Review of International Air Rally 2023
My wife and I just returned from the International Air Rally 2023. In an effort to help others make decisions about future versions of this, I offer the following experiential “review” from my and my wife’s point of view only. Others who participated are welcome and encouraged to comment as well, again, only as a help to others.
Pro’s
-The organizers were experienced having done this for 20+ years.
- Customs, landing, hotel, and ground transport logistics were pre-arranged and helped a lot.
- The concept kept us from going into international airports that otherwise may not accommodated.
- The concept kept us from being taken advantage of with airport fees and customs concerns; particularly pre-negotiated relief from reportedly high FBO and landing fees.
- We made great friends and camaraderie with the other participants and hope to keep in touch with many of them. Our common love of flying was a great common bond and it was a wonderful experience meeting everyone. A couple of the participants, who were airline pilots, were particularly generous with their time and guidance.
- Got lots of fun pictures. (PM me privately if you’d like to see the album.).
Con’s
-The organizers were arrogant and strictly “My way or the highway” which caused undue stress and drama.
- Any questioning caused participants to be thrown out of the group or told “You’re on your own” (with no refunds).
- Organizers (without proper explanation and to the dismay of the participants) kicked two of their own staff off the trip when they presented a contrary-to-their-viewpoint weather picture.
- Organizers prevented a participant from continuing with the group (denied him aircraft parking with the group) after he recovered from an illness which necessitated a logistics deviation.
- Organizers relied totally on previous experience and refused to be flexible based on current conditions, logistics, or even a different customs agent.
- When weather was a factor the organizers lacked respect / support for PIC experience, decision making and level of risk avoidance/acceptance by repeatedly saying “You’re on your own” rather than using their experience to help participants recover from alternative logistics necessitated by the weather.
- The organizers only distributed information on a “Need-to-know” basis, often purposely withholding information or not communicating decisions, particularly when logistics were in flux. For example, when the organizers themselves diverted to the alternate location they themselves suggested, and once there, decided the weather was worth the risk for them to continue on to the original location, they didn’t tell most they were going and why. They just left…then blamed the “staying group” for “ruining their program.”
- The hotels for the most part, were second rate, old, and run-down.
- Hotel meals/food, again, (with just some exceptions) were mediocre.
- Curiously, some landing destinations lacked fuel which necessitated further aircraft cycles and fuel usage as well as increased stress to find alternate locations with fuel when logistics went awry.
When the weather caused rescheduling, all prepayments for sailing, lobster dinners, etc, were lost with not even a make-good effort or apology from the organizers. (Quite the opposite, they “blamed” that group for not risking the weather).
- The briefings were inconsistent and disjointed as the organizers continually argued amongst themselves on details. By the end of the tour, they still couldn’t get their projector to work properly.
Summary: the concept is great and we were delighted to successfully make stops in 9 different countries over ten days and meet great new friends. But the style, tone, and attitude of the organizers is to be avoided.
Comments
Interesting.
Makes me want to only go so far as investing in the DVD (if there is one), or waiting for National Geographic to make an episode some day, and buy that DVD.
Took a look at Air Rally's web site.
In looking over the southern routes, I have already been to some of the locations via both personal and commercial flight. Or at least relatively nearby.
Based on memory and current narrative, descriptions of the lodging and food are probably top tier for the location. Which is arguably second rate from what most of us expect. The locals generally take pride in what they offer, so I'd do it again without question even if it does not meet what we expect in the US.
At one of the locations, I had to pay a ramp rat some cash just to make sure the plane would still be there in a couple days. The gesture was less of advertised insurance, but a verbal and subtle demand of an 'offer' to help shoo-away anybody whom might want the plane.
Toward the Air Rally, I might consider the Canadian route. For the southern trips, I'd go commercial and spend more time at one destination to get better exposure with the locals. Another benefit to going commercial in that region is that I don't have to worry about whether the plane is still sitting at the field.
jacobsja,
There is a DVD: The Aviators Season 7, Episodes 3 & 4 covers the Rally
If you watch the episodes, you'll notice they highlight alot of the issues you both have pointed out.
Question for you both: If I stick to the larger airports, like MYGF, can I avoid the concerns about fuel availability, security, and maintenance availability?
