* * * * * Flag of the U.A.E. Upon departing Orly (Paris) in our 747-Combi, we crossed the Alps again, slid down the boot of Italy, overflew the Mediterranean Sea, made landfall at Alexandria, then cut across the Sinai Peninsula, Gulf of Aqaba and northern Saudi Arabia, proceeding on to Dubai. After six hours and twelve minutes in the air, we touched down at Dubai, in the Arabian Desert on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf. Of all the seven emirates, of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai was the most populous city, for centuries being a trading hub specializing in the “re-export“ business. Dubai International Airport sat 2.9 miles east of the city and contained two modern, parallel runways, fully ILS equipped, with the longest runway being 13,000 feet in length. Howe...