Flying in Israel ...or Not!

by Akky Mansikka

Akky with Barbara Colomi, Red Sea	Civilian aircraft	Dragon Boating	Eilat & Aqaba

The photos were taken by Akky Mansikka.

I spent May in Turkey, Israel and Jordan.    Dragon boating on the Sea of Galilee, otherwise known as Lake Kinneret, took me there. As always, I planned to go flying. In this case, I especially wanted to fly below sea level to watch the altimeter go below 0. - that struck me as a neat thing to do.

I went on line looking for flight schools but had difficulty finding one. I also contacted the Israeli 99s. Barabara Colorni, Governor of the Israeli Section, was able to find me the flight school closest to Ma’agen Eden Kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee, where the team was staying. Then the e-mails started.

I had to get security clearance. Many e-mails later the flight school and the Israeli Security department knew more about me than my husband but still no good news. Then Barbara was contacted  - the Israeli security department, besides knowing my history, now knows about the Ninety-Nines as well. After Barbara explained about the 99s and vouched for me, I obtained security clearance, however I was not to sit in the left seat and could not touch the controls. The flight school called me the morning of the races with the news and said that I could have a plane with an hour’s notice. This was the only day I could fly as we were leaving for Jordan the next day. 

After dragon boating all day with temperatures in the mid 40’s, instead of flying, I decided to go with my teammates to Ein Gedi Spa with its hot sulphur pools. My husband Henry thought I was crazy…sitting in hot stinky water on such a hot day. When I got out of the hot thermal pools the air temperature was actually cool. He did not know what he was missing.  

I met up with Barbara Colomi in Eilat, which is located on the southern tip of Israel on the Red sea. This is where Egypt, Jordan, and Israel meet. We had lunch in a restaurant on the beach overlooking Eilat and Aqaba in Jordan. She said these were spring temperatures. Summer is when it gets hot! Barbara is a marine biologist born in the Panama Canal Zone, schooled in the US, works in Israel and is married to an Italian. It’s actually more complicated than that…. When she wants to fly she gets a commercial flight to Tel Aviv and flies out of a flight school there. So she doesn’t fly often. How lucky we are.

Website email:  canadian99s@yahoo.ca