Mr Aboki: So I just got into Port Harcourt today onboard the 3pm Arik flight.

We were in Port-Harcourt Airspace by 5.00pm on the dot. But we landed by 5:50pm because we were kept in a holding parttern because of VIPs were leaving on their Jets from the Airport. Whilst we were circling the Port-Harcourt skies, I could see private jets below us jetting about. We were kept circling for 45minutes.

When we finally Landed, there were 3 private jets and 3 Helicopters prepping for take-off.

The tarmac and parking lot was lined with JTF and Mobile policemen that you would think you just landed in a war zone.

Passengers on ground at PH airport looked so angry as they had been kept waiting for their flight's because of the rukus caused Mrs. Jonathans Mothers funeral.

The Eleme axis of the East-West road that leads to Okrika where the funeral took place that has been under construction for over 8 years was finally completed just in time for the funeral.

Reports have it that Port Harcourt has been under siege this past week with certain Areas in Port Harcourt fully sealed off.

Today, I officially left the FRESH AIR train. Jonathan has just disappointed me greatly.

They spent billions of Naira for the funeral of his foster Mother in-law, yet ASUU is still on strike.


For the first time in a long while, the harsh reality of how messed up Nigeria truly is dawned on me.

Come 2015, if a better candidate presents himself, I will definitely not vote for Jonathan and his Shepopotamus of a wife.



We need more than a revolution in this country, what we need is the second coming of Jesus to just put an end to all this.

berem: Its good you landed safely without any hitches. To God be the glory.

Now that you have finally left the fresh air crew, give yourself time to think about the future of our beloved country. You are always welcomed to the progressives if you're willing to join.

Ikengawo: You know what's worst than an airport being halted for GEJ arriving, every single northern state paying a 2000 dollar hajj airline ticket for 60 million muslims in states that have the highest polio rate and infant mortality rate in the known world after the Republic of Niger

joseph1832:
Ask yourself this, Did the Chinese or Israeli shut down their Airports when GEJ visited them? African man with African mentality!!!.

Dannylux:


Ask yourself this, is Nigeria half as secure as these countries you mentioned?

you guys should make proper comparison please

esshman: what u should all rememba is the fact that the Dana crash last yr was also caused by the airspace closure for Her Excellency. Altho she denied this, Mr Aboki's experience just showed that if that Arik plane needed emergency landing just like the Dana, then some hypocrites here would have been typing RIP. Whoeva wins in 2015, God will soon deal with all the enemies of the country.

Billyonaire:

You see what am talking about ? Attitudes like yours need to be forced to stay airborne for hours to avoid contact with saner people. Your rage has overtaken common-sense. Believe me, you are actually not worried about being Airborne for 45 minutes, your pain is that "Private Jets" were taking off while you less rich, less important "common Aboki" was kept airborne.
Next time you want to respond to me, endeavor to be civil and less primitive, and may be you might wanna take anger management classes.

Arysexy:

LIES from d APC pit of hell!

Patience Jonathan was not in Lagos when Dana crashed. Dana plane crashed bc it lost its engine just as it was descending, if u know lagos airport axis well, u wil realise iju wia Dana plane crashed is close to d airport. Stop bringing concocted lies just to score a point. A pilot in distress will communicate control towers on d urgency of landing and I don't think any sane air traffic personnel wil halt a plane in distress from landing just bc ur imaginary patience jonathan was at d airport. LIES! Bring another version!

naptu2: This reminds me of "Air Force One, Go Round!".

The airspace around the head of state is always closed for security reasons. This is the case, regardless of who is head of state.

Note: President Jonathan did not order the closures. He might not even know about it. The are professionals who handle such duties. Air Force One was almost involved in a collision because a US President (I can't remember, but I think it was Nixon) ordered the pilot to tell the control tower to re-open the airspace.

In recent times, air force and navy jets have had to be scrambled because civilian planes entered Air Force One's restricted air space.

However, there are ways of managing the situation. The President should have flown into Port Harcourt Air Force Base, rather than the International Airport at Omagwa. Planes in Lagos, Abuja and other cities should have been held back until the airspace is opened, etc.

naptu2: I have a lot to say and a lot of links to post, but no time and the fear of Mr Spambot is making me cautious.

I'm going to look at problems and possible solutions.

Where do I start? In the air.

Around the world the airspace around a head of state's aircraft is usually closed to traffic. This could include the runway and the airspace around the airport. Planes around the airport are usually put on a holding pattern (basically, the circle the airport).

This leads to several problems.

1) Aircraft burning valuable fuel and the fear that an aircraft might run out of fuel.

