By
Dan Wise
May 30 2002
An important part of my
aviation education began one day at a little airport on the East
coast of Madagascar. I was supervising refueling (actually just
eating a sandwich) while standing on the top of the steps of a
Beechcraft 1900D parked in front of some nameless air terminal. The
co-pilot was filing flight plans in the tower, and the Air Hostess
was watching the local refuelers with a hawk like eye, and may God
help them if they touched the refueling hose on the de-icing boots or
scratched the wing. She would erupt into a tornado of Madagascarian
fury at the slightest damage to "Her" aircraft. I was also
very aware of the 28 confirmed and ticketed passengers pushing and
shoving to get through the departure gate to board our 18 passenger
aircraft. We could only carry 17 passengers because the Air Hostess
needed one seat.We had ferried 2 Beechcraft 1900s from Johannesburg a few days earlier to "Tana" (Antananarivo). We were 3 Captains, 3 Co-pilots, one engineer, and had a whole lot of aircraft spares and plenty of US Dollars. We were kind of on our own as there would be no quick help from head office in South Africa. Orders from the boss were to call him if there was a problem, and tell him how we had solved it.
We were a good bunch, with a total of almost 60 years spent flying contracts in Africa. I was selected as the "Contract Manager" only because the boss had handed me all the money. Our job was to fill in while a new startup local airline waited for its new aircraft to be delivered. We stayed at the Tana Hilton. Cool! No living tents or containers on this contract.
After arrival in Tana we had to undergo a lecture on Madagascarian Air Law by the local Civil Aviation Authority. The CAA guy made a quick, practiced speech:
Flight plans are always required, even between airports with no tower or ATC.
Any aircraft that is certified for more than 17 seats needs an Air hostess.
Life jackets are required for all passengers, on all flights.
Search and Rescue is the responsibility of the next of Kin. (What???)
He suggested always carrying a packet of cookies in case of crashing so we have something to eat while waiting for our friends and family to find the wreckage! (Is this a joke?)
This was not a joke, he was serious!
After this bit of a wake up call, I needed to find the local "Air Hostesses Are Us"
store to hire one, because our airplane is certified to carry 18
passengers. I walked across the ramp to an Air Madagascar 737 and ask
someone there where I could hire an air hostess. Shortly, a slim,
attractive, Malagasy lady walked up to me and asked in English how
much I pay. We negotiated and Nini took the job. Nini turned out to
be a very important part of our crew. She had worked for Air
Madagascar for about 10 years, and spoke French, English, and
Malagasy. She was born and raised in Tana, and knew the local
aviation scene intimately. Hiring her turned out to be the best
decision I made while in Madagascar.
When Nini had been with us a few days, we had a night stop in Toamasina. At supper Nini shyly asked if she could say something. “Please” she said “Always let me walk a few meters behind you. Don’t open doors for me, and don’t offer to carry my bags. This is how things are done here, and I feel embarrassed and uncomfortable with the way you have been treating me. What you consider polite is seen as condescending to me and my friends.” She was so serious. To break the ice I asked if she would like to always carry my bag. She smiled and said “Yes. Thank you. I will.”
Madagascar seems to have evolved on its own with out interference from the rest of the world. Just about every aspect of life has a unique Madagascarian flavor. The names of towns are long and tongue twisting. Like Antananarivo, Ambatolampy, Fianarantsoa, and Toamasina. Because of the poor roads and bandits operating in the rural areas, airline travel is becoming more popular. The local minibuses that would carry 6 school kids in America, carried 26 Madagascar commuters. The buses are in poor condition, and any parts that came loose or fell off were simply discarded. Between the poor maintenance and the bandits, a bus trip was uncomfortably exciting, and often fatal. To get around Tana for the duration of the contract we hired our own driver and minibus.
