Hunt The Wind

           *     *     *     *     * Flag of India. Flag of the British Raj: 1880 - 1947.      Bombay, India:       I was assigned my first trip to Bombay, with SIA, on 3 rd December 1987.  As for the Bombay Airport, it was an absolute dump.      My first clue; was the inability of the Indian controllers to radar vector us.  Instead, we’re required to fly over the airfield at altitude, track outbound using a VOR radial to the Outer Marker, perform a procedure turn - turning us 180 degrees – and then intercept the ILS to track back inbound to Runway Two Seven (270°/090° magnetic, West/East).  A time and fuel wasting, antiquated instrument approach right out of WWII.      As for the terminal, it was old, tired and badly in need of renovation.        In spite of this, Bombay Airport did have some amusing episodes.      On one layover, we were assigned Gate 47, at Terminal 2, which required us to use taxiway “G” – a taxiway I hadn’t used before.  It was the captain’s leg – meaning it was

           *     *     *     *     * Flag of Egypt. Flag of Cairo Cairo at night.       On 2 nd November 1989, I performed my first trip to Cairo for SIA.  Coming from a Bangkok layover, we were required to fly across Saudi Arabia, and, as we approached Wejh on the Red Sea’s east coast, Jeddah Control instructed us to contact Cairo Control at waypoint “SILKA,” located in the middle of the Red Sea, on 126.60; a VHF frequency.      At that moment I felt the Saudi Controller had screwed up; he should have given us an HF frequency.  Because way back in 1982, when I operated my last 707 flight to Cairo for SAUDIA, their Russian VHF radios could barely reach as far as one could spit - hence requiring WWII HF radio contact.  With all its static noise, plus a “Gypo” controller who didn’t at once respond (on a goat-break no doubt) and, after calling him repeatedly, when he finally did reply, his Arab-accented, broken English was difficult to understand.      Boy was I in for a surprise,