082507 What an extremely busy week! Since publishing the blog last Saturday, Sunday morning J & I left for Kabul. We flew up on Ariana Airlines, which was the original National Airline instituted by Pan American. I had been told traffic was heavy and it was a 100% load factor flight. I can see why Safi Airways wants a piece of the action.
Not knowing what to quite expect except that “a driver would meet us at the airport!” I knew that we had hired a “station manager (named D)” for Kabul, but this turned out to be an understatement. This guy puts Ricardo in Acapulco to shame. He took our passports, telling us there is no point in US standing inline, and went directly to the immigration supervisor. The passports were stamped IMMEDIATELY and returned to us! That was just the beginning!
Our driver had a NEW (no dents, shinny) Ford Explorer. We had a leisurely ride to the Safi Landmark Hotel and City Center Mall. Passing all the major embassies enroute, I was surprised to see how close the US and Iranian embassies were. Each embassy had reinforced walls around their compounds, concertina wire above, and numerous armed guards at strategic spots.
The Safi Landmark Hotel is the only five star hotel in Kabul. It is classified as a UN Security Cleared Hotel, which appears to mean that it has barriers around the hotel so cars/trucks cannot ram their way in. Rooms have limited windows to keep “people from looking in.” There are guards at every entrance as well as metal detectors.
After we arrived in the lobby, it was very evident phone calls had been made. The General Manager, who is Indian, came quickly out to meet us and only had us sign our room cards. Seeing all that D was doing for us and the way he was treated, we knew he was more than a “station manager.” In effect, he works directly for Mr. Safi, and handles all the financial matters relating to all business matters in Kabul. Of course before starting business, we had to have an “Afghanistan” big meal again.
We then walked one block to the new Safi Airways Building. What a shock! This building is build, and equipped for a 100 plane fleet. Nothing like thinking big! If you don’t receive the pictures, contact Alice. What a beautiful building, inside and out. I think D has been working overtime.
The roof of the hotel is divided into two different restaurants. One is a cocktail area with tents and the other is half a level higher and you get a panoramic 360 degree view of the city. Naturally, I took the 360 degree view. There is no alcohol served but the waiter did catch J pouring into his glass, but that was quickly resolved with the supervisor changing waiters. Alice was correct in insisting that I take a sweater to Dubai. I took it to Kabul where the temperature dropped to 60 degrees on the roof.
The next day we had scheduled meetings with the President of Civil Aviation & Tourism, the Technical & Operational Depute Minister, and the US FAA Representative. All meetings went extremely well, lasting for quite a while. The FAA Representative was a good introduction to the ISAF Forces and procedures. I believe he was a little surprised at how fast we were getting things done in Afghanistan.
Speaking of getting things done, did I mention the new Safi Office building at the airport? Pictures are also included. D has purchased so much NEW airport ground equipment, that it can’t be all stored at the airport right now. When flights commence, the rest of the equipment will be brought in from behind the hotel.
D showed us another building we own that we let the Kam Airways Pilots use for their turnarounds. After getting to know them, and they are from Bolivia, they asked me if I would like to ride their jumpseat back. Let me think…
They also fly 767s, so it was great to watch their mountain procedures in action. Great also arriving into Dubai.
A direct quote from D: “in Afghanistan, all things are possible.” And after seeing what he has accomplished, it must be the quote of the week to be remembered!
Getting back into Dubai, we started calling the pilots over for their training in Bahrain and the commencement of flight ops. I will be leaving shortly for Beijing to pick up the aircraft and hope it doesn’t turn into much of a hassle.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Middle of August
081107 Although this was a back to work day, I had enough computer items to do that I stayed in the apartment for the quiet. Another big reason to stay here was the cable man was coming today to realign the dish for European reception. Knowing how other foreign cities operate, I gave this realignment about a 40% chance.
Around noon, the phone calls started coming. First from S, saying the cable man was delayed, expect him around 2:00-3:00PM. Around 4:30PM he called to say he was delayed in traffic and would be there ASAP! At 7:15PM I received a knock on the door. Upon opening, there was the cable man, his assistant, and our Duty Driver L and all the paraphernalia. The tool belt, the cable wire cutter, the set of ratchet wrenches, and most of all --- the DISH! At this point I knew I was home free. Tonight I would have Fox News, BBC Worldwide, or possibly even CNN.
My first point of losing faith in these guys came when they went to the dish farm on the roof and left the new dish in the living room. I tried to explain they would need to replace the dish on the roof to which I received the proverbial “No Problem!” Of course about 9:45PM they returned from the roof to tell me they had to put the dish on the patio. Why? Because they didn’t bring enough cable to hang it from the roof above the fourteenth floor, down the side, drill a hole through cinder block walls, to the TV on the fourth floor!
Being the calm collected guy that I am, I explained that this is a brand new building. The cable already reaches to the roof from the living room wall to the CURRENT dish. About an hour later they agreed that the wall connection must go to the roof and they would go back to the roof. Anyway, at 11:45PM they returned and said they would be back tomorrow.
