Lagos RWY lighting system stolen...

[JanetFlight]

Not good at all...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-66168466

[Big Pistons Forever]

TIA………

[Tarq57]

My F.I.L. worked in Lagos for a time, trying to set up an inspection unit to calibrate the soon-to-be-installed ILS.
From memory, in two years of work they got two runs in. Theft was extremely common. There were other causes of delays, too, but theft was right up there.
Of course, at the time, nothing was ever officially stolen, it was marked as simply "unavailable".

A souvenir he brought home was an aluminium serving spoon, purchased for a few cents from a market. It was made from landing light surrounds.The spoon wasn't fit for purpose; it bent under the load of itself full of food or soup.
Seems the Nigerians are extremely good at "adding value" to such things.

.

[Bergerie1]

It was much the same back in the 1960s!! Copper wire stolen to make bangles.

[N707ZS]

You wouldn't believe it would you. As if they would steal!

[Atlantic Explorer]

Ahhhhh……..only in Lagos!!

[Herod]

You wouldn't believe it would you. As if they would steal!

Here, among us honest brits, my local supermarket has stopped having their reusable plastic carriers available on hooks. You now have to get one from an assistant. The reason? People were stealing them. You buy a load of shopping, and baulk at paying for a carrier to take it home? They cost 30p!!

[TCAS FAN]

This is Nigeria, after a period of disuse which probably left it unattended, almost surprised that the runway is still there!

[Starbear]

Happiness is.................?

[ehwatezedoing]

Happiness is.................?
V1 at..........?

[Starbear]

V1 at..........?

Give that man a coconut! It was true in 1978 (and am sure for long before that) and no doubt will remain so.

[Busbuoy]

I always thought true happiness was PNR out of.....🤣

[Magplug]

Would anyone actually notice it gone ?

[B Fraser]

Over in the African Aviation forum, someone has stolen the highly entertaining "Only In Africa" thread.

[25F]

Over in the African Aviation forum, someone has stolen the highly entertaining "Only In Africa" thread.
Yep, the *only* thread I can see is "Air Peace, Nigeria".
My Dad, an old "African hand" you might say, would ask people about to go there, why you would find defunct light bulbs on sale in the market?
The answer: if you had a job where you had access to *working* light bulbs, you'd swap one of them for your non-functioning one. Then someone else would come along and replace it.

[ATC Watcher]

Reminds me of the story of the Ouagadougou VOR in the end 1960s or early 70s , the VOR was "offered" by France and on the opening day by the authorities appeared a large article on all the majors newspapers praising the work done by a local company in laying a 1Km long coper cable from the VOR to the nearby power station. In the same night the whole cable was dogged out, stripped, and cut into pieces for resale in the local market to make small copper statues that the Europeans that were happy to buy as souvenirs when going back home.

[trident3A]

Only in Africa!

There's an article here about how Nairobi locals are smashing electrical transformers in order to use the cooling oil inside for frying cassava, chips & fish

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2014/12/28/thieves-fry-kenyas-power-grid-for-fast-food/

[Nil by mouth]

As a member of an aerospace chat group I donated £25 to another member collecting for a well and water system for an African village.
Some eighteen months later I asked how this water project had turned out, only to be embarrassingly told that it had been broken up and sold for scrap.

[Saab Dastard]

Over in the African Aviation forum, someone has stolen the highly entertaining "Only In Africa" thread.
Have you looked for older posts in that forum? Hint: use the Display Options to show threads with posts older than one month...

[First_Principal]

Have you looked for older posts in that forum? Hint: use the Display Options to show threads with posts older than one month...

Oh no! Logic only ruins the humour :}

[B Fraser]

Have you looked for older posts in that forum? Hint: use the Display Options to show threads with posts older than one month...

It was intended to be a joke ;)

[albatross]

Landed at Cayenne, French Guiana in 2013 or thereabouts ….comms were a problem as some gang had stolen the electrical cables going to the airport the night before.

[albatross]

One of the folks in Control had been with the French Air force and done an exchange tour in Canada. He was most helpful. Even got customs to come to the aircraft and clear us in there. Got us a hotel and arranged transport for us. When we went to leave the next morning he had arranged that the folks were very, very helpful. Customs even came back out to stamp us out at the aircraft. The terminal was still in complete chaos.

[Good Vibs]

Many years ago Shell installed some new equipment at Osubi Airport.
It only worked for a short time. We could not receive anything while flying so assumed a power failure or something like that.
But no, someone had stolen it. After a short period the equipment was for sale downtown Warri!
After all these years I have forgotten what it was...the DME perhaps?
Who else remembers?

[Impress to inflate]

I was flying out of Dili, East Timor in 2008, one early morning, still dark outside, I departed the easterly runway in the Super Puma helicopter. As I was went through Vtoss, I bought the nose up and search light, I caught sight of a "local" with a bamboo pole covered in copper wire. He was 20' infant of the aircraft and I had the nose wheel almost hit his head. It was common for the locals to rain the airport beacon and remove anything of value.

[TheEdge]

Many years ago Shell installed some new equipment at Osubi Airport.
It only worked for a short time. We could not receive anything while flying so assumed a power failure or something like that.
But no, someone had stolen it. After a short period the equipment was for sale downtown Warri!
After all these years I have forgotten what it was...the DME perhaps?
Who else remembers?

For sure in Warri or Asaba :)

[EEngr]

TIA………
Always reminds me of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQgdZTgpczM

[Good Vibs]

Warri….Osubi was the name of the Airport.

[Bill Harris]

Sounds like the proper evolution of the Nigerian 419 Scam into the 21st Century.
:)

[remote]

Ahhhhh……..only in Lagos!!


I remember, some 25+ years ago, going through the NOTAMS of my ETOPS alternates for SIN-DXB...to see "VABB Rwy 27 ILS U/S due theft of localizer antenna"

[Brian Pern]

Many years ago, my first overnight into Abuja, on parking the plane, the fuel truck connected and offered to re fuel our 737. We decided to fill the wings there and then in case we had issues in the morning getting fueled.
Next morning on returning to the plane, the flying spanner noticed the defueling hatch open... we were lucky we had only 'lost' a third of one tank.
After a lot of shouting and frayed tempers we just accepted it. Later in the trip I recanted this to an old Africa hand and he informed me it can and does happen. Well we never fell for that one again.

[meleagertoo]

In Somalia in the early '90s the German army built a lovely new runway at a place called Belet-wayne where they had a considerable detatchment of troops. They even installed lighting which everyone thought overkill for a bush strip, no matter how smart. Despite being patrolled by armed soldiers the lighting didn't last a week. I think I was the only one that ever used it!

[Flingwing47]

Way back when, doing an NDB approach at Kano at 0 dark 30 in a 747 with a full load of detainees - the ndb went off the air.
We diverted to to Algiers then back to the Bride of the Red Sea.
on the way ATC called and apologised - someone had stolen the fuel from both generators
On another trip, watched a colourful chap deplane and then reapppear outside the fence a bit later.
watched him walk to a car and chat then walk back to the terminal.
then watched him reboard with obviously new a ID!!
OIA

[oceanswell]

Late 70's .Sierre Leone Trilander Lungi to Hastings having met the Bcal from LGW.Short finals at dusk.Grass runway lit by goose neck flares.
Flares disappear as a/c approaches the ground. Very briefly consider returning to Lungi but what the hell and land with half the runway in darkness.