ConPilot
I wish I had your writing skills! excellent
I have so many aviation memories like bringing back a knackered old Citation from India with a Non rated Arab Pilot who I was supposed to be carrying out an enroute SIC with but who was more interested in the status than the job.
I can remember getting there with no customs exit sorted on the aircraft. Being whisked across New Delhi and having tea in a very peaceful, plant populated office.
An Indian gentleman offered me tea and then explained that it would take 4 days to get the customs sorted.
There were potential buyers in the UK waiting for the aircraft and with horror I explained that I need the aircraft in 4 hours not 4 days.
The Indian explained that they were not the official handling agents but could help if they were.
Ok you are the official handling agents I exclaimed! On handing over $100 to bribe the customs man the customs was arranged within the 4 hours.
we took off at night in a monsoon and stuck at FL280 had to weave around CBs which were flashing like continuous light bulbs to Karachi in Pakistan and arriving into Dubai at 0300 in the morning.
My Arab FO became very useful as it was a religious holiday and we needed to land in Saudi Arabia for fuel. He visited a military base in Dubai where an Uncle arranged for us to get that clearance into a military base.
Out in the evening I wore jeans and a tea shirt my Arab FO turned up in full pilots regalia apologising profusely for the hat hat and 4 gold admiral Bars.
He strutted down the streets with his chest puffed out
hence the status
We approached the military base in the desert with 2000 meters in dust.
50 feet up almost in the flare the palm trees bent double and the wind increased to 50 KTS just as we touched.
In seconds the visibility was 50 meters in a sand storm so bad we had to shut down on the runway until a ghostly figure wrapped in white appeared from the gloom.
The sand stung every inch of exposed flesh like being in a sand blaster and we were taken by jeep to the base.
I don't have your writing skills only the memories
Pace