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Old 19th August 2008, 10:19   #6 (permalink)
BelArgUSA
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Near AEP or FLN
Age: 65
Posts: 1,004
Train hits PIA airplane on takeoff...

Peshawar Tourism and Casinos...
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Sorry gentlemen, nothing recent about this lovely resort - In 1978, being on furlough from PanAm, I was surviving, flying an old and tired 707-320 (N705PA) on ACMI lease with PIA Pakistan Airlines. Peshawar was a frequent destination and had even the chance of a layover of a couple of days, spending the night in a palace who had been a British officer's club and military facility. Loved the food, but there was no wines or ales...
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A strategic facility near Khyber Pass at the border with Afghanistan which we even were able to see from a comfortable distance. The local market, was quite colorful. You could buy an AK-47 and a couple of fully loaded magazines for a few hundred rupees, maybe less with our airline discounts...?
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Peshawar airport was something too. Secret Pakistan Air Force base, as it had some MiG-15s, 17s and Chinese-build MiG-19s... and other (secret) planes, such as a Lysander (who had seen better days) and a Tempest (or Typhoon) which we had been warned not to take on our cameras (but we did... as CIA spies that we were suspected to be), all that around camel-drawn carts used as GPU or airstart units...
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The one thing I shall always remember from the runway, is the railroad tracks crossing the runway at a 90º angle. As the tracks were shining, and obviously used daily, we never failed to check for "no train traffic" after takeoff clearance was received. How do you say "choo-choo" in Urdu language...?
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If you are looking for Osama, certain he must be around the many sexy (veiled) ladies in Peshawar's red light dristict.
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Happy contrails
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