081207 It’s only 10:00PM on Sunday and I’m still waiting with my 150 channels of Arab/Muslim music. I wonder if there really is a world beyond Dubai? When low and behold, there’s the cable guy again! This time he has brought 200 feet of cable to drop it over the side of the building. At 11:58PM after getting the cable on the patio and into the living room he realizes he doesn’t have the correct cable box (modem). “No problem,” I’ll return Monday night.
081307 Meanwhile back in the office we are now set up for twelve days in Bahrain and the Gulf Airways Simulators and Ground Training Program. Not only do I think it is a good program, but it will be a way for all the pilots to get to know each other on both the personal and professional basis. Again for those of you from the aviation community, since we are paying big bucks for this training, I have selected only daylight hours for the simulator and I’m not talking about daylight/VFR inside!
081407 It now looks like John and I will be flying to Kabul next Sunday or Monday for two to three days. We already have meetings set up with the Administrator of the Kabul Airport, US Air Force (wonder why they have priority for takeoffs), and other unnamed individuals. This will be my first venture into the world of Safi as they own the only five star hotel in Kabul. The hotel’s name is Safi-Landmark.
If you put the word Kabul into your internet explorer, you will get a number of choices. If you then click on the Wickipedia line, you get all the information you ever wanted about Kabul. It is actually a very good article. The hotel is attached to the largest mall in Afghanistan and is pictured in the article. Who knows, maybe there is a good rug dealer there.
081507 In case you are wondering, I’ve heard as much from the cable man in the last three days as you have! After a deep breath, I tried a new approach by hiring a new company. They now tell me my appointment is Saturday at 9:00AM. It is pretty gutsy for them in this part of the world giving more than just the day. We’ll see!
The Kabul trip on Sunday still looks good for two to three days. We’ll be flying in on our biggest competition, Ariana Airlines. We’ll give the cockpit a shot and see if they accept a jump seat rider. The Kabul story will be for next week.
081607 For those of you that have the Dubai Explorer book, page 391 would apply. But for those that don’t, this is interesting. The apartment is in Sharjah, the most conservative of all the Emirates. For this topic, conservative simply means--- NO BOOZE of any kind. So let’s just say someone’s booze supply has evaporated in the desert air and more would be required, WHAT WOULD HE DO? There are a couple of “approved underground,” “Holes in the Wall.” The catch is they cannot advertise, which means they have no phones, no addresses, no pictures of the place, and must be hidden behind walls. We (C, J, and I) went to dinner at the informal Kempinski Hotel sports bar and then on to Ras Al Khaimah to find the “Hole in the Wall.” Luckily, they had been here before because there is no way I would have driven in there on my own. It was like a drug deal going bad in the French Connection! T’s amazing how guilty one can feel buying a bottle of wine!
I did get one picture taken and was immediately informed by the armed guards that it was not a good idea! Like always, I was glad to get their advice and took I it with a grin . Maybe they were not as fluent as some; it was just that they spoke with authority holding machine guns in their hands. Also, it appears no women are allowed. No Pinot Grigio for A. Just another rich cultural experience!
Around noon, the phone calls started coming. First from S, saying the cable man was delayed, expect him around 2:00-3:00PM. Around 4:30PM he called to say he was delayed in traffic and would be there ASAP! At 7:15PM I received a knock on the door. Upon opening, there was the cable man, his assistant, and our Duty Driver L and all the paraphernalia. The tool belt, the cable wire cutter, the set of ratchet wrenches, and most of all --- the DISH! At this point I knew I was home free. Tonight I would have Fox News, BBC Worldwide, or possibly even CNN.
My first point of losing faith in these guys came when they went to the dish farm on the roof and left the new dish in the living room. I tried to explain they would need to replace the dish on the roof to which I received the proverbial “No Problem!” Of course about 9:45PM they returned from the roof to tell me they had to put the dish on the patio. Why? Because they didn’t bring enough cable to hang it from the roof above the fourteenth floor, down the side, drill a hole through cinder block walls, to the TV on the fourth floor!
Being the calm collected guy that I am, I explained that this is a brand new building. The cable already reaches to the roof from the living room wall to the CURRENT dish. About an hour later they agreed that the wall connection must go to the roof and they would go back to the roof. Anyway, at 11:45PM they returned and said they would be back tomorrow.
081207 It’s only 10:00PM on Sunday and I’m still waiting with my 150 channels of Arab/Muslim music. I wonder if there really is a world beyond Dubai? When low and behold, there’s the cable guy again! This time he has brought 200 feet of cable to drop it over the side of the building. At 11:58PM after getting the cable on the patio and into the living room he realizes he doesn’t have the correct cable box (modem). “No problem,” I’ll return Monday night.
081307 Meanwhile back in the office we are now set up for twelve days in Bahrain and the Gulf Airways Simulators and Ground Training Program. Not only do I think it is a good program, but it will be a way for all the pilots to get to know each other on both the personal and professional basis. Again for those of you from the aviation community, since we are paying big bucks for this training, I have selected only daylight hours for the simulator and I’m not talking about daylight/VFR inside!
