Janes Aviation/Emerald Airways, 1987-2005 & 2008

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I can never really forgive Emerald for 'bending' G-OJEM. I know it was an accident and presumably could have happened at any time, although fires in the Dart were very rare. As G-BKAL, the aircraft had been flown over for final completion to Tracor in the US, with the intention that it would be fitted out for Cascade Airways, but Cascade were in serious financial difficulties, so we borrowed it back and flew it to Barranquilla in northern Colombia, to do a series of demonstrations, both there in Venezuela and the Caribbean. Somewhat to our disappointment, there was no time to put a fancy colour scheme on her, so we ended up with a basic cheat line and titles. What put her close to my heart is because she helped us to win the LIAT deal. Anyway, here is a photo of her in better times during the demo phase. The picture was taken at Mitú, which is a long way from anywhere. If you're feeling a bit isolated at the moment, spare a thought for the people of Mitú, whose only way out of their town is by river or plane. There are no roads connecting them to the rest of the country, which was maybe why half the town seemed to turn out to welcome us!