This one is especially for Sakhile, Pulé and all my really good black friends at the SACAA. Wena! Aikona!
The SACAA reminds me of the black student pilot named Pulé. He had to have his instruction given in Fanakalo (it is so), not due to the instructor being inept in the native language, but due to the student not being conversent in English. (This is common at the SACAA I believe.)
They walked out onto the apron and what followed is captured in the following dialogue:
Manji, Pulé, lo flymachine yena cona pambili, yena lo Harvard Mk11A two seater.
Lapa pambili ka yena, wena yasi buka lo propellor. Lapa muva le, yena lo tail wheel. Pantsi kalo two ma-wing, wena yasi buka lo two ma- main wheel. Skati wena quella pezulu kalo ma- wing, wena yasi buka lo cockpit.
Pulé listened to all this with great amusement. What amused him most was the interior of the cockpit and so he exclaimed: " Hau, basie, maningi "Swiss watch"! He was generally refering to the many instruments.
Anyway or rather, "futi" he progressed into the front seat whilst the instructor got into the rear seat.
The Instructor went through the pre-start drill and finally the Pratt & Whitney was running. It was time to taxi and Pulé was in his element. First lesson!
Now, the dialogue went something like this: Pasoppa lo hangar, Pulé, pasoppa lo hangar! Needless to say, the boy taxied straight into the
ing hangar. The instructor ordered his second Harvard Mk11A two seater for the morning. This was becoming common practice!
Pulé however, was learning and the taxi to the holding point went better the second time. It was time for "Take off". Futi, Pulé yena fakili lo petrol and lo fly machine yena balekili pambili na lo speed. Lo skati yena quella lo moya, Pulé yena enza yena upside down. Manji, lo instructor yena jtella yena: "ini wena enza?" Mar, pambili kalo skati lo Pulé yana's koluma, yena pumili lo fly machine.
Manji yena, Pulé yena hamba pantsi. Lo into yena hayiyasi, yena lo into kalo "parachute". Futi yena hambili pantsi tot yena chiya lo ndlela kalo fly machine. Mar, hayi zikon'daba, yena chiyili lo ndlela na lo skop ka yena. Yena lo'ndaba Pulé yena OK.
Manji, lo into mina funa koluma, yena lo into kalo SACAA!. Noko lo "appointment" yena kona, noko lo "appointment" yena aikona yena aizikondaba! Indaba, lo skati wena gabanga dat lo ma-instruments yena fanakalo "Swiss Watch", wena stupid straight!
So my dear friends, now you know why the Zimbabwean Instructors are coming to teach the SAAF students. Because lo SAAF students yena ayikona yasi lo english futi yena gabanga lo ma-instruments yena kona lo ma "Swiss watch".