081407 It now looks like John and I will be flying to Kabul next Sunday or Monday for two to three days. We already have meetings set up with the Administrator of the Kabul Airport, US Air Force (wonder why they have priority for takeoffs), and other unnamed individuals. This will be my first venture into the world of Safi as they own the only five star hotel in Kabul. The hotel’s name is Safi-Landmark.
If you put the word Kabul into your internet explorer, you will get a number of choices. If you then click on the Wickipedia line, you get all the information you ever wanted about Kabul. It is actually a very good article. The hotel is attached to the largest mall in Afghanistan and is pictured in the article. Who knows, maybe there is a good rug dealer there.
081507 In case you are wondering, I’ve heard as much from the cable man in the last three days as you have! After a deep breath, I tried a new approach by hiring a new company. They now tell me my appointment is Saturday at 9:00AM. It is pretty gutsy for them in this part of the world giving more than just the day. We’ll see!
The Kabul trip on Sunday still looks good for two to three days. We’ll be flying in on our biggest competition, Ariana Airlines. We’ll give the cockpit a shot and see if they accept a jump seat rider. The Kabul story will be for next week.
081607 For those of you that have the Dubai Explorer book, page 391 would apply. But for those that don’t, this is interesting. The apartment is in Sharjah, the most conservative of all the Emirates. For this topic, conservative simply means--- NO BOOZE of any kind. So let’s just say someone’s booze supply has evaporated in the desert air and more would be required, WHAT WOULD HE DO? There are a couple of “approved underground,” “Holes in the Wall.” The catch is they cannot advertise, which means they have no phones, no addresses, no pictures of the place, and must be hidden behind walls. We (C, J, and I) went to dinner at the informal Kempinski Hotel sports bar and then on to Ras Al Khaimah to find the “Hole in the Wall.” Luckily, they had been here before because there is no way I would have driven in there on my own. It was like a drug deal going bad in the French Connection! T’s amazing how guilty one can feel buying a bottle of wine!
I did get one picture taken and was immediately informed by the armed guards that it was not a good idea! Like always, I was glad to get their advice and took I it with a grin . Maybe they were not as fluent as some; it was just that they spoke with authority holding machine guns in their hands. Also, it appears no women are allowed. No Pinot Grigio for A. Just another rich cultural experience!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Second Week of August
080707 I arrived at 9:00AM for my planned meeting with Captain V Lakshman Reddy, expat head of the Gulf Air 767 Simulators. Very competent individual who flew with Air India prior to being pulled into the training realm. From my past experience, this is a small operation with two A320 sims, one A340 sim, as well as one 767 sim. However, as the saying goes, it is the ONLY sim in town. The next closest 767 sim would be London or Frankfurt requiring too much transit.
For those of you from the aviation community, the interesting thing to remember setting up the program is that Afghanistan really hasn’t set up their controlling authority, so we are really autonomous. What we set up may well turn out to be their model. For GT and BW, like setting up the initial P3C budgets. To make us acceptable to the EU and others we will have to be very close to their model.
I was able to complete everything in one day but will be staying one more night in Bahrain leaving early in the morning. I didn’t mention the Bahrain airport previously, but after Dubai it is similar to Muscle Sholes, Alabama. It is a fifties stile airport that is functional but will never be a hub. The one restaurant that stood out was Chile’s! When I was leaving customs, I was not surprised at having to pay five Dinars for a visa, but that the rate is $3.00/Dinar. Very few places in the world require more dollars than their basic unit.
I was scheduled to leave Bahrain at 7:15 in the morning, so I checked in the required two hours early. I again checked through security before getting to the check-in counter. At 7:00AM the realization hit me that there was not a plane at the gate and people were leaving. Checking the gate assignment monitor, I realized the gate was changed. Changing gates and I notice the departure time has changed to 9:30AM. Again, people were leaving close to 9:00AM with another gate change and time pushed back to 12:30PM. All these changes and not one announcement! We actually pushed back from the gate at 1:30 arriving back into Dubai with the time change at 5:00PM. Gulf Air is not high on my list!
Returning to the office I was informed the aircraft was ready to be picked up in Beijing and that it was also insured. Our hold up now is the Boeing Manuals and we can’t get them till the title transfers…everything has its own time. Anyway we’re now completing the flight planning from Beijing to Dubai. I believe this will happen before the end of August. We will be calling the other pilots over very soon and it will be nice to have more company.
Before Beijing, John and I will be traveling to Kabul to set up the operation and procedures up there. This should not be hard since we’re also building a new terminal at the airport! Because the US Air Force has such a presence in Afghanistan, it is interesting to note one of the procedures for departure is to have the wheel wells pressure washed to prevent the spread of Hof and Mouth disease. Just another bird bath!
