I just got back from a fabulous 30-day vacation flying my plane throughout Latin America. Unfortunately, I went on my vacation with a cold .......... my plane packed with cold medica
tions. I got over the first cold while in Santo Domingo. Then I developed an otitis externa in both ears (swimmer’ s ear). Then I came down with the second (more severe) cold. You can imagine the difficulties I had in changing altitudes in an un-pressurized plane with a severe cold. Fortunately, Julie, a nurse in Santo Domingo, helped nurture me back to health. I am feeling good now.
On returning to the USA, the weather was bad over a 100 mile stretch of ocean between Porta Plata, DR and Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
<Lake Amphibian over the Atlantic Ocean>
While parked in Porta Plata, I took a 3-day tour of the mountains on a bike with four wheels. Traveling through the mountain villages was fascinating from a cultural standpoint. Clearly, this was a highlight of my trip.
On returning to the United States, I stopped at West Palm Beach to take pictures of my ba
by. “Doc” is only four months old. Hyacinth macaws are the rarest and large st macaws. It take s some 7-8 months before they can eat on their own. Doc is currently being hand feed by Dr. Susan Clubb, a bird veterinarian in West Palm Beach. Susan is recognized internationally as an expert on macaws. Here are some of her publications:
<http://www.cyberparrots.com/publication.html>
Once weaned, Doc will begin living with me in Tampa in March or April. He will be much larger than the size shown in the photos. Hyacinths have a very
powerful beak capable of cutting through a wire cage with a single bite. Doc will be free to roam around my living room in an area that I have set aside for him.
<Dr. Clubb and then to Doc for a closer look>
My first macaw 
(also called Doc) lived with me for about 30 years. Doc died last October while at a bird sitter. I was away at the American Society of Anesthesiology meetings in Las Vegas.
It might be considered a bit crazy to fly alone and to fly on a VFR flight plan over 1000s of miles of water. However, my plane was equipped with a lot of thingamajigs to keep me company, both from a safety and comfort standpoint.
Foremost, it was comforting to know that I almost always had a runway in sight because my plane is amphibious, capable landing on water and land.
However, that is not enough to insure safety. The plane was equipped with a 406 MHz Emergency beacon which was constantly being tracked by satellites overhead. My position was being reported to the Coast Guard to within an accuracy of 10 feet.
Activating the emergency switch on the beacon would alert the Coast Guard (via satellite) to begin a search 
and rescue mission immediately.
The beacon also relayed my name, aircraft type and registration number to the Coast Guard.
I had an engine analyzer coupled to a voice (female) annunciator. On one occasion, I placed the plane into steep climb to over fly a layer of clouds at 8,000 feet. It was a welcome surprise to hear a lady say "check oil temperature." I took immediate action to cool the engine.
My flight from the Grand Bahamas to West Palm Beach was threatened by a cold front heading south from the East Coast. I was able to easily navigate around the storms using a storm scope capable detecting a storm up to 200miles in the distance. In addition, my plane is equipped with another important device for long trips over water. I have a CD player coupled to a active noise cancellation system. Throughout this long trip over water I enjoyed listening to the music by an old friend who also loves amphibious aircraft -- Jimmy Buffet (who is shown below with his Lake Amphibian).
Anthony F. Kirkpatrick
December 2004
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