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TEN ROMEO NEWSLETTER Report 62
February 26, 1996 Dear Friends: This is a difficult report to write -----. Difficult because it is written against the backdrop of senseless killing of four fellow pilots over the Straits of Florida. A review of circumstances reveals there is monumental error on both sides of this unhappy event. Of course it's illegal to shoot down unarmed civilian aircraft anywhere! And yet, how quickly we forget the sanctity Communists have traditionally placed upon their sovereign air space. Korean Flight 007 brought death to a plane load of civilians for a single, accidental incursion of Soviet air space. Last Saturday's events were brought to a head by considerable provocation by "BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE", including two flights over Havana when leaflets were dropped "supporting Cuban dissidents". Such incursions of Cuban air space are no accident. Those of us who fly our aircraft internationally know the rules associated with the ADIZ, or Air Defense Identification (Interception?) Zone. The two aircraft shot down on February 24th had crossed both the CUBA (OUTER) ADIZ and the CUBA (INNER) ADIZ. It is reported that Captain Basulto admitted to being within Cuban territorial waters, with his two companion aircraft farther from Cuban land than he. This indicates to some that Cuban pilots knew the leader's aircraft and opted not to make him a martyr. Indications foretelling of this disaster were building in Cuba over a period of time. Complaints to the FAA appear to be a matter of record, and ten days before the disaster Admiral Carroll who was attending a US sanctioned meeting with Cuban leaders was asked, "What would be the response of your government if we shot down those aircraft which continually penetrate our airspace with impunity in spite of our warnings?" Could there be a stronger signal that patience with the BROTHERS' incursions was wearing thin? Havana Approach warned Captain Basulto on that fateful flight, "Sir, be informed that the zone north of Havana is activated (a term used to inform pilots that a MOA - Military Operation Area - is active and all civilian aircraft should remain clear). There is danger behind the 24th parallel!" Basulto's response was, "We are aware that we are in danger each time we cross the area to the south of the 24th, but are willing to do so as free Cubans." The warning was acknowledged but received as perfunctory. My inner perception of news reports raises two insights. Transcripts indicate the attacking Migs were told six times by their military controllers "You are authorized to destroy ..." That repeated prodding was perhaps required during that brief moment as Mig pilots contemplated the inequity of "splashing" two unarmed civilian aircraft. Taking lives is done reluctantly in all military, even with overriding political justification. Two minutes after the second aircraft was destroyed, one pilot transmitted to his military controller, "Fatherland or death .... the other is down also." Could this indicate that the Mig pilots perceived their attack on the two civilian aircraft carried great risk to themselves? Did their paranoid thinking have US military aircraft protecting the Cessnas? There are no winners in this terrible event, and my distress focuses upon what might have been. What if FAA restrictions had been placed on BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE flights? What if Admiral Carroll had contacted Captain Basulto indicating that Cuban leaders' patience was running out, and suggesting his activities remain north of the CUBAN (INNER) ADIZ for a while? Personal disappointment centers on my inability to manage US bureaucracy. Had I received a COMMERCE license, my Cuban hosts of ICAC (INSTITUTE OF CIVIL AVIATION OF CUBA) would have shared the general concern of repeated incursions of Cuban airspace by Basulto's group. Had that happened, the second stop on my way home after clearing customs in Miami would have been Opa-Locka Airport to suggest to José's group, "Cool it for a while." Our friends in the Cuban American community are impatient. Perhaps the most extreme were looking for a cause célèbre to force rapid passage of heavier sanctions in Congress. Some believe Saturday's mission was a deliberately provocative mission to quickly force more oppressive Congressional action. The paradox of this tragedy is the humanitarian aspect of the mission of BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE. Helping to save 6,000 souls is a worthy endeavor. Mixing humanitarian action with a political agenda may carry risk. Incidentally, news reports referred to BROTHER TO THE RESCUE aircraft as single-engine Cessna 337s. Cessna 337s are twin-engine, push-pull aircraft with the advantage of center-line thrust and are excellent search platforms. Captain Basulto's aircraft, as seen on TV news reports, appears to be a modified 337, perhaps developed by the military for use in Viet Nam.