080907 So far, I really haven’t mentioned the working environment and schedules. The office is downtown Dubai by the clock tower. The working hours are 10:00AM to 6:00PM, Saturday through Thursday. That’s right folks, six days and Thursday is really Friday night. The office is really as diverse as diverse can get. Very nice folks, and their rundown would be:
R -- Afghan about 35, owner with his brother, quiet but absorbs a lot. No problems making a decision quickly and efficiently.
S -- Afghan, former Captain for Ariana Airlines, longtime friend of owner’s family. Handles most of the business end of flying as well as the pilots and flight attendants. Old school and keeps the operation on some type of timetable. Wants the plane here ASAP.
J -- American who handles hiring all the pilots and the initial training in MIA. Former Pan Am and operated foreign airlines for them.
L -- From the Philippines. Flew and administrated Cathy Pacific flight attendants for twenty years. Started out with thirty six F/As but now down to thirty five due to a problem! She and her husband (Australian) have been here for almost three years and are in their second condo here. Sold the first one for a profit already M! Very competent individual.
S -- Indian who runs the office as the administrative assistant. She is a very effective YNCS! Most important is that she handles electronic banking for ME!
C -- Italian who is in charge of catering and logistics. He is a very likable guy who lives in the same apartment with his wife and two kids. He’s actually the one who has gotten me thinking about renting a car. It is amazing how cheap cars are to buy here with no taxes! He is from Northern Italy (Milan) about 37.
I -- Afghan that handles the public relations and communication. Young guy about 28 who I believe is looking to the long term. Good ideas on reservations and the impending sales push. He also lives in the apartment building and rides in in the morning. Faster than a type A!
K -- UAE dispatcher. He has walked me through all the computerization for the weights and balance and it is far ahead of anything I have used in the past! Interestingly if the mainframe goes down, there is another computer onboard that can be used. Nothing like backups!
Sa -- Arab from Dubai that is the IT king for the office. He is very well trained on most of the computers and software currently available. He just gets things done! We will be leaving at the end of this month for new offices (900 meters square) at the airport and he is in charge of the office and wiring. He is really trying to make them economical because when the new International Wing is finished next July we will be moving into our permanent offices (3500 meters square) there.
Im -- Not sure, just know he’s Muslim. He is the office gofer and that is the only way to put it. He constantly wants to get me water, coke light (diet for you Americans), tea, or food. When I’m in the office he sits about ten feet from me and his two eyes are just waiting and watching to do something. As bad as I am, I had to roll a pencil off my desk just to see how fast he could pick it up…bad, bad, bad!
OK, now you know the lineup. They are all really polite qualified people starting a new airline. One thing that is really different from Delta is seeing the same people everyday and getting to know them. Yes I do know size makes a difference!
Since I arrived last Friday night, tomorrow will be my first day off. My plan is to sleep late, go swimming at a local park C recommended, and (don’t be surprised) go to the grocery store. Since I’m back in the apartment with no internet right now, it may be a while before this all gets sent out.
081107 I enjoyed my wake up call from the Ts lake house and speaking to everyone. I noticed that I spoke to everyone except K who is usually a lightweight staying awake with the troops. It is easy to see my leadership skills were missed by the wine opened late.
My day off turned out not to be as I expected. I had planned to get a taxi and go to the beach which is about fifteen minutes away. As it so happens, everyone in Dubai is off on Friday and Saturday and uses taxis. Very, very , very difficult to get a cab at all, much less that distance.
So as flexible as I am, I decided to go to the Mall and Super Market instead. Same taxi problem! Using the old Moscow trick of standing with you arm at 45 degrees, I was able to commandeer a private taxi. Unlike Moscow, these are usually twice the going taxi rate---but they are there and ready!
I had the private taxi driver take me to the Sahara Mall. Very large mall, even by US standards. It is three levels with the lower level mostly a very large Super Market call Spinny’s. The middle and half of the upper level are all the international stores you can think of. The remainder half of the upper level is covered by a “tent roof” and houses the restaurants.
Starting with the stores, I was able to find two pillows which I sorely needed. Continuing to Spinny’s, when buying milk and milk products here one does have to remember that camels make milk also! The final event at the mall was dinner.
I don’t normally do it when I travel, but I went to an American franchise---Chile’s. G would be proud of me. The first thing that struck me was it appeared bigger than American Chile’s that I am accustomed to. The second thing was a much larger staff and always immediate service. The third was the segregation. Women in birkas were in the back right area, women with birkas and children were in the back left area, those in European dress were grouped together, and finally traditionally dressed Arab men were in another section. The food was good and the experience better. However one must remember that Sharjah is dry, so nothing alcoholic was served. The waiter did do a double take when I asked.
For those of you from the aviation community, the interesting thing to remember setting up the program is that Afghanistan really hasn’t set up their controlling authority, so we are really autonomous. What we set up may well turn out to be their model. For GT and BW, like setting up the initial P3C budgets. To make us acceptable to the EU and others we will have to be very close to their model.
