End of my time flying in the North of Thailand
Two months ago,
Yves, the owner of Ban Thi - San Kamphaeng Airport (Nok) told Ed
that I had been saying things about the airfield and that he was
prepared to ban me from the airfield.
There was confusion when he believed he had to leave a dinner
appointment early in favour of myself and Walter when he saw a
picture on Facebook of us having dinner at the same place. We in
fact left early to make room for him! This was a question of
status, did he have to make room for me? No, in fact I made room
for him.
Then, because I
had to go to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand [CAAT]
office on other business, he thought I had been discussing his
business, saying he did not trust me to be a negotiator, and that
I cost him a lot of money.
Again untrue. I was asked by the club president to go to the CAAT
and sign for the Type Certificate for another person's aeroplane,
a Bolkow Junior, and to ask about the five year permits for a
couple of aircraft. The owners of these aircraft were really
happy with what I had done for them.
Yves own aircraft, the Super Cub had to have its Type Certificate
presented to the CAAT with a request that it be approved, and
this certificate I had found, and had provided to the club
president.
At the time, both Yves' Super Cub and the Twin Comanche had not
received their Certificates of Airworthiness after nine months of
waiting; this is a typical problem here in Thailand.
The club president was on the point of asking me to do for the
Super Cub what I had done for the Bolkow Junior, that is to sign
the application for the approval of the Type Certificate by the
CAAT, in their office which is only four kilometres down the road
from where I am writing this.
Yves does not want me to conduct business on his behalf, and I
will not conduct business for anyone without being asked to do
so. I have done no negotiation with the CAAT with respect to his
aircraft whatsoever.
Last week I was
again accused of gossiping about the business of the airfield,
and of publishing information about it.
I have not spoken about the airfield to anyone outside the
community on that airfield, and then nothing derogatory to the
"management of the airfield".
I actually do not know much about what is going on, and really
beyond what might affect my own flying in the Cessna 172G I have
no need to be involved in the 'politics' happening there.
I shy away from trouble between people on the airfield, I do not
like conflict, I prefer friendship, and to enjoy my flying.
Until now I have
published nothing on here, on Facebook, or anywhere else in
reference to the airfield and its management and so I am confused
as to where these accusations are coming from. Besides I spent
twenty days away from Thailand recently (in Canada), and since
the accusations of two months ago I have not visited the
airfield.
I have no argument with anyone at the airfield, so I am upset and
confused as to why this has happened to me. I have been told that
I am unwelcome on the airfield or any of Pierre-Yves
Vandermeersch's properties. And so ends my flying with Nok Flying
Club.
In Thailand defamation is a criminal act, and the emails I received were defamatory, (shared with others in the airfield community), aimed at discrediting me, and perhaps setting me up to be some sort of scapegoat, or using me as an example of what the airfield owner is prepared to do to others on the airfield.
Enough written about this here.
What's new: I went to the Motor Show courtesy of the Harley
Davidson Dealership in Chiang Mai.
Thailand Retrospective
Khun Pao was the loveliest woman I ever met in Canada, and she
introduced me to Thailand
We took an Auster 6 across Canada and two states of the Union to
Hamilton Ontario
First flying I did in Thailand was in this CAP10C at Bang Phra in
2004; six days flying with Tom Claytor
Aerobatics in this aeroplane were lovely
(This picture taken later)
When I returned to Thailand in 2005 my relationship with Khun Pao
was terminated, (shattered heart), I went north, and I joined
Chiang Mai Flying Club
I flew the Cessna 172 on a checkout and then rented the Cessna
150 in preference. In December I returned and test flew the two
Katanas.
Students in 2007
I worked in China in 2006 with trips both to Chiang Mai and to
Chiba in Japan to do some flying
After leaving China I spent six months at Chiang Mai Flying Club
and assisted these chaps in gaining their Thai PPLs
We had the Cessna 150 and a 152, and Ed
bought a Tecnam P92JS which he still has today.
Cessna 152
Unfortunately
there was a crash of a Cessna 172F which tried to depart
overloaded and with the full, forty degrees, flaps deployed!
This was an illegal flight and ended with people in hospital.
This accident precipitated the demise of the CMFC.
We had an opportunity to show that foreigners could fly with
safety and discipline, and that we could teach people to fly in
the same way.
Too many accidents, in Thailand, with both Farangs (foreigners)
and Thais.
Chiang Mai Flying Club moved to Lanna Airpark as it slowly
declined after the disasterous accident.
All of us had to go through taking exams to be allowed to fly in
Thailand again.
Sadly, as you might have seen on this site, the Cessna 150 is now
tied to a platform besides the River Kwai.
Ban Thi - San Kamphaeng (Nok) VTCY
Back in 2005 there was a
dispute within a group operating Lanna Airport between them. This
is an Air Park where you can build a house and taxy your
aeroplane to it.
This dispute lead to one of the partners splitting with the rest,
buying adjoining land, and creating a new airfield: Nok.
There was considerable animosity and so hangars were built under
the approach path to runway 27 at Lanna, and a tower was erected
within yards of the threshold and in line with 27.
This of course was a serious safety problem for aircraft
operating in and out of Lanna, but the judge in court soon told
the owner of Nok to take it down.
At the time I was happily flying from Chiang Mai Flying Club at
Lamphun Airfield and I had no desire to be involved in the
conflict. I do not like such things.
I flew with a few people in this Tiger Moth
With the demise of Chiang
Mai Flying Club I joined Nok Flying Club. By this time the
conflict between the owners of two airfields had calmed somewhat.
It was fun flying at Nok, I flew the Super Cub, I towed the T21
glider with it, and later I did my sixtieth birthday flight in
it. 'Loved flying the Super Cub.
Yves daughter Julie was a
great student, we flew a lot together in the Katana and in the
Super Cub.
Julie did her tailwheel solo at Lampang where there was plenty of
runway width.
Later I was preparing to send her solo on the narrow Nok runway
when the engine dropped a valve!
The second tailwheel solo
on the narrow runway at at Nok had to wait until later when I
made a special journey from Bangkok to complete this task
when I was on my way to Boston from Vancouver via Bangkok and
London.
Tit for tat, Yves had provided me with the ability to continue flying in Northern Thailand and so whenever I could I would go out of my way to repay him for this.
Preparation for the PPL test in Thailand, and preliminaries for
the CPL in the USA
This would be the last flight in the Tiger Moth, three circuits
with Yves before I caught my flight back to Vancouver via Hong
Kong.
I am reminded that even
unpaid, I can not instruct here in Thailand and so I will cease
to do so from now on.
For me this is difficult as I see the accidents here, and I can
not do my bit to try to keep people safe, competent, and
confident.
Occasionally I would fly the Cessna 182 RG
I flew the Zenair 601 to Loei to spend New
Year's Day with Naruk
There was a concern about an apparent imbalance between
propellers so I rode along to give my opinion
This Twin Comanche is in excellent condition. Yves had flown it
to Thailand from the USA
Cream on the cake was flying this RV9A for its first flights, and
then cross country to many parts of Thailand. Very enjoyable.
Picture by Daren Rose, Aircraft Constructor
It is a great shame that my days flying at Nok had to end in the way it has, but I still have good memories that will not be erased.
Private flying in Thailand suffers from the delays of bureaucracy, and sometimes through the animosity between its participants.
We should really try to get along for our common good.