J.Lo

this post in not about aviation. just writing for fun..

There are many names for a simple cockroach. Maybe everyone in your household call it "lipas". Or maybe you speak English at home, but since the name is complicated, your kids call it "kokosh". Cute. But no matter what you call your beloved cockroaches, nobody can beat the special name I give them.

J.Lo.

Why? Well, not because I despise the Latin singer from US. Let me explain. You see, my wife is a Sarawakian, and she calls them "lepeh". That's lipas in Sarawak dialect. So to add spice to the name lepeh, I decided to call it - "Lopez". And to add sugar to the name Lopez, I improved it to "Jennifer Lopez". Finally, to add sugar and spice, "J.Lo" is what I refer to cockroaches.

My wife doesn't find it amusing at all. Whenever I refer cockroaches as J.Lo, she still gives me that "lost" look. Like I'm from another planet. Whatever.

So one fine day I was brushing my teeth in the toilet. Suddenly this mother of all cockroaches crept from under the sink, inches away from my pretty feet. I was not wearing any slippers and squishing J.Lo with my bare feet was not an option. So, me being a brave soul, did not think twice to jump onto the toilet seat. I know we human are bigger than any insect, but hey, we are also bigger than a grenade, right? Then the screaming started...

"HELLLP, THERE'S A BIG J.LO IN HERE!!!!"

"Whaaaaattttt?", asked my wife.

"J.LOOOOOOO!!!!"

"What's with her?", she quiried, still lost. And J.Lo was beginning to flap her beautiful wings by now.

"A FREAKIN GIGANTIC J.LOOOO! GIMME THAT RIDSECT!"

So you can imagine how brave I was, alone in the toilet with J.Lo who's not the sexy singer. But when my wife heard the name Ridsect, she finally remembered what J.Lo was. When the insecticide came, J.Lo was gone. I was left with a bruised mark - on my ego. And with that, I've decided to stop calling cockroaches as J.Lo.

Because seriously, maybe Jennifer Lopez was hurt to know that I refer cockroaches as J.Lo, so she prayed to God that a big cockroach attack me in a toilet.

My Romantic Affair with Emma Roe

Before I begin, let me calm you down by explaining that Emma Roe is not human. She is, however, very very beautiful. She, is the lost Malaysia Airlines 777, bearing registration 9M-MRO (MRO, Emma Roe, get it?).

I am writing this before all records of my documented affair with 9M-MRO are lost. As a pilot, I note down all the hours, the destinations, captains, and registration of aircrafts that I operate. I hope what I write here will be passed on to my kids knowledge, then to their own kids, the next generation, and so on. For I am proud to have flown 9M-MRO a total of 32 times, from 2007 to 2013. I spent hundreds of hours being in that 777, and to destinations all over the world. I will also include the only one flight I flew with Captain Zaharie, though it was not in 9M-MRO.

I will now try to remember the details of my flights as a co-pilot in 9M-MRO, though I won't be able to remember everything. Make yourself comfortable, get a mug of hot chocolate, make sure it is raining outside, and, here we go...

I first met, and took control of 9M-MRO (referred to "her" or "she" from here onwards), on the 16th of July 2007. It was my only third flight on the 777, as FO Fariq was, on the fateful MH370. The destination was Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, China. Yes, my third flight on 777 was also to China, as FO Fariq was. He went to Beijing, I went to Shanghai. Our names differs by only the last letter. My captain on that flight was Captain Muhammad Azmi, a close friend of Captain Zaharie. I remember performing a very, very hard landing in Shanghai. My judgement for landing was still wrong as prior to the 777, I had been flying the much smaller 737-400 for two years. I logged 5 hours 23 minutes in her that day.

My next flight in her was October 3rd, 2007 to Zurich, Switzerland. Captain Syed Zaid was in command, and as the flight took more than 12 hours, there were two sets of pilots operating her (two captains and two co-pilots). The other co-pilot is my best buddy, Afif Azhanee. Can't remember the details of the flight, but Afif and I had the time of our lives, spending two splendid days in Zurich. 12 hours and 2 minutes airborne in her.

