Genesis – Tonight Tonight Tonight & Invisible Touch Live @ Frankfurt Main (Germany) 05.07.2007 (recorded with Nokia N95)

60 Days

This is a story as story about two people. The world they saw around them and how they placed themselves in the centre of the world. There are no villains and no special scenes happening about any place or characters. There is only fate and misjudgments about silly human life and wrong emotions centered in this plot.

The story is about two people from two different worlds and their love. Let’s give them some names for reading purpose and for me to write. The guy can be Gopu or he liked to be called as Gopu. Gopu was born and bought up in a remote village somewhere in the hillside valleys of southern part if India called as Kerala. During the same time The Tonight show was on the starting season, Wayne Gretzky(Canadian Ice hockey player) scored his 50th career goal, The season was the start of Hezbollah movement against US, and Writings of Mrs. Caliban. Ingalls, became famous after II world war from American born author novel authors of 20th century. Queen Elizabeth II was reigning in power.

But all these were Gopu’s father who was a writer by profession and Gopu never would have thought of all these things happening around him. He was a spirited young child and the pet of the family. He was having lots of friends at school and he loved going to school. But the best part for Gopu going to school was after hours from school so that he can go for a swim with his friends in a near by canal. He was a kid with full of Imaginations and Illusions. He used to go running behind bullock cart yelling at the bullocks as if he thought they are listening to the sounds but not the beats from the cart rider. He loved gazing lone in the rich and lush valleys filled with trees and bushes. Gopu was so naughty as age grows by he heard one of his uncle say that, but someone else also said he is naughty as well as good, he tried to co-ordinate between both of these lines but it is of no use. So many people so many comments he never understood how the world revolved with so many people standing, he was not thinking about the Physics classes but about the bare basics of human mind. He was more induced into thoughts like that by his surroundings. There were temples, churches and mosques nearby. There were so many festivals happening he loved seeing the fire crackers, the decorations and his favorite elephants standing with all its pride.

Same time some where in the North Indian village of Lucknow a girl whose name is Akku had been through times of Gopu and she would have known all what is happening since a difference of 7 years was there between their births. She was a cute chubby girl in her family. Her mum and dad celebrated her birthday along with the winter Olympics happening in Germany and Mussolini’s treaty has to be avoided that was the voice in Germany, and the Movie Eagle has Landed was released, these were the main happenings around the world.

Akku was a kid who was always obedient and affectionate to the people who are less fortunate than hers, but her mum was never liked her daughter to mingle with any other kids who were playing. She had that orthodox attitude that the real charisma of girls should happen only when they obey their parents and be at home. She had no one to play with her. The room she played was her daddy’s room with lots of big huge machines (as she called) and one big room with lots of books and equipments. Equipments her father was a dentist by profession. This made her childhood far distant, from others that she had to see other children playing together through a window pane. She never liked her mum forcing her to wash her hands and legs every time she does anything. But she was surprised about the same pollution which her mum says. She wanted to know will it be in the world outside as her mum says. Akku seized every opportunity to look outside the window and when going to the school to learn and understand how things where happening in this beautiful world of flowers. She always loved flowers where ever she goes her mum or dad use to gift her flowers and she will keep those at her room.

Akku wanted freedom from her loneliness and friends to mingle with she decided that on her after school days to college. She told her mum that she had no intention to study more from home. Her mum fearing that her daughter might have gone beyond than making fiends decided to teach her from home. She kept private tuitions for her so that she could know her timings and she was sure she won’t loose her to any other guy than her elder brother’s son who was a almost similar age to hers. Akku knew her mum had that Intention and she always wanted to project herself as a low profiler in front of that guy. She had known from her friends that, the Uncles son had bad habit of smoking and she never liked smoking or people who are smokers.

She left her education in the middle after her senior schools and went helping her dad as an apprentice for his dental nursing home. From the days she was working with her dad she realized that the world is also as ugly as it looks beautiful, she realized. She had some couple of not so serious relationships with some couple of guys. She remembered one guy even took her for a ride in his new motorcycle when he got it. She never took those relationships so serious, since her first love. Moreover according to her that was a request.

