Hasta siempre hermano....
It's a very sad day today. My very good friend, Juan Lemus, flying a Longranger L4 near the Nicaraguan and Costa Rican border, crashed on Tuesday. He did not survive. He was flying a Coca-Cola executive, and another from Tampa Juice, plus a former Nicaraguan Cabinet Chief that is still missing. Visibility was an issue at the time of the crash. I had chatted at length with Juan on Sunday about his spray operation in Nicaragua, something he was very proud of, and he offered opportunities for myself if ever the need should arise. I will sorely miss my good friend.
I first met Juan in Morocco and we immediately became friends, flying together often, and spending lazy afternoons walking along the boardwalk of Agadir in search of the perfect cup of coffee. We met up again in Suriname, where I was pleased to sign off his Captaincy on the AW139. We discovered more than a few cool haunts in that South American jungle town, and I considered him to be one of my best friends. I'll never forget that dive with the pool tables, of old barn boards on stilts out over the lazy Suriname River, Motown hits from the 60's competing with croaking frogs and cicadas, where we hung out most every night after discovering the place on one of our walkabouts, nor the evening trying to find each other in the traffic and mad crowds of Suriname's yearly festivals.
Juan presented me with one of my most prized possessions; a gorgeous, heavy weight Mont Blanc pen that he picked up in Dubai. I'm using it now and it flies with me everywhere I go. He had tons of style, was extremely competent at everything he did, and carried himself proudly but maintained a humility that impressed everyone he met. He'd often entertain us as he reminisced of his days flying Mi-25s for the Nicaraguan Army in the 80's, and in the air he had the hands and feet of a master. Hard working. Uncomplaining. A very good pilot. A very good friend. I will sorely miss you Juan. I wish I had made it down for that visit......
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