2) Fear of an aicraft straying into restricted airspace and getting shot down (I shall post, as an example, a recent occurrence in the US).

3) Fear of accidents occurring.

4) Opponents of the head of state using the practice to score cheap political points (eg the clinton haircut on the runway and the Patience Jonathan/Dana incident).

Read my first example below.

naptu2: Oops! I forgot to add possible solutions.

1) In the US the President usually lands at an air force base. This ensures that there is as little disruption to civilian traffic as possible. For example, when flying to Washington DC, his plane lands at Andrews Air Force Base, then he proceeds to the White House by helicopter.

In Nigeria, most of the cities have dual use airports (civilian and military), so whereas the president could land at Port-Harcourt Air Force Base instead of the civilian airport at Omagwa; in Lagos MMA serves as both civilian airport and air force base.

2)They could prevent flights from taking off: If I was going to fly from Lagos to Abuja and the president was expected to take off from Abuja at around the same time, the airport authorities in Lagos should prevent my flight from taking off.

I'll be back with more. I'm tired

Akshow: what dafuq are u saying silly momfo? u sound deranged and demential. what are we saying what are u saying.? foooooolish hypocrites like u are the problem with this country. the issue at hand u have ignored but more preoccupied with what i say. if u can see nothing wrong with being in the air for close to an hr cos some eeeeediots are jetting out then I have no business arguing with u. continue to roast in ur bigoted ignorance. pathetic imp

Does anyone have any insight on why UA 940 from ORD to FRA was delayed yesterday evening (not a huge delay; only 2.5 hours)? My daughter on the flight said boarding was delayed a bit, but after boading the FAs gave several different explanations for the delays including servicing the plane, a cargo issue, delays in reaching cargo, etc.
President Obama was also arriving. When the President lands, are all the flights "grounded" with other explanations given?
Thanks

Yes, then Air Force 1 is landing or taking off, there will will be some delays but not that long. Maybe at the most 1/2 hour unless there was alot of traffic at the time.

Don't know bout 940 specifically, but AF1 flew in to ORD 2 days ago, messing up ATC for a few hours, then left yesterday morning, messing up ATC again for a period, then came back again after the hour photo op in the gulf, only to mess up ATC again.

In the immortal words of Mel Brooks, "It's good to be the king!" I wonder what in Chicago was worth coming to for the 1st night, instead of skipping that leg, and going from WAS to the gulf, then just once into ORD.

Thursday night going from MSP to ORD we were about to board and were stopped when ORD was hit with a 45 minute security stop due to the President (according to the GA). This had a ripple effect - ATC had flow control (according to pilot due to security stop) so we were delayed even further.

This is ORD. With 2 planes landing every minute, and a holiday weekend, there is alot of traffic. During most week days, ORD is scheduled at very close to the maximum the airport can take. A 30min (or longer as the case really is) stop, causes huge ripples that continue on for the entire day and into the night.

I remember a number of years ago when I was at CDG for a flight home to the US. I had planned to arrive early to get some lounge time, and upon arrival found the airport in chaos. I learned that the airport had already been closed for over two hours, as Boris Yeltsen was scheduled to leave for Moscow after meeting with the French president. Yeltsen was on board his plane, but departure was being delayed for some reason. Flight operations were at a standstill until his plane finally took off. My flight ended up leaving about two hours late, as the airport gradually caught up with the backlog.

Billyonaire:

Do you see what I am talking about ? You mental midget, hardly can spell in English, yet, you and other cretins in your league of whimsical tomfoolery want to be allowed to land within a busy airstrip where VIPs are taking off against decisions of control tower. It is wise for you to get adequate education to function within the ambient of norm. The fact, that you call people names even without personal attacks signals a larger dysfunction of your celebra. You need to be cultured in acceptable behaviorism in blogosphere.

You need to be checked in, examined, and declared "Unsafe" to live with the larger population. Regarding the 45 minutes delay "purportedly" experied by "Aboki" the Original Poster. He needs to understand that there is a reason the industry has Air Traffic Control. In one of my very many travels, we hovered over JFK for more than 45 minutes before we landed safely. We appreciated having a safe landing instead of bickering about delay. This is what sane people like my humble self do, but I cant say the same about the Mental Midgets and APC mosquitoes.

naptu2: [size=14pt]Air Force One - GO AROUND !!![/size]

Time: During the Nixon Administration fuel Crisis of 1973

Place: Indianapolis International TCA (Terminal Control Area)

Players: President Nixon, the command pilot and co-pilot of AF-1, Eastern Airline pilot and co-pilot, Local controller Bob Farnum, Myself as observer

This story requires a lot of background.  From the title: "go around" is a command that is given by a controller to be executed immediately by a pilot. When the command is given by a controller during a landing sequence the pilot is to immediately terminate the approach.  The command is used when an approach becomes impossible for any number of reasons.  That might be another aircraft on the runway unexpectedly, a vehicle on the runway, a departing aircraft delayed on the runway for some reason, etc.  The pilot executing the "go around" will then be instructed to enter a pattern for another approach to the active runway. A "go around" is a very bad thing.  It indicates poor planning or violated procedures.  It is an indication that something has gone very, very wrong and, as a result, some airliner will be late and burn a huge amount of jet fuel getting on the ground in an unplanned way.

