I agree with Grahame and want to add my personal thanks as well to Anne, Kurt and Nigel for the effort that has been put in to make yesterday and today so memorable. The weather yesterday was a bit of a dampener but the evening food, drink and trivia 'exam' proved a big hit. Starry skies this morning and a forecast of fog was a good omen, and so it proved to be with three hours of uninterrupted pure gold airside photo ops, not to mention the Kurt vs Nigel banter as a bonus, and the use of Morris Biondi's mini scanner plugged in to the bus' PA system to make us feel at home. The visit to AARF East was impressive. At $2m a piece and the ability to accelerate from 0 - 100 in 18 seconds, these tenders are amazing. Especially liked the massive V12 engines being kept permanently warm with electric heaters, and the fact that the power plug automatically disconnects when the tender leaves the station - no need to delay while someone climbs up to disconnect! The six-wheel drive 34 tonners are soon to be replaced with eight-wheel drive 50 tonners, and the fire station building will have to be enlarged to accommodate them!
On top of the super airside tour, eight of us won last night's lucky door prize of a Control Tower visit, and that did not disappoint either. Thanks to Air Services Australia's Phil Lee for the permission and to Margaret for looking after us during her break. Boy, that was some view! We could have spent the day on the balcony if you'd have let us ...
Am I too old to become ADC East - the busiest job in the tower.
For those that missed the Control Tower trip Constable Alina Esteban of the AFP gave an informative presentation on Airport Watch. As responsible members of the aviation community all SAMB members need to take heed and contribute to this initiative as a small token of our appreciation for the indulgences we are granted on days like this. Few airports in the world are as embracing of their aviation enthusiasts as SACL showed today - we are very lucky people!