Banyan Air Service, at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), hosted the first annual Bahamas Day Feb. 20, for pilots who wanted information on flying to the Bahamas.
Banyan transformed its hangar into the look and feel of the Bahamas. More than 30 exhibitors were on-sight, providing everything from hand-rolled cigars to Bahamian rum cake samples. A number of Bahamian resorts and hotels were available to answer questions and provide additional information about activities and attractions. The menu for the event was traditional Bahamian food: rice and beans, conch salad, conch fritters, plantains, chicken, and fish prepared by Tis So Sweet Bahamian Cuisine.
A series of seminars were presented during the event, including, eAPIS presented by Michelle Bernal of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Flying to the Bahamas presented by John & Betty Obradovich of Pilot Publishing and Greg Rolle of the Bahamas Tourist office, and Preparing your Aircraft for Over Water Flight presented by Corbin Hallaran of Premier Aircraft sales. In addition, Donna and Charlie Rogers of Survival Products, Inc. demonstrated how to inflate a survival raft. Door prizes, donated by the exhibitors and ranging from goodie bags to resort get-a-ways, were given away during the event.
Sponsors of the event were The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Avfuel, Cape Eleuthera, Odyssey Aviation, Bahamas & Caribbean Pilot’s Guide, UVair, Fernandez Bay Village, Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort, and Abaco Beach Resort. The next Bahamas Day will be in 2011 and hosted at another Gateway FBO location.
As an official Gateway to the Bahamas, Banyan offers first-hand knowledge of the islands, Bahamas documentation kits, customs and immigration information, safety and survival gear rentals, and 24-hour fuel and ground support services. United States Customs is also available from 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
For more information: BanyanAir.com
