The number of flights between Sarasota and Canada will double this summer, following an announcement by Elite Airways about the expansion of service to and from Halifax, Nova Scotia. “The ability to bring more people here from Canada is good for tourism,” says Rick Piccolo, president of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. “We take our role as an economic generator very seriously, as we do our role of bringing more international visitors.”

Elite Airways announced that starting on July 2, passengers will be able to fly on Thursdays and Sundays from Halifax to Sarasota, with a stop in Portland, Maine. Passengers will not have to deplane in Maine, Piccolo notes. From the Sarasota facility’s point-of-view, this means a doubling of direct flights to Canada from SRQ, on top of existing twice-weekly summer service to Toronto via Air Canada. “Last year was the first year for Air Canada summer service,” Piccolo says, “which shows growth in the Canadian market.” Air Canada provides daily service between Toronto and SRQ during season.

John Pearsall, Elite Airways president, says its been the strength of existing flights between Florida and Maine that allowed for this expansion. “There’s a unique opportunity to extend this service to Halifax, Nova Scotia—as Florida is also a key market to Canada,” Pearsall says. “As a Maine-based business, we are especially proud to expand our Florida-to-Northeast routes to now include Atlantic Canada, and we thank government, city and airport officials for their support.”

Beginning on July 2, passengers can board flights leaving SRQ at 9:30am, arriving in Portland at 12:30pm, then continuing and landing in Halifax at 3:30pm. Flights will depart Halifax again at 4:15pm, arriving in Portland at 4:30pm, then continuing and landing back at SRQ at 8:15pm. Connections from Halifax to SRQ will start at $229, while SRQ-Portland tickets start at $199.

Piccolo says the airport continues to look for ways to expand international travel to other destinations, with a priority of Europe, though no flights have materialized yet. The airport has worked to expand its customs capabilities and can now move 300 passengers per hour through its local customs station. 

Editor’s Note: This is part 25 of an ongoing series documenting the flights of active-duty US Navy Pilot Ryan Rankin on his journey to fly 52 planes in 52 weeks through the year 2017.

As word continues to spread of Rankin’s yearlong endeavor, offers from pilots with their own planes come out of the woodwork. “Word is getting out and most people appreciate what I’m trying to do, promoting aviation,” he says. “You’re always going to have people who just want you to fit into the norm and not challenge yourself, but, by and large, everyone’s excited about it.” At an invitation from Terry Ogle, a Navy veteran who flew gunships in Vietnam, Rankin heads out to Peter Prince Field in Milton, FL where Ogle’s Mooney M20J awaits. Scheduling the flight proved difficult, with a number of cancellations almost scuttling the venture, but it turned into a particularly memorable flight that Rankin’s glad he took.

A stalwart and slick aircraft designed to comfortably zip the pilot, a couple friends (in a four-seat cockpit with leg room) and a couple bags through the night in style and comfort, the M20J may not boast a reckless resume like some bush craft or aerobatic trickster, but what it does, it does well. “It’s a good popular aircraft,” says Rankin, who found no real quirks or challenges—just a real smooth flight. And fast, with the M20J topping out at 201mph, thanks to an aerodynamic design with retractable gear and flush rivets, though Rankin kept the airspeed to around 160mph. “Owners that have them, love them,” he says of the plane, and it’s no surprise that some variant of the M20J has been in production almost uninterrupted since its first flight in 1955.

But the real star of the day was Ogle—Navy pilot, Vietnam vet and the man who got the Pensacola bus company to paint his M20J from nose to tail like the American flag. A flight instructor after his service, Rankin may have trained under him, but for being assigned to a different base. Stepping into the cockpit together, conversation was automatic. “It was one of those flights that’s over before you know it because you’re enjoying the conversation,” says Rankin.

What Rankin didn’t know at the time, soaring through the clouds for a blissful 45 minutes with Ogle, was that this was to be Ogle’s final flight and he was hanging up his wings. To fly legally, every pilot needs an annual medical evaluation showing them capable and sound to take the responsibility. Ogle decided to pass, letting Rankin know only after, via phone, that he’d made the decision. “I was quite honored,” says Rankin, to have been with Ogle on his last flight, to share the experience and the stories, though sad in a way. “Terry’s an amazing guy.”

For more about the flight in Rankin's own words and a video of the flight, follow the link below. 

Pictured: Ryan Rankin and Terry Ogle fly the Mooney M20J. Photo courtesy of Ryan Rankin.

Ryan Flies

Tucked in the middle of Historic Downtown, amidst coffee shops and tourist boutiques, there lies a piece of India in India Artisans. The store features multiple rooms filled with everything from bejeweled shoes and flowing saris to colorful tapestries that catch the eye. Handmade in different towns across India, the store’s owner, Rekha Chiroli, travels all the way to India to stock her shelves and brings the best finds back to Sarasota. Often made with repurposed materials, such as antique and vintage bridal saris, Zardozi tapestries are also sewn with silver and gold coils and have been made since the days of the Mughal Empire. Small patterns can take days to finish and a complete tapestry can take up to two weeks—and no two tapestries are exactly the same. Tapestries range from $29 to $100. 