We will come back to Akku’s pending request for love in a short while. Mean while we will have a look at our Gopu and what where happening with him all these years as Akku is almost in her first year of college. These times Gopu had been a pretty good and pretty naughty boy among his loved friends and family. Gopu’s friend took him to distant places and he was fond of roaming the places. He was not so brilliant at the classes but was successfully completing all the courses which he had taken for. Once when he went for a city in south India called the garden city-Bangalore he visited the Airport over there and he was inspired by the planes in a whole. He wished that he would have been a pilot but he took his majors in literature, hence Gopu decided to enquire about other opportunities to become a regular industry observer and to get into the airliners world.

Gopu went to Bangalore to explore more from where he found some friends working and
Applying for different software and IT companies which was the hottest of the segments during that time. Gopu decided to join some industry related courses or diploma for finding him some better placements in the aviation industry. He joined was successful enough to find himself place in the industry. Regarding the love life of Gopu you can call him a lover boy or a lover’s boy. Like those tissues, which naughty girl’s who throw away after each use and boys do love it. That was Gopu’s perception of love people who know him lesser thought. He never wanted to go behind any girl for any cause he mentions within his fiends that whenever they are deeper into any relationship he says” also always show the girl a door first and then invite her”. He had immense respect for the people who he loved and the world is so beautiful according to him. So he used to tell between his friends”never commit anything which you can never accomplish” The reason he lived without a love or a committing relation had a story behind it. But his close friends knew his denial for love. He was having a long and everlasting relationship (as he thought). With a girl with a melanin less brown eyes (he used to tell her that in front of his friends).Actually she was his first friend, A girlfriend, A lover and what ever. She was the best partner he ever prayed for god. God ‘if there are any takers’ as he would refer to God in conversation with his fiends. But life couldn’t control its games on her she had committed suicide at a young age since her parents relationship were too bad to go forward with the young girl. After the days with out her he was more tormented and diminished without anyone talk with. He felt so, but his friends found a better remedy to take him away with them and make him settled in another city called Bangalore. Gopu was left out wandering in the gazing fields of this beautiful world once again. At times he felt so alone and left out in what ever fun and activities he was volunteered in. He felt without anyone beside him to open up his hearts content with. But his friends never lost hope in him and that was his biggest blessing which he realized lately.

]]>
The time came for Gopu for his next big assignment with his work. Meantime our heroine of the story Akku had already been through the rough rides of the world and she had started to build her dreams up with a gifted youngster more over a year and a half difference with her. Because of only that reason and Indian culture is very orthodox and her parents wanted to save their faces from the community. They decided to leave her alone for her fate with the guy she loved. The reason for her parent’s denial was that he was of another caste and of much younger age. She had to choose between her parents and her new found love she opted for the latter part. And their combined dreams were building around seven years and she opened doors for him after, they decided to move in together. Fate is a magician where no one can ever take chances with or without risking something precious, in ones life.

Akku who has been in the city in Bangalore, according to her boyfriend who decided to marry her the year following wanted her to come and stay with him. So she left her join and was on search for a suitable job in the garden city. Akku got a customer service job in a prestigious airline and the training where supposed to happen in Germany. Even Gopu who had been working with airline industry for quiet some years also got the same training offer from Germany and he decided to join. Akku and Gopu met for the first time in November when they where boarding the flight to Germany from Bangalore. Gopu was surprised by the age of a girl who is looking 25-28 according to him as a medium beauty of someone resembling Small 5.2 packaged “gujju” (a typical north Indian word for the people from Gujarat).He asked her while helping her out in filling the immigration form at the counter. She smiled and told height and looks doesn’t comes with the age. But then on the eyes of both were set on each other even in the words actions and fun-parties they were together in it took three days for them to come to each others room and have a chit chat. They guy from Mumbai who was on his second training schedule to Hamburg-Germany. They were good friends soon and they three together started their evening dinners. It was actually a get together after each day. Or a sort of meeting point for lovers to meet after work. They were with their Gopu and most of the times when free went to each others room and had talks with each other. Gopu liked the girls helping nature to all those who are in fire-alarm. Gopu thought a girl with such a disaster recovery management class should be born as fire fighter. She liked his comments even without showing a little frowning part in her smile. They friendship was growing out of bounds and Gopu thought even if this is growing out of bound it will end up as all the girls so far he has seen. He said to himself ‘I have seen nothing much better or bigger is going to happen’. Time proved that this typical north Indian girl has the fervor of likeness to the things which she desired. It was not only a small desire of Lust or fondness or love or what ever it grew as a blasphemy for the people she loved. The love and affection in her words became as good as magic for Gopu was deciding to ask her in one day. She soon became a factor of realization of his forgone love for Gopu. But he was unsure what was happening with him in this stage. He decided to keep quiet till he gets a final nod, to go for anything freely with Akku. But time had its own different plan in mind, the training got over for the Christmas holidays.

