Landing on runway nine in Key West is a beautiful thing. Despite knowing that the duration of your stay will be less than an hour, an hour that will be truncated by an eager ground crew pushing for an early departure, you feel relaxed, relieved, even flush with content to be on the ground in Key West. Anticipating the warmth outside you laugh inside, for you left the cold air of the upper states mere hours ago. Revel in the jet age friend, revel.

Your eyes glide across the palm trees, hands fumble across the flaps, the lights, and miscellaneous switches, you mumble something to the tower, you’ve already checked out. There she is, a majestic beauty, the muse of your daydreams. What was it like? What a rugged, classy looking bird. A reflection of slower times.

The service of this Cubana Antonov An-24RV came to an end on March 31, 2003 flying unscheduled from Nueva Gerona to Key West with a fuel stop in Havana. A man armed with two grenades forced this plane to Key West. At an airport ripe with business and regional jets the Antonov looks more natural in front of the Art Deco exterior of the Conch Republic Airport.

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