Submitted by Henna Castle on the 2022 winter session program in the British Virgin Islands sponsored by the School of Nursing…
This is a picture of me sitting in the co-pilot seat of a Cape Air hopper plane! I am currently completing a study abroad in Tortola, which is part of the British Virgin Islands. The airport on the island is very small and cannot accommodate huge international planes, so people visiting must land in a nearby country (typically the US Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico) and take a much smaller plane into BVI. Since the flight is only about twenty minutes from St. Thomas, USVI to Tortola, BVI, they use a hopper plane that fits only ten people including the pilot. The seat arrangement is done differently than we had expected. Instead of picking your own seat, they assign you by your weight in order to make sure it is evenly distributed. Somehow I was lucky enough to be chosen for the co-pilot seat. It was such a fun experience… I almost want to change my career path now!