Dubai Airshow 2009

Dear Reader,

I know it's been a while since my last post, but life's spare time allocator has been unkind to me of late. As thus, I have to make do with less time online as I'd like. However, there is a certain plus to this, because I have been able to buy and read more books in the meantime.

A well-read blogger is certainly a better blogger!

Anyway, I had the good fortune of being invited to Dubai's Airshow for this year, and I went a little bit overboard with my camera. Like a Japanese tourist let loose with a gazillion megapixel camera in the middle of the Vatican's miles-long museums!

Here is a story better told by more pictures and less words:

1- The beautiful and graceful new Airbus A380

Probably the largest civilian jet ever made. The first to ever have two levels of passenger seats throughout the length of the plane. Very graceful and elegant. If you were there on 19 Nov 2009, you'd notice how amazingly skilful the test-pilot was in manoeuvring this mammoth at very low airspeeds without stalling!





2-The beauty of the wingspan

Don't you just love panoramic shots? Please click on the picture below to enlarge to appreciate its beauty.



3- Armed Forces

Can't say much except I didn't really feel their presence added much to our dear UAE.
Good old tax-dollars paying for a few posers.







4-Idiots were spotted inside

The queue to get into the airshow on the last day was immense. Probably half a kilometer long. The security was tight with metal detectors and xray machines. However, there was no minimum requirements for the IQ of the persons allowed in. This is a great shame. You had idiots like those below sitting on a helicopter drone thinking that they are cool. Perhaps they need to be reunited with their mothers and their playstations. There were even bigger idiots that I couldn't get myself to photograph who decided to sit inside a jet engine. That is complete fucking nuts. You have around a metre of "metal" between the tip of a jet engine and the rotating blades, and these idiots managed to sit in that narrow strip. They could easily cause damage worth tens of thousands of dirhams and even more if they lent on the blades. I wished if I could start up the engines and take them to full throttle only to suck these idiots into the engine and dissect them in a blink of the eye. However, the engine is worth more than the idiots combined, and plus I didn't have access to that particular cockpit. Darn!



5- UAE Armed Forces

Always lovely to see a UAE flag on some military hardware. Well-done boys!



6- Italian Tricolore 10-plane acrobatic team

As you might know, the Italians have an excellent acrobatic team that is of a similar calibre to the UK's Red Arrows. Fortunately the aeroplani italiani were on display that day and they were absolutely brilliant. Italians are fiercely proud of their "tricolore" flag, or the flag with three colours: Red, White and Green. Most spectators probably thought that the colours were for the UAE flag (which is a fortunate coincidence). However, ignorance is rife, and in this case can be possibly overlooked.

The Italians however did put up an excellent display, especially when they criss-crossed and looked as if they were going to crash into each other as shown in the picture!










7- See you in 2011!

This exclusive event is held every 2 years, so see you in 730 days or so inshalla!
إن شاء الله
لو ما زلنا أحياء نرزق



So long!

BuJ