This week I had two major projects. We dissassembled our small Cessna 210 airplane and packed it into a shipping container. It has flown here in Afghanistan for 10 years. It’s had a good life but is in need of some TLC. This is the same airplane that was stuck in the Wakhan after a nose gear collapse. After a complete rebuild in the states it will be shipped to Mozambique to join its sister airplane there.
I also had a major flying day on Thursday. My instructor and I flew 51 people to Bamian from Kabul on six flights over an 8 hour time span. These VIPs were meeting to negotiate peace between two tribes that were fighting. It was a privilege to be part of this process. Last week an Afghan airliner (Pamir) crashed in the mountains just 20 miles north of Kabul. This has many people spooked. Because PACTEC has such a good reputation for safety, the Afghan government chartered our aircraft for this event. Below is a picture of the formal meet and greet line waiting for our passengers when they stepped off the airplane.