31 January 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From The KP1-5 project

RE: K1N Navassa Island DXpedition

Navassa: We're on the way!

As you know, our plan was to begin helicopter trips this morning as soon as USFWS gave us the go-ahead.  We hoped to get in as many as three trips in today.

Because of the presence of a congressional delegation in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, air services prevented the first of the two Navassa-bound USFWS helicopter flights to take off until 1830z.  The first flight carried three of the six USFWS personnel, so the helicopter had to return to Guantanamo Bay and return with the remaining three USFWS people.  It's about an hour each way so all of the above equals delay.

We received the call at 1830z with the OK to start our trips.  Our first flight left a few minutes later at 1900z and should land about 2030z.  It's a two-hour round trip between Jamaica and Navassa so we won't get but one flight completed today.

The first flight contained infrastructure materials and three K1N operators: George N4GRN, Glenn WØGJ and Jerry WB9Z.

Flights will resume at first light tomorrow and we should get most of the material and men ashore tomorrow (Feb 1st).  Building the camp will be time-consuming and labor-intensive but we hope be able to get one or two stations on the air tomorrow evening.  It will be another day or so before we're fully operational on all bands.

Because of the weather issues encountered this week by our supply vessel "Electra", we decided offload all the MREs, gasoline and water in Jamaica and transport it all via helicopter.  More trips, more $$ but in the interest of safety.

Bernie McClenny, W3UR

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