That's good Mx

[Swass]

Nepal Airline Sacrifices Two Goats to Sky God in Face of Aircraft Problems

Wednesday, September 05, 2007
By Matt Egan

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It’s not exactly the most common way to fix a commercial airliner, but officials from Nepal’s state-run airline sacrificed two goats on Sunday in effort to do just that, according to Reuters.
Faced with technical problems on an aging Boeing 757 aircraft, Nepal Airlines' representatives told local media the sacrifices were made to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god.
“The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights,” said Raju K.C., a senior airline official, without explaining what the problem had been.
Sacrificing goats may seem unusual, at least to Americans, one airline veteran said it's not outlandish in some cultures.
“It’s not that unusual to see a sacrifice going on,” said Capt. Robert Norris, a former United Airlines pilot of 30 years who has gone climbing in Nepal.
“We may say a small prayer ourselves when we take off. It’s just a part of their culture,” he said.
Ariel Glucklich, a professor of theology at Georgetown University, said that animal sacrifices go back to the beginnings of Hinduism.
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“The idea of sacrifice is you offer something valuable as a way of placating the god,” said Glucklich. Still he said that kind of animal sacrifice by airline officials wouldn’t be likely in India, another predominantly Hindu nation.
“The separation between religion and the state is a lot fuzzier in Nepal,” said Glucklich. “I’m really stunned that airline officials would subscribe to that.”
Not everyone agrees with that sentiment.
“It may be one of the most effective things they’ve done” to fix the planes, said John Adams, a visiting scholar at the University of Virginia who has flown on Nepal Airlines before.
He said Nepal Airlines has had a lot of trouble with its two older 757s in recent years and that the airline runs at a deficit.
Adams also said the airline is unreliable in its service and the country has been trying to sell or reorganize the entity.
Nevertheless, Adams wasn’t that surprised to hear of the animal sacrifice.
“I don’t think it’s entirely unusual to go through a small ceremony based on some ancient custom and belief,” said Adams, comparing the practice to cracking a bottle of champagne across a boat.

 

[BushwickBill]

Sweet. I need some goats....

 

[Princedietrich]

remind me to take the bus when I go to Nepal.

But then again, they might sacrifice a llama to do the oilchange.

 

[mzaharis]

They're better than this guy . . .

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=a7fbb0d4-f493-4ac5-b176-5c6b29e2fe3c&

Third Time NOT A Charm For 1959 Piper, Or Its Pilot

Fri, 07 Sep '07
Witness Said Landing Was "Like A Rock Skipping Over A Pond"

A woman taking her first -- and probably last -- airplane ride bailed out of a 1959 Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer as it rolled down the runway engulfed in smoke. Sadly, it wasn't the first time that particular aircraft had rolled down that particular runway, that particular day, with that particular problem.
Pilot William Supan, 57, made three separate landings Monday at Modesto Airport with smoke problems. "When he came down the first time," said witness Jason Tilford of Sky Trek Aviation, "(Supan) said it was just smoking a little bit out of the cowling."
Supan said it was just exhaust smoke and he needed a new hose clamp, so he went to Wal-Mart to buy a new one, said witness Anthony McFarlane Jr. a lineman at Sky Trek.
When Supan went up a second time, however, smoke began pouring from the cowing again -- forcing an immediate landing, reported the Modesto Bee.
"He found the (exhaust) hose had been almost cut in half. He didn't know how, but he had some more hose and replaced it," said McFarlane.
Fire personnel responded to both landings and suggested a consult with a professional aircraft mechanic after the second one. He went up again anyway.
The third time Supan took off, he came back down, "really quick. His wings were wobbling and he wasn't in very good control of altitude. I thought it was a cockpit fire. The plane came screaming over (our) building and bounced really hard on all three landing gears," said Tilford.
"He came down really fast and smoke was trailing the side of his plane. It hit the deck really hard, and then it was like a rock skipping over a pond. I counted nine times (it bounced)," said McFarlane.
That's when passenger Jinhua Lin, 43, bailed out of the aircraft. Supan made it back to her after getting the Piper stopped about 100 yards away, past the end of the runway, according to the Bee. Witnesses told investigators the plane "torched" just as he reached her.
"He said there was a puff of smoke in the cockpit and tremendous heat coming from under the floorboards. He said Lin was really nervous because it was her first flight and jumped (from the plane) because of the heat on her feet," Tilford said.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the plane and the surrounding brush.
Both Supan and Lin were transported to a local hospital where Supan was treated for smoke inhalation. Lin was reported to be in stable condition with a fractured leg, and a case of road rash.
The Modesto Bee reported Supan could not be reached for comment.
FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor said officials were "surprised" Supan took off the third time.
"We're going to have a long talk with Mr. Supan," Gregor said.