When Air Force One enters the TCA on his way to any airport special procedures are followed.  At a set range from the airport ALL traffic (on the ground) stops. Aircraft on approach are placed in a holding pattern in flight.  All aircraft and vehicles are instructed to hold in position wherever they are on the ground.  All movement on the airport stops for security and safety.  Air Force One is then given full use of the active runway (cleared of all aircraft and vehicles) and use of the entire airport surface to land and taxi to the secure ramp area arranged for their arrival.  When Air Force One is stopped in their secure area normal activity on the airport and in the TCA resumes.   Simple.....right ?

I was on duty in the RADAR Equipment room and someone advised us Air Force One was on approach.  While he (Nixon) is in the area, we touch no equipment and disturb nothing.  I had been working for the FAA for about three years at that time, and I thought since we go into a hands-off-everything mode I would go up to the Air Traffic Control Tower and watch the approach of Air Force One with President Nixon on board.  Up the elevator I went to the Tower Cab level.  When I got there and looked out the window it was a chaotic scene.  What had happened is AF-1 got into the TCA during a very busy part of the day.  Aircraft were everywhere on the airport, parked as required, engines running on idle.  Nothing was allowed to move, all were required by AF-1 SOP to remain in place. All the engines were burning huge quantities of jet fuel, with nothing moving anywhere on the airport.

One of the little known causes of some aircraft accidents is what I call "letting the passenger fly the airplane".  Trust me, it happens.  Not literally of course.  The passengers are in the back and do not have direct access to the controls.  What actually happens is some passenger in the back gets some great little idea and asks the pilot to deviate from routine flight procedures.  An example might be: "Hey, can you turn out over there to the left so I can show the guys my house when we get off the runway?".  The pilot looks out, figures there is no traffic in the pattern and takes off.  He turns to make the passenger happy and plows into another aircraft entering the pattern he didn't see on the take off roll.  Another possibility would be: "We really need to make that meeting - do we really need to top off the fuel?".  The pilot looks at the fuel, got enough, takes off.  They get to the airport and it is fogged in and approaches are difficult.  The pilot does a go around or two, using takeoff power (and fuel).  On the LAST attempt the fuel runs out, you can guess the rest.  For another example see:

http://www.ab9d.com/greatmoments/stuck.htm

This above was a case of the pilot letting the cargo (not even a live passenger) tell him he had enough gas to make it.

If you have a lot of experience reading NTSB reports you can sometimes see this contributing factor peeking out.  Letting the passengers (or even the cargo) fly the airplane.

Back to the story.  Nixon wasn't a bad president.  He got in some trouble, but he was a good administrator while in office, and sensitive to the needs of the American people.  He was in the back of AF-1 and found out this was going on (many aircraft wasting fuel). Well there he was, jetting around in AF-1 and causing huge amounts of jet fuel to be wasted following the SOP for AF-1 arrival.  He ordered the pilot to advise the local controller (a guy named Robert Farnum) to ignore the SOP and resume normal operations. In other words, bring AF-1 into the airport as they would any other large aircraft. This is an example of letting a passenger fly the airplane.

In a situation like this it takes some time for an order to propagate through the chain of command and be delivered to the appropriate controllers.  Nixon didn't fully appreciate the chaotic situation his command would create.  During that time lag AF-1 was charging into the airport at 140 MPH. When the command to conduct normal movements actually activated AF-1 was about 100 yards from the threshold of the active runway still doing about 140 MPH.  In that instant everything that was parked was released to move.  Holding in position, waiting to cross the active runway, was an Eastern Airlines flight.  Controller Farnum pointed at the ground controller and yelled "CROSS EASTERN!".  My first thought was what the hell is that idiot doing?   AF-1 is about two seconds from touching down and aimed right at the Eastern flight.  As I leaned to look out the window, I saw debris blow out behind the Eastern flight.  The pilot had firewalled the throttle levers to try to cross in time as ordered by controller Farnum.  I could imagine the pilot in AF-1 grabbing the throttle levers and silently reciting the Lord’s Prayer, hoping the Eastern flight would clear the runway in time.  If he didn’t, we were all going see the very first (and only) "go around" of AF-1 in aviation history. 

