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Standing in a corner on the tarmac of Piarco International Airport, oblivious to the security and media gathered there, an emotional Karen and Ryan Pinheiro watched as WM809 touched down just after midday on Sunday.
The Winair ATR 42-500 from Sint Maarten carried 45 VIPs, officials, and tourists; the start of a twice-weekly service between the two islands. But for Karen and her husband Ryan, it was simply a family reunion. Guiding the ATR into its final position at Gate 5 were two Trinbagonians; Captain Michael Awai and the Pinheiros’ son, First Officer Shane.
“I cried, yes, absolutely! Oh God, I am so proud, you don’t understand,” Karen told Guardian Media. Though Shane, a Winair pilot for the last seven years, now lives in Sint Maarten, his mother has been his unofficial “co-pilot” long before that. “I have flown with him before, right here in Piarco, many years ago, when he was training to get his licence. He had me do some stop-and-goes in the night with him, which was a little daunting because he was only 16 at the time,” she recalled.
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