Curacao

[HouTxPilot82]

Just got back from a trip to Curacao in the Caribbean. Prior to the trip I got in touch (via email) with 'Falki Aviation' whose site I found in a Google search. I expressed my interest in setting up a local flight with one of their CFIs flying along right seat so I could see the island from the air. They got back to me and said it wouldn't be a problem to schedule a safety pilot to fly with me. They fly out of Hato International airport. The first day we scheduled for, the pilot I was supposed to fly with was delayed by his previous engagement but he kept in contact with me via phone and when it was finally getting too late asked if we could reschedule. He was very apologetic and promised to be on time for our rescheduled time the next day, and he was - he apologized again for the previous day. We departed to the east and circled Klein Curacao, a small island offshore where people take boat trips to snorkel, then flew along the south coast all the way up to 'Playa Cas Abao' beach then turned back towards the airport for full stop. The time on Hobbs was 1 hour. Instructor's time was billed at $30/hr (it's 50+/hr here in Houston), and with the airplane rental and landing fee added to it, altogether it came out to $187 USD for the hour; less than what I paid in Maui. It was a nice flight, and the guy I flew with (Timothy) was very pleasant.