|
So he began his own company and did that about
20 years. He decided it was his "time to leave," so he sold
the business.
Jan's daughter, Tami, had moved to St. Croix and began to
suggest that he move to the Caribbean.
"She started working on my for flying lessons," Jan remembered
with a grin.
So he moved down, liked it and stayed. He taught his daughter
how to fly and decided he would look for something he could do
permanently on island.
He hit upon the idea of giving air tours.
Unfortunately, at about the time he began his business, the
cruise ships stopped coming to St. Croix. Jan realized he
wouldn't have enough work giving air tours to do it full time,
so he also began offering flight lessons. He now does flight
instruction most of the time, and has about 15 to 20 regular
students. Irregularly, he has about 40 students.
Jan said the amount of time it takes to get a flying license
can vary widely. He said that on the average, it takes about
six months, but it can take others a year or more.
"It depends on your resolve in the matter — how often you
practice flying,"
he said.
He said that if a flight students flies about an hour a week
and stays at it regularly, he or she can get their license in
a year. If they fly twice a week, they can get it in six
months. It just all depends.
Jan has also had a wide range of students. He has given
instruction to someone as young as 12 to someone as old as 85.
"It's really a wide cross-section," he said.
Jan also enjoys giving flight tours of St. Croix — to both
locals and visitors. He said he always gets a good response.
"People get so excited after having an air tour," he said,
adding that he's had numerous repeat customers. "People
generally love it. They are just about as excited as most
students are after their first flight lesson."
Jan has yet to tire of flying. In his free time and for
personal enjoyment, he has flown the plane to several outlying
islands.
"There are so many islands an hour or less away," Jan said.
He and his daughter flew the singe-engine, four-seater plane
from Texas to St. Croix. Since then, the furthest Jan has
ventured has been Antigua. Among his favorite places to visit
are St. Barts and St. Martin.
When asked if there are any downsides to his job, Jan has to
think for awhile. At last, he comes up with something.
"Sometimes I have to get up early," he said.
He also added that a challenge can be dealing with all the
different personalities and attitudes of the various students
that he gets. But the diversity has also been a benefit of his
job.
Mostly, though, Jan loves what he does.
"I just love it when people solo — watching their feeling of
utter exhilaration and pride," he said.
For more information about air tours or flight
lessons through Air Ventures in Paradise, e-mail skypilot177@yahoo.com
or call 778-0090 or 277-1433. The Web site is
www.airventuresinparadise.com.
Article © The Avis, 2005.
Reproduced with permission
|
