Bases at AAI
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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Bases at AAI
Iny info on where they have bases. Their homepage only tells you where they have OFFICES. Is that also the places for their bases?
thanx
thanx
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Do they still stay at that awful little 'caravan park' with only a swimming pool and a run-down pool room for entertainment?
oh yes........and sand everywhere!
Well, I guess it is Saudi!!!
Cheers FD
oh yes........and sand everywhere!
Well, I guess it is Saudi!!!
Cheers FD
Join Date: Dec 1999
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Rubbish !
Had many a good time at Ye Olde Rose Village. BBQs with Alan Nicholson and that yarpie mate of his Paul Terone. The dreaded "blue screen" for next day's sorties and the bus ride into Jeddah city for the night's entertainment.
Next you'll all be complaining aBOUT the George Hotel in Crawley!
Bring back the good old days.
Had many a good time at Ye Olde Rose Village. BBQs with Alan Nicholson and that yarpie mate of his Paul Terone. The dreaded "blue screen" for next day's sorties and the bus ride into Jeddah city for the night's entertainment.
Next you'll all be complaining aBOUT the George Hotel in Crawley!
Bring back the good old days.
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Hi '`18-Wheeler',
If I recall, and it was a long while ago you remember, but was the Al-Bilad was that very basic 'hotel' in Jeddah, near the sea wall. The other was a place I never stayed at, it started after my time there, but I seem to recall that it was located further away from the airport than Rose village. On the other side of the inlet I believe (past the 'Camel' roundabout), strange the things one remembers isn't it?
Cheers 18W, FD
If I recall, and it was a long while ago you remember, but was the Al-Bilad was that very basic 'hotel' in Jeddah, near the sea wall. The other was a place I never stayed at, it started after my time there, but I seem to recall that it was located further away from the airport than Rose village. On the other side of the inlet I believe (past the 'Camel' roundabout), strange the things one remembers isn't it?
Cheers 18W, FD
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Yip
The Al-Bilad is still a shaithole and Azzam being in the middle of nowhere is not any better. Nor is the quality of accomodation in either place nothing to write home about Actually JED in general is an absolute dump and a pitiful excuse of a city. It got pretty tiring after a while. No wonder that people are leaving.
The Al-Bilad is still a shaithole and Azzam being in the middle of nowhere is not any better. Nor is the quality of accomodation in either place nothing to write home about Actually JED in general is an absolute dump and a pitiful excuse of a city. It got pretty tiring after a while. No wonder that people are leaving.
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At least at the Azzam compound they had machine guns and automatic rifles guarding you. I kinda liked the Al-Bilad but was too scared to step foot outside except to get in the van to the airport.
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Hi Ganbare,
then you would have loved the 'environment' at the Lagos 'base'.
guards with automatic weapons travelling both in front and behind in cars during the long trip to/from the airport.
I was always glad to be leaving there, together with the fact that we had several days layover in New York.
It always seemed to going from one extreme to the other on those trips!
Cheers...FD...
then you would have loved the 'environment' at the Lagos 'base'.
guards with automatic weapons travelling both in front and behind in cars during the long trip to/from the airport.
I was always glad to be leaving there, together with the fact that we had several days layover in New York.
It always seemed to going from one extreme to the other on those trips!
Cheers...FD...
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Oh, those were the days! Staying at the Sheraton, although pool side with the VS crews was fun, the night fighters were another story! But then the move to Victoria Island and the Le Meridian hotel wasn't too bad. Plenty of excitement on the drive to and from the airport. 
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Hi Phil, maybe we have been there at the same time -
My first tour there was the last day AAI stayed at the Sheraton, I always stayed at the Le Meridian, played a million games of pool there in the bar. (that's the bar overlooking the pool, not the front bar!)
Were you there during any one of these events I was involved in:
1/ airplane returns to Lagos after a TOC fire warning/shutdown on #4, due to maintenance error, I was woken to crew the second try to JFK.
2/ following delayed departure Lagos-JFK due rectification work, we crew arrived at the airplane to find that the entire passenger load had 'self boarded', without any supervision at all! (they couldn't understand what the delay was all about, and the gate was not locked!). As a result, of course, the departure was further delayed as we had to search the entire airplane!
3/ taxiing off the apron area at JFK, towards the departure runway, we were advised by ATC that they did not have our flight plan (even though they had issued our airways clearance prior to push & start only a few minutes earlier!), and we would not be able to depart until another was lodged. We were tight on fuel, so we got clearance to enter the non duty runway and shutdown all engines, until the problem was sorted, which took them about 30 minutes. Otherwise we would have had to return to the gate and take on more fuel, etc, etc, etc. Once sorted we just restarted all 4 and departed!!
If you know of any of these minor occurrances, I was there!
My first tour there was the last day AAI stayed at the Sheraton, I always stayed at the Le Meridian, played a million games of pool there in the bar. (that's the bar overlooking the pool, not the front bar!)
