Flying while the world parties

Chennai: As the world readied to usher in new year, Anita was all set to take off to Dubai, not as a passenger but as a pilot manning a Boeing 737-300 on December 31. Hundreds of pilots did the same when the world beneath them heralded 2011 with noisy parties.
The pilot knew she would be able to see the glittering lights of the city from her cockpit window, but she would not see the fireworks explode to welcome the new year as she would have climbed to cruising altitude over Chennai.
Anita was sad that she would not be with her husband and parents, but she cheered up soon. "It's better to start a new year by doing something that I like flying an aircraft," she said. Her husband too is a pilot and was also flying like her.
"I will be landing in Chennai around 8pm. So I will get to celebrate new year's eve unlike last year when I was flying," said Dennis Rajagopal, a pilot with Air India.
Celebration on board vary sometimes, the airline serves special food for passengers or cabin crew distribute sweets to passengers. "We don't clog up the radio channels but quickly exchange new year wishes with other pilots flying in the vicinity," Anita said.
01/01/11 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jan 2011