Lagos RWY lighting system stolen...
TIA………
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.
.
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.
.
It was much the same back in the 1960s!! Copper wire stolen to make bangles.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
You wouldn't believe it would you. As if they would steal!
Tabs please !
Over in the African Aviation forum, someone has stolen the highly entertaining "Only In Africa" thread.
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.
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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.
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/2...for-fast-food/
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/2...for-fast-food/
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.
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.
Spoon PPRuNerist & Mad Inistrator
