AIR SPACE

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