IN FACT, I AM TOLD by people who seem to know, that one can’t fully enjoy good food and good music simultaneously. Only one can have your undivided attention at a time. The word undivided pretty much clinches it.
What’s all this got to do with flying? Well, I was browsing through my favourite online aviation chat site the other day when I came across a discussion on what was the best way to listen to music while flying. That’s not a difficult question, you buy an airline ticket and use the best whiz-bang ear thingies you can afford.
But no, that’s not the answer the punters were looking for. It seems they were keen to be PIC of a 50 year old 210, Bonnie, or Boere Boeing, with a wandering autopilot, while giving their full attention to Beethoven. Hmmm not for me.
This feels so wrong, on so many levels, yet when I expressed this opinion on the forum I was shouted down by pretty much everyone. Most of my detractors thought it was an age thing, and rather rudely offered advice on how to drag myself into the current century, for which I failed to thank them.
But I am still on a roll, and I will tell you why in a moment, because you – dear reader – as they used to say, have two advantages, you are more intelligent than the mob I was dealing with, and you can’t answer back.
So here are my thoughts on the matter, and once you have bought into my argument, I will tell you a story which I think pretty much clinches it.
Bu hikaye SA Flyer Magazine dergisinin March 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye SA Flyer Magazine dergisinin March 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
SACRIFICE
John continues his anecdotes about the sacrifices he has had to make in the course of his helicopter bush flying career.
KENYA - SAA PARTNERSHIP DELAY
KENYA AIRWAYS AND South African Airways announced the establishment of a highly anticipated Pan-African Airline Group three years ago.
TO PARIS FOR LUNCH
One morning I arrived back at Lanseria from a two day charter to a dreary Northern Cape iron mine. Entering the terminal, I removed my wings and epaulets, thrust them into my flight bag, and headed for the restaurant.
ASCA'S MPUMI MPOFU: READY FOR TAKE-OFF
Ms Mpumi Mpofu has occupied the hot seat as Chief Executive of ACSA, the Airports Company of South Africa for a tumultuous past four years.
HYDROGEN POWERED PLANE TESTED
WORLD’S LARGEST liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft, using a 1 MW fuel cell engine, has been tested.
CAMEROON - BLAMES BOEING
BOEING JUST CANNOT STAY out of trouble. It has become the whipping boy for endless absurd claims.
IRIS GOES TO SOMALIA
Having spent the last couple of years flying to a rota, I was thoroughly enjoying the freedom and randomness of flying charters at Sunbird Aviation.
TELEPORTATION
One of the best clients for whom I ever flew was BP, the British oil giant. I was with them in Algeria for about seven years, from the very start of their large gas projects, right in the heart of the Sahara Desert, near the small towns of In Amenas and In Salah.
FEBRUARY 2023
February has shown steady growth in the number of aircraft registered. Four fixed wing and one helicopter were added while the non-type certified (NTCA) register grew by seven.
RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 16 FUEL SYSTEMS WHY SO COMPLICATED?
You know those aggranoying people who say, “Oh I wouldn't fly in one of those little things - you can't just pull over and fix it if something goes wrong\"? What makes this particularly irritating is that the bastards are right.