Aussies in town



A Qantas Airlines Boeing 747-800 visited the Foz do Iguaçu-Cataratas International Airport earlier this month. I konw nothing about this flight or the people who came to town. All I saw was a note in the newspaper and the photograph above proudly clicked away by Brazilian Infraero Airport Authorities. Now and then huge planes like this fly into the Foz do Iguaçu-Cataratas Int'l Airport. I once saw two Iberia 747-800 Boeings behemoths at the airport. The beautiful thing about them was the take-off operation. Since the airstrip is far narrower than the plane's wingspan, two turbines, one on each side hung suspended over the grassy lawn on both runway sides. A cloud of red dust rose up from the ground in a way that seemed to chase after the plane, threatening to engulf it. Then the plane lifts off, the sky seemed dusty and the runway had to be swept out. The crowds of Iguassuans who have come for the occasion just clapped hands, happily. That is tourism! Everybody is happy, you eyed us and us eyed you!

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