One of our first flights was a charter for the President of Madagascar. He wanted to take his family on holiday, and his private jet was down for maintenance. We took him to Maroantsera. A pretty sea side town. The President and his family got off carrying all their bags and boxes, and boarded a bus to take them to a charter boat. They were going fishing for a week. We had to refuel the aircraft and get ready to take passengers back to Tana for the airline. Nini comes up to me and says "There are no life jackets on board." I told her that they were there, because I had checked them on the pre-flight. She says "There are no life jackets on board. The President and his family took them all." I check and sure enough all the life jackets are missing. I start to go stop the Presidents bus, but Nini stops me saying “He is the President. Are you going to accuse him of theft?" My first thought was “Of course I am." Then I decided we could just add the cost of life jackets to his bill. But now the immediate problem is not being legal for the next flight. I asked Nini what she recommends. She thought a bit, and then said she would sort it out. Soon I see her pushing an Air Madagascar baggage trolley across the apron coming from an Air Madagascar 737. The trolley was full of Air Madagascar life jackets. As she walked past she said "You owe me 200 US Dollars." Problem solved... or was it just problem transferred? Anyway, that problem wasn't mine any longer.
Ok, now back to the 28 confirmed passenger stampede, waiting to charge. I ask Nini why they booked so many passengers knowing we would be way over weight, and we only have 17 seats available. She shakes her head, and takes me aside. With a look like she was explaining something that was obvious to even an idiot, she said:
"These people have come to our airline wanting to get to Tana. There are 28 confirmed passengers, but another 50 on standby. The only other option for them is to take a bus. You've seen the crowded unsafe buses, and you know about the bandits all over the route to Tana. These people on a bus would have a very uncomfortable 2 day trip. They also would have a very good chance of being hurt in an accident, or the bus breaking down. They also have a good chance of being shot, robbed, raped, or killed by bandits. You say we only have 17 seats, but these people have never sat "one to a seat" in their lives. You say we would be over weight. But even with 28 passengers, this aircraft would still be the safest transport these people have ever had. The chance of them getting safely to Tana with you is a thousand time better than any other means they have. If you really care about the safety of our airlines clients, then you will take them all."
The contract with the client said they wanted a Part 121 operation, so complying with the contract, we took off an hour later with 17 passengers, and a very pensive Captain.
About four weeks later two Antonov AN-28 aircraft park next to us. They are our replacements. We had been fired. The AN-28 is also an 18 passenger aircraft, but the crew say they will carry 28. I walk over to talk with one of the Captains. I ask him why Russians always fly overweight and unsafe. The captain answers, "Unsafe compared to what, safety is always a relative thing. I try to do what is the safest for each situation. It is Americans like you that are wrong. You always worry more about your personal legal liability, than about helping the people in whatever land you happen to be in. And I am a Ukrainian, not a Russian. You Americans know so little about the world you keep meddling with."
I had no good reply, but I had to have the last word, so I said "America is a continent that has many counties in it. The country I am from is the United States. And with air safety, we strive for perfection and often achieve mediocrity, you strive for mediocrity, and often kill people."
Now what to do with two aircraft in Madagascar with no contract. Luckily the Presidents jet was still broken, and the presidential elections were coming up so we got a contract flying politicians all over Madagascar campaigning.
We did about 150 hours for both planes in two months, and we didn't kill anyone, and we made the company lots of money. But my view of aircraft safety has changed a bit. Ultimate safety may not always the best choice.
When Nini had been with us a few days, we had a night stop in Toamasina. At supper Nini shyly asked if she could say something. “Please” she said “Always let me walk a few meters behind you. Don’t open doors for me, and don’t offer to carry my bags. This is how things are done here, and I feel embarrassed and uncomfortable with the way you have been treating me. What you consider polite is seen as condescending to me and my friends.” She was so serious. To break the ice I asked if she would like to always carry my bag. She smiled and said “Yes. Thank you. I will.”