Yahoo Christmas holidays about the holy church and the diocese that was on Gopu’s mind while retuning to India, all of his friends celebrated his arrival after training. He and his fiends went for swimming and outing at some nearby county resorts .They had but noticed a small change in Gopu’s talks and ways, but all was parallel related to the calls which he was receiving from none other than Akku’s called him when ever she found time. She told him that she is having a boyfriend and she is planning to settle with him. But thinking of Gopu even she thinks otherwise (to settle with him-might be).Gopu took it as a casual talk. But what was on her mind and her intention was he never could have thought of. Days passed but it was only a matter of ten days and Gopu returned with his friends from a destination called Goa, the coastal party paradise of south India. He was on time for his flight back to Germany for training. He met all the others along with Akku, then started the as sacred or as crucified game of love or lust any of the readers may call(I got these parts from the diary scripts which he left in Germany, In his apartments-some of them are edited and some are actual).

They were all waiting for the boarding time of the plane. Gopu was checking some prices at the counters he bought some chocolates. Then Akku joined him they started talking about their vacation stories. Gopu told her about his parties and other happening from Goa, she in turn once again repeated the stories of herself and her boyfriend and how they enjoyed in Pondichery (another coastal town in, Tamil Nadu, IN-was affected by Tsunami).They boarded the aircraft and she took a guy of from the next seat of Gopu to sit with him in the plane. Gopu was wondering why all of a sudden such an action. They continued their talks about friends family and relationships they had or having. She even gestured for that once he commented on a particular date of having ‘sex’ with her boy friend. Gopu continued with his gestures and felt sleepy. He asked her and went to sleep went to sleep. But he could sleep only for a while woke up saw there was no dinner served to both of them. Stupid flight attendants, he murmured. After that hunger strike both of them couldn’t find sleep properly. He ordered some snacks and they served him. Then they again went on talking about worldly things which are of no use-during conversation Gopu had kept his hand as open as if Akku could hold his hand. Akku took his hand and was feeling cozy. Their talks slowed down and without any thwarting factor she rested her head on Gopu’s shoulder and they again went to sleep till flight reached Frankfurt airport. The story of their love was happening so the enmities and friendship between any of them on sight should be talked about (that was the hidden message in what ever they did-as lovers do).

Then there were only stories only stories which no one could never imagined cupid stuck the romantic couple of Gopu and Akku and they never bothered what they world around will think about their actions mischievous. The day was on a January winter evening when they were returning from work. They both talked a lot as usual over the phone mail.
The U-bahn’s and the S-bahn’s (trains and busses-Deutschland) provided them enough time and space for them to take up decision on day to day activities and that of future planning. But confusion aroused on terms of future planning and Akku wanted enough time to settle down with things As she used to say to him that things are not small as they seems to be we both loved and we both will.’ Our love was the true one but not a drop of anger o frustration in it’. She told him things will all fall back and we will be together forever as she wished to be. She demanded with tears on her eyes not ever to leave her hand. She told him when he leaves he hand’ it feels like “world is not with her” She used to tell him things can’t be readily available as sex. This is life you have to understand. But Gopu’s opinion was about informing him, her boyfriend so further avoiding any such impeccable actions from anyone.

