AIR SPACE
LT COL NOEL ELLIS
15/IV/2024
In the Sun City, Service and Civil
aircrafts keep flying overhead. Our house was right under the fly in route when
I was posted here and staying in an Army Colony. The roar of the ‘jet engines’
could tear your eardrums apart. We now stay away from those deafening roars,
but today a few aircrafts flew low over our colony which triggered some
memories. So here goes…….
Once in a while one would get a
chance to take ‘forty winks’ between the hectic schedule of unit life. These
Airforce guys had a mole planted in my unit. They would ensure Noel could take only
five of his forty winks by flying at unearthly hours.
Some days, one used to stay awake
in anticipation, as moment one closed his eyes, the airfield came into action
to keep the ‘Pongos’ (Army Guys) awake. On odd days they would decide to see
the city lights close to midnight. Once they took off, you hit the bunk only
once they landed back.
How would they know that what an
Army Units Adjutant’s life was! Yours truly had to deal with a CO who was a
terror. Besides, was also was looking after two companies, the CSD, doing Mess
Secretary, Cadre Incharge, Technical Officer etc.
The 2IC was a stickler for time.
Travelling from Shikargarh on a motorcycle, in the summer heat or a cold wintry
morning and reaching the PT parade ground late got his eye balls to swell. He could
never understand the agony of staying up all night, thanks to the Flyboys who
had no ‘Dry Days’ it seems. Why couldn’t these guys fly in from the far side
from where we stayed?
Slowly, one got used to that
noise. A ‘Thoolo Rum’ would drown those rumbles. One would fire imaginary ack-ack
guns in his dreams. Sometimes one would think of doing some modification in the
workshop for their exhausts like adding a double silencer to the bums of those
aircrafts.
On the other hand, we would
modify our motorcycle silencers to hear it roar. The unit knew from miles that
the Adjutant was approaching. All those guys who were up to mischief or were
not supposed to be where they were not supposed to be evaporated in time. The
SA and the Head Clerk timed their move to the Adjutants office with the entry
of the bike.
One day while working in a civil
organisation, ‘W’ company was being taken over by ‘J’ company. We all had
gathered for the ‘morning prayers’, a sort of meeting of the HODs before the
day’s proceedings began, when a coast guard Helicopter started encircling the steel
plant, my work place.
The Boss got perturbed and
thought that another rival company had sent their people in a helicopter to
survey this plant. Colonel Saab, ye hamare upar chakkar kyon laga raha hai? I
could hardly hear him in the noise of the rotors. “This is a coast guard
helicopter, I said, as I read those words written on its fuselage and they are
free to fly anywhere”. “Nonsense”, he said.
“Coast guard ho Phosht guard ho,
I don’t care, they have no right to encroach on our air space?” I almost broke
into laughter. Our man was furious and told me to find out how many times had
that helicopter approached our reactor. I was speechless and said “right Mr
xxxgun”.
I asked him, what was his concern?
Shor bahut karte hain ye log, poori meeting ka satyanaas kar diya.
In the afternoon, I went to his
office and told him that they have been informed to take permission from us
before entering ‘our airspace’. An absolute white lie. “Tagra control hai aap
ka Colonel saab”. I almost giggled as I walked out of his office. I wanted to
tell him to go to Shikargarh once in life time.
Just then one heard another
helicopter approaching our steel plant. Both of us went to the roof to see. To
save face, I took out my walkie-talkie and made a fictitious RT call. “Alpha
one for unknown aircraft, kindly leave our airspace immediately…. Over”. It was
my lucky day and that helicopter kept flying towards Mumbai. “Kya baat hai Colonel
saab”, he said.
I evaporated from the scene and
ran down to my office, closed the door and laughed till my belle ached. My
office staff came running to check. I waved my hand at them and told them to
leave. That day I did no work, I couldn’t.
Today, there were lots of
aircrafts that violated our ‘colony’s airspace’. I suddenly recalled all these
incidents. Should I call up the Station Commander to control his aircrafts from
flying low over our colony? I wonder!!!!!!!
JAI HIND
© ® NOEL ELLIS
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