facility for loading and an early morning departure for Orlando. Prior to departure they removed the rear seats from the aircraft to make room for the turtles.
Early the next morning NEAQ staff arrived at GHG and loaded 24 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles on to AUXAIR 29T. The aquarium staff briefed the crew and provided them with a thermometer and instructions to keep the cabin temp between 68 and 75 degrees. Good for turtles but not very comfortable for a pilot in a flight suit according to Steve Trupkin.
At 0830 the “Turtle Flight” departed GHG and
headed for Elizabeth City, NC (ECG).
There was no inflight movie but according to Steve Trupkin once the cabin temp was up to 75 degrees the “passengers” could be heard moving around in their containers.
At 1110 Steve, Peter and the turtles arrived at Elizabeth City for food and fuel. Food for the pilots only -- this was a no-frills flight for the passengers. Air travel simply is not what it used to be.
26 OVER THE BOW - Spring 2016
The Kemp's ridley is one of only two species of sea turtles that nest in arribadas, where large groups gather and come ashore to nest all at once (the other is the olive ridley). They are one of over 2,000 marine species listed under the Endangered Species Act.