For a speedster like Gopu never liked the idea of using much time to concentrate on good things. Akku was of the opinion of staying back from her current relationship for quiet couple of months and come and marry Gopu. Gopu wanted the stories of Love and lust between them to be told to her boyfriend at the earliest. But whenever that topic came she just avoided the topics at ease. Their shopping, the time they spend at the movies and the time when ever they meet at the office and way back home-all were noted by colleagues of them. Some friends of Gopu even advised to stay back after having fun and not to indulge too much in a relationship like this. They were of the opinion that a girl who had been in love with some one since new millennium, and found a lover / true love after 8 years can never be trust worthy. Someone even avoided Gopu in their parties and discussion .Bu t all these actions created a positive vibe for Gopu and Akku. She never let Gopu down for his words. They both cried because of happiness in their love.

The days of love and kisses and sex will wind up soon as in any relationship. Gopu’s well wishers and friends and his parents back home thought all were knowing the facts and figures of happening there in Germany. But something when started are never meant for a change. So was the love between both of them what ever examples time showed they stood against and fought back. But there was day when things went out of control and Gopu virtually thrashed something she cared for the most her memories embodied in her laptop. Bu t it was not for the laptop and it was for some other acts he did. Topics were raised and questions to be answered became the scenario then. All was in the peak time of the frustration part from their love. But the Co. decided to gave Gopu a warning and send him back home .She cried for the next two. Days all were disappointed by the co. decision but Gopu knew it was on their company’s money they were doing the love and fun and romance part of life. He thought of the beautiful ‘sixty days’ that he spent with Akku and how suddenly things became a stand still because of his actions. Life became a stand still for Gopu. Akku called Gopu and asked him to be with her after office and the rest of the day. Gopu and Akku went for a coffee and they spend hours sitting there. It was almost nightfall and a little of rains. They couldn’t hold their hands together those where the last days of February in winter in Hamburg. After coffee they spent time together having some chocolates in her room. She told him to be happy and be positive in life and wait for her if she could come after these and things will get over and everything will be fine. He went on asking her to be free and be with the team and not to think about his fate. She urged him to be successful and she is looking forward for that and she wanted to live as she wished. They had a discreet time with some kisses and cries to be exchanged and both said will never depart from each other what ever happens.

It was the time of flight next day morning till morning from midnight Gopu and Akku was on the phone talking and talking. Gopu received his friend with warm hands and told them never to cry for him that he was sure / rather unsure about his future. His good fiend from Germany came to drop him at the airport. Akku came downstairs to see him off. All were having a shadow of what happened and what to be believed, but as all says time is a magnificent healer for people who has got no grudges to anyone, Gopu told to him self. Gopu hugged his friend and said good bye to him at the airport. Gopu took the flight back home to India.

Diary Scripts from Gopu:-”I feel pain and sorrow in my sullen heart, I feel now I live for nothing but for waiting her to comeback. I pray to any belief which I believe to bring her back for that she loves me more than anyone. She is only afraid of telling the stories to her boyfriend who in turn may ham her, may even smash her face. She feared it- I have to tell him about all what happened”. Gopu decided the first action of his after the flight will be that. In the flight Gopu didn’t eat anything rather than drinking water. Gopu cried some times as if his tears will go unnoticed, but a gentleman seated beside him asked him about his situation he told, everything is fine as they say in German ‘Alles Good’ (Am good ). But Gopu had a big black mark on his chest which is deep enough to wound any human being, for eternity. His grief knew no bounds that he became no more the same old spirited guy as he used to be.

