Page 8 - Volumne 18 Number 5

(formerly Rangoon). However, in outer locations, such as Mandalay, the second largest city, and Bagan, a prime tourist destination with thousands of nearby temples and pagodas, service is patchy and very slow. The government is trying to manage this, while preserving the country’s iconic Asian spectacles.Myanmar’s economy is booming, but it needs to be managed carefully. Aviation is critical to the development of both tourism and business, and more start- up airlines emerge each month. Management and the right aircraft are the keys to this development. Beyond scheduled air service, there is a growing need for business charter, sight-seeing flights, and packaged-tour charter flights. As a multi-role, versatile workhorse, the Cessna Caravan plays an important role in this development.The Grand Caravan EX can serve in passenger, cargo, medevac, surveillance, geo- mapping, skydiving and many other configurations. In Myanmar, it can connect remote cities inexpensively and efficiently, carrying up to 12 passengers and landing on asphalt, grass, gravel and dirt runways. The Caravans will be used to develop the rural undeveloped areas, including support of tourism in the north, central, and southern areas of the country.Bringing Caravans To MyanmarAcquiring the Caravans was put up as a possibility by the then- Principal of LT Resources, Mr. U Linn Thoung, who was a major supplier and representative to the aviation industry in Myanmar for over 30 years. Sadly, Linn Thoung passed away before the aircraft were delivered, after a brief but fatal battle with cancer. He was very crucial to the sale process, along with Cessna’s Regional Sales Director, Marcelo Moreira, and Brian McDonald, Director, Asian Aviation Resources, the Cessna ASR for Myanmar. Also6 • TWIN & TURBINEimportant were Linn Thoung, as an advisor to Myanma Airways, and the Myanmar Minister of Transport, His Excellency Nyan Htun Aung, who had suggested this aircraft to the airline and the government. It was the Managing Director, Captain Than Tun, and the Minister of Transport who made the initial choice, but the ultimate determination came from the government, which approved the decision and the required budget.After U Linn Thoung’s passing, his son, Linn Htet, stepped into LT Resources and LTR Pte Ltd to manage the company and finalize the transaction. He was a crucial part of the aircraft acceptance and delivery in November 2013, along with MA Chief Pilot Captain Htin Linn, who provided the talented pilots to fly the formation session for the accompanying photographs; they were crucial to the success of the air-to-air photography mission in January, 2014,MAY 2014