After a short night in downtown Willhelmstad, I was ready for some island hopping!

GPS Track: [url]http://de.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=1691406[/url]

Carrier of choice for the outbound flight: Tiara Air. Being named after the founder's daughter wasn't enough to make me buy their ticket, but their fleet sure did: It consists of only two Short 360 - a perfect chance to meet the ultimate flying shoe-box!

The british Short 360 is a regional plane for up to 36 passengers. Despite great short take-off and landing characteristics and a pretty economic fuel consumption, only a total of 161 planes have been built between 1981 and 1991.

As ugly as it looks outside, as roomy and comfy it is inside! Positive surprise!

After a high-speed taxi to the runway (45 knots and more!), we used up all the gained time while waiting for our time to take off.

Finally off we went, and bid farewell to Curaçao with a wide left turn

Wow, another surprise: A meal service that doesn't differ too much from some European carriers' food for two hour flights - only that this ride took a mere 20 minutes!

Obviously the nice food selection allowed no more money for a cleaning guy, and so I spent most of the flight time cleaning all windows around me in order to have a decent view out. You're welcome, Tiara Air!

Soon after passing Aruba's coast (above), its capital Oranjestad came into view

A tight final turn, that's how I like it!

The only sights I got to see of Aruba, were the Divi Golf Course and one of their pretty beaches

On finals, passing the harbour - window's still dirty, I know!

Short visit to the cockpit - wow! After that roomy cabin, this didn't look too comfortable at all!

While exiting my plane, I discovered the other (and much more appealingly painted) half of the fleet parked nearby. Future plans of the company include a Learjet for ambulance flights and a Boeing 737 for extended scheduled services

Bye bye Shortie!

After two hours at Aruba's terminal, I was ready to return back to Curaçao. This time I used Insel Air, who fly this route several times a day, and actually opened up business with exactly this route.

So: How many orange guys do you need to handle a 19-seater? One doing "something" in the front, one feeling important holding the prop, one who feels even more important jotting down some notes, and one, who tries to look busy at the cargo door. Great!

May I introduce: One of the EMB-110 Bandeirante, who stood at the beginning of Insel Air's life in 2006. The series, built from 1973, was actually planned as a small military transporter, but was also popular in the civil world with over 500 planes built.

After having to re-seat some passengers due to weight and balance issues (including me being put on the backlit side of the cabin), it was time to depart again.

The flight was extremely bumpy, and led straight back to Curaçao without passing any highlights on the ground. Time for a cabin shot then...

...and finally a cockpit shot upon exiting the plane after landing. Note the funny timer on the pedestal!

Bye bye, cute little Brazilian plane!