After the flight landed Gopu went out to collect his baggage. The gentle man who was seated beside him introduced himself as a captain and he introduced his family to him. Gopu was no more in a hurry for any thing to be happening. Gopu went to his friends place all the while thinking of drafting a mail and the comments for her boyfriend. His friends were broken down seeing Gopu in such a way. They asked him not to be sad and think good of the future. They asked him what they could do to help him .he suggested nothing but the computer to mail a request for a requisition of a certain product called his life. His friends were astonished and annoyed at the same time for Gopu having still a heart full for her. They argued with him and commented as bad as they could so as to make Gopu understand of the scenario and trouble. They all argued that girl is not worthy of Gopu and he in turn is not worthy of having her. He did no comments for the questions or the problems rose. Gopu drafted a letter detailing almost all action to be told and not to be told to her boyfriend. Then followed the days for to act as IT as a tool for resolving human problems. But the love and attachment were overthrowing each jumbled line in the mails exchanged. Akku mailed Gopu and asked him not to mail her boyfriend again and told him, ‘let me settle down with the things and let me see my future for a while’. Even after these there were chats mails and calls from Akku and Gopu. Akku told that Gopu should find a job and get settled soon. And he was ready to do anything for her request. He decided to jump into the market again and search for better opportunity which can give them both a survival instinct. All the days of March went on with mails chats and conversation till 20th of March. The last conversation from Akku on his phone was she is coming to India and let her settle in her own ways fro the problems she is also equally responsible for and asked Gopu to be patient and wait for her.

That communication ended the strands of hope in Gopu. Gopu did things voluntarily. He never wanted to go for and get hose thing s he wanted to he just wanted to wait for her till she comes. He wanted to live simple; he never went outside his home. His friends got to know that Gopu was there in the home town. They took Gopu out to the beach side asked him to go for some beer and people who took the regular New Year resolution of stop smoking and drinking wanted to join Gopu for a drink or a smoke. Gopu avoided them as seemed purposely by his fiends. They all wanted to know the reason behind it someone already got to know the almost part gave the entire story to his friends who were annoyed in an instance for his stupidity and mimicked him. He felt no pain and no anger inside that his heart was no more a heart of beautiful and joyous living. It was transmogrified in to a spit bowl in a dark dungeon. He wanted to go out no more and nothing from any one more. But still some couple of friends who never wanted to get the Gopu they always Gopu like that decided to take Gopu regularly outside roaming leaving all the others.

The there was no one more for Gopu requires as ever , his mind fluctuated with in the stormy imaginations of having Akku beside him and they both floating in the thin mist on the sky above and peeping into the world beneath. As he looked he was noticing the movements of the people and looking for his Akku or someone taking her along with. He looked as if some one else alive is coming with the water called life or Akku for him.


Thank you.

Dear reader. Valuable are thou suggestions:-orionblr@gmail.com

Inputs from Gopu’s friends and family added.


Originally published here.

---

Govind K Menon

---

There many news on flights on different developments going on globally .Below find the round up on flight news,

SAUDI ARABIA CONTRACTS FOR S-76Ds

The Kingdom of Saudia Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has signed a contract to produce twelve Sikorsky S-76D helicopters and has taken options to acquire eight additional S-76Ds, this has been announced by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.

The S-76D is the latest model in the highly successful S-76 helicopter line.Sikorsky has produced and delivered nearly 800 S-76 helicopters.

A400M WING PASSES CRITICAL TEST

The critical static test requires for certification for the highly advanced all-composite wing of the Airbus Military A400M has passed the ultimate-load up-bend test.

During the test the wing was subjected to a load equal to 150% of the maximum bending load (limit load) predicted to be encountered in service.

The wingtips of the full-size A400M static test specimen moved upwards 1, 41 metres (4, 6 feet) during the test which was completed at Airbus Military’s Getafe, Madrid facility recently.

INTERJET WINS CONTRACTS

Interjet which is based at Lanseria International Airport has received approval from the South Africa Air Force (SAAF) and Armscor to provide steady state product support on the SAAF Raytheon King Air as well as the Cessna Caravan aircraft.

This was announced in August this year by Interjet CEO, Paul Ludick who further said “The contract will include all levels of serviceable which allows the SAAF to provide the necessary readiness as required”.