Third flight with her was only 9 days later, on the 3rd of October 2007. It was the first time I flew her back to KL. Took off from Frankfurt with Captain Mohd Seth, and 11 hours 44 minutes later, we docked at the gate of KLIA terminal. I cannot recall anything interesting that happened on MH 5 that day. Interestingly, 8 days later, I met Emma Roe again. This time in Johannesburg, South Africa..

I was waiting for her patiently at the terminal of the airport. Minutes passed, it looked like a delay for sure. The station manager came to us and informed that there was a thunderstorm approaching the airport, and that the flight couldn't make an approach for safety reason. In the end, the pilots diverted her to Durban, a city few hundred kilometers to south east of Johannesburg. Since my captains and I started our duty when we reached the airport, we can't wait for her to return to Johannesburg and continue flying to KL. Pilots have their limits as how long we can be in duty. So, another night in Johannesburg. Flight retimed to the next day, and we flew her safely to KLIA for a duration of 10 hours and 12 minutes, with Captain Andrew Lim in command.

The next three flight with 9M-MRO was very much uneventful. From Melbourne to KL (14th November 2007), then KL to Auckland on 26th December 2007, and the flight from Auckland back to KL two days laters was also in her. Those three down south destinations concluded my affair with her in 2007.

Wow, that is only 7 flights out of 32 flights with her! Hmmm, I think I should make this into few chapters. One or two chapters for each year. My affair with her in 2008 coming up in a couple of days. In the mean time, Emma Roe, wherever you are, keep your crews and passengers warm. For all we know, she is still in one piece, providing the best comfort as she did to me the past 7 years...

Inflight Haunting

Hello!

Yes I know. It has been ages since I last wrote anything on this dusty, full-of-spiderweb, almost dead blog. But is it dead? No. I am writing a new post now, right? Well, here's another rambling. Before I begin, I do hope you have your hot chocolate by your side. Better still, if it is raining outside, and night has fallen. Everyone comfy? Let's begin.

Some time ago, I wrote about my experience with the supernatural at hotel rooms around the world. Read it here. This time, it's a bit different. The screaming title says it all. Inflight Haunting. If you're wondering why I'm writing a topic that is rubbish, well, let me tell you this. Horror stories, is one of the topic most discussed in the flight deck among pilots. It's not a question if the stories are true or not. We are just bored after flying for hours. And supernatural stories are, well, interesting!

Take for example the graveyard that appear suddenly beside the runway at the airport. There was this cargo airplane that just landed after a 13 hours flight. It was 5 in the morning, and heavy fog had descended over the airport. As the pilots exited the runway, they were greeted by a sight that none will ever forget for the rest of their lives. A graveyard, in the middle of the airport. They could barely see the tombstones in the fog. But all four pilots confirmed the sighting. One of them asked the control tower,

"Why do you have a graveyard in the middle of the airport?"

I'm sure you've heard stories from bus or lorry drivers, of graveyard sightings beside a road or highways. And that everyone knows it is just an open field at that exact position during the day. Well now you know, graveyard eerily appear to haunt pilots as well.

Many aeroplanes are haunted, I guess because they are big enough to be so. Big objects are easily haunted. Houses, buildings, buses, even cars. Motorcycles? Nope. Too small. One might see a ghost while riding a motorcycle, but that's differrent. So, aeroplanes, definitely big enough to be haunted. So what happen when a jetliner is a home to spirits?

Well, for example, cabin crews do get different result after doing a head-count. I guess this one is a bit cliche. You know, before the doors are closed for the flight, sometimes the number of passenger does not tally with the number of boarding passes collected by the ground staff. So cabin crews have to do a manual head count. And yes, you guessed it, each time they count, they just keep getting different result. As if one passenger keeps appearing and dissapearing. Of course they don't know which one. Quite baffling.

Then there's this wide-body commercial aircarft, which acts as a training aircraft for wannabe spirit-pilots. I heard this one from engineers. Somehow, they told me, only one particular aircraft seems to be the favourite among the wannabes. No engineer dare enter the aircraft, whenever in hangar for servicing, after midnight. The story goes, that one rookie engineer decided to service the aircraft cabin at 3 in the morning. Alone. As he walked towards the aircraft, he was suprised to see the lights in the cockpit had been turned on, full bright.

