TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Fly Bode Caribbean Air Charter

I just received an email from this company. Their website does not list pricing. You have to fill out a form to get a quote. Has anyone on here ever used them? Expensive? I see they fly into Anegada. So curious.

They are new to the BVI's US based.

I was curious as to how they got my email....

As am I. I have only used VIAirlink within the islands. I am certain they would not have given Fly Bode their customer list. I did reach out and asked for a quote from St Thomas to Anegada. I'll let you know how they compare.

They are run locally in the BVI by Steve Pelletier as I understand it, who used to be the guy who ran Operations and flew for Fly BVI before they shut down. I have flown with him many times - very professional pilot. If there is a draw back it is the capacity of their Beechcraft King Air is only 5 passengers (maybe 6?) and I generally will use all the space available on the charter outfits that fly the Cessna 402 up to 8 passengers. Having said that, if I can I would use Steve and Bode... there is a lot to be said for trusting your supplier in transporting your family around!

Expensive is in the eye of the beholder. Some folks are willing to pay some extra for the convenience. I have a quote for 6 people that amounts to about 2.5x what we pay for scheduled flights on Intercaribbean. I can see the convenience why some folks would opt to go that route but it's hard to imagine the crews we take choosing to pay that much extra. It's definitely possible we'll go that route at some point in the next 5 years but for many/most of our crews that won't work.

Dave

Glad to see Steve back flying in and out of BVI

The King Air they are flying is a vastly more capable aircraft than the old beat up Cessna 402 most are using. It’s also a turboprop which means much more reliable engines. It’s max passenger seating is however 7 and there website does not say How they are configured. Standard seating is 5 passengers.

Hmm, turboprops are more reliable than piston engines? Good info -- I didn't know that.

Dan

Look up Pilatus

Turboprops are I would guess at least 20 times if not far more reliable than piston engines. Here is some info. Most turboprops also have much better capability to fly after a engine loss with better power to weight ratios.

The PC-12 is a state-of-the-art single engine turboprop aircraft. Since the first date of
manufacture, all single engine turboprop aircraft combined have compiled over
8,000,000 (eight million) flight hours with no (that’s zero) fatalities due to engine
failure.

I did hear back from Fly Bode. I was curious since the email stated they were flying into Anegada. Apparently they have decided the runway is too short for their comfort. So no flights to Anegada.

Strange they quoted me $1500 for the flight to Anegada

This is what I was emailed:

Sorry about the delay getting back to you on your quotation request but we are actually currently reviewing our offer to/from the Anegada (NGD) airport. While our King Air C90XP is capable of operating safely at that airport, the short runway does not allow enough safety margins. Bode Aviation, Inc. has had an impeccable safety record for many years by carefully mitigating risks and for now, we believe that we must decline offering service to that airport to maintain those standards.

They don’t sound like they have experienced pilots.

They fly the King Air C90. It is not capable of routine operations on a 2600 foot runway. They do have some performance mods that probably give it equivalent performance to the C402. The Cessna 402 used by most of the charter outfits needs 2400 feet to land with a 6 seat interior at 59 degrees. It’s very marginal for that runway or outright dangerous at higher temps. The owner of Bode Air is making the correct decision. He should be commended for putting safety ahead of revenue. Operators flying the C 402 into Anegada are the foolish ones as would be anyone putting their family onboard. There are charter operators using smaller aircraft into Anegada that are suitable. The Virgin Gorda airport is 3100 feet long. I would consider that about the minimum length at BVI temps for either aircraft.
G

No complaints on my end with Bode Aviation’s decision. I admire that.

@GeorgeC1 Are you telling me the Cessna 402 is not safe landing on Anegada? I’ve flown on the 402 a couple of times a year for the last 5 years in and out of Anegada. I have no airplane knowledge whatsoever. So am I really risking my family?

It's the margin of error. Anything go wrong like brakes, engine power, misjudged air density, etc 200 feet is not enough room to safely recover.

As I stated the C402 is marginal for that runway. It would depend on winds, temperature and the weight of the aircraft. Light weight with a 15 knot headwind it would be fine. 88 degree day with calm winds and a moderate load I would not put my family onboard. Keep in mind that when you fly on a part 121 commercial airline they calculate takeoff performance so that if they lose a engine at the most critical point in the takeoff roll they can either stop on the remaining runway or continue the takeoff safely. Part 91 charter operators are not required to do that and can calculate performance based on both engines.
G

Are you freakin kidding me?!?!? How would I know? VIAirliks has specific flight times. I have no idea what the temperature is when I land. It’s usually warmer than where I came from.

Here is a report of a C402 landing at Virgin Gorda with a 500 foot longer runway.

Narrative:
After landing on runway 03 at Virgin Gorda Airport, the pilot was unable to stop the aircraft on the runway and it came to rest on a bank at the edge of the ramp. The aircraft was extensively damaged but none of the nine occupants, including the pilot, were injured.

Conclusions
The aircraft landed at Virgin Gorda in conditions (of weight, altitude, temperature and surface condition) where the landing distance required was very close to the landing distance available and without the required safety margin. Hence, when the performance of the brakes was not as expected, probably due to debris in the braking system, the aircraft could not be stopped on the runway.
Analysis of the maintenance state of the aircraft involved in this accident indicated that the maintenance capability, processes and planning of its operator were not consistent with the standards expected in conducting international passenger charter services. This appeared also to be the case for the operational procedures and data management.

I hear ya. But how many flights has the C402 had with no issues? They have daily scheduled flights. I get that flying in general is somewhat of a gamble. They are built and flown by humans. Things are gonna happen. But not one flight into Anegada did I ever get that "oh crap" moment.

I'm not disputing your assessment. You certainly know aircraft better than I. But from someone who doesn't, how am I to know when booking a flight that the aircraft is at its max landing length? As a consumer I have to assume the airline has deemed it safe. Until tonight I never would have thought different.

If you are flying with a quality operator which Bode air appears to be based on the fact they took a good look at the aircraft performance and decided not to operate because of a lack of safety margin you should not have issues. Air Sunshine is the airline that ran of the runway in VG. That was in fact the second time they ran that exact aircraft off the runway in VG. The first time they hit the terminal building. Despite the first accident the pilot was not even provided the proper performance charts to even assess landing distance. The aircraft load sheet was incorrect and the aircraft was not properly maintained.
G