[previous by date]
[previous with aircraft operation]
[next by date]
[next with aircraft operation]
on the ramp in Cairo, Wednesday, 1998-02-25 11:00 local (Z+3)
Hello, All,
I've now been on duty for 17 hours. The duty day started in Paris. We picked up a flight there at Charles de Gaulle. The flight was a load of Marines out of California. One crew had taken them from March AFB in Riverside to JFK. Another crew took them from JFK to Paris, and we took them on to Bahrain to board a U.S. Navy ship and stand off Kuwait.
From Bahrain we came to Cairo simply because direct flights are not allowed between any of the Arab countries and Israel except for Egypt. The reason being, of course, that all of the Arab countries except Egypt are still technically at war with Israel. I understand this policy is loosening up, but apparently Tower Air is somehow still bound to it.
Anyway, when we entered Egyptian airspace, troubles started. Cairo claimed that we did not have diplomatic permission to land. It was my leg, and I had to contend with them not allowing us to descend below 29,000 feet until they straightened things out. We wound up at that altitude directly over the airport, then had to do a slam dunk to an ILS approach right down to minimums in fog. Challenges are okay when they come out well...nice landing in spite of the airplane being empty...I sometimes love this job.
At the moment, though, I don't. Somehow, and having to do with the original problem, Tel Aviv is denying landing permission there, so Cairo will not grant us take off clearance here. Oh, yes, there is an armed guard at the bottom of the air stairs to ensure that we don't leave the aircraft. An individual can leave the aircraft provided he is accompanied by a ground handling escort. The charge, probably straight into somebody's pocket, is $118 a trip to the operations office a few hundred yards away. C.J., remember the bribery attempts in Jakarta? It's somewhat the same thing, only this time we have to pay. So far, the captain has made three trips trying to straighten this thing out.
He's been on the phone to New York, and we have now established a phone patch through Stockholm Radio to avoid paying for the trips to operations. Thus far they've gotten Natchtomi out of bed (owner of Tower, and it's 04:00 in the morning there), the Tel Aviv station manager is on his way to Ben Gurion airport's control center, and who knows who else, attempting to figure out the mess.
All I know is that I'm getting really tired.
C.J., Stockholm Radio is the outfit that I occasionally used to phone you while in flight when I was with Evergreen, and the outfit you and I used to call Wabake's while in the air to Amsterdam that evening when the phones in Madrid had stopped working.
So, to kill time and stay awake...this message.
Bahrain was interesting, really heavy security. As soon as we parked, armed Marines were stationed around the aircraft. All ground handlers were allowed access only after they had been sniffed by an explosives dog and gone over with a hand held metal detector.
The last time I was in Bahrain was when I was with Evergreen. Coincidentally, we parked in the same place as on that trip. That ramp space has changed though. It is now a mini-base for the U.S. Navy. A dozen or so Navy aircraft were on the ramp as well as a few British Royal Air Force planes.
I got to practice a little of what's left of my Arabic. An older Arab, apparently supervising the cleaners that came on board, was sitting just inside one of the aircraft doors. As I went by him, he smiled, so I asked him how he was in Arabic. He replied, but I was headed down the air stairs and didn't catch the words. When I came back up, he asked me in Arabic how I was. I pulled up the very last of my Arabic memory and told him I was fine, and then added the obligatory “al humdulilah”—praise to Allah—phrase. He really lit up, grabbed my hand and held it as they do, and started with the “humdulilah, humdulilah, humdulilah”. I had obviously made his day—one of these infidels was actually friendly. <g>
When we came out of Bahrain, we requested and received permission for a high speed climb, so we stayed low while accelerating to 350 knots. This gave me a great night time view of Ras Tanura where C.J. and I used to live. It's only 30 miles from Bahrain. It's a strange feeling to fly by that place piloting a 747 when I spent so much time there missing flying so badly.
Well, something is happening downstairs. Maybe progress? I'll go see. Later...
....in Tel Aviv...dog tired...collapsing into bed...Terry
[previous by date]
[previous with aircraft operation]