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The fax was clear and at least we felt that we had tried
everything to get into Cuba. This morning, we called Roberto Brown in La Havana and explained to him that we were very keen to visit his beautiful island and that our aeroplanes were fully equipped and also that we
both had visas and confirmed bookings in a nice hotel in Havana. El Senor Brown is the chief of Air Operations in Cuba. He did not sound either grumpy or friendly on the phone, and I knew from that sign that it
would be difficult with him. People with no passion make the worst bureaucrats. We first had to send a fax with all details of our flight and machines, licences and others. His answer only took him 3 lines, and from
that moment we decided to go to Texas. The fax Mr. Brown sent was short and sharp: " NO APPROVE OPERATION IN CUBA OR OVERFLY. THE AIRCRAFT MUST BE EQUIPED WITH IFR EQPMT AND SSR COD, STOP. REGARDS, R. BROWN". I was
a little disappointed because I would have loved to leave the great Latin America in such a place as Cuba. It would have been a very special way to say Goodbye to that friendly world of insouciance.
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