The Twin Otter Ferry Flight That Involved Rebels and a Bag of Cash
- Peter Dickens
- Feb 9
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 18
In aviation, the words "simple ferry flight" are usually reassuring.
They imply calm weather, straightforward paperwork, and perhaps a quiet beer at the destination.
But in 1987, when I was asked to ferry a Twin Otter from an island near Suriname to Cayenne, the story turned out to be anything but simple.
The aircraft had been hijacked a year earlier by rebels and flown into their jungle stronghold. Insurance companies had been negotiating its return ever since.
And somehow, I had become the pilot tasked with flying it out.
The operation involved a curious cast of characters:
A representative from Control Risks
An attorney from Lloyds of London
A mechanic
Several armed rebels
And a bag containing $110,000 in cash
The plan seemed straightforward enough.
Fly to the rebel base, inspect the aircraft, start it if possible, and ferry it to Cayenne.
Simple.
Except the aircraft had been sitting in the Amazon jungle for twelve months, covered in mould, guarded by rebels, and parked next to a camouflage Cessna used for shooting machine guns out of the windows.
Naturally.
Things took a turn when the helicopter that had delivered us to the jungle suddenly departed, with the lawyer, the negotiator, and the money! Leaving me sitting in the middle of the Amazon with the rebels.
At that point, I began to suspect that my "100 mile Twin Otter ferry flight" might not be quite as straightforward as I previously thought.
The next 24 hours involved:
A violent tropical storm
A river journey in a thirty-foot dugout canoe
A night in a frontier town hotel
A group of mysterious intelligence officer quietly observing events in the lobby
And a plan that involved flying low over the hotel so the rebels could confirm the deal had gone through.
The biggest concern?
If the deal failed....
The man left behind on the island would have his throat slit.
No pressure!
What followed was a flight that caused a small sensation with Cayenne Air Traffic Control, a very tense interrogation by the police, and a suggestion that I should enjoy my "last night of freedom."
I decided champagne might be appropriate.
Want the full story?
This remarkable story is just one of the real world flying adventures told in Life on a Wing and a Prayer, stories from a lifetime spent flying aircraft in places where aviation doesn't always follow the rulebook.
If you enjoy tales of remote flying, unexpected danger, and the occasional absurd situation that only aviation can produce...
You'll want to read the full story.
