Jet Airways fight gets into an air pocket

This was news broadcast yesterday and today (6-10-14) in print There
was no !ntoward anything This re"inded "e o# a #a$$ "y fight had
o%er the &!ropean A$ps so"e where a$ong the 't ($anc sector
) was in a *anA" 00+ fight bo!nd to ,--J./ a$ong with 0han 1hya"
1ri%asta%a ("y !ni%ersity 2epart"ent "ate at 1yrac!se) and his
#a"i$y 0han is an ))T/h grad!ate who ended !p in the /ansas
0eo$ogica$ 1!r%ey 3hen *ro# 2an 'erria" "o%ed to 1yrac!se4 0han
#o$$owed 'erria" as a shadow The st!nning #act 0han had was
presence o# (1wapan) 0hosh4 his own c$ass"ate at ))T/h4 who a$so
descended down to 1yrac!se 5ni%4 #ro" 5ni%ersity o# 3isconsin a#ter
earning a '1 in $ow te"perat!re geoche"istry
(!t when ) $anded in 1yrac!se #ro" 6awrence at the conc$!sion o#
orientation in the 5ni% o# /ansas4 it was 0han and A7ith (8ha!dhari)
da4 who ca"e to 1yrac!se airport to pick "e !p ) was with A7ith da
#or one night and b!t on second day we together $ocated a p$ace in
400 Acker"an A%4 near 2r!"$ins *ark At the end o# the second
se"ester ) had eno!gh sa%ings o# abo!t 9%e h!ndred do$$ars e%en
a#ter the p!rchase o# a 'ino$ta 1:T 101 16: ca"era
) a$so knew 2r T& /oshy4 a 'a$aya$ee e%ange$ist priest in town near
the )nternationa$ 1t!den;s <=ice4 in <stro" A% /oshy is #ro" *!na$!r4
/era$a and a *h2 in 7o!rna$is"4 #ro" ,ewho!se 1choo$ o#
8o""!nications To /oshy4 ) e>pressed "y desire to go to )ndia #or
s!""er o# 1?@A4 i# ) co!$d get a ticket #or B00 51C )n #act /oshy got
"e a ticket thr! his #riend down in ,- city4 #or 7!st 400 C #or ro!nd
trip The o=er was e>citing and ) grabbed it ) be$ie%e4 /oshy had
so"e kick back #or arranging tickets 1!rprising$y4 ticket was "ade
o!t at a cost o# C?1B4 whi$e ) paid on$y C400 A"aDing ways the
air$ines co"peted #or passengers e%en in the ear$y @0;s
,ow abo!t the trip to )ndia and to Tri%andr!" 0han and #a"i$y were
going to )ndia as it was E!ite a $ong ti"e a#ter he $e#t with his new$y
wedded wi#e 1hak!n to 6awrence4 /ansas A$an was born in 6awrence
any way They "ade or sa%ed "oney to "ake the trip to )ndia and
back
They and ) boarded the p$ane at J./ on the e%ening o# 'ay 14 1?@A
3e had boarded a *anA" fight 0014(a J!"bo Jet #ro" the *an A"
Ter"ina$)4%ia .rank#!rt and ,ew 2e$hi to Tokyo and 1an .rancisco
and back to J./ To "y s!rprise4 ) noticed another *anA" J!"bo 7et in
an ad7acent gate in the ter"ina$ ready to go wester$y %ia 1an
.rancisco and Tokyo and then %ia ,ew 2e$hi to .rank#!rt and J./
<!r fight reached ,ew 2e$hi on the A
rd
ca$endar day 0han and )
parted in ,ew 2e$hi to "eet again by the $ast week o# A!g 1?@A
)n #act4 when we were preparing to $and in ,ew 2e$hi4 the cabin crew
to$d "e that 7!st a day or two ear$ier4 an )ndian Air$ines fight4 (oeing
@+A4 co""anded by brother or co!sin o# 8o$ 0oda%ar"a :a7a (o#
Tra%ancore :oya$ty) crashed near the *a$a" Air port ki$$ing a$$ on
board )n #act 'ohan /!"ara"anga$a"4 a "inister in the )ndira
0andhi cabinet4 ,ew 2e$hi was a$so ki$$ed ,o s!r%i%ors in the crash
anyway The p$ane4 (oeing @+A4 s!pposed$y got tang$ed in the power
$ine and crashed
) $anded a$ong with 0han at ,ew 2e$hi4 whi$e the fight contin!ed
easter$y %ia 'ani$a on its way to Tokyo There was no stop anywhere
in between Tho!gh 8a$c!tta !sed to be a stop #or the internationa$
fights4 the ind!stria$ !nrest4 $ike gherao d!ring the Jothy (as! days
$ead to the fight o# the corporates o!t o# 8a$c!tta4 and so did the
air$ines $ike *anA" and T3A Those days the dai$y *anA" fight
$anded in /arachi on$y on e%ery other day
)n ,ew 2e$hi4 ) had no cash and instead had so"e sa$ab$e st!= .or
instance4 ) had three ro$$s o# /odachro"e464 positi%e 9$" and so"e
cheap cassette tapes ) so$d a$$ these to a st!dio in the 8onna!ght
