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17th January 2003
The day began as normal, up at
about 6.30am with the usual ablutions etc,, before
making myself a giant cup of tea and settling down
in front of BBC World to get the drift of what is
happening out there in the world. This is while I
wait for Noi and Black to stagger forth into the day
ahead. We left for the trip to Black’s
school at the usual time, of about 7.15am, getting
there about 7.35am, without event. At this time the
day it was quite cool for Thailand about 22C I guess
in the region of 75 F with the night mist still
lying on the ground and gathering in the small
valleys looking really surreal with only the tops of
the palm tree’s showing, that I past on the way to
Blacks school. Once in the town the parched sand on
the side of the road certainly remind you of where
you are. Noi tends to Black’s breakfast at one of
the many food stalls usually some chicken breast on
a bed of rice, while I go and see the usual gang in
Rudy’s restaurant bar opposite
the school. As is the norm at that time of day there
was just Rudy, myself and Herbert the German plumber
in the place
having coffee, or that
is Herbert and myself while Rudy drinks a coke or a
beer depending how the night in the bar went the
night before, well for myself and Herbert anyway but
Rudy never complains. A very pleasant way to start
the day, chatting about this and that, a little
local news - like who is in the dog-house
for doing what and to whom.
More often than not some chat about world
news, lately more than not about George Bush and his
lap-dog Tony Blair and what is happening over that Iraq
fiasco.
By 8.30am it’s off to work for
me and Herbert while Rudy waits for his next group
of customers of the day. As I remember this day it
was straight back home to sort the email, deleting
all the rubbish that you get as soon as you get on
to a mailing list. However I don’t mind that as
sometimes you do get a little gem in that stuff.
That day I had something to do after my emails
as I ended up going out alone while Noi did her
usual housework.
Possibly going to the post office or something like
that but nothing special. On the way back for some
reason I decided to pay a visit to the airfield
which was not the norm on a Friday but I must have
had very little urgent work
to do that
day. Before I had to
go to my appointment that I made with Mrs Watcharee
at the art Gallery to take pictures for my up and
coming Art site in the afternoon at 3pm. When I
arrived at the
airfield I found a lot
of people milling around, many
more than I expected to find at that time on a
Friday morning. Then I remembered
it was the day of Jum’s flight test, something that
I had known about from flying on Tuesday of that
week but had managed to overlook
in the melee
of the week’s
work.
Jum is a young lady of 23 years,
her real name is Penprapa Yoschai. She
was born in Petchabun
up- country and grew up with her mother as her father
had disappeared
when she was a baby. She
finished a bachelor's degree
(2 ½ years) at
Ramkhamhaeng University
Bangkok in 2001
majoring in
International Economics. She began learning to fly
airplanes when she was 21 year old, her first flight
lessons where in a "Flight star”, first teacher is
Mr. Jim Matonti. The next plane is a " Zenair CH701"
the same air-craft that I am trying to learn in. But also
in her pilot’s log she has an hour in a helicopter.
She is in stature what I would describe as willowee
about 5’3” tall about 70 LB arms like matchstick in
the nicest possible way of cause. However as with
all Thai people looks can be most deceptive she may
well be able to deliver a very powerful punch. I’ll
let you know if I am ever on the wrong side of one.
One of her ambitions is to go to America and become
a flying instructor.
Her
flight training began in 2001 when she went to work
for Jim, her
adopted father as she calls him.
She had known Tom Claytor who is a good friend of Jim’s
and it was he
who introduced her as a
young lady who could take care of the office for
Jim. Tom is an American film actor who turns up
at the
airfield in an old green Jeep with the wind screen
down, very stylish. You know the sort, ruggedly handsome
and he knows it.
I am sure he would be a
hit with many of the ladies
out there.
If
anybody out there has ever seen his name on the
credits of a film please do let me know.
Anyway back to Jum on her big day. While I was
there at about 11.00am that morning the day was much
as any other a slight cross wind blowing over the
runway from the west, nothing more than an on-shore
breeze. I learned that the Inspector from the Air
Ministry was to arrive at 1.00pm, for Jum’s test. So
having
chin-wagged a little I
set off home to
complete the one or two
things that I had to do that day, now determined to
be there for her test.
