Savannah, Hilton Hotel, Friday, 1998-02-20 21:00 local (Z-5)
Good evening, All,
I'm back in Savannah after a quick fourteen hours in Paris, which I spent sleeping.
The twelve hours we spent waiting on the airplane here in Savannah before going to Paris and then our departure included a somewhat humorous sequence of events that illustrate why some consider the term “military intelligence” an oxymoron.
First, the major reason for taking twelve hours to do what would have normally been done in a couple of hours was the Army's decision to move some cargo on our 747 as well as the troops and their baggage. They usually move their supplies via the Air Force or commercial freight carriers (like Evergreen for example). The Air Force knows how to handle cargo, but obviously the Army people here didn't. They had no idea it had to be palletized and tied down. Thus their stated reason of doing it themselves to save time resulted in a massive delay.
The delay allowed the media to show up, and what was supposed to have been a behind-the-scenes movement turned into a media event. When the troops finally came on board, I counted nineteen camera setups recording the event including CNN. When we got to Paris, the crew taking the airplane on to Kuwait told us they had seen us on CNN.
The troops filed on to the airplane in perfect order, we buttoned up and prepared to start...and then sat. The reason? The soldier who had hours earlier positioned the motorized air stairs had gone off duty and taken the keys with him. So, in front of the cameras, a bunch of soldiers had to push the damn stairs away.
The cameras ran as we taxied out, and then the cameramen positioned themselves to film the takeoff. We taxied into position on the runway and held...and held...and held... It seems the Army had neglected to update our flight plan and it had dropped out of the system. Getting a flight plan back in the system when the plan includes a North Atlantic crossing during the prime crossing hours takes a little time. In the meantime, an Army general needed to leave in his G-4. So, again in front of the cameras—and after a wait of twenty minutes or so—we taxied down the runway to the first intersecting taxiway, left the runway, and taxied back to the runway departure end.
Finally, of course, we did get off, and the media apparently chose not to report the embarrassments. So, a reminder that what appears on the news isn't always an accurate portrayal of the event.
It'll be back to Paris for me tomorrow, another layover there, and then on to Kuwait.
History seems to be repeating itself. When I upgraded from first officer to captain on the 747 at Evergreen it was in the middle of the first Gulf Crisis. Now, my current upgrade effort is being complicated by the present Gulf troubles, Desert Thunder I think they're calling it. I wonder who thinks up these names. Anyway, I talked to the Training Department manager today, and it seems my upgrade and that of the guy immediately senior to me has been put on hold until the shortage of first officers is remedied. If the delay is too long—I can't remember the maximum interval—I'll have to repeat the ground school and the simulator training. That I hope I can avoid.
Later, all...Terry