"Flying Down to Aghanistan" PBS documentary

[VNugget]

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/afghanistan2/

Did anyone see this? It was amazing (and touching) story. This Danish artist (who I must say, is probably a bit off kilter) who was inspired by female cargo pilots in WWII, set off on a trip from Denmark to Kabul in her Piper Colt to give this 17 year old girl (who wanted to become a fighter pilot) a taste of flight.

This was shortly after September 11, so you can see where this might get interesting. Her trek turned into an Ernest Gann/Duke Elegant-ish type of adventure, fraught with mechanical troubles, landing in 3rd world sh!tholes, uncertainties in dealing with locals, scary dudes with guns, funny fuel, treacherous mountain crossings, and even evading Uncle Sam. (She couldn't get permission to enter Afghan airspace, which was technically a war zone, so she just played dumb, transmitted her intentions as if everything was hunky dory, and pretended that she could not receive. For the return trip, she decided that once was enough and just sent the plane back in a crate.)

 

[AerroMatt]

Off Kilter? YGSM!!!

Nah, no way is she off kilter. Something that anybody would try, I think; fly an unarmed Piper Colt into a war zone (in a land where western women are raped for spite), and just innocently broadcast your intentions (on what freq, I wonder?) while pretending to NOT see all the explosions on the ground from carpet bombing and precision strikes, just to help out a poor young girl who dreams of flying said strikes! Nothing out of the ordinary here, from what I can see! :laugh: Whoops! There's a bunch of tracers coming at me from that village, maybe I should see about landing somewhere else while I broadcast something soothing in the blind and think happy thoughts...

Ya gotta hand it to someone nutty enough to pull off a stunt like this, but I doubt she'll have a longevity that will match either Gann or Elegant if she continues these kinds of theatrics.

 

[trip]

I watched it also, interesting story and seeing that Colt in Kabul amongst the CH-53's was a sight! Pretty gutsy move taking off for Afganistan when the Americans said no. With her options running out with the Iranians probably the best choice. The controllers (sounded U.S.) didn't seem suprised when she showed up in Kabul with "confirm landing Kabul". I'm sure they watched her progress with the AWACS. Too bad the girl stood her up. Did you see the ex AA 727?

 

[pilotyip]

The AA airplane looks like the ones on the ramp at Lurenburg-Maxton back in the mid 90's

 

[JimNtexas]

I never watch NPR, but just happened to flip through the channel just as it was starting. I found it pretty amazing. Since it was NPR they had to play up her fears of being shot down by ugly Americans, and then they didn't point out that it was a USAF C-5 that took her home.

Still, it was very interesting. According to the website it is going to made in to a full lenght movie. I hope so, I'll buy the first ticket.