Hmmm, someone must have left the light on, he thought. How careless. Nevermind, I shall switch it off.

As he opened the door of the aircraft, he was even more surprised to hear conversations from the forward end of the cabin. Now it made sense to him. No, he thought, not that someone forgot to switch off the lights inside the cockpit. But rather, his colleagues are still in the cockpit, perhaps fixing something broken. Casually he walked the aisle in the cabin towards the cockpit. As he got nearer to the cockpit, he frowned. The conversations are getting clearer by now. And it's not a conversation between engineers.

"Ahh, good morning Control Tower, requesting take off clearance"
"OK we copy that, cleared to take off Runway 28"
"Captain, shall we use flaps 5 or 15?"
"I think flaps 5 is better"
"OK captain, flaps 5 is set"

Cold beads of sweat started to run down the engineer's face. He understands the situation now. Just as he was about to turn and walk away, he saw with his own eyes, two pilots in the cockpit, fully dressed in uniform. First they were staring ahead. But slowly they turn their head towards him, looked at him in the eyes, and the pilots then smile a thin, long, smile...

Taxy

This morning, as we taxy our aircraft to the gate, an experience I had when training on the Piper Warrior crossed my mind. I vividly remember the conversation I had with my instructor. It was about the technique of taxying the Piper.

Learning how to taxy the aircraft was the first thing my instructor told me. Of course, right? Because if you think of it, what is the first thing you need to do after starting the engine? You can't take off straight away. First you need to move the aircraft from start up position, to the take off position. That is what taxying is all about. And moving the aircraft on the ground is NOT the same as driving a car.

So, there I was one morning, crammed in the cockpit of the Piper Warrior with my instructor less than 10 inches to my right. The engine had been started and we'd got the clearance to taxy to the runway. My instructor told me to increase the power, and let go of the brakes. Easy. The Piper started rolling forward. Once it had moved, we were taught to idle the power straight away. Unlike when driving a car because you never stop pressing the accelerator until you need to brake.

It was tough for me. At 18 years old I haven't had a driving licence yet. Yes, that is the truth. And that morning, I was being taught how to move and control an aircraft on the ground. I kept braking a few times, when power was still up. The technique is to idle the power, then only you brake. Makes sense, right?  Kind of stupid to brake while you increase power. But that was exactly what I was doing. The instructor was becoming impatient with my stupidity.

" Look, look, how many times have I told you, idle the power first then only you brake", he said, teeth clenched, nostrils starting to flare.

And I could only manage to say "I'm sorry, sir."

"There you go again. Oi!", his voice raising a few decibels.

How was I supposed to reply? With another apology? Kind of awkward when you apologize more than once for the same mistake. And a consecutive mistake at that. I kept quiet and concentrate on taxying the aircraft. I never thought it was that difficult. However hard I try, the inevitable braking-while-power-up happened. My instructor, exasperated, threw up his arm and said,

"Tell you what, boy. Next week you bring you car over and let me drive. Lets see how angry you would react if I drive brake your car while pressing the accelerator.

My answer to what he said, is what this story is all about. I just cannot believe it aftwerwards. Even to this day, I cannot believe it. The kind of answer when you give to angry people, only to realized later that what you said actually made things worse. My reply?
 
"I do not own a driving license yet, Sir, so i don't have a car"

Oh my goodness! How could I said that? There he was, angry as a bird in an Angry Bird game (I think that's a new one). And I made myself as if I was trying to be funny. When someone is angry, you don't make a joke about it. Moreover if he is your superior. 

Needless to say, I received an ear-piercing scream.

Bye guys.

Catching Up Airbus 330

Hi everyone.

If you're reading this then you must've found my blog (of course). My last post was ages ago and since then I changed the name of my blog address. Worlddtravell. Double D and double L, just for fun.

