FLIGHT TO
FREEDOM FROM CASTRO'S CUBA
January 1 marks the 50th
anniversary of Fidel Castro's assumption of power in Cuba, and it also
marks the 50th anniversary of a new life for the Cajigas family. In his
excellent book, A Pilot's History (which AVweb serialized
over the past year), Carl Moesly wrote
of the daring rescue of a wealthy Cuban family in the corporate DC-3 he
flew for American tycoon Arthur Vining Davis. The code words for
initiating the rescue were, "The fish are biting; bring the big car."
The first part referred to Castro; the second, to Davis's luxurious
airplane. In a mad dash to a farm strip on the Isle of Pines, as
Castro's forces were taking control of the country, Moesly flew the
family of Francesco Cajigas to the safety of Miami.
Over the years, the family told children and grandchildren of the
flight and the code words that saved their lives, words that jumped off
the screen at Luigi Cajigas when he read them on AVweb. His
mother, Adriana Cajigas, was a frightened 12-year-old on that
plane 50 years ago, and she spoke with AVweb's Russ Niles about
the fateful flight.
Click here to listen. (6.5 MB,
7:04)