Interjet recently received its B-BBEE accreditation for both maintenance and avionics departments which is a requirement to be met for medium and large companies in South Africa.

G450 SETS SPEED RECORD

A long-range Gulfstream G450 business jet recently established a city-pair speed record between Tokyo and Hong Kong.

The G450 took off from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and flew the 1,694 nautical mile distance at an average cruise speed of Mach 0, 85, landing three hours and 58 minutes later at Hong Kong International Airport.

MALTESE HOT POTATO

In Malta during the past weeks a partenavia P68C Victor has been seen with huge ICCAT titles on the port side.ICCAT stands for international commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna.

Lately, the issue of tuna fishing and penning has been a hot potato on the Mediterranean island of Malta, with fishermen being confronted by vessels from non-government organizations, namely Green Peace and Sea Shepherd.

Maltese rural affairs Minister, George Pullicino, recently described the NGOs tactics as similar to those of “private armies”. The issue of tuna fishing, which the Maltese Government insists is entirely legal, has also been raised at high level meetings in Luxembourg.

CATHY ORDERS 30 A350 XWBs

Following the signature of a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Airbus for the order of 30 aircraft, Cathy Pacific Airways has selected the all-new A350 XWB to form the backbone of its future mid-size wide-body fleet.

With the capability of flying over 8000 nautical miles non-stop, the airline has selected the A350-900 variant of the aircraft.

FIRST T-6C FOR RMAF

The first of 24 Beech craft T-6C Military trainers ordered by the Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) has been rolled out by Hawker Beech craft Corp.

The RMAF is replacing its existing fleet of T-34 and T-37 jet trainers with the T-6Cs.The T-6Cs upgraded avionics include a head-up display, up front control panel, three multifunction displays and hands-on throttle and stick and in addition to the hard-point wings.

The RMAF order represents a government-to government agreement between Morocco and the U.S. In addition to the 24 aircraft, the contract includes aircraft ferry services, site survey, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, facility infrastructure support, personnel training and training equipment, and other related elements of technical and logistics support.

]]>

COMAIR EXPANDS AFRICAN NETWORK

From November Comair, Operator of British Airways in South Africa and kulula.com,is again expanding its African route network and will offer five return flights per week between Johannesburg and Daresaalm,in Tanzania.

The new route and the flights will be operated by British Airways and will also be integrated and sold through kulula.com distribution network.

TRANSATLANTIC JOINT BUSINESS

British Airways ,American Airlines and Iberia have received final regulatory approval from the European Commission to enter into a joint business agreement on transatlantic flights. The airlines anticipate that they will receive the final decision on transatlantic anti-trust immunity from the US Department of Transportation shortly.

The transatlantic joint business will strengthen competition across the Atlantic by enabling the oneworld alliance to compete on a level playing field with the other global alliances that already have anti-trust immunity. The airlines plan to launch the transatlantic joint business this autumn.

LUFHANSAS SECOND A380

Lufthansa has received its second Airbus A380 which was recently ferried from Hamburg to Frankfurt prior to being named “Munchen” at a festive ceremony at Munich Airport.

Its inclusion in the Lufthansa fleet in August has already raised frequencies ex Frankfurt to Tokyo from thrice-weekly to daily services and has opened the way for the type to be introduced to the South African service from next month.

LANDMARK DESTINATION

Kenya Airways recently broadened its network by launching regular flights between Nairobi and Angola’s capital city, Luanda.

POSEIDON ENTERS FLIGHT TEST

Boeings new P-8A Poseidon aircraft T3 successfully completed its first flight test in Seattle recently and during the two-hour and 48 minute flight Boeing and US Navy test pilots performed airborne systems checks including engine accelerations and decelerations, autopilot flight modes, and auxiliary power unit and engine shutdowns and starts.

The T3 is the P-8A programmes mission-system and weapon-certification aircraft. In the coming weeks, T3 will join the two P-8A test aircraft currently at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md, and complete additional ground and flight tests.

The Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8A anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to replace its P-3 fleet. Initial operational capability is planned for 2013.

