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.