Does wealthy Brazilian businessman Fernando de Arruda Botelho hold his annual exclusive, invitation-only fly-in for the good of his homeland — or for his love of vintage planes?

Page 1 of 5 » Next

It’s not yet 8 a.m., but as I reach the airfield, I see that I’m already late: Fernando de Arruda Botelho, my date for a morning photo flight, shoots past in his camouflage Aeronca Sedan plane, laying a long white cloud of air-show smoke down the runway. Crossing the Aerodromo Dr. Jose Augusto de Arruda Botelho — Botelho’s São Paulo, Brazil, airport, named for his late father — I arrive at an isolated hangar on the far corner of the airfield. This is where Botelho keeps a stable of classic and experimental airplanes. Days of rain in southeastern São Paulo state have ended; fog hangs in the valleys of the surrounding countryside, but the airfield, 2,500 feet above sea level is graced by a clear sky and sharp horizon.

Botelho lands, parks the Sedan on the grass and climbs into another flying machine — this one dainty and ultralight. Made of aluminum and white fabric, the craft is a modern look-alike of the Demoiselle, a flyer designed in 1907 by Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazil’s most famous aviation pioneer. Another pilot climbs into an identical machine — two of four Demoiselles in Botelho’s one-of-a-kind fleet.

Botelho herds another photographer and me into the Sedan for our photo flight. We want aerial shots of the other Demoiselle, but the Sedan is too fast to form up with it. So Botelho makes a series of strafing runs — lining up on his target, zooming past at a safe distance, turning hard for another run — while we fire away with our digital SLRs.

After several passes, Botelho lands and taxies back to the grass. He carries a cellphone and radio, and he’s talking into both as soon as his feet hit the ground. Moments later, he mounts a motorcycle and speeds away to tackle some other chore.

Page 1 of 5 » Next

Next article » Jet Car

Previous article « Business Class