Bob
Unit74 is probably the best resource for current information in these areas.
From my perspective, it all comes down to the appetite for risk. With that, ventures which go sideways tend to make the best memories once the turbulence is far enough into the history books.
In all honesty, if there is a desire to venture into these areas, Go! Just keep a set of vetted backup plans (correct, plural) in the frontal lobe thoughts. Bonus is flying with one or two other planes as the buddy system helps minimize the effects of unknowns. Another best practice is learning how to 'Go wid de flow, Mon!'.
By the way, OCONUS flight was not our only watch item. Getting in and out of the US was its own watch item. Florida was a bee hive in terms of activity and we had to use extra vigilance even when in controlled airspace.
For the larger and more active OCONUS fields:
- Low concern with fuel availability. We did have to plan accordingly if the trips included fields without fuel so that we were in range of ones that did have fuel.
- Cannot comment on maintenance as I fortunately did not need any while on the OCONUS portions. We got lucky and the planes had something break while we were still CONUS. Probably best to call ahead and ask about what types of service are available. Even CONUS maintenance is an open question as I occasionally see articles of questionable actions.
- Security. Will admit that my last experience is about two decades old at this point, so flavor it for what it is worth. On the positive side, we flew home with the same plane. The planes we took were rentals which were on the lower end of payload, speed, equipment and range. So not highly attractive to use as mules. We did see the slicker planes with chains and locks on the props while they were parked on the ramps. Only comfort factor was that we regularly saw USCG choppers on patrol (Yes, outside the US), but there was a reason they were out and about.
Overall, the larger fields are a pick your poison. The people working there completely understand that tourists are the reason they are able to thrive and want to make sure that all visitors are safe and have a positive experience. But the reality is there are illicit forces that see things differently.
Caribbean Air Rally 2023
Wolansky report is aiming at discouraging pilots to join the Caribbean Air Rally making false reports and interpretations that do not correspond to the reality.
We appreciate Ian’s comments, 2023 participant and will bring the truth and real facts here:.
First to be clear: Definition of International Air Rally : Caribbean AIR RALLY: Flying challenge over a specified route with a pilot and crew keeping a predetermined itinerary with a set time schedule, with a purpose of promoting flying in the Caribbean Islands, interacting with locals, promoting aerospace to youth ! in the category of Sports event.
Cost comparison:
Air Rally cost : 2750$ pp 11 nights 12 days ! 5 ISLANDS -Aircraft fee 485$ (CREW OF 2: $5 985)
Versus CST for example: Airplane Fee: $1,150 USD-: $6,899 USD pp - 6 nights 2 islands
CREW OF 2 : 14 950$ for 6 nights
THIS IS NO AIR JOURNEY ! But the Wolanskys just like all other participants knew that when they registered and read the terms and conditions , operation procedures, as well as agreed that should they divert to another destination for any other reason than mechanical, health issue or weather, they would be excluded from the group.
The Wolanskys had a pretentious, standoff attitude towards the organizers from the start. Many of their interventions were negative to the point that we requested them to have a more positive attitude.
WOLANSKY: The organizers were arrogant and strictly “My way or the highway” which caused undue stress and drama. …...
AIR RALLY: this was never said or implied. Weather to Bequia as reported by Ian on this chat was VMC . Ian shared to organizers and his report was validated on radar by Committee on the ground in Anguilla. Every effort was made by Committee leader to convince pilots to move on to Bequia but many decided to stay and it had nothing to do with weather. Most probably were told that it was going to be rainy in Bequia for 3 days which was not the case…
Important to know: the Committee provided the contacts with Anguilla FBO and 2 hotel recommendations (affordable) for pilots deciding to stay and the group used this information… so Mr. Wolansky we never leave pilots without support event when diverting from route.
Six airplane made it as per schedule to Bequia. Cessna 172 VFR was part of the 6.
The next day: 4 aircraft departed Anguilla for Bequia. 3 made it, 1 deviated to Guadeloupe due to pump problem. So 9 of 19 aircraft made it to Bequia. On that morning air rally Committee sent photos showing weather: beautiful sunrise, no clouds full VFR… still pilots remained on the ground in Anguilla. So if the reason for staying in Anguilla was not the weather what was the problem ?