Photo by Jasmine Respess.

India Artisans,1899 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota, 941-224-7227.

We love a fresh take on a classic- a concept Executive Chef Shane Dabney at Marina Jack is no stranger to. Their “calamari frites” are made with calamari steaks, providing a much larger, tender bite. These morsels are fried to crispy, golden-brown perfection and coated in cornstarch rather than flour, which also makes them available to the gluten-free customer (score!). They are then drizzled with a curry aioli placed delicately on a bed of fresh arugula. Dabney finishes this appetizer off with a trickle of hot sauce to “jazz it up.” Once you go frites, it can’t be beat – go try them out today!

Photo Credit: Wyatt Kostygan

Marina Jack is a member of Nosh, the SRQ magazine content marketing program for local restaurants. 

Marina Jack, 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota, FL 34236, 941 365-4232.

Marina Jack

New College of Florida announced plans to embark on a transformative plan for its future, with the funding to expand the number of students it provides with its unique and world-class education by 50 percent. With Gov. Rick Scott’s signing of the 2017-18 state budget, this new funding provides $5.4 million to New College for the first phase of a growth plan, unanimously approved by the State University System Board of Governors in November 2016 and endorsed by approval of the Florida Legislature in May. This first phase will allow New College to begin recruiting 15 new faculty in 2017-18, beginning three years of hiring that will add 40 new professors. That will bring the College’s total full-time faculty to 120 by 2020-21. At the same time, New College will begin to gradually expand its enrollment, to an estimated 900 students by 2018-19 and 1,200 by 2022-23. Both enrollment and faculty would grow by 50 percent over that time, allowing the College to maintain its hallmark 10:1 student-faculty ratio and small classes with close faculty-student mentoring. Staffing would grow by about 20 percent, to accommodate the admissions and student support positions needed for the larger enrollment. New College will work with its partners in the College Consortium to expand infrastructure and explore public-private partnerships (P3) for housing infrastructure needs. Funding for this will be requested in subsequent years. 

New College of Florida

Penta5 USA’s MosquitoPaQ LLC, based in Sarasota, Florida, won a Gold award at the 2017 DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation. The company’s patented secure no-bite outdoor zone spatial attractant/confounder/repellent pouch was recognized for its innovative use of a frangible (breakable) seal pouch as part of a new application for mosquito repellent. The pouch allows consumers to mix and activate dry and wet ingredients in the repellent at the time of use, without having to pour out or touch the package’s contents. After activation, consumers simply hang the pouch and leave it alone as the attractant/confounder/repellent is released over the course of fifteen days. With a holistic focus on customers, the MosquitoPaQ LLC division also included graphics on the pouch itself that teach consumers how to use this innovative package.  

Penta5

Venice Regional Bayfront Health has appointed Bob Moore as chief executive officer. Moore has more than 30 years of executive hospital leadership experience. For the past three years, he has served as CEO for Munroe Regional Medical Center, a 421-bed hospital in Ocala. Moore will join the hospital in late July. During his tenure in Ocala, Moore led work to bring the hospital's master facility plan to life through an Emergency Room expansion, development of a 12-bed Level II NICU and expansion of women's healthcare services. Planning for the development of a new 100-bed acute care hospital in western Marion County is well underway. Moore also led capital investments to expand and introduce new services, including expansion of robotic and minimally invasive surgery technologies. Access to primary and specialty care has grown with the recruitment of more than 20 physicians to Munroe Medical Group. Patient satisfaction as measured through HCAHPS has increased each of the past three years in Ocala, as have employee and physician satisfaction. Prior to his most recent position, Moore also served as CEO of hospitals in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Illinois. Moore holds a Master’s of Science in Management from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL, and a certificate in Hospital Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. 

http://www.veniceregional.com

Join SRQ Media for the conclusion of our dynamic 2016-2017 SB2 event season with SB2: GOOD Hand–Building Capacity in our Independent Sector on Thursday, July 20, 2017 from 7:30am–9:00am at The Francis, Downtown Sarasota. Local foundation expets will give us insight on fundraising, innovation and nonprofit consultants. Keynote, David Odahowski, President and CEO of the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, will discuss the organization's work giving grant money to qualified non-profit organizations to improve the quality of life for the people of Central Florida. Special guest panelists include: Roxie Jerde, President and CEO, Community Foundation of Sarasota County; Stacey Corley, Vice President of Advancement, Ringling College of Art and Design; Veronica Brandon Miller, Vice President, Goodwill Foundation; Susie Bowie, Executive Director, Manatee Community Foundation; and Heidi Brown, CEO, Jewish and Family Children's Service.

Reserve Tickets.