WINGS
-IV-
By April 1974, we were in Charles de Gaulle airport. The French people took pride in naming this airport in memory of the famous wartime General who had set up in London the headquarters of the Free French Forces. I had been to the terminal before it was opened to the public. The paint was hardly dry. Luxury shops located on the various level would, undoubtedly, attract travellers looking for « something French ». The airport design was very futuristic. They were escalators everywhere, several restaurants adequately priced, and the companies due to start operation in Charles de Gaulle evocated long distance flying. Orly was now due to become specialised in domestic flights, charter operation and flight serving North Africa from France. As I lived in the south of Paris, commuting was becoming to be three hours a day affair, when not more. The only commuting possible was with a car, so I had bought a battered Renault 4. If day shift did not generate long commuting period, night shifts were a pain in the neck and, when living the airport by 7 :00 AM, I would join the flow of the thousand commuters on their way to work in the capital. I was never in bed before 9 or 9 :30, and would have to be at work again the same evening by 7 :00 PM. Working schedule were the same as those in Orly and the « night » shift would « build up » the cargo for the morning flight whilst the « ops » team would prepare the documentation required by procedures. I had had to learn the company lingo in order to decipher and understand what seasoned staff would be referring to, and still recall that today. Our main task was to prepare a « load plan » combining many elements which included taking in consideration the various stops along the line, as well as the centre of gravity of the airplane on take-off and landing.
If with the DC8 type airplane this was easy enough, it would probably be more difficult when the B 747 would be introduced. On April 2nd, Georges Pompidou, the French president had died and the press was filled with political analysis as to the next potential president. Elections were planned for the month of May. Needless to say, that all of this political uncertainty would not deter us from following B 747 weight and balance induction program. The company operated basically three types of Mac Donnell Douglas DC.8. The « stretch » version could carry 18 « positions » while the shorter version would take only 15. On both airplanes, special « positions » had to be built to fit in the tail section of the airplane. There was a lot of logistics involved. We were a « big family » of 85 people at the Charles de Gaulle station. On night shift, depending on who was on duty in the operation’s team, one would cook a decent meal for the team and would therefore be exempted from other tasks for a short while. I vividly remember the taste of garlic pasta prepared by Vincent M. To add some panache to the dinner, we would light a couple of candles, set the table with a gingham tablecloth and right after dinner, when the job was done, and whilst the warehouse team was building up the various unit load devices which would be carrying our export freight, we would catch a couple of shuteye, with the incredible pleasure of knowing that we were paid double for our night duty( !) Regularly, we would have to offload trucks coming from Spain, Poland, Germany, Italy or other European countries. This involved of course a complete inventory of the content of the trucks, various control steps, some customs procedures in order to get the export authorization. Sometimes, one of us would disappear for three of four hours while the rest of the staff would pick up the tasks unattended. There was some kind of « untold gentleman’s agreement » involving « girl friends » who worked in different places of the airport such as airlines, cargo brokers, or catering company. In the morning early hours, one of us was designated to go to the industrial baking plant near Roissy to buy hot “pains au chocolat” and croissants which would go well with hot coffee and get us started for a new day in the airline world.
