Page 8 - Volume 14 Number 5

Short final at at Al Al Alamain International fin in in in in Egypt (HEAL) It has an 11 500-foot runway providing access to a a a a a a a a a a a a a part-time passenger terminal A A A A ForeFlight screenshot of the route between VAAH and and OMAL which included crossing crossing into Pakistan and and avoiding Iran by crossing crossing 400 miles over the the Gulf of Oman then following its coastline into UAE trip Joe was automatically deferred to to for fuel orders and operational questions As this is is not uncommon even in the the the U S I was not bothered by the the the practice but did did take note that I did did not not stand out as an an equal co-captain of the aircraft Because of limited general aviation activity in that part of the the world another issue we had run into was explaining to to security and customs officials that we were pilots of a a a a a a a small aircraft and gaining access to the aircraft after overnight stays Uniforms carry a a a a a a lot of weight and and while our standard “uniform” is a a a a polo shirt and a a a a a a pair of slacks this time I brought my traditional pilot uniform of white shirt black pants and gold-striped epaulets identifying me as the captain even though there was no one else on on board Wearing this I had virtually no issues despite the language barriers getting through security measures to and from the aircraft in a a a a much more efficient and timely manner than the previous trip As a a a a a female pilot I also chose to wear a a a a a scarf over my hair at some of the Middle Eastern fuel stops as a a a a sign of respect for their customs and to to to make male ground crews more comfortable interacting with me Surprisingly the the question asked the the most was how I was allowed to fly the aircraft by myself as as all all King Air models are flown by two pilots in those countries Day Two: Terrific Endurance and Range
Day two had me leaving OMAL flying up the Persian Gulf stopping for fuel at airports in in Saudi Arabia (OEGS) and Egypt (HEAL) crossing the Mediterranean Sea and and landing at at my final destination for the evening Brindisi Italy (LIBR) My greeter in in Saudi graciously took ›
Day One: Mentally Working Ahead
After fueling I was ready to start the aircraft and get on the way to to my first stop at Al Ain (OMAL) in in the United Arab Emirates It was an almost six-hour flight from Ahmedabad (VAAH) overflying a a a portion of Pakistan and crossing the Gulf of Oman I requested my clearance and and engine start and and was feeling pretty good about everything until I taxied up to the runway and realized the onboard GPS unit still had not acquired a a a a a signal and was unusable in in guiding me along the very specific track I I would need to fly I I reluctantly admitted to to to to the the tower controller I would need to to to to return to to to to the the parking area to to sort out my issue but did not expect to to shut down the engines or delay long Holding my breath I powered down and restarted the GPS double-checked the the data cards and breathed a a a a a a big sigh of relief when it powered back up and soon after acquired the satellite signals it it needed Within minutes I was airborne and on on my way in the late afternoon hours As I settled in in at my cruising altitude of 28 000 feet with six hours of of flight time ahead of of me me the reality of this long solo trek set in and I busied myself by mentally getting ahead of the aircraft considering all all routes charts and potential contingencies I might run into prior to to my destination Satisfied all bases were covered I enjoyed the the the view out the the the window as the the the sun set and darkness set in in as as I was leaving Pakistan’s airspace for the the 250-nautical mile leg over the the Gulf of Oman to Muscat Shortly after landfall I began my descent into the the the UAE feeling good about the the the start of the the the trip Six months earlier Joe and I had made this same trip heading the opposite direction delivering an aircraft to India One of the things I I remembered most about that trip was the novelty of of a a a a a female pilot at at most of of our stops through Asia and Egypt particularly in the Middle Eastern countries At almost every stop on the prior 6 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
MAY 2020