I was able to complete everything in one day but will be staying one more night in Bahrain leaving early in the morning. I didn’t mention the Bahrain airport previously, but after Dubai it is similar to Muscle Sholes, Alabama. It is a fifties stile airport that is functional but will never be a hub. The one restaurant that stood out was Chile’s! When I was leaving customs, I was not surprised at having to pay five Dinars for a visa, but that the rate is $3.00/Dinar. Very few places in the world require more dollars than their basic unit.
I was scheduled to leave Bahrain at 7:15 in the morning, so I checked in the required two hours early. I again checked through security before getting to the check-in counter. At 7:00AM the realization hit me that there was not a plane at the gate and people were leaving. Checking the gate assignment monitor, I realized the gate was changed. Changing gates and I notice the departure time has changed to 9:30AM. Again, people were leaving close to 9:00AM with another gate change and time pushed back to 12:30PM. All these changes and not one announcement! We actually pushed back from the gate at 1:30 arriving back into Dubai with the time change at 5:00PM. Gulf Air is not high on my list!
Returning to the office I was informed the aircraft was ready to be picked up in Beijing and that it was also insured. Our hold up now is the Boeing Manuals and we can’t get them till the title transfers…everything has its own time. Anyway we’re now completing the flight planning from Beijing to Dubai. I believe this will happen before the end of August. We will be calling the other pilots over very soon and it will be nice to have more company.
Before Beijing, John and I will be traveling to Kabul to set up the operation and procedures up there. This should not be hard since we’re also building a new terminal at the airport! Because the US Air Force has such a presence in Afghanistan, it is interesting to note one of the procedures for departure is to have the wheel wells pressure washed to prevent the spread of Hof and Mouth disease. Just another bird bath!
080907 So far, I really haven’t mentioned the working environment and schedules. The office is downtown Dubai by the clock tower. The working hours are 10:00AM to 6:00PM, Saturday through Thursday. That’s right folks, six days and Thursday is really Friday night. The office is really as diverse as diverse can get. Very nice folks, and their rundown would be:
R -- Afghan about 35, owner with his brother, quiet but absorbs a lot. No problems making a decision quickly and efficiently.
S -- Afghan, former Captain for Ariana Airlines, longtime friend of owner’s family. Handles most of the business end of flying as well as the pilots and flight attendants. Old school and keeps the operation on some type of timetable. Wants the plane here ASAP.
J -- American who handles hiring all the pilots and the initial training in MIA. Former Pan Am and operated foreign airlines for them.
L -- From the Philippines. Flew and administrated Cathy Pacific flight attendants for twenty years. Started out with thirty six F/As but now down to thirty five due to a problem! She and her husband (Australian) have been here for almost three years and are in their second condo here. Sold the first one for a profit already M! Very competent individual.
S -- Indian who runs the office as the administrative assistant. She is a very effective YNCS! Most important is that she handles electronic banking for ME!
C -- Italian who is in charge of catering and logistics. He is a very likable guy who lives in the same apartment with his wife and two kids. He’s actually the one who has gotten me thinking about renting a car. It is amazing how cheap cars are to buy here with no taxes! He is from Northern Italy (Milan) about 37.
I -- Afghan that handles the public relations and communication. Young guy about 28 who I believe is looking to the long term. Good ideas on reservations and the impending sales push. He also lives in the apartment building and rides in in the morning. Faster than a type A!
K -- UAE dispatcher. He has walked me through all the computerization for the weights and balance and it is far ahead of anything I have used in the past! Interestingly if the mainframe goes down, there is another computer onboard that can be used. Nothing like backups!
Sa -- Arab from Dubai that is the IT king for the office. He is very well trained on most of the computers and software currently available. He just gets things done! We will be leaving at the end of this month for new offices (900 meters square) at the airport and he is in charge of the office and wiring. He is really trying to make them economical because when the new International Wing is finished next July we will be moving into our permanent offices (3500 meters square) there.
Im -- Not sure, just know he’s Muslim. He is the office gofer and that is the only way to put it. He constantly wants to get me water, coke light (diet for you Americans), tea, or food. When I’m in the office he sits about ten feet from me and his two eyes are just waiting and watching to do something. As bad as I am, I had to roll a pencil off my desk just to see how fast he could pick it up…bad, bad, bad!
OK, now you know the lineup. They are all really polite qualified people starting a new airline. One thing that is really different from Delta is seeing the same people everyday and getting to know them. Yes I do know size makes a difference!
Since I arrived last Friday night, tomorrow will be my first day off. My plan is to sleep late, go swimming at a local park C recommended, and (don’t be surprised) go to the grocery store. Since I’m back in the apartment with no internet right now, it may be a while before this all gets sent out.
081107 I enjoyed my wake up call from the Ts lake house and speaking to everyone. I noticed that I spoke to everyone except K who is usually a lightweight staying awake with the troops. It is easy to see my leadership skills were missed by the wine opened late.
