As some of the loyal readers may have noticed, there was no blog activity last week. I was able to fly back to Marietta on Wednesday night with a 2240 departure out of Dubai. The 15 hour flight arrived into Atlanta on Thursday morning at 0640, just in time for traffic hour!
It was an extremely busy four days beginning with a trip to Pensacola, Florida, for the annual Homeowners Meeting and election. I was able to see lots of friends at the meeting and two nights of events on the property.
We left Sunday morning to return to Atlanta and have dinner with G & S prior to his returning to North Carolina. It really was very nice of him to drive to Atlanta to have dinner since I hadn’t seen him for three months. Good catching up on his career and golf improvement.
Monday night we had dinner with R&E at Giovanni’s in Marietta. It was great to see them again and catch up on their new lake estate. In sparing no expense, R will have a state of the art ice maker in the lower level – can’t wait to try it out! We were able to also see blog readers M&M at the restaurant also. It was nice to finally meet him and see that he was recovering. I didn’t ask if he had replaced the motorcycle yet.
The real purpose of the trip back was to help A get over to Dubai with her recent rotator cuff surgery. The return trip Tuesday night went very well as we were able to sit up front together. Once again, I was able to pay the $100 over weight penalty for her suitcase. It really doesn’t take much to go over the limit of fifty pounds. The fourteen hour flight was uneventful as I slept through most of it.
A has now acclimated to Sharjah and the surrounding areas. Not too sure she enjoys the car rides to get where we’re going, but she does enjoy getting there. She is already branching out from the Souks for the back streets!
More on the flying next week.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
End of Ramadan
Last Saturday I flew in the cockpit of a rival company’s 767ER into and out of Kabul to observe the inflight procedures and problems. The aircraft left at 0740 and because it was an international flight, I had to be there at 0540. It was a very early wake up! The trip was excellent in that I could see why the northern route into Kabul was far superior to the southern one due to heavy military flights from one of their airfields. The biggest hurdle of the trip was Ramadan AGAIN! I didn’t eat on the way up and knew I had four and a half hours in the Kabul Airport to get something to eat. The airport only broke the rules enough to get me a Diet Coke!
With all the mountains in the Kabul area, it is a day VFR airport only. Even with the GPS working and programmed perfectly, the mountains can be extremely dangerous. The biggest problem I foresee is the engine failure during takeoff and getting above them. To add to that problem is that the elevation of Kabul is 5800 feet. So much for density altitude helping!
On Sunday night I had dinner with MR from Atlanta. It was really good to catch up on life with him as we really haven’t had a lot of one on one time since his embarking on a career with one of the major corporations. We had dinner at his hotel, the Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort, which overlooked both the Palm Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab. It was a very nice atmosphere on the outside decks with the evening temperature perfect. I was disturbed to hear how low Lake Lanier is. I guess the extra two billion gallons of water released by “mistake” last year is coming back to haunt the Corps of Engineers.
The official announcement was made Wednesday that Ramadan would be over on Friday. I’ve been waiting for that announcement since it all started. I couldn’t wait for the economy to get back to “normal.” However, I then found out at the office that at the end of Ramadan there is an additional two day holiday where the stores still stay closed which is called Eid. So knowing that it would be a very long weekend with cabs very hard to obtain and underground cabs charging double, I rented a car! Driving here is very similar to playing Whirlyball in Atlanta. The rules for driving here are very simple: Tractor trailers trump; Cement trucks are close behind; SUVs are to be respected; after that – all cars are fair game! For the first time in my life I took out as much insurance as I could get on this vehicle. Just let someone else worry about all the dings.
The pilots decided today to give a reception for the flight attendants and management later this month so K, B, and I drove to Ajman today to try to find some bids on this reception. Some of you may be surprised, but the Russian hotel up there gave us a great offer, may even be one we can’t refuse. The hotel is right on the water with two nice pools in addition. It is right next door to the Kempinski Hotel, where I originally wanted to go. Once again, the ONLY place to buy a drink in the UAE is in a hotel!
Before any questions are asked in the comment section, yes the Hole in the Wall was open and I did take advantage of it.
