Saba kids visit Hurricane Hunter in Statia

The Daily Herald writes that US Air Force Hurricane Hunter, the WC-130J, is expected to touch down at Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Airport on April 24, and school children as well as the public are invited to come and witness the historic moment, from 1:00 to 4:00pm. Coordinator Edris Bennett-Merkman and retired pilot George Works have been visiting the island’s primary schools in preparation. The two have, so far, visited almost all primary schools and will conclude at the Seventh Day Adventist School on Monday, April 20. Since last Monday, they have covered Bethel Methodist School, NuStar School, the Roman Catholic School and Governor de Graaff School.

Marie Louis-Ameen, resident eye-specialist in Saba who is also a pilot, was also contacted to share this information in Saba, and a group of children from that island will also be in attendance for the aircraft visit.

Works is retired pilot and is assisting Bennett-Merkman  in providing information on weather imaging and forecasting. Both he and his wife Shelley are licensed private pilots and have sailed and flown throughout the Caribbean, and have also sailed in the Pacific. The two met while working together on a proposal for a large computer system for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). They later worked together developing the successful computer system with Shelley as programme manager and George as project chief engineer. They retired to Statia in 2005, and Works now operates a small farm, provides a daily weather report for the island and consults on solar electric systems, satellite terminals, computers and digital communications systems.