Here we go again...
How long does one have to spend in Africa before one becomes abnormal, then?
I don't think a normal person would even find this low level of discourse entertaining, let alone the main topic under discussion. That said, yes, I seem to recall a few hangar-flying sessions where we would have more than a few grim laughs over the (non-fatal, usually) misfortunes of others. Not ME, of course, just all of my friends! So the idea that you, Suitcaseman, might find this whole ball of wax entertaining seemed plausible, somehow, especially since what you wrote could be read in exactly the way it was written.
On the other hand I have met a few normal pilots who didn't last very long in Africa before running away back to more normal surroundings. You know our abnormally normal "black-catting" in the bar about how many corpses were spotted on the Sunday trip to the beach: that sort of thing, when they would just curl up like a boiled prawn in a little ball of wounded sensibilities.
The part that really chafes is that there just doesn't seem to be much forward progress in these discussions, not much drawing of obvious conclusions but just a lot of either drooling compassion for yet another unfortunate whose luck has mysteriously run out or else huffing and puffing about lack of skill or professionalism on the part of same.
The one is just fatalism, often fatal in itself, and the other is finger-pointing, well known to be anti-safety.
Please, someone, anyone, point out anything that has worked in Africa continent-wide with coöperation at the highest level. In your dreams, Sunshine! ICAO cannot even get basic adherence to SARPS, when offers of help with that usually go ignored at the highest level. Meanwhile, reasonable suggestions of "best operating practices" at the very lowest level also go ignored, at least until something bad finally happens as predestined.
Like many African countries themselves, this is one seriously fragmented continent. A basket of crabs looks like the Life Guards on parade by comparison.
I do appreciate the notification of African accidents found here, along with the approximate circumstances. That usually is about all, though.
Last edited by chuks; 16th Nov 2008 at 12:02.