Which Lagos are we speaking of here?
My Lagos has crummy weather for more than just a few days per year, especially when you are using visual references to approach and land. And 'Mr Calverton' was speaking of operating to some downtown site, in among all the high-rises, radio masts and what-all, with, presumably, minimum fuel. That's a lot different from shooting a contact approach, isn't it? I could just imagine flying around in all that dust with no horizon... 'better you than me' was all I could summon up, but then I know I am not Superpilot.
So it all sounded fairly sporty and optimistic, especially when he was telling everyone within a 3-metre radius that all he had to do was pick up a telephone to get whatever clearances he needed. We guessed he hadn't yet found out about how today's top Nigerian neddy would become tomorrow's nobody if he was lucky or a prisoner if he was unlucky. Too, with all that horsepower, how come they still weren't operating? But if you buy the drinks everyone else in the bar will just listen and nod politely as you tell them how you are going to show Nigeria a new way to operate.
On another occasion, down in Port Harcourt, I met a newly-arrived group of ex-Eastern Airlines guys, all come to fly for Barnax on leased 737-200s. They were all pumped up with vigour and enthusiasm, so that I came off as very pessimistic and flabby by contrast. When I told one of my new friends to be careful about seeing that the paychecks cleared promptly every month he told me that they were on top of that. 'If we don't get paid we stop flying, just like that!' When I advised caution about being too confrontational he went on to ask/tell me 'What's this guy going to do, lock us up?'
I went off on leave and by the time I got back everyone was talking about how the Barnax guys had been locked up, albeit for only a few days....