p$ace4 which ga%e "e $ike :sB00F- eno!gh #or "ay be three tickets
between ,ew 2e$hi and Tri%andr!" The 9$" ro$$s ) carried beca"e
red!ndant4 when "y 'ino$ta was deposited in the c!sto"s
wareho!se o# the *a$a" airport ) was ine$igib$e to bring in the
8a"era according to the then pre%ai$ing r!$es ) took the 0T e>press
to 8hennai and Tri%andr!" e>press #ro" &g"ore %ia 8henkotta to
Tri%andr!" The broad ga!ge connection to Tri%andr!" was a $atter
de%e$op"ent ) got ho"e on the B
th
o# 'ay 1?@A
,ow back to the air pocket o%er 't ($anc 3e4 0han and #a"i$y4
boarded the *anA" fight 00+4 (a fight %ia Tokyo and ,ew 2e$hi to
J./) )t was the (oening @4@ 7!"bo 7et *erhaps one the best "ar%e$s
a"ong aircra#ts e%er any body b!i$t (The Air #orce <ne !sed by the
51 *resident is a c!sto" b!i$t (oeing J!"b) The 9rst stop a#ter ,ew
2e$hi was the !s!a$ .rank#!rt a" 'ain 3e had a si$k-s"ooth $anding
A#ter the break4 fight took o= the gro!nd and headed toward
Geathrow
<nce we were fying a$ong the side o# A$ps4 the cockpit crew in%ited
the passenger;s attention to the breathtaking %iew o# A$ps and the 't
($anc )n #act4 then ) was ho$ding a c!p o# co=ee and re$a>ing The
cockpit a$so to$d !s that we need to wear the seat be$ts d!e to air
t!rb!$ence The "o"ent the anno!nce"ent ca"e in the p!b$ic
address4 ) #e$t as tho!gh the p$ane was going down instant$y and on its
own
) had the co=ee c!p he$d tight between "y 9ngers anyway (!t d!e to
the E!ick #a$$ and $oss o# height4 the $iE!id co=ee was in the air b!t
not in the c!p 1ee"ing$y the p$ane entered an air pocket4 went
thro!gh a %ertica$ drop o# "ay be a #ew tho!sand #eet4 b!t once o!t o#
it regained instant$y the $ost a$tit!de s!ch that a portion o# the co=ee
was in the air #or a second or two *art o# the co=ee #e$$ back into the
c!p and the rest "ay be on the co-passengers beside and behind "e
,othing e$se happened $ike the Jet airways fight the other day
*erhaps the $aw-!n-abiding passengers got h!rt in the fight
The 8ockpit then ca"e in the p!b$ic address with a big note o#
apo$ogy #or the !ne>pected4 s!dden and !npredicted drop into the
negati%e press!re area4 where a$$ that the crew co!$d do is pray #or
the p$ane to get o!t o# it and regain the nor"a$ fight a$tit!de The
air#ra"e is st!rdy and is designed to withstand s!ch stresses
Therea#ter4 the fight was witho!t any tro!b$e and the ride was si$k
s"ooth 3e $anded in the J./ a#ter a stop o%er in the Geathrow4
6ondon The trans-At$antic fight o# abo!t 6 hr was kind o# boring4
$ong and "ost passengers were as$eep <n $anding4 the A"erican
origin passengers sang and cheered $o!d$y with 7oy as the whee$s o#
the p$ane to!ched their own nati%e soi$ Ha spirit rare$y e>hibited by
other nationa$ities
(y $ine The (oeing @4@ is again an engineering #ete The a$$oy
"ateria$ "aking the p$ane is another e>a"p$e o# h!"an ingen!ity The
engines that dri%e the aircra#t is an !npara$$e$ed in%ention )n the
J!"bo 7ets4 ) a" not s!re i# the engines ca"e #ro" :o$$s :oyce or
0enera$ &$ectric
6!cki$y4 so #ar4 we )ndians as a $ot are not a p$ayer in the b!i$ding o#
aircra#ts :ight #ro" "y chi$dhood days4 ti"e and again4 ) reca$$
ha%ing read in newspapers abo!t a 68A being b!i$t in the GA6 The
on$y tro!b$e was we had no "atching engine o# o!r own "aking #or
the 68A4 whi$e others wo!$d not se$$ one to !s 3e keep this iconic
#actory as a $egacy and not as a prod!ction !nit Then4 i# any )ndian
contrib!ted to the "ateria$ or design o# passenger aircra#ts4 it was
beca!se o# the training and $earning he or she !nderwent a#ter )ndian
ed!cation
(y the way4 (raDi$ "akes a wor$d-c$ass aircra#t #or the passenger
transport sector 8hina does too )s it not ti"e that )1:< took e=orts
in the a%iation sector
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