d have to walk. Result!
Airport Ops. © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
All the communications were done via cellphone, with the ramp guide’s son acting as the interpreter.
Bell 412. © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
There were some pretty interesting aircraft dotted around, although it was extremely hot.
Cessna 208. © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Tour over, and it was back to the terminal to get some food from the café before boarding a different Easyfly Jetstream 41 back to Bogota.
Jetstream 41 ride back to Bogota. © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Another great non-scheduled side-trip done!