With all the mountains in the Kabul area, it is a day VFR airport only. Even with the GPS working and programmed perfectly, the mountains can be extremely dangerous. The biggest problem I foresee is the engine failure during takeoff and getting above them. To add to that problem is that the elevation of Kabul is 5800 feet. So much for density altitude helping!
On Sunday night I had dinner with MR from Atlanta. It was really good to catch up on life with him as we really haven’t had a lot of one on one time since his embarking on a career with one of the major corporations. We had dinner at his hotel, the Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort, which overlooked both the Palm Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab. It was a very nice atmosphere on the outside decks with the evening temperature perfect. I was disturbed to hear how low Lake Lanier is. I guess the extra two billion gallons of water released by “mistake” last year is coming back to haunt the Corps of Engineers.
The official announcement was made Wednesday that Ramadan would be over on Friday. I’ve been waiting for that announcement since it all started. I couldn’t wait for the economy to get back to “normal.” However, I then found out at the office that at the end of Ramadan there is an additional two day holiday where the stores still stay closed which is called Eid. So knowing that it would be a very long weekend with cabs very hard to obtain and underground cabs charging double, I rented a car! Driving here is very similar to playing Whirlyball in Atlanta. The rules for driving here are very simple: Tractor trailers trump; Cement trucks are close behind; SUVs are to be respected; after that – all cars are fair game! For the first time in my life I took out as much insurance as I could get on this vehicle. Just let someone else worry about all the dings.
The pilots decided today to give a reception for the flight attendants and management later this month so K, B, and I drove to Ajman today to try to find some bids on this reception. Some of you may be surprised, but the Russian hotel up there gave us a great offer, may even be one we can’t refuse. The hotel is right on the water with two nice pools in addition. It is right next door to the Kempinski Hotel, where I originally wanted to go. Once again, the ONLY place to buy a drink in the UAE is in a hotel!
Before any questions are asked in the comment section, yes the Hole in the Wall was open and I did take advantage of it.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Fujairah
On Saturday morning I had scheduled all the pilots to go to Ras Al Khaimah to have their first look at our aircraft. As I have mentioned previously, the ride takes about an hour and a half. Once you pass through Sharjah and go out the other side of RAK, it is pure desert. As you can see, if the picture makes it, there are wild camels in the area. Had to get a couple pictures to prove to everyone that they are indigenous to the area!
Arriving at the airport and seeing little traffic, I realized that Saturday was a holiday. We were originally going to pick up the last pilots security pass, but certainly not with the office closed. After about forty five minutes discussing the problem with the officials, they agreed to let the pilot pass in my CUSTODY! I told him to stay real close on the ramp. To make a long story short, battery was dead and ramp temperature was 115 degrees, so we didn’t stay on the ramp too long.
J and I had dinner with another airline friend, R, at the Radisson Hotel Dubai Creek on Wednesday night. Very good contact as he also flies into Kabul numerous times per week. Looks like I will be going back to Kabul for one last trip prior to starting service. I plan to go to Kabul this Saturday during a turnaround. This will amount to about 5.5 hours of flight time with a four hour layover. Plane leaves Dubai at 0740.
Thursday I was trying to leave the office about 12:00 to extend the weekend a few more hours when I was asked by L what time I wanted a pickup in the morning to move the aircraft to Fujairah, Oman? Apparently, our parking spot in RAK has been let for a long term contract. Everyone must remain fluid over here as I had given our secretary my passport that morning for another Afghanistan Visa. I had told her and another person, I, to return it to the apartment Thursday afternoon. I was adamant that I wanted the same day visa! Of course I had received the usual “no problem” reply.
