Freyja Vanlager

Aquí os dejo el artículo con el que he tenido el placer de colaborar con la revista AMM Life & Style para la edición de Febrero y que ojalá sea el primero de una larga lista. Traduzco el artículo al inglés especialmente para Lady Meirit. Gracias.

Although I am a bit out of the script, I want to thank AMM Life & Style for this opportunity to share my experiences in SL with their readers. Today I start my collaboration and I want to do it with a series of articles on women who have many things to tell. Women who live their lives in SL working hard to make their dreams and passions true and who share them with the entire community. Women with “a couple of …”. (I don’t know if this can be understood in English but it comes from a typical Spanish sentence). I hope you like the articles, get inspiration from them and, above all, that they encourage you to meet these women and their work personally.

I’d like to introduce you to Lady Meirit, a woman passionate about the world of aviation and especially aviation in the 1930s. Meirit is, like her heroine Amelia Earhart was, a strong woman who has followed her dream and owns one of the best classic airfields in SL: Aerodrome Amelia Earhart.

I came to the airfield by chance. In the past I used to take commercial flights on SL and I’m looking for them in this new stage. But they’re not easy to find. I guess TP is a too unfair competition for SL airlines.

As soon as you get the Aerodrome you immediately realize that you are in a very special place. Its atmosphere immediately transports you to the 1930s: the buildings, the hangars, the planes and even the light seem to be taken from a vintage photo. Even the languid spirit of those years surrounds you inevitably.

And there she is, Lady Meirit, giving me her smile, elegantly dressed as if she had just danced Blue Moon or a tango by Gardel with a handsome pilot in a neat uniform. After exchanging a few sentences with her, I realize that I am dealing with a woman who can surely inspire one of the articles in this series that we are launching today.

– FV: Meirit, thank you for assisting me, I rarely meet the owners of the sites I visit on my travels. I’m honoured.

– LM: Thank you, I spend a lot of time here almost every day. There are always things to do and this allow me to be in contact with my customers, those who have rented the hangars. I think it is something that they value and that most airport owners don’t do.

Amelia Earhart Airfield is a huge expanse, almost a full Sim, and every foot is worth seeing. As Meirit explains me, her passion is creating warm environments where visitors feel comfortable. And of course she made it here! All the details are perfectly recreated. The buildings, the machinery and of course the planes are done wtih great detail to preserve the original image. Even the largest hangars and their adjoining buildings are actual models of hangars that existed in the 30’s of RL. Meirit tell me that there is an old aviation community enthusiasts and there are also other interesting airfields to visit.

– FV: Meirit, why Amelia Earhart airfield?

– LM: Well, Amelia was a pioneer of aviation. She is a woman that has always fascinated me. I had another airport before, but when the opportunity arose to build a new larger one, I had no doubt that it had to be named after her.

– FV: In a certain way, you are also a pioneer woman in SL. Are there many women in the aviation world here in SL?

– LM: No, I don’t feel myself like a pioneer. I just do what I like and try to do my best. Amelia was a pioneer and I just try to honor her by creating this airfield and making it work with a warm atmosphere. There are many women in the world of aviation and some of them are very good pilots.

Continuing my visit to the aerodrome, hangars full of old airplanes, engines and tools catch my attention. All perfectly in line with the atmosphere that is intended to be recreated. Sitting in the improvised armchairs that the mechanics surely use in their relaxing breaks, I wonder what life would be like at that time. The terminal building is amazing. From the facade to the interior all the elements are arranged in order to be as faithful as possible to the RL airports in the 30s. What a difference between the elegance of that time and the inhospitable places that are airports today.

– FV: Meirit, I imagine that in addition to building an airport you are also a pilot.

– LM: Sure, of course, I love to fly.

– FV: What is your favourite plane?

– LM: The Electra and the Staggerwind

– FV: What makes them special?

– LM: I like the Electra because it handles very well and also because it was a plane that Amelia flew. In fact the last one he flew. The Staggerwind for its design and the sound it makes when flying.

– FV: I have never piloted a plane, is it very difficult?

– LM: No, of course not, I’m going to leave you a plane so you can practice.

– FV: Oops, thanks, I’ll try not to crash and destroy your beautiful airfield!

And here I am, ready to jump on a plane as a pilot for the first time. I’m very nervous, but after Meirit’s words about Amelia I try to calm myself with the spirit of those pioneers of aviation. But as expected, my skills as a pilot have been a disaster. I’ll have to keep trying. But that was after all the spirit of the pioneers: To do what had never been done before.

– FV: Meirit, to finish, is there a place that is special for you in the airport?

– LM: Yes, in fact I am finishing a museum dedicated to Amelia Earhart. This airfield is dedicated to her, so she deserves a special place to remember her.

I say goodbye to Meirit and her wonderful aerodrome, happy to meet her and thanking her enormously for her kindness. I leave with the conviction that if Amelia Earhart had been able to visit her SL, she would be very proud of Meirit.