One New Year’s Eve, whilst the activity was slow, but our presence required to keep watch and be present in case of airplane re-routing towards Charles de Gaulle, girl friends were introduced into the offices to share the new year’s meal. This of course was strictly forbidden, but the fun we had was worth the risks taken. In addition to the operation of a scheduled network covering Europe and the United States, the company was specialized in dry and wet lease of its airplanes. At one time, 40 planes were on its fleet list, some flying under the colours of Iceland, some other flying for EFS Bahamas, others used by Saudia Cargo to serve the routes between Europe and Saudi Arabia. There was of course all kind of other operation taking place here and there. I cannot remember exactly when I started being bored. By the end of summer 1974, I was hoping for a major change, or at least a welcome break from a boring routine, although I was not even a full year with the company. I had no idea that the break would come so fast. I had been summoned to the office of the station Manager, Georges Sisqué. I had made my way to the management quarters wondering what I could have done wrong to justify this unusual request. I came into the office. The man was smoking his usual cigar. He offered me to seat and started:
« You may or may not know, but the company is conducting various operation outside of the scheduled services. The headquarter in New-York has just signed a wet lease contract (1) with Royal Air Maroc, for the transportation of 5000 pilgrims from Morocco to Jeddah and return. This operation is called the Hadj. Because Morocco is a French speaking country, the headquarter has asked for our assistance in providing operational personnel which could represent the company in Fez, Oujda and Casablanca. I thought you might be interested… »
It took me a while to catch my breathe. I wanted a change from the routine, and the opportunity had just presented itself, on a golden tray. I did not hesitate long and after packing and organizing my trip, I was on my way to Orly airport to catch a flight and start my mission in and Fez and Oujda. As the taxicab was approaching Orly airport, I had caught a glimpse of the car rental building where I had worked a couple of years back and the idea pleased me that, this time, I would not be simply dreaming about airplanes, but « living » with them. When I disembarked in Fez, through a direct flight on Royal Air Maroc soft spoken Moroccan customs officers started checking my luggage, but were quickly stopped in their zeal by the Royal Air Maroc station manager who had been waiting for me. We shook hands and he extended an invitation to have dinner at his home the same evening. A taxi cab with a French speaking driver took me to the Holiday Inn, in which two floors had been specially reserved to accommodate both cockpit and cabin crew members. As I recall, three full crews had been assigned to the first phase of the « Hadj » as a reserve crew was also present, should there be some kind of show stoppers. Each crews included 3 cockpit crew and 8 cabin attendants, both male and female. In addition, 2 interpreters delegated by Royal Air Maroc were to be present on the flights to ease the communication between our American personnel and the Arabic speaking passengers. There were also in the team, members of the airplane maintenance force, which had been flown from the United States with a load of vital airplane spare parts including wheels and Inertial Navigation Units. The Royal Air Maroc station manager in Fez was a gentle middle age man who lived in a large house not far away from the airport. He had planned for me and the maintenance group, a couscous dinner which would be eaten sitting on the ground on beautiful carpeting. Women were serving dinner but ate in the room used as a kitchen. I was both shocked and not surprised, having been raised along with memories of the life in Egypt through stories told my mother who was born in Ismailia and had lived a colonial life until she emigrated to France. I remember a large congregation of men, all of them, me included, having to do with the « Hadj » operation.
The next morning, as the sun was rising, I woke up and opened the drapes of my window, to discover the beautiful sight of the Atlas Mountains capped by fresh snow. It would certainly be an early winter. At the airport, it was havoc… The local police encountered difficulties in managing the few hundred of passengers which would be waiting for their flight to Jeddah, a large city in Saudi Arabia, close to which was located the pilgrimage grounds of Meccah. Women and men were all dressed in white gear and carried all kind of household articles which they would need to live for three weeks once in Mecca, where large tents were waiting for them. Most of the passengers were seeing an airplane for the first time. Some of them got on board carrying small alcohol or fuel stoves which were quickly picked up and taken away from the plane. The presence of the Moroccan interpreters soon proved to be vital for us. It was difficult to keep passengers seated. Most of them were shepherds, had never been to school, had always lived in a very frugal manner. The flight time from Fez to Jeddah was about 6h30, overflying North Africa, Egypt, the Red Sea and finally landing in Jeddah’s old airport located nearly in the middle of the old city. Preparing the weight and balance for our DC.8 was a very easy thing to do, and pretty soon, I was on my way for my first mission outside of Charle de Gaulle Airport. This first trip was definitely adventure. The crew was friendly and we did get along fine. Dropping passengers in Jeddah for the first part of the program, the plane would return « ferry » (2) to Fez and be made ready. The old airport in Jeddah was a mess. There were over 30 airplanes on the ground, each of them bringing pilgrims from moslem countries around the world. Some came from Libya, others from African nations, some also from Indonesia, the largest moslem population in the world. « Slot operation » (3) was the rule. British personnel had been hired by the civil aviation to manage the landing and take-off program but the capacity of the airport was quickly saturated, imposing upon us delayed departure, thus allowing time to roam around the airport area whilst our take off slot would come up. It was September, but an Arabian September with heat well over the 35°c and humidity due to the proximity of the red sea.
