And just to prove the point... The power just went out and the guys have turned the backup generator on! Haha...
Anyway, between the "full on" 6 day tours in northern Kalimantan, where electricity, nevermind internet access, is a "sometimes" thing... A roster that can (and does) change daily... Flights cancelled because of smog/haze caused by locals burning native forests so they can create palm oil plantation... Waiting days/weeks for government departments to issue various pieces of paper... And crazy weather that seems to follow no logical pattern... The last 6 months can be best described as "chaotic" ;)
Still... Beats sitting at a desk 9-5! :P
Some of the highlights so far:
- Smashed through the 1000 hours total time, having racked up over 200 hours on the line
- Had my photo taken with countless random passengers... Including ones who have just got off another airline and were just walking across the apron! ;)
- Carried a 43kg "strong" box... Full of cash... That was strapped to the back of a scooter on arrival and driven away! :-/
- Flew my first emergency "medivac"... An elderly gentlemen from a village in the mountains who had been shot in the abdomen with an arrow!!?!
- First prisoner transport... Not exactly sure what the guy had done, but they slapped him in cuffs after he was onboard.
- Carried live baby chickens...
- Crossed the equator...
- Strapped a woman into a separate lap and shoulder belt harness... While she was breast feeding!!?!
- Had a tower controller try to vector me right through the middle of a 12 mile long wall of VERY active thunderstorms and CBs... That was within view of the tower! "Errr Negative, cannot comply due weather!"
- Learnt Indonesian maths... Captain: "Max load is 980kg”... Ground crew: "thats Ok, we only have 1020kg total"... ??!?
- Found a place that has decent coffee (harder than it sounds!)
- Discovered that you can "shower" using wet wipes... For the record, about 20-25 should suffice...
- Successfully negotiated the Indonesian banking system to get an ATM card replaced... Only took 2 visits to the bank, my passport, long stay visa, 3 forms, 5 signatures and about 6 hours of my life!
- Spent more than 5 minutes in direct sunlight without burning to a crisp!
- Got given a pineapple as a "thank you" gift, from one of the remote villages...
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| 2nd best "Thank you" gift I've ever received... |
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| Nice view from an outdoor urinal... |
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| Basically my life for the last 6 months... |
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| From this... |
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| To this... In the space of 5 minutes! |
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| Windows? We've heard of them... "Luxury" crew accommodation |
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| Right on the profile... Right on sunset curfew! ;) |
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| Indo airforce trainers... 2 seat Su-30's |
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| Crossing the equator! |
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| Zoom zoom zoom... Around 380kph! |
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| Smoke dropped the vis to less than 2km |
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| OSH poster boy... Fixing an aircon unit... On the 35th floor!!?! |
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| An "islander"... Literally! |
