A quiz...
What is it ?
a) African art
b) A termite mound
c) A landmine or improvised explosive device
Yesterday we discovered an object on the edge of our apron (aircraft parking space) that clearly looked out of place. We noticed it because it hadn't been there before. And we didn't trust it. I warned security and asked them to send an EOD (explosive ordinance) adviser to have a look at it. At first glance it just looks like a block of wood but on closer inspection (not too close) you see part of a metal or plastic disc underneath. When the demining expert came his first reaction was; " did you bring me here for a just block of wood?" I told him it wasn't the wood that was the problem but the object underneath. We've had some trouble with locals siphoning fuel out of helicopters the past week. That night was the first night they couldn't access the helicopters and we were thinking they might have left us a small present. The adviser told us to get well back and take cover behind our vehicles while he performed a closer inspection. When he was done he called us in and showed us what the oject was...
A termite mound that some locals (probably kids) had covered up the previous day. Well it's always better to be safe than sorry. Especially with the knowledge that there are plenty of mines in the facinity of the airfield.
The past two days one of our choppers has been performing a search and rescue mission for a Kenian road engineer after the first major incident in weeks. A small convoy of civilian vehicles from an aide organisation had been attacked by bandits just 16 Km North of Juba. 5 people were killed on the spot and 11 wounded. The Kenian was seen to have escaped. Unfortunately neither ground nor air search party found the 60 year old engineer yet.
Oh, and during my leave another aircraft decided that 2500 meters of runway was too short. An MD-80 passenger plane from a new Soedanese charter landed too far on the wet runway to stop in time. It skidded off the other end of the runway than last months' B-707. Miraculously nobody was seriously injured and the plane didn't set off any landmines that are known to be present on that side of the airfield. It even left some of the mine warning flags standing. It will take some time before they remove the aircraft. This one didn't remain on all threes - the left main gear collapsed - so they can't drag it out with a few tanks. It will probably suffer the same fate as the B-707 on the "old runway"... lodging for local SPLA troops.
a) African art
b) A termite mound
c) A landmine or improvised explosive device
Yesterday we discovered an object on the edge of our apron (aircraft parking space) that clearly looked out of place. We noticed it because it hadn't been there before. And we didn't trust it. I warned security and asked them to send an EOD (explosive ordinance) adviser to have a look at it. At first glance it just looks like a block of wood but on closer inspection (not too close) you see part of a metal or plastic disc underneath. When the demining expert came his first reaction was; " did you bring me here for a just block of wood?" I told him it wasn't the wood that was the problem but the object underneath. We've had some trouble with locals siphoning fuel out of helicopters the past week. That night was the first night they couldn't access the helicopters and we were thinking they might have left us a small present. The adviser told us to get well back and take cover behind our vehicles while he performed a closer inspection. When he was done he called us in and showed us what the oject was...
A termite mound that some locals (probably kids) had covered up the previous day. Well it's always better to be safe than sorry. Especially with the knowledge that there are plenty of mines in the facinity of the airfield.
The past two days one of our choppers has been performing a search and rescue mission for a Kenian road engineer after the first major incident in weeks. A small convoy of civilian vehicles from an aide organisation had been attacked by bandits just 16 Km North of Juba. 5 people were killed on the spot and 11 wounded. The Kenian was seen to have escaped. Unfortunately neither ground nor air search party found the 60 year old engineer yet.
Oh, and during my leave another aircraft decided that 2500 meters of runway was too short. An MD-80 passenger plane from a new Soedanese charter landed too far on the wet runway to stop in time. It skidded off the other end of the runway than last months' B-707. Miraculously nobody was seriously injured and the plane didn't set off any landmines that are known to be present on that side of the airfield. It even left some of the mine warning flags standing. It will take some time before they remove the aircraft. This one didn't remain on all threes - the left main gear collapsed - so they can't drag it out with a few tanks. It will probably suffer the same fate as the B-707 on the "old runway"... lodging for local SPLA troops.
posted by Jan at Thursday, July 06, 2006
3 Comments:
Hey Jan,
Ik geef je groot gelijk, ik was ook voor de derde optie gegaan. Maar beter zo!!! Houdt je taai en grtjs Marcel en natuurlijk: blijf voorzichtig!
hoi papa
groetjes brennain.
Ha Jan,
Van de week vertelde je het één en ander al over de telefoon. Nu via jouw log met de bijbehorende foto's is het inderdaad verstandig geweest om er iemand naar te laten kijken. Safety First.
Mede gelet op de derde alinea kun je niet voorzichtig genoeg zijn. Zo denk je dat het allemaal redelijk smooth verloopt om vervolgend te moeten horen dat er een transport is overvallen met als klap op de vuurpijl een aantal doden. Wat moet je zeggen?
Voor jou zit het er nu bijna op. Geniet nog even van het Nijl-raften, maar blijf vooral uit de buurt van die vleesetende boomstammen.
Groetjes Gerard
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