There was luggage all over the area, officials trying to control the population, directing pilgrims to busses which would take them to Mecca, a city whose access was forbidden to non-moslems. There were piles of luggage everywhere, some of them waiting for their owner, it was an incredible sight of an organized chaos, a vision that I had never seen before. There was hardly any security at the airport. It was still the early 70’s and terrorism was not so much of an issue. Not far from the old Jeddah airport was the heart of Jeddah’s old city, with many houses built in stone and wood. There was the flavour of Arabian nights, it was an incredible discovery. Strolling through the different market places, seeing people dressed with white djellaba and head gear, some of the men holding hands in a friendly fashion. What a change from my daily routine all this was. Because of the slot procedure, it was not exceptional to depart late from Jeddah and of course, this had an impact on the rest of the week program. What a discovery it was! Me, an unseasoned airline employee, walking into the streets of Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. The bazar was incredible. Kitchen accessories, gold shops, clothing and fabric stands, and everywhere the smell of Arabic coffee flavoured with cardamom. This was a dream for me, this was freedom and that very trip gave me a craving for more adventures. I knew that I would never be the same person anymore and already dreaded the return to standard operation that would of course follow the end of the « hadj » mission. Seeing the airplanes of the various charter operators deplaning a continuous flow of pilgrims, the idea came to my mind to start looking for a job with one of them. I was then divorced, alone, with no obligation besides making a decent living, and, it was already true, and had been for quite a few years, I was thirsty and hungry for new horizons. I let the idea rest for a while, there would be plenty of time to explore options and create opportunities. Between phase 1 , bringing pilgrims to Jeddah and phase 2 bringing pilgrims back home after the pilgrimage was over, and they had become « Hadjis » (4), there was a lull period during which It was left up to teach individual employee to use its free time.Some wanted to stay in Saudi Arabia, on company expense, some other wanted to return to the United States for a short break, some others shot for Europe. I had offered a young flight attendant the possibility of coming to Paris with me for the brief period between the two phases, and we were soon on the way to France. Some memories never disappear. For some reason, I can still see Signe O. sitting in the kitchen with my mother, helping her to peel potatoes… ! By the end of 1974, I decided that the time had come for me to change my life and to take initiatives. I had set my view on an American charter outfit called Oversees National Airlines. Their European headquarter was located in Frankfurt. I bought a train ticket, took a couple of days off work and pretty soon, I was on my way to Germany, hoping that even without an appointment with anyone from that airline, or some letter of introduction, I could bluff my way through and get some kind of an “ adventurous job” . I was wrong.
(1) As specifically defined in the FAR(Federal Aviation Regulations) , a “wet lease” is any lease whereby the lessor provides both the aircraft and at least one crewmember (whether flight crewmember or cabin crewmember). The FAA's presumption is that under a wet lease, the lessor retains operational control of the flight.
(2) Ferry flying is the flying of aircraft for the purpose of returning to base, delivery to a customer, moving from one base of operations to another or moving to or from a maintenance facility for maintenance, repair, and operations. A commercial airliner may need to be moved from one airport to another at the end of that day's operations to satisfy the next day's timetable or to facilitate routine scheduled maintenance; this is commonly known as a positioning flight or repositioning flight, and may sometimes carry revenue freight or passengers as local aviation regulations and airline policies allow.[2] They may also be necessary following a major weather event or other similar disruption which causes multiple cancellations across an airline's network resulting in many aircraft and crew being 'out of position' for normal operations; the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull or the mass evacuation of US airspace following the 9/11 attacks being significant examples of this.
(3) In the context of airport coordination, a slot is an authorization to either take-off or land at a particular airport on a particular day during a specified time period. This authorization is for a planned aircraft operation and is distinct from air traffic control clearance or similar authorizations. Slots, or limits on the planned aircraft operations, are a tool used in the United States and around the world to manage air traffic at extremely busy airports, and to prevent repeated delays that result from too many flights trying to take off or land at the same time.
(4) To Muslims, Hajj is associated with religious as well as social significance. The obligation for performing this pilgrimage is only fulfilled if it is done on the eighth to twelfth day of the last month of the Islamic calendar. If in a given year, an adult Muslim is in good health and their life and wealth are safe, they must perform the Hajj in the same year. Delaying it is considered sinful unless the delay is caused by reasons beyond their control. Apart from being an obligatory religious duty, the Hajj is seen to have a spiritual merit that provides Muslims with an opportunity of self-renewal. Hajj serves as a reminder of the Day of Judgment when Muslims believe people will stand before God. Hadith literature (sayings of Muhammad) articulates various merits a pilgrim achieves upon successful completion of their Hajj. After successful pilgrimage, pilgrims can prefix their names with the title 'Al-Hajji', and are held with respect in Muslim society. However, Islamic scholars suggest Hajj should signify a Muslim's religious commitment, and should not be a measurement of their social status. Hajj brings together and unites the Muslims from different parts of the world irrespective of their race, colour, and culture, which acts as a symbol of equality.
Comments