Fort Lauderdale, FL – General Aviation chocks artistically designed by students from the Out Islands of The Bahamas, received international  exposure when they were featured as a give-away to pilots attending the upcoming National Summit of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), in Tampa Florida, November 5-7^th, 2009.

During the month of September, the Aviation Department of The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, teamed up with its tourist offices in Exuma, Abaco, Eleuthera and Grand Bahama to produce unique chocks for aircraft.  The program was held in conjunction with the Junior Achievers program of various Out Island schools and among the objectives of the program was to expose Bahamians to aviation business opportunities.”

Various Out Island high schools participated in the creative design contest for the aviation chocks and four winners were selected.  Each of the winners were presented a trip to Tampa, Florida, to attend the AOPA National Summit where the winning creative hand painted chocks will be showcased, as a premium give-a-way item to the private pilots in attendance.

The Bahamas team will also distribute the chocks to arriving pilots at AOPA designated airports namely, Tampa Executive Airport, and Peter O. Knight. The Islands of The Bahamas will receive additional exposure as some of the chocks will be displayed at wheels of all aircraft at the Static Display.

The students also served as young ambassadors for The Bahamas, bringing much awareness to our Island Destination, and symbolizing why we say, “It’s Better in The Bahamas”