Madagascar seems to have evolved on its own with out interference from the rest of the world. Just about every aspect of life has a unique Madagascarian flavor. The names of towns are long and tongue twisting. Like Antananarivo, Ambatolampy, Fianarantsoa, and Toamasina. Because of the poor roads and bandits operating in the rural areas, airline travel is becoming more popular. The local minibuses that would carry 6 school kids in America, carried 26 Madagascar commuters. The buses are in poor condition, and any parts that came loose or fell off were simply discarded. Between the poor maintenance and the bandits, a bus trip was uncomfortably exciting, and often fatal. To get around Tana for the duration of the contract we hired our own driver and minibus.
One of our first flights was a charter for the President of Madagascar. He wanted to take his family on holiday, and his private jet was down for maintenance. We took him to Maroantsera. A pretty sea side town. The President and his family got off carrying all their bags and boxes, and boarded a bus to take them to a charter boat. They were going fishing for a week. We had to refuel the aircraft and get ready to take passengers back to Tana for the airline. Nini comes up to me and says "There are no life jackets on board." I told her that they were there, because I had checked them on the pre-flight. She says "There are no life jackets on board. The President and his family took them all." I check and sure enough all the life jackets are missing. I start to go stop the Presidents bus, but Nini stops me saying “He is the President. Are you going to accuse him of theft?" My first thought was “Of course I am." Then I decided we could just add the cost of life jackets to his bill. But now the immediate problem is not being legal for the next flight. I asked Nini what she recommends. She thought a bit, and then said she would sort it out. Soon I see her pushing an Air Madagascar baggage trolley across the apron coming from an Air Madagascar 737. The trolley was full of Air Madagascar life jackets. As she walked past she said "You owe me 200 US Dollars." Problem solved... or was it just problem transferred? Anyway, that problem wasn't mine any longer.
Ok, now back to the 28 confirmed passenger stampede, waiting to charge. I ask Nini why they booked so many passengers knowing we would be way over weight, and we only have 17 seats available. She shakes her head, and takes me aside. With a look like she was explaining something that was obvious to even an idiot, she said:
"These people have come to our airline wanting to get to Tana. There are 28 confirmed passengers, but another 50 on standby. The only other option for them is to take a bus. You've seen the crowded unsafe buses, and you know about the bandits all over the route to Tana. These people on a bus would have a very uncomfortable 2 day trip. They also would have a very good chance of being hurt in an accident, or the bus breaking down. They also have a good chance of being shot, robbed, raped, or killed by bandits. You say we only have 17 seats, but these people have never sat "one to a seat" in their lives. You say we would be over weight. But even with 28 passengers, this aircraft would still be the safest transport these people have ever had. The chance of them getting safely to Tana with you is a thousand time better than any other means they have. If you really care about the safety of our airlines clients, then you will take them all."
The contract with the client said they wanted a Part 121 operation, so complying with the contract, we took off an hour later with 17 passengers, and a very pensive Captain.
About four weeks later two Antonov AN-28 aircraft park next to us. They are our replacements. We had been fired. The AN-28 is also an 18 passenger aircraft, but the crew say they will carry 28. I walk over to talk with one of the Captains. I ask him why Russians always fly overweight and unsafe. The captain answers, "Unsafe compared to what, safety is always a relative thing. I try to do what is the safest for each situation. It is Americans like you that are wrong. You always worry more about your personal legal liability, than about helping the people in whatever land you happen to be in. And I am a Ukrainian, not a Russian. You Americans know so little about the world you keep meddling with."
I had no good reply, but I had to have the last word, so I said "America is a continent that has many counties in it. The country I am from is the United States. And with air safety, we strive for perfection and often achieve mediocrity, you strive for mediocrity, and often kill people."
Now what to do with two aircraft in Madagascar with no contract. Luckily the Presidents jet was still broken, and the presidential elections were coming up so we got a contract flying politicians all over Madagascar campaigning.
We did about 150 hours for both planes in two months, and we didn't kill anyone, and we made the company lots of money. But my view of aircraft safety has changed a bit. Ultimate safety may not always the best choice.
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