My day off turned out not to be as I expected. I had planned to get a taxi and go to the beach which is about fifteen minutes away. As it so happens, everyone in Dubai is off on Friday and Saturday and uses taxis. Very, very , very difficult to get a cab at all, much less that distance.
So as flexible as I am, I decided to go to the Mall and Super Market instead. Same taxi problem! Using the old Moscow trick of standing with you arm at 45 degrees, I was able to commandeer a private taxi. Unlike Moscow, these are usually twice the going taxi rate---but they are there and ready!
I had the private taxi driver take me to the Sahara Mall. Very large mall, even by US standards. It is three levels with the lower level mostly a very large Super Market call Spinny’s. The middle and half of the upper level are all the international stores you can think of. The remainder half of the upper level is covered by a “tent roof” and houses the restaurants.
Starting with the stores, I was able to find two pillows which I sorely needed. Continuing to Spinny’s, when buying milk and milk products here one does have to remember that camels make milk also! The final event at the mall was dinner.
I don’t normally do it when I travel, but I went to an American franchise---Chile’s. G would be proud of me. The first thing that struck me was it appeared bigger than American Chile’s that I am accustomed to. The second thing was a much larger staff and always immediate service. The third was the segregation. Women in birkas were in the back right area, women with birkas and children were in the back left area, those in European dress were grouped together, and finally traditionally dressed Arab men were in another section. The food was good and the experience better. However one must remember that Sharjah is dry, so nothing alcoholic was served. The waiter did do a double take when I asked.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Early August 2007
Blog for Thursday Departure, August 2.
Today was the day that we’ve been planning on as the beginning of the new adventure. Since the plane didn’t leave Atlanta till 9:00PM, it did make for a leisurely packing and preparing evolution. It was nice to hear from all the kids and friends who called to wish me well. It certainly does give one the ability to move forward with the support of so many.
My wife drove me to the airport and even went inside to the gate to say a final farewell…a true act of love! The flight planning and departure will be great planning tools for her and her departure. We did learn a few items checking in: (1) The international limit on bags is TWO, each bag over is $100.00; (2) The weight limit on each bag is 50# and ANYTHING over that limit is charged an additional $25.00, if you are close and want to take the time balancing is always an option; (3) carry-on limit is 40# (but no one checks).
The flight was scheduled for fourteen hours. Since it was so late in the day and knowing that I would be served dinner I abstained from food after lunch. Boarding with two Business Class seats, I spread out and enjoyed a glass of Champaign. Pushback and takeoff were uneventful. I didn’t think the menus in Business were as good as they have been in the past, but I was full after dinner and two glasses of wine. By the way---Hot Fudge sundaes are BACK! My final drink about 11:30PM on the 2nd was a glass of water and an Ambien.
With my new Bose headsets keeping everything quiet on the aircraft I awoke and saw that the plane would land in two and a half hours! I had just lost all my professional and reading time! It certainly makes a trip go fast through.
Beginning of August (3rd) Arrival into Dubai:
Descent, approach, and landing into Dubai were uneventful. Long taxi into the gate, but Business was first to deplane. It was 103 degrees on the outside and a cool 76 on the inside. The jetways and ramps remind me very much of all the glass at Munich. It is a super clean airport with all signs in English. After clearing immigration, where no Visa is required, I immediately went to the Duty Free Store where you can bring items (Rum + Wine) into Dubai for a reduced rate. Even found that I could use my airline ID for an additional 10% off. I then found my baggage and headed for customs. With nothing to declare, my bags went through another scanner and I was on my way.
After leaving the customs area and out into the real world, I immediately saw a large sign for “Captain Bob Davis.” My driver from Safi took my bags and off to the limo. Like most large airports, it took more time leaving the parking lot than actually getting to my apartment.
I met my new boss, John Bigelow, at the apartment. He had nicely turned my a/c on and charged my new cellphone…so I am in business. I’ll send the new numbers for the apartment and cell when I know them myself. Now they just ring!
The apartment is very nice! The furniture is brand new, IKEA 2007 modern furniture, fully furnished kitchen, and best of all--- one and a half baths. This definitely makes visitors welcome and comfortable. Plenty of sleeping space and hopefully pictures will be placed into this blog. Tomorrow is another day!
080407 Somewhere the 3rd turned into the 4th. Since John is now sick, the Driver didn’t pick me up till 12:00 and I showed up at the Safi Offices on my own. Everyone was very nice and went out of their respective ways to make me feel at home. I spent all my time with Captain Saleem (EVP of Safi) discussing what I would be doing and how the airline is progressing. He then called one of the owners of Safi and the three of us then went for a welcoming lunch. Seven courses is a little heavy for 2:00 in the afternoon, but I was able to survive!
I felt much like LWP in that I didn’t quite know what was arriving but thought I should at least try to be polite. What I can remember at this point is starting with two types of olives, various types of humus (garlic and olives, tomato and onion), various salad fixings to be put together, spring rolls, cheese bread but really rolls, sautéed meat inside egg plant, flat bread, and I finally was able to choose the mixed kabobs (chicken, lamb, and beef). It turned out to be a great meal and I’m still full eight hours later!