To clarify the spirit of the group in Anguilla: Some of the comments from participants were:
I am staying because: that’s were the pary is..I That’s were the group is …My son in law wants to play Golf..I booked a 3 day minimum in a hotel in Anguilla..
Though the Air Rally rules are clear: anyone diverting to another destination for any other reason than mechanical, health issue or weather, is no longer part of the Group. The rally provided all the contacts for potential inexpensive hotels and FBO contact and proposed that the group rejoins the rally in Guadeloupe , however, the Air Rally could not be responsible for coordination and support to this group without being on sight and from a distance.
WOLANSKY: - Organizers (without proper explanation and to the dismay of the participants) kicked two of their own staff off the trip when they presented a contrary-to-their-viewpoint weather picture.
AIR RALLY : 2 Committee members on Cessna 210, fully supported by the organization all expenses paid ! fuel, accommodations, etc… Especially invited to be the committee plane, had omitted to declare on departure from KFXE that they had unusual fuel consumption problem: NO RANGE This only came up when, on approach to Providenciales they only had 15 minutes of fuel left in the tank. The Cessna 210 landed in bad weather in Provo with ONLY 15 mnts fuel left !
This is when the Air Boss realized this aircraft was unable to make the rally and fulfil their obligations to fly as members of the Committee tail plane.
Reasons the Cessna 210 (Committee plane) could not fly to Bequia is RANGE NOT WEATHER : unable to turn around should a diversion be required. For this reason, the Cessna 210 cew was asked to leave the Committee however they were offered to continue as participants if they paid for their participation cost which they declined.
Another member of the Air Rally committee (Airline pilot ) decided to stay in Anguilla at the request of his passenger ??? and joined us on the next day as he had onboard one of the 2 young invited pilots who were flying logging hours free (this is one of the Air Rally commitments to help young pilots increase hours and experience at no cost !! Mr. Wolansky omitted to bring out the many missions associated to this event…
WOLANSKY : Organizers prevented a participant from continuing with the group (denied him aircraft parking with the group) after he recovered from an illness which necessitated a logistics deviation.
AIR RALLY : This is a very disturbing accusation and totally absurd ! what are you trying to do Mr. Wolansky ? How could this even come about ? We heard through the Whatsapp that Darrell and Luci , both pilots, went to Guadeloupe from Anguilla because Darrell was not well. They arrived 2 days before air rally schedule in Guadeloupe. They never contacted the committee for help. This was discovered on the chat.
They were identified by Guadeloupe Authority as Air Rally participants (on the list and not excluded) and directed to General Aviation Parking which happened to be right next to the Air Rally allocated area. GA parking is far more friendly than the Air Rally parking area…no bathroom,, long walk no shelter… The GA parking could not accommodate the 20 planes but surely could accommodate the 2 rally planes that landed in Guadeloupe earlier than expected: One Air Rally aircraft arrived earlier to clear a mechanical issue; the other was Darrell’s because he did not feel well. How can anyone even imagine that we would deny any support to a pilot in distress ? the Rally parking was supervised by the police and locked at the time when these 2 arrived... On arrival in Guadeloupe, as scheduled, the rally planes where locked into that section sealed by police. As arranged by airport authority…
WOLANSKY- Organizers relied totally on previous experience and refused to be flexible based on current conditions, logistics, or even a different customs agent.
AIR RALLY: Whatever this means, it is a total nonsense ! Wolansky spread the word that a customs agent in Stella Marris was denying entry to pilots coming from Dominican Republic ??? trying to scare pilots and present himself as a ‘know it all’. We had to set the record straight to avoid panic
WOLANSKY :- When weather was a factor the organizers lacked respect / support for PIC experience, decision making and level of risk avoidance/acceptance by repeatedly saying “You’re on your own” rather than using their experience to help participants recover from alternative logistics necessitated by the weather.
AIR RALLY: That again is a lie: the committee implied that, for 20 years what helped pilots is the ‘scout’ procedure : IFR planes with long range used as scouts to relay weather back. This was applied when the planes flew to Bequia from Anguilla. TBM relaying status ahead and reporting back VNC conditions, as reported by Ian on this chat…
Participants rejected this approach which proved to be a success even in the Arctic and Alaska.