Last week I was flying at 36000 feet behind an Airbus 330, which was cruising at 38000 feet. We were slightly faster than the Airbus so after some time, we noticed we got closer to them. Location was north of Port Hedland, over the Indian Ocean. For a rough idea, somewhere between Australia and Indonesia.


And this pic was taken when we were still a few miles behind them. I felt like being a wingman of another fighter jet when flying behind the contrail of the airbus.

Hope you enjoyed the video and picture!

p/s @yellowherbie - twitter handle

This Is a Good One!

Ok I have to admit, this blog is almost dead. Almost, because I still leave it published as I might have an idea or opinion of something from time to time. But fear not, I have a blog to introduce to you guys. It's not an aviation blog. But from someone who passed on the genes that makes me a guy who enjoys writing.

Meet my father..

p/s He wrote all that long time ago, but just published it recently. I didn't know about it till last week. What a good son I am, eh? :p

An Interesting Phenomenon

Hello. I'm writing this post in Taipei. I just got back from Los Angeles and once I got into my room, I started to write this straight away. Why? Because something interesting happened during the flight to Taipei. For those waiting for Nav 6 adventure, I'm afraid you'd have to wait. Because what happened during my flight to Taipei was by far, more interesting than Nav 6. Not adventurous, but interesting. Let me first tell you what simply happened, in a single sentence, then elaborate about it.

"The sun rose from the North, then it dissapear and it became dark, then it rose up again from the East".

Now, have I caught your attention? We experience sunrise, twice, during the 15 hour long flight. So what happened? It's a bit complicated but not too hard to understand, and I'll try my best to explain. First, let's look at the routing. Oh before I continue, I'd like to inform you that the routing changes everytime we fly. That's why this phenomena doesn't happen everytime. But last night, from Los Angeles, we flew, initially, to the northwest, then a bit to the west, before flying down south for Taipei.



It's a bit funny, don't you think so? Why fly so much up north, only to fly down south to reach Taipei? I'll explain it later. Here in this picture you can see Los Angeles as the point of departure. It's the circle at the right. See how we fly up north to one point, which is also circled? That, my friends, is Anchorage, Alaska. About 61 degrees latitude to the north. Wow, in order to fly from Lax to Taipei, one must fly overhead Anchorage? Good question. The answer, is simply because the Earth is not flat. That red line you see on the map is long because it's drawn on a flat picture. But if that picture is actually the spherical globe, everything changes. Flight planners at the office always uses the shortest distance, and a flat map is not the only tool to find the optimum routing. They also consider the wind, and as the wind always changes direction, the routing is always different.

Okay, now that you have the rough idea of our route, lets go back to the question. Why did we twice experience sunrise? Lets look at the timing of the flight. We departed from Los Angeles just before midnight, heading to the northwest. Then, three hours into the flight, we could see light beginning to appear from the north. From the North, not East! Are you frowning? Your science teacher taught you that sun always rises from the East? Well, your teacher is correct. In fact, I'm the one who is wrong. Beacuse, actually, it was not a sunrise. Light appeared, but it was not sunrise? Oh my, where are we going now?

What we saw, was actually the midnight sun. Midnight sun, is when you can see light even at midnight. For people living in Anchorage, during summer, in the evening the sky is not totally dark, because Anchorage is so high up to the north. In the evening, the sun goes down, but it does not totally dissapear. Remember, this happen only during the summer. That's why we saw light three hours after we took off. That light, was the lingering light in the evening. Not sunrise. That's why we saw the light not from the east.

Then, as you can see, after Anchorage, we flew down south. Or to be more precise, we flew south west. As we flew south, we began to leave the area where midnight sun occurs. We started to fly into darkness. Soon, we could see the stars again ahead of us. (But I doubt passengers could see the stars as well because the windows are only to their side and they couldn't look ahead). About four hours before arriving Taipei, the sun began to rise from the east. Only this time, it was the real sunrise. At that position, I calculated that for people living below, it's time for them to see the sun rise. We were somewhere near Sapporo, Japan. For Muslims, it's time for Subuh prayer. Finally, at 6am, we touched down safely at Taipei. By that time, the sun was well up in the sky, and I even had to put on my sunglasses during landing...