THE SPIRIT OF JAMAICA!

A Dream Realized!

Some time ago, I Blogged about my buddy Captain Handel Wellington. I met Handel while using a computer terminal in the Business Lounge of a Hilton Hotel where I was staying in Kentucky. Handel was one of many pilots from a regional airline crammed into the room to check-out their flight intineraries on-line. Ultimately, we struck up a conversation after he learned that I am a journalist with Airways magazine. We began speaking in general about the airline industry and a businessman also joined in the conversation. It was an enjoyable visit, but each of us had early morning flights, so we exchanged business cards and shook hands as we all went our separate ways.

Welcoming a young admirer!

Fast forward to early 2008 after I had relocated to Arizona. One morning, my cell phone rang and it was Handel calling me from an island in the Caribbean. The name rang a bell, and he had to remind me that he was "the guy who spoke with me at a Kentucky Hilton Hotel Business Lounge about the airline industry". I remembered. He secured a fine position First Officer with Spirit Airlines, a terrific Low Fare Carrier with a young jet fleet and an extensive route system from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport in Florida to Caribbean and Latin American destinations. Then last week, another dream unfolded for Handel. With great pride he landed an Airbus A321 in his native country of Jamaica! This was a wonderful homecoming and it was great to see such a determined man achieve so much progress in just one year alone! Cheers to Captain Handel Wellington! He is a fine example that dreams really do come true!

From Piloting Regional Jets to the Big Airplanes:

First Officer Handel Wellington & the A321
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