WOLANSKY: The hotels for the most part, were second rate, old, and run-down.
Air Rally : BE your own judge see here:
http://ospreybeachhotel.com/
https://lambertbeach.com/
https://villaaquarius.co/ this villa was proposed to Mrs. Wolansky in Bequia one of 4 empty due to the missing groupthat stayed in Anguilla !
https://auberge-vieille-tour.fr/en/ (Air France crew staying there)
https://www.granhoteleuropa.com/en/
Breakfast, and celebration dinners, including open bar, roof top reception and dance !! Transport and flight support, etc…. this year exceptionally, 3 handlers were contracted to assist pilots: Atlantic Aviation in Provo, Platinum in Tortola and Universal Aviation in Santo Domingo. The prices were negotiated down more than 1/3 of the normal price per plane.
WOLANSKY: Curiously, some landing destinations lacked fuel which necessitated further aircraft cycles and fuel usage as well as increased stress to find alternate locations with fuel when logistics went awry.
AIR RALLY: Curiously??? All fuel was arranged at final destination. Pilots unable to make the longest legs (KFXE-MBPV 508 NM/MBGT-TUPJ 414 NM/TFFR-MDJB 504 NM) were planned with alternate fuel stops on route (TJRV-MYLS) . This information was on the destination kneeboards provided by Air Rally to pilots.
Unexpected: We learned in Bequia 2 days prior to arrival in Guadeloupe that fuel truck had mechanical problem and we could not refuel on arrival as we always do. However, we would refuel on departure. The Committee strongly recommended to pilots in Bequia to get fuel in Argyle, which some of us did. Wolansky refused that option. We then proposed Martinique, easy stop to refuel as an alternate.
WOLANSKY: When the weather caused rescheduling, all prepayments for sailing, lobster dinners, etc, were lost with not even a make-good effort or apology from the organizers.
AIR RALLY: There was no weather that caused rescheduling, just pilots unwilling to fly when conditions permitted. But the air Rally never made any arrangements for reservations of activities on behalf of participants. Reservations were made individually and could be cancelled individually. A schooner with 31 people was booked in Bequia again individually by participants online. Air Rally had no control over these bookings. The schooner booked for 31 persons left with the 8 people onboard that made it to Bequia ! What lobster diner ??? the air rally does not order dinners for participants this is not a catering organization…
WOLANSKY: The briefings were inconsistent and disjointed as the organizers continually argued amongst themselves on details. …By the end of the tour, they still couldn’t get their projector to work properly.
??? well I think you have run out of ideas Mr. Wolansky !
Should Wolansky report be interpreted as bashing with the sole purpose to discourage pilots to join this adventure to visit the Caribbean islands at the most affordable price with the support not only from the air Rally committee but from all island Governments that participated in organizing this event?. You will find all the Media TV news reports along the way, Ministers receiving pilots, etc… children visiting airplanes on destinations media… and please see International facebook page, pictures don’t lie !
The Wolansky,s live in the Bahamas…. And did not join the preparation meeting at KFXE on December 2. What was your purpose in joining the Air Rally Mr. Wolansky ?
Interesting post. Will admit that I only got half way through it.
Comments:
- William Shakespeare has an interesting thought: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
- Doxing is NEVER cool.
- This 'defense' just put me in the camp to steer clear. With that, no further inputs.
Thank you for the clarifications.
I am a long time participant of the International Air Rally events and have participated to at least 6 Caribbean Air Rallies and reading this review, I can say that the information and this pilot’s experience aren’t representative of the Air Rally… From the reading, it appears the crew would have been better off seeking a very high end service at 10 times the cost. From having searched, there is no one out there capable of putting together such amazing experiences for the price of the International Air Rally. Truly adventures of a lifetime that have brought me close friendships and made me learn so much. In 2023, sadly, a couple of pilots including one of the 3 ‘escort teams’ created confusion about the route and the weather. I am glad that the group is now reduced to 15 aircraft from the usual 20-25… allows for better cohesion. My advice: pictures don’t lie, there are hundreds of them on social media: facebook, Instagram. Make your own opinion and enjoy the flying.