John Tulla
I was called off the front end on Goloden Wing/FCL/JCL checkin at AN ADL into the ops room during a quiet time and handed a set of binocs.
I was told to focus on the main gear of a Compass A310 (the cleanskin they had chartered) and I did so.
The temp in the shade outside load control was showing 55 degrees C.
What AN knew and Compass didn't was that the tarmac where the parked was not reinforced.
The A310 taxiied in and within 20 seconds sank to the axles in the overheated tarmac.
The guys in Ops found it hugely amusing, but I didnt.
Just something about giving each other an even break I suppose.
We copped it a bit at DPO and WNY when East West first started down here, but if the AN battery cart failed we were on hand with ours to get their flight away. They indeed reciprocated after they figured out we were fair dinkum.
That was the days of real Airlines, with a culture and passenger care.If your aeroplane broke you would transfer (grudginly) to the other just to get them there and they would be carried at face value of the ticket.
It all went pear shaped when the fat prick and the silver bodgie decided they knew better.
EWL