After lunch I was given my plane ticket to Bahrain leaving next Monday at 4:45PM arriving at 5:45PM. The majority of that hour will be spent taxiing. I will be visiting the Gulf Air Simulator complex and getting the training program set up for the other pilots arriving in about two weeks. More will be forthcoming on this subject after the fact.
As things always turnout differently than expected, high speed internet is not yet available in the building. I’m told it should only be about three weeks (bets?). So until then, email will be slow.
I was able to get out and walk around the area to get my bearings. This is really a high rise bedroom community for Dubai that should overtake Dubai population wise in four years. Not too much here except for three grocery stores and two laundries. Without traffic, it is about a ten minute ride to work, with… I did have the driver stop at a super market for supplies on the way back and even saw there was a Chile’s Restaurant! As everyone had expected, there was no ham in the store! Very clean and efficient operation though.
080507 Today started off very slow. The driver had a residency problem to be handled immediately so he couldn’t pick me up till 11:30. It actually turned out for the better because John felt well enough to go over the items that I should cover in Bahrain. Found out the manual for the aircraft may be delayed by Boeing and may not arrive for ten days. Can’t have everyone else here unless we get those.
The weather did rise to 110 degrees during the afternoon. At least it was 78 degrees in the office. On another topic, the aircraft in China had the final registration numbers painted on and will be ready for pickup in the next ten to fifteen days.
I did leave work at 6:00PM today and it only took about 30 minutes to get back to the apartment, with traffic a least moving. I'm still a little tired from the trip over so just laying low for the time being. Tomorrow will be a long day after work and the trip to Bahrain. I understand the hotel I’m in has high speed internet (right!). If that is true, there will probably be a mass download of all the items from the last week.
080607 I continued to have a little problem sleeping last night after four hours. Woke up about 2:30AM so I decided to pack for the trip to Bahrain and continued reading till about 4:30AM. Decided to try to go back to sleep and the next thing I remember is John calling at 9:00AM to discuss the trip. I was out like a light, so the transition must be complete!
Latif, our duty drive, took me to the airport at 1:45PM. The trip only takes about 10 minutes, but I was leery of traffic. Turns out it only took 12 minutes.
The flight process at Dubai is very interesting. To get to the check-in counter you must go through security. Check-in with Gulf Air was very quick and efficient. From there you must go through security again to get to immigration. At no time were small liquids checked or tooth paste, which I had all left back in the apartment knowing I would lose them. I did notice a couple people go through, get beeped, and then just waved through.
The Dubai airport is HUGH! When the new terminal, which can handle approximately 12 A380s side by side, it will have about a four to five mile walk from end to end. In the middle of this security zone is a dynamic city within a city. If I can attach a picture I will. I’m still amazed that everything in Dubai is going UP, UP, UP! Emirates Airlines will be the “Pan Am” for the next generation. Of course, that means many jobs for the Americans and English. My Gulf Air flight today had two Brits flying.
I’m staying at the Movenpick tonight and really enjoying a good meal, good air-conditioning, and great TV. In Sharjah we only get 140 channels of Arab
music and news.
Tomorrow starts the training set-up, so more will follow.
Today was the day that we’ve been planning on as the beginning of the new adventure. Since the plane didn’t leave Atlanta till 9:00PM, it did make for a leisurely packing and preparing evolution. It was nice to hear from all the kids and friends who called to wish me well. It certainly does give one the ability to move forward with the support of so many.
My wife drove me to the airport and even went inside to the gate to say a final farewell…a true act of love! The flight planning and departure will be great planning tools for her and her departure. We did learn a few items checking in: (1) The international limit on bags is TWO, each bag over is $100.00; (2) The weight limit on each bag is 50# and ANYTHING over that limit is charged an additional $25.00, if you are close and want to take the time balancing is always an option; (3) carry-on limit is 40# (but no one checks).
The flight was scheduled for fourteen hours. Since it was so late in the day and knowing that I would be served dinner I abstained from food after lunch. Boarding with two Business Class seats, I spread out and enjoyed a glass of Champaign. Pushback and takeoff were uneventful. I didn’t think the menus in Business were as good as they have been in the past, but I was full after dinner and two glasses of wine. By the way---Hot Fudge sundaes are BACK! My final drink about 11:30PM on the 2nd was a glass of water and an Ambien.
With my new Bose headsets keeping everything quiet on the aircraft I awoke and saw that the plane would land in two and a half hours! I had just lost all my professional and reading time! It certainly makes a trip go fast through.
Beginning of August (3rd) Arrival into Dubai:
Descent, approach, and landing into Dubai were uneventful. Long taxi into the gate, but Business was first to deplane. It was 103 degrees on the outside and a cool 76 on the inside. The jetways and ramps remind me very much of all the glass at Munich. It is a super clean airport with all signs in English. After clearing immigration, where no Visa is required, I immediately went to the Duty Free Store where you can bring items (Rum + Wine) into Dubai for a reduced rate. Even found that I could use my airline ID for an additional 10% off. I then found my baggage and headed for customs. With nothing to declare, my bags went through another scanner and I was on my way.