ALAFCO OPTS FOR A350-900

ALAFCO, the Kuwait –based international aviation lease and finance company, has converted its existing firm order for 12 Airbus A350-800s placed in 2007, into the higher capacity A350-900 model.

The A350-900 is the first of the three members of the A350 XWB family to be introduced and will enter service in mid-2013.The A350-900 typically has a capacity of around 40 more seats than the smaller 800 model.

RED BULL AIR RACES CANCELLED

The Red Bull Air Races have been cancelled for next year, according to a statement issued by the organizers in August.

The one-year hiatus is needed to develop strong host city partnerships and secure a “long-term race calendar”, according to Red Bull. Some late-in-the –game venue changes and cancellations disrupted the race schedule for this year, and a couple of near-accidents raised safety concerns.

CRITICAL DESIGN REVIEW

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., has announced the successful completion of the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter  programme critical design review (CDR) event, signaling  the program me is ready to proceed to assembly ,test and evaluation.

Over the past four years, the CH-53K helicopter team has successfully completed numerous major reviews, including the system requirements review (SRR),system functional review (SFR) ,systems preliminary design review(PDR) ,77 supplier-level critical design reviews (CDRs) ,64 supplier and internal software reviews, and 16 sub-system CDRs.

SVT FOR BARONS, BONANZAS

Hawker Beech craft Corp. has announced that Garmin’s Synthetic Vision Technology (STV) and other associated avionics improvements will be included as standard equipment on its piston-engine Beech craft Baron and Bonanza Aircraft.

Following the receipt of Supplement Type Certificates covering both models, the upgraded offerings were introduced on production aircraft as from August.

AWARD FOR ‘FATHER OF BOEING 747′

Legendary Boeing aeronautical engineer, Joe Sutter, credited with leading the development of the iconic 747 jetliner ,won the inaugural Flightglobal Lifetime Achievement Award,Flight International magazine announced at the 2010 Farnborough International Air show recently ” Joe Sutter helped shrink our planet for tens of millions of ordinary travelers,” said Murdo Morrison, editor of Flight International.

Sutter joined Boeing in 1946 as an aerodynamics specialist and worked on the Boeing 377,Dash -80,707,727,and 737.In 1965, he took on the role of chief project engineer of the new 747 programme,which pioneered the twin-aisle wide-body concept.

‘FIRST’ FOR ARIK AIR

Nigeria’s largest commercial airline, Arik Air, has scored another first by becoming, the first Nigerian airline to be re-certified by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The regulatory body announced recently that the airline had met the Federal Governments requirement of the new Civil Aviation Regulations.

NCAA director-general, Dr. Harold Demuren, said Arik Air had fulfilled the 6th of the eight critical elements as stipulated by the United States of Americas Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

According to Dr. Demuren, the sixth element involved licensing and certification and one of the country’s airlines needed to meet the new regulation. He expressed optimism that soon Nigeria would bag Category 1 status as the country was close to the end of the certification exercise by the American regulatory body.

ONE TIME TO MAPUTO

Voted by World Travel Awards for two in a row as Africa’s leading low cost carrier,1 time Airline, in August launched a five-times –a-week service between Johannesburg and Maputo,Mozambique.It thus makes use of the full capacity granted to operate this route, in relation to existing bilateral agreements.

1times prices started at about 50% less than its competitors and current lowest airfare on the route is R2663 return inclusive, with 1times lowest fare  coming in at R672 one-way all inclusive. Government –imposed airport taxes of R475 per way is included in the all-inclusive fare.

NEW A350 XWB HANGAR

From mid-2011 the worlds largest fuselage made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) will be assembled in Hamburg, Germany ,less than a year after Airbus celebrated the “topping-out” of the new A350 XWB fuselage assembly hangar.

Completion of the hanger is expected within the next few weeks. Then the jigs, tools and machinery will be set up with start of production scheduled for spring 2011.

Airbus is investing over Euros 150-million in A350 XWB hangar (including jigs, tools and machinery) in Hamburg.

 

Originally published here.

---

Anthony A Juma

---