Were you there during any one of these events I was involved in:
1/ airplane returns to Lagos after a TOC fire warning/shutdown on #4, due to maintenance error, I was woken to crew the second try to JFK.
2/ following delayed departure Lagos-JFK due rectification work, we crew arrived at the airplane to find that the entire passenger load had 'self boarded', without any supervision at all! (they couldn't understand what the delay was all about, and the gate was not locked!). As a result, of course, the departure was further delayed as we had to search the entire airplane!
3/ taxiing off the apron area at JFK, towards the departure runway, we were advised by ATC that they did not have our flight plan (even though they had issued our airways clearance prior to push & start only a few minutes earlier!), and we would not be able to depart until another was lodged. We were tight on fuel, so we got clearance to enter the non duty runway and shutdown all engines, until the problem was sorted, which took them about 30 minutes. Otherwise we would have had to return to the gate and take on more fuel, etc, etc, etc. Once sorted we just restarted all 4 and departed!!
If you know of any of these minor occurrances, I was there!
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I remember them well!!! You really missed some fun at the Sheraton!!
I remember the bar in the Le Meridian (by the pool) very well. Not a bad place.
Do you remember the crash axe incident at JFK???? He's now at Southern Airways as a FO, might be in the left seat now.
Did you happen to spend some time at MH prior to AAI?
I remember the bar in the Le Meridian (by the pool) very well. Not a bad place.
Do you remember the crash axe incident at JFK???? He's now at Southern Airways as a FO, might be in the left seat now.
Did you happen to spend some time at MH prior to AAI?
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Do you remember the crash axe incident at JFK???? He's now at Southern Airways as a FO, might be in the left seat now.
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Ah Yes! The infamous Kopper Tool ... Still labeled appropriately and proudly displayed on TF-ATX and ATZ in KL.
BTW, It was Alan "old Boy" Nicholson and Paul Theron (late of Hydra fame). Alan hired my scrawny butt (over the phone).... and Paul trained it (also getting me arrested in Recife !)
Sad to say, gentlemen, that the two magnificent Riley snooker tables at RV were unceremoniously bulldozed along with the rec center building. What a waste...... the Riley's gone ..not RV ! Spent many an hour helping "Cousin" Brian replacing the worn out Baise.
The Compound well to the north ..... past the Camel Round-about... was Al Durrat, North Obhur. Not a bad place really except for the apartments immediately opposite the Mosque. I had great satisfaction calling Takis and holding my phone to the window at 0407 LT when morning prayers started. He moved the flt deck crew farther from the mosque the next day.
Anyone remember Mick P. trying to jog to Al Durrat from the airport, after a CGK-JED, only to get lost running all the fence lines between RV and N. Obhur trying to follow the coast?
...or even Hank sitting semi-naked in his RV villa, fuelled with some REALLY bad sidiki, enjoying a flash-back from VietNam ...... mumbling about how we should "Kill them all". Sadly he was talking about crew planning.
Many arrows being shot at AAI in other fora ..... maybe more recollections like these would reveal the collective sense of humor amongst current and ex-AAI drivers..... who's gonna edit the shenanigans? Maybe Phil could do the Lagos section?
Accuracy may deteriorate with the years ..... but spelling and neatness should count to mitigate the questionable veracity. Besides, AAI crews absolutely thrive on a good rumour, right????
BTW, It was Alan "old Boy" Nicholson and Paul Theron (late of Hydra fame). Alan hired my scrawny butt (over the phone).... and Paul trained it (also getting me arrested in Recife !)
Sad to say, gentlemen, that the two magnificent Riley snooker tables at RV were unceremoniously bulldozed along with the rec center building. What a waste...... the Riley's gone ..not RV ! Spent many an hour helping "Cousin" Brian replacing the worn out Baise.
The Compound well to the north ..... past the Camel Round-about... was Al Durrat, North Obhur. Not a bad place really except for the apartments immediately opposite the Mosque. I had great satisfaction calling Takis and holding my phone to the window at 0407 LT when morning prayers started. He moved the flt deck crew farther from the mosque the next day.
Anyone remember Mick P. trying to jog to Al Durrat from the airport, after a CGK-JED, only to get lost running all the fence lines between RV and N. Obhur trying to follow the coast?
...or even Hank sitting semi-naked in his RV villa, fuelled with some REALLY bad sidiki, enjoying a flash-back from VietNam ...... mumbling about how we should "Kill them all". Sadly he was talking about crew planning.
Many arrows being shot at AAI in other fora ..... maybe more recollections like these would reveal the collective sense of humor amongst current and ex-AAI drivers..... who's gonna edit the shenanigans? Maybe Phil could do the Lagos section?
Accuracy may deteriorate with the years ..... but spelling and neatness should count to mitigate the questionable veracity. Besides, AAI crews absolutely thrive on a good rumour, right????
Last edited by Kato747; 25th Jun 2007 at 22:05. Reason: minor farkupp