After leaving the customs area and out into the real world, I immediately saw a large sign for “Captain Bob Davis.” My driver from Safi took my bags and off to the limo. Like most large airports, it took more time leaving the parking lot than actually getting to my apartment.
I met my new boss, John Bigelow, at the apartment. He had nicely turned my a/c on and charged my new cellphone…so I am in business. I’ll send the new numbers for the apartment and cell when I know them myself. Now they just ring!
The apartment is very nice! The furniture is brand new, IKEA 2007 modern furniture, fully furnished kitchen, and best of all--- one and a half baths. This definitely makes visitors welcome and comfortable. Plenty of sleeping space and hopefully pictures will be placed into this blog. Tomorrow is another day!
080407 Somewhere the 3rd turned into the 4th. Since John is now sick, the Driver didn’t pick me up till 12:00 and I showed up at the Safi Offices on my own. Everyone was very nice and went out of their respective ways to make me feel at home. I spent all my time with Captain Saleem (EVP of Safi) discussing what I would be doing and how the airline is progressing. He then called one of the owners of Safi and the three of us then went for a welcoming lunch. Seven courses is a little heavy for 2:00 in the afternoon, but I was able to survive!
I felt much like LWP in that I didn’t quite know what was arriving but thought I should at least try to be polite. What I can remember at this point is starting with two types of olives, various types of humus (garlic and olives, tomato and onion), various salad fixings to be put together, spring rolls, cheese bread but really rolls, sautéed meat inside egg plant, flat bread, and I finally was able to choose the mixed kabobs (chicken, lamb, and beef). It turned out to be a great meal and I’m still full eight hours later!
After lunch I was given my plane ticket to Bahrain leaving next Monday at 4:45PM arriving at 5:45PM. The majority of that hour will be spent taxiing. I will be visiting the Gulf Air Simulator complex and getting the training program set up for the other pilots arriving in about two weeks. More will be forthcoming on this subject after the fact.
As things always turnout differently than expected, high speed internet is not yet available in the building. I’m told it should only be about three weeks (bets?). So until then, email will be slow.
I was able to get out and walk around the area to get my bearings. This is really a high rise bedroom community for Dubai that should overtake Dubai population wise in four years. Not too much here except for three grocery stores and two laundries. Without traffic, it is about a ten minute ride to work, with… I did have the driver stop at a super market for supplies on the way back and even saw there was a Chile’s Restaurant! As everyone had expected, there was no ham in the store! Very clean and efficient operation though.
080507 Today started off very slow. The driver had a residency problem to be handled immediately so he couldn’t pick me up till 11:30. It actually turned out for the better because John felt well enough to go over the items that I should cover in Bahrain. Found out the manual for the aircraft may be delayed by Boeing and may not arrive for ten days. Can’t have everyone else here unless we get those.
The weather did rise to 110 degrees during the afternoon. At least it was 78 degrees in the office. On another topic, the aircraft in China had the final registration numbers painted on and will be ready for pickup in the next ten to fifteen days.
I did leave work at 6:00PM today and it only took about 30 minutes to get back to the apartment, with traffic a least moving. I'm still a little tired from the trip over so just laying low for the time being. Tomorrow will be a long day after work and the trip to Bahrain. I understand the hotel I’m in has high speed internet (right!). If that is true, there will probably be a mass download of all the items from the last week.
080607 I continued to have a little problem sleeping last night after four hours. Woke up about 2:30AM so I decided to pack for the trip to Bahrain and continued reading till about 4:30AM. Decided to try to go back to sleep and the next thing I remember is John calling at 9:00AM to discuss the trip. I was out like a light, so the transition must be complete!
Latif, our duty drive, took me to the airport at 1:45PM. The trip only takes about 10 minutes, but I was leery of traffic. Turns out it only took 12 minutes.
The flight process at Dubai is very interesting. To get to the check-in counter you must go through security. Check-in with Gulf Air was very quick and efficient. From there you must go through security again to get to immigration. At no time were small liquids checked or tooth paste, which I had all left back in the apartment knowing I would lose them. I did notice a couple people go through, get beeped, and then just waved through.
The Dubai airport is HUGH! When the new terminal, which can handle approximately 12 A380s side by side, it will have about a four to five mile walk from end to end. In the middle of this security zone is a dynamic city within a city. If I can attach a picture I will. I’m still amazed that everything in Dubai is going UP, UP, UP! Emirates Airlines will be the “Pan Am” for the next generation. Of course, that means many jobs for the Americans and English. My Gulf Air flight today had two Brits flying.
I’m staying at the Movenpick tonight and really enjoying a good meal, good air-conditioning, and great TV. In Sharjah we only get 140 channels of Arab
music and news.
Tomorrow starts the training set-up, so more will follow.
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