Friday morning at 0630 I asked “I” if he had brought my passport from the office. He did go “white” when he realized: he didn’t have it; it was the normal Friday holiday; I needed it to go to Fujairah; and the van had two mechanics ready to go for minor maintenance. To stir the pot some more, the airport closes at 1300 for Ramadan. He was getting very frantic trying to reach anyone on the phone, but no one in their right mind answers the phone at 0700 on a holiday. I finally recommended that he go to Ras Al Khaimah with the mechanics to get them started and get the other Duty Drive moving to get my passport. He then asked what I would do and I said “I’m going back to bed!” I explained to him that “poor planning on his part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”
My passport did arrive at 1100 that morning with a driver to take me to Ras Al Khaimah. My original idea in moving the aircraft was to stay at 5000 feet and fly the water route from Ras Al Khaimah to Fujairah. This would involve flying around the southern point of the Strait of Hormuze (?). As with all my ideas, this would have been a spectacular trip. However, after getting into the idea and reading all the military warnings (US warships, Iranian Navy, UAE restricted areas) I decided to fly over the mountain directly to Fujairah.
The trip itself was uneventful, tower to tower turnover. There is about forty miles separating the two airports but a world apart. On the approach, looking north there were more than sixty of the large oil tankers lined up to receive oil. There is an underground pipeline to the Indian Ocean side so they don’t have to transit the Strait of Hormuze. The other difference is that just about all the other planes were old Russian Cargo Types. There is a lot of flying between here and the former Soviet States to the north. Pictures will be forwarded to
Fujairah, International. Note the tow bar bend for the Russian Aircraft.
Arriving at the airport and seeing little traffic, I realized that Saturday was a holiday. We were originally going to pick up the last pilots security pass, but certainly not with the office closed. After about forty five minutes discussing the problem with the officials, they agreed to let the pilot pass in my CUSTODY! I told him to stay real close on the ramp. To make a long story short, battery was dead and ramp temperature was 115 degrees, so we didn’t stay on the ramp too long.
J and I had dinner with another airline friend, R, at the Radisson Hotel Dubai Creek on Wednesday night. Very good contact as he also flies into Kabul numerous times per week. Looks like I will be going back to Kabul for one last trip prior to starting service. I plan to go to Kabul this Saturday during a turnaround. This will amount to about 5.5 hours of flight time with a four hour layover. Plane leaves Dubai at 0740.
Thursday I was trying to leave the office about 12:00 to extend the weekend a few more hours when I was asked by L what time I wanted a pickup in the morning to move the aircraft to Fujairah, Oman? Apparently, our parking spot in RAK has been let for a long term contract. Everyone must remain fluid over here as I had given our secretary my passport that morning for another Afghanistan Visa. I had told her and another person, I, to return it to the apartment Thursday afternoon. I was adamant that I wanted the same day visa! Of course I had received the usual “no problem” reply.
Friday morning at 0630 I asked “I” if he had brought my passport from the office. He did go “white” when he realized: he didn’t have it; it was the normal Friday holiday; I needed it to go to Fujairah; and the van had two mechanics ready to go for minor maintenance. To stir the pot some more, the airport closes at 1300 for Ramadan. He was getting very frantic trying to reach anyone on the phone, but no one in their right mind answers the phone at 0700 on a holiday. I finally recommended that he go to Ras Al Khaimah with the mechanics to get them started and get the other Duty Drive moving to get my passport. He then asked what I would do and I said “I’m going back to bed!” I explained to him that “poor planning on his part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”
My passport did arrive at 1100 that morning with a driver to take me to Ras Al Khaimah. My original idea in moving the aircraft was to stay at 5000 feet and fly the water route from Ras Al Khaimah to Fujairah. This would involve flying around the southern point of the Strait of Hormuze (?). As with all my ideas, this would have been a spectacular trip. However, after getting into the idea and reading all the military warnings (US warships, Iranian Navy, UAE restricted areas) I decided to fly over the mountain directly to Fujairah.
The trip itself was uneventful, tower to tower turnover. There is about forty miles separating the two airports but a world apart. On the approach, looking north there were more than sixty of the large oil tankers lined up to receive oil. There is an underground pipeline to the Indian Ocean side so they don’t have to transit the Strait of Hormuze. The other difference is that just about all the other planes were old Russian Cargo Types. There is a lot of flying between here and the former Soviet States to the north. Pictures will be forwarded to
Fujairah, International. Note the tow bar bend for the Russian Aircraft.
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