TEN ROMEO TO CUBA - ??????? Five months of intense activity have been invested in the Cuban project. I'm delighted with the reasonably fast, professional service received from the US DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY which provided the required license on November 30th. However, after 403 FAXes, 14 FedEx deliveries, and a $982.00 telephone bill, there is still no US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE license. Work with COMMERCE has been disappointing. There is no form for TEMPORARY SOJOURN for an aircraft, so the form for an exporter was modified. I was first told it was illegal for me to speak with Cuban officials. I explained approval for that was received with my TREASURY license. It was never made clear to me what was required to qualify for the COMMERCE license. My intent not to sell TEN ROMEO while in Cuba was documented, but was not helpful. I suggested we follow the format of an individual who my research indicated had flown his jet to Havana. My COMMERCE "helper" knew nothing about that trip. She had never before attempted to process a TEMPORARY SOJOURN LICENSE. I hold no animosity toward those pleasant people at COMMERCE who tried unsuccessfully to help me. COMMERCE morale is "lower than a snake's belly" with Congress intent upon eliminating that department. They have no job security. Their lack of focus is understandable. However, I am disappointed with the lack of concern among COMMERCE employees about possible loss of lives of my AOPA flying colleagues should Cuban Avgas be faulty (as was Soviet fuel) when sanctions are lifted. TEN ROMEO is on "stand by" on the outside chance that a license arrives. Prevenient Grace may be just around the corner. Once I determined to add to my flight a HUMANITARIAN MEDICINAL AID segment to assist the children of Havana, support of pilot colleagues was fantastic. Two tons of medicines have been committed. If Cuban American friends recognize the need for such medicines, my request to fly to Havana may gain their support for the COMMERCE license to enable the delivery. Approval might come quickly. Last Saturday's events have reversed what appeared to be a relaxation of strict American/Cuban relations by President Clinton's action of last October. Rapprochement, which seemed to be in the air, has vanished. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Coup indicate how unexpectedly circumstances can change under Communism. We seem to forget this. One day there will be a change in Cuba. Prime Minister Castro may modify the legacy he leaves to eleven million Cubans. Unexpected events may factor in. Not recognizing that the western hemisphere is close to a monumental change through possible internal adjustments is playing the role of the ostrich.
TEN ROMEO'S NEXT PROJECT - as I refocus and get on with my life Ambassador Robert C. Frasure's family has given permission to form a foundation to arrange for American adoption of Sarajevo orphans and the unwanted children from ethnic rapes. This will be a living tribute to a great man. ------------ Harmon Associates PROJECT PROPOSAL MILLARD HARMON & TEN ROMEO TO CUBA BACKGROUND: In 1985, Dr. Harmon flew his single-engine Beech-36, TEN ROMEO, into Sheremetyevo, Moscow, USSR, and received Soviet AvGas which was flawed, unbeknown to Aeroflot officials. US general aviation circles were shocked when the Continental factory confirmed Harmon's Soviet sample as 72 octane, thus identifying the source of extensive European predetonation problems. Later many AOPA flying colleagues called Harmon asking how to fly into Moscow. He told them, but warned against using Soviet AvGas. How many aircraft were saved by Harmon's warning is difficult to know. Harmon worked three years with Aeroflot leaders to adequately modify USSR procedures to better serve Western pilots using their aviation system. PROJECT OBJECTIVE: In 1995 a meeting was requested with members of the INSTITUTE OF CIVIL AVIATION OF CUBA to discuss Cuban aviation operations. The Cuban aviation process can be reviewed best by flying TEN ROMEO into José Martin International Airport for practical experience with the condition of aviation equipment, as was done at Sheremetyevo. ICAC has agreed to the following agenda for a one-day meeting with Harmon in Havana:
TIME LINE PROGRESS:
COMMENT: With the COMMERCE license denied, an appeal of the denial will carry a new component of HUMANITARIAN AID by transporting to Havana in TEN ROMEO medicines (penicillin and asthma inhalators) for Cuban children. ------------- Note: Cuban presence in the Western Hemisphere may reduce the likelihood of similar hidden problems as discovered in Moscow. Flying TEN ROMEO to MUHA plus a single meeting with leaders of the INSTITUTE OF CIVIL AVIATION OF CUBA should provide adequate information for a report to AOPA pilots. MH - 1/24/96
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