It was close.  The Eastern jet blast threw debris all over the place, and AF-1 went by the back of the Eastern flight just clearing the wing tip of the president’s airplane.  Controller Farnum, who was usually wrapped up in his self-perceived importance, never saw the situation.  He was busy creating more chaos across the airport telling others to move.  To this day,  he never knew it happened (unless he reads this).  As far as I know, only five of us were aware of the incident.  I saw it.  There was an Eastern Airlines captain firewalling the throttle on his passenger airliner and his co-pilot probably looking out at the huge looming AF-1 going “OH S**T!”  There was a captain in AF-1 grabbing a handful of throttle controls thinking “WHOOOA NELLIE!  This is going to be close!” and his co-pilot probably thinking that the president will be really pissed about this.  He was probably wondering what driving a snow plow in Dead Horse, Alaska, was going to be like as he pondered the end of his flying career in the Air Force.   When it was all over, it was as if nothing happened and is being told here for the first time.

The moral to the story is obvious:  never let a passenger fly the airplane, even if he’s the President of the United States!

http://ab9d.com/af1goaround.htm

Iamzuna: Mr. Aboki, Your name implies what you really are. I think you have failed in your attempt, though i dont like the president but if you no get better thing complain about, then go hug transformer or better still u for jump comot for plane so that all of dem go know say you dey vex. So because of you the President should wait abi, or security should not be put in place when President and Governors wan use airport. Well anytime you are free and President dey come your State, go airport go watch and you go foolishly see the ceremonial welcome he will get. So if you still wan complain then make you go the nearest police station near you go write statement.

adino: @ op
you choose to use ph airport today because you knew G.E.J was in town and so you can come and rant here on nairaland (you may even have heard this story from other people). Even the skinny looking Obama (apology to Russian presido) commands a more dangerous road, air and sea closure. You also made a silly mention of Eleme axis of East West road which after 8 years was suddenly completed for this burial.
Hmm, G.E.j is really working then, G.E.J till 2019. Completing an 8 year project under record time. God Bless G.E.J.

pazienza: Okija juju, Truckpusher, mr Aboki, etc. Are we talking about the same person here?

townshipjames:

Am quite sure your perspective would have been different if you had been on that flight. The OP raised a number of salient points-- the hurriedly fixed road all because of the burial, -- the danger of unplanned hovering of a "local" aircraft in the air because some VIPs (not the President) intend to take off.

Truckpusher: Which cave did you crawl out from my friend,me taught you've been killed by boko haram


aw far na? .it yaf tay

townshipjames:

Am quite sure your perspective would have been different if you had been on that flight. The OP raised a number of salient points-- the hurriedly fixed road all because of the burial, -- the danger of unplanned hovering of a "local" aircraft in the air because some VIPs (not the President) intend to take off.

Iamzuna:

This is not the first and will definitely not be the last. At least from what i know and have read in the past, this is not the first time something like this is happening and will not be the last. I think Mr. Aboki should be happy he is alive and fine and nothing happened. The point of the road, with the way Nigeria is today i think the people of that region should then be happy that the woman died if that is what it would take to fix their road that has been abandoned. I believe that is what is happening there right now but as the OP is not from there he is seeing it as a complain. You people should stop criticizing and you should understand the fact that 'THIS IS NOT THE FIRST AND WILL NOT BE THE LAST' not just in Nigeria

Billyonaire:

The Air Traffic Control and Airways Authorities work with set of codes, the have the powers by law to shut down the Airways for as long as they deem necessary for safety. The Pilots understand the rules of the business and communicates with control towers. The problem with most mental midgets is that they turn every issue to a political game. What has Air Control Instruction to an aircraft to stay airborne got to do with a road construction expedition and other nonsense brouhaha ?

townshipjames:

Agreed, but the fact that --others have done or are currently doing that doesn't make it right. Honestly, if we don't start speaking up (of devoid of any religious or tribal prejudice) on these anti-people practices, there ain't gonna be any change in the nearest future.

Billyonaire:

The Air Traffic Control and Airways Authorities work with set of codes, the have the powers by law to shut down the Airways for as long as they deem necessary for safety. The Pilots understand the rules of the business and communicates with control towers. The problem with most mental midgets is that they turn every issue to a political game. What has Air Control Instruction to an aircraft to stay airborne got to do with a road construction expedition and other nonsense brouhaha ?