Sao Paulo 15th July 2011

Phone box in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They are known locally as 'the Big Ear'.

They are all over the place, in spite of mobile phones.

A couple more helicopters from San Jose dos Campos 2011

S300CBi

A training helicopter from Sao Paulo - we waited around for the owner of the school but he was busy giving presentations and didn't come back before we had to leave. But we did talk to a Ricardo Piccoli who sells Enstroms with Aerolink. He learnt to fly on the S300 in Sao Paulo although I'm not sure if it was on this helicopter - but it comes to the same thing dunne it. I'm not sure if it is possible to learn to fly on the Enstrom in Sao Paulo, but apparently it is quite hard to sell helicopters as the generally feeling is I want a helicopter if my friend has one, and I want the same type... Bit of one upmanship by the sound of it.. or perhaps one alongmanship..

This helicopter wasn't strictly speaking at the show, but was over the fence at the military part of the airfield... anyway it seems to be having something done to it but later one of the Squirrels/Astars etc went flying so it was either this one on a test flight or the one next door that is only slightly in the picture.

San Jose dos Campos: a few helicopters

There are a few helicopters here but not many, and it is a very small show, although the salesman from Hillsboro Helicopters in Oregon said the show was good for him already, and it was only the first day. He is selling training in the USA - well Hillsboro in Oregon - to Brazilians.
I was told a better show for helicopters is LABACE - like EBACE but the LA stands for Latin America - as Dan Quayle said many years ago a good place to improve your Latin... Anyway, this is one of the three helicopters I saw... more below..

San Jose dos Campos Fixed Wing

Disney land aeroplane

Aero Expo is more of a fixed wing than helicopter show but I learnt some interesting things - do you know what fixed wing pilots call helicopters? Rototards...

Registration in Brazil is PP - suitable for this one?
PT - presumably for the more agile aircraft and PR for those who sell the country's image well...

For ultralights the registration is PU - and I was told there are 3,000 ultralights in the country - taking then the Brazilian effect - halve everything you are told and divide by four - that is 300 or so...
This looks like a cross between and Piper Cub and a Cessna 150 on floats but it is actually a factory built ultralight belonging to the guy who helped build it in the factory - at least that is what I understood, although since I speak no Portuguese and only some limited Spanish it may have got confused in translation. Looked fun though and apparently there are lots of places to land a sea (river he insisted) plane in Brazil.

Ultralight on floats

AeroExpo San Jose dos Campos, Brazil 2011

Buy one get one free?

This R44 was on the BMW booth at the San Jose dos Campos Show - it struck me that the idea was if you bought a BMW you would get an R44 thrown in.
The R66 had a lot of interest here in Brazil and I was told (not by the dealer mind you) that 60 had already been sold. Claudio Agostini, from Rotor and Wing and a Sao Paulo local, tells me that in Brazil you have to halve everything you are told and then divide by four - so shall we guess 5 or 6 possible orders?

Sao Paulo street art

This is just around the corner from the Pet Hotel - nice ' eh . A place that has images like this and a pet hotel has got to be great. I'm looking forward to what I discover next.

Sao Paulo Brazil 13th Jul y 2011

Well, here I am having arrived safely in Sao Paulo. Interestingly even I, normally so calm about travelling, was jinked up about SP. People kept telling me how dangerous it was - I mustn't drive alone; must be careful where I go... etc etc... well so far (with my experience of 5 and a half hours!) I would say that is rubbish. I haven't been hassled at all - would India were so easy, and everybody I have asked about things has been kind and helpful. I took the airport bus from Guarulhos and it was easy, clean, comfortable and quick. Quick may be because this is holiday season and so no traffic.

Now I am at my hotel, waiting for a room to come free. That is not their fault, only the flight from London gets in at 5am, and check in at most hotels in midday. Tant pis.

San Jose dos Campos tomorrow - I noticed I could have taken a bus there too from the airport - so really no need to hire cars if you know .... trouble is getting to know... more tomorrow.