So I returned by
1.00pm, with a load of water and Noi had decided to
join me so we could see Jum’s test then go straight
on to pick up Black from school. Jum’s Mother had arrived
with her sister and a few other well wishers. Being
Thai the table in the shade of one of the hangers
was quickly laid with all sorts of Thai food, which
even though I had never meet Jum’s mother before
that day I was invited too join in the consumption
of. I was a little peckish
but not so hungry that I was going to let it spoil
my appetite for the stew I was going to have that evening.
The
inspector was late but by Thai standards
on time - only half an hour late. Unfortunately by
that time the wind was really getting up. Still from
the west, making a 90 degree cross wind, but by now
much more than an on-shore breeze. At that time of
day it would
normally have been an
off-shore breeze from the east anyway. Jum was being
put through the
wringer on the ground
by the inspector in the depths of Jim’s hanger.
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According to Jim, Jum’s and
my instructor, far more than he had ever seen before
in the 25 or so years that he has been flying.
Unfortunately the time was going on and it looked
like I was not going to see the test because I had
to pick up Black from school and then go on to the
art gallery to take the pictures. So at 2.30pm, I
had to leave without seeing anything. I dropped Noi
off at the School, not dropping into Rudy’s place
for the customary afternoon natter, drove straight
on up the hill to the art gallery, Noi and Black
were to make there own way home. I got there and did
the job, all the staff being very helpful, and
within an hour I was finished. I bade them all
goodbye and was off back to the airfield to see what
had happened.
When I arrived all I had
missed was the take off and only then by about 5
minutes. They had waited for the wind to die down a
little but the opposite happened, it got steadily
stronger. More experienced pilots than I were saying
it was a borderline decision whether to fly at all
that day, by the time she took off. By now she was
away, nowhere to be seen and by this time the
airfield was not what you would call packed but
there where more people there than I had ever seen
there before, all coming to wish her well. Ten
minutes or so went by and she re-appeared crossing
the runway at 90 degrees from the east into the wind
and as I had expected the engine cut to a tick-over
just as she crossed the runway. This was going to be
her emergency landing part of the test. With no
power she had to do a 270 degree turn to the left as
the wind - although it was almost directly across
the runway - slightly favored runway 010 this is ten
degrees off the north. So although a left turn
is a little easer than a right turn because of the
prop-wash, she had to make that landing to fail this
was to fail the test for sure.
I had seen her do it earlier
in the day but my heart was in my mouth as by now
the wind was such that Jim would not have dared let
me attempt a landing in conditions like this. She
did it as perfectly as I have ever seen it done even
by Jim, it was a touch and go with a no power,
landing in a strong cross wind. Every one clapped
and cheered, load enough for Jum to have heard it
above the engine noise as she then powered away.
This was a perfect landing dipping the left wing
very slightly to accommodate the strong cross-wind.
So she was off again for another half hour at least.
I rescued some of the water that I had brought that
morning and sat waiting for what had to be her final
landing of the day and the results of her test.
There was much talk of the
weather conditions while we were all waiting with
bated breath, the tapioca at the side of the runway
was blowing in the wind and you know it’s quite
strong when you see that. By this time I wished I
had brought a hat as it was lovely to sit there in
the wind but even at 4.30pm, in the afternoon, the
Thai sun is strong with the temperature being in the
low thirties C. somewhere in the low nineties
Fahrenheit. She finally appeared joining the
pattern at 500 feet, 45 degrees from the north east
and making the last right hand turns before her
final approach of the day.
Despite the strong wind the
last landing was as good as you can get. We were all
very eagerly waiting, not so patiently, for the
result. Looking for signs of smiles as she
taxied back down the runway. We could see smiles as
she came to a halt not far from us all waiting
there. Were these smiles of joy at a good result or
nervous smiles to hide great disappointment?
No one could tell.
They disappeared into Jim’s
hanger; this examiner was a pig. Never mind
Jum, the whole audience was on tenterhooks waiting
for the news. Again there was much discussion as to
what the meaning was of the smiles. Eventually she
was released from her torment and emerged from the
hanger still smiling and our wait was rewarded - she
had passed and took her place in Thai history at
least, as the first Thai lady Ultra Light pilot.
The Party then began with
many hugs and kisses and a table full of crisps,
chicken wings, sausages. Oh to hell with the stew; I
was starving. With all those hugs and kisses I am
glad it was a young lady not a bloke, who would have
had the water pipe used to water the runway turned
on him. |
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