My name is Ezequiel Queque Parodi, everyone knows me as Queque Parodi, I am the founder and chief pilot of Patagonia bush pilots. Patagonia bush pilots started as a bush flying school for all those interested in flying the inhospitable, majestic and virgin Patagonian territory. Today we make tourist flights so our visitors can get to know the incredible backcountry of Patagonia, its landscapes, fauna, flora and its secret beauties.
Being a bush Pilot in Patagonia is a combination of knowing mechanics, survival, rescue, first aid and a set of other qualities that will allow you to survive the unlikely yet possible case of being in the middle of nowhere with your plane. This has already happened to me once and I had to fix a damaged brake caliper to be able to return to our base in Trevelin, Chubut, Patagonia Argentina.
My passion for flying comes from the extreme feeling of freedom that I get when floating in the air, where life has 6 dimensions: up, down, forward, back, right and left. Thanks to flying, we can reach infinite places in terms of minutes or hours, while by other means it could be days or weeks, or even be unreachable.
My first flight in Patagonia was in 2003 in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche. It was amazing to discover the mountains and lakes from the sky above and, at that moment, I realized that many places exist in the world that I do not know of. Getting to these places, behind the mountains and the bottom of lakes, would be very difficult without a bush plane or a helicopter.
It is almost impossible to describe the feeling of flying above such beautiful and inhospitable places. I would say it is a mix of gratitude, happiness and wonder. Being able to get close to the trees, to fly low over the rivers, or being able to see the mountain peaks from above, is a feeling of freedom that I have not found anywhere else.
To land outside of an airport, the pilot must know very well the performance of the aircraft he is flying and practice short landings in safe places first. The challenge of landing in new places or off-airport spots is gripping and turns a bush flying pilot into a pilot with the precision of a surgeon.
Flying through the mountains to reach valleys unknown to any other human being is a unique experience during which, every second, you get a sense of discovery, adventure, and fulfillment!
We would like to thank Queque Parodi for sharing his story and the experience he offers. You can find Patagonia bush pilots on Instagram @patagoniabushpilots
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