TechNoTech

Adventure in Land of Clouds - Meghalaya

2026-04-06T18:02:31.885+05:30

I recently went to the state of Meghalaya for a holiday. It's called the “Land of Clouds”

Firstly, I would like to explain how I arrived at choosing Meghalaya. I had 3 days of leave in my schedule and wanted a quick getaway for something not regular stuff I encounter in my regular work travels. So I was contemplating going to Sri Lanka/Vietnam/Thailand/Himachal Pradesh/Uttarakhand/NE States of India. As it was a short trip, I narrowed down to Sri Lanka or NE states. I visited Sikkim and Assam before so wanted to cover other states especially Meghalaya. Given the weather in month of March, I finalized on Meghalaya.

I neither had time to plan my trip nor came across people who could guide me what all places to cover. I initially checked the official tourism website of Meghalaya govt and relied on chatGPT for an itinerary. Then I realized for a short solo trip better to approach a tour operator and then made multiple calls. I specified my requirements of stay at a campsite and home stay and cover maximum adventure places. After couple of iterations, I quickly narrowed down to 1 operator and finalized the itinerary- which was 10 days before my trip day. The tour operator I choose for my trip was GoSomewhere.in who crafted an itinerary as per my requirements.

Started my Trip Day1 early morning from Hyderabad on flight to Guwahati. As soon as I reached Guwahati airport, my personal guide was ready for pick up. My guide - Richborn Jana - was a local Meghalayan who was a graduate in Tourism. There is a unique story behind his name but I am not going to write about it here but rather prefer you have a conversation with him to know about it. I was very lucky that instantly we connected and synced with each other well on how we were going to go about our trip.

So we started from Guwahati to go first towards West Jaintia Hills to cover Krang Shuri waterfalls. We entered Meghalaya and had breakfast on route and later we passed by Shillong airport where I stopped by to check out the place and met a colleague who validated my itinerary as a good one. Then first stop was Krang Shuri Waterfalls and boy what a sight it was! It gave me the confidence of good start. Next we went to Dawki river for boating. Though the water was not high and as pristine as claimdue to bridge construction works, the boat ride was excellent. The ride stopped upstream at a point where we had an option of having a snack and beverage to chill by the river with water flowing on your feet. It was an excellent stop which allowed me to have a random conversation with other travelers and we all had a good time before returning back. Finally went to my night halt location of Mawlynnong village for my home stay. “Delphi and Risa homestay” offered me a chance to live like a proper local person in a village setting helping me to wake up to the rustic sounds and natural environment of the region.

My day2 started with a trip to Mawlynnong village -"Asia's cleanest village ". It was indeed clean and fabulous place and made me wonder why more villages cannot be like it. There were many in village homestays as well. Later proceeded for the trek to Nongriat. For this trek, I was accompanied by another guide- Japeth who was fabulous throughout the trek. It was a steep descent initially almost 3500 steps to reach Living Double Decker Living root bridge. It's a wonderful nature's gift which was really heart warming. A further trek crossing a difficult terrain with wooden ladder stairs and further walk towards the blue lagoon. Almost close to the destination, I almost gave up. A pep talk by the local vendor made me take few more steps and the sight of blue lagoon itself made me wanting to swim there. It was a breathtaking place and a perfect reward for the grueling hard trek to reach the place. I took a dive into the blue lagoon which helped me cool down and get ready for the trek back. The trek up was so tough but with positive encouragement from other trekkers helped a great way in reaching back. I would like to acknowledge a good Samaritan couple (other visitors from Bengaluru) who were friendly and offered electrolyte water at a very critical time for me. Once the trek completed, went to the campsite in Sohra which was my night stay.

The campsite was located within Sa-i-Mika Resort in Sohra region of Meghalaya in Khasi Hills. It was a brilliant setup for tourists which housed cottages, camping, restaurant, bar and play are for kids. I highly recommend this place! The campsite had campfire, music speakers and bonfire for all to sit and relax. Met other campers there and one fellow camper and me hit the bar within the resort to try the local gin. Overall a fantastic stay.

Day3 started early and quickly visited Wei-Saw Dong waterfalls which was a three layered waterfalls followed by Noh Ka Likai waterfalls which is India's third highest waterfall. Next visit was “Garden of Caves ”. This was a wonderful place for all tourists to visit as for me it was Meghalaya in a nutshell tour for adventure enthusiasts. The place had Caves, waterfalls, rocks, wooden bridge treks. The place itself narrates what is there and why. Next stopped by mawkdok valley briefly and headed towards Mawphlang Sacred forest which was a holy place for the local population. It had great natural trees which were well preserved. The Sacred forest was guided by a local tour guide (Vish Roy) and there too I met wonderful co tourists. The tour guide took fabulous pictures of us which i never had got clicked that way! Next was to rush back to Guwahati airport for my return to Hyderabad.

My Click by my guide in Sacred Forest

My views on my holiday:

Fabulous place to visit for sure and it needs a long duration or multiple visits. Great for adventure enthusiasts, calm explorers, waterfalls and water thrill seekers, nature lovers etc.

Got to experience local food (Khasi and Jaintia meals). It was simple yet tasty - completely organic and rich in nutrients. Loved the beetle nut ending. Even Lime juice I had during my trek tasted different as it was a natural hill grown limes. So being a foodie, it definitely clicked with me.

Beetelnut Tree

Listened to Khraw Umdor songs - Arijit Singh of Meghalaya. Liked them - good for karaoke fun 🎤

One aspect which disturbed me on my trip was my stay near Mawlynnong village. It was outside the main village and next morning when I visited the actual village and found homestays within, I was furious with my tour organizer. However, on reflection I feel, it was better to stay outside and appreciate the beauty of the village which was by the villagers and too many visitors staying within would encourage commercialization and the place might loose its sanctity.

Besides Memories, friendships, I took home Tangerines which were fabulous and would not like to open a debate here on if they were better than Nagpur Oranges 😝, Pineapple - more fibrous than what I tasted, Strawberries - definitely yummy, a bottle of Khasi Red Wine 🍷 and wild cinnamon which is punchy!

P.S: My independent views and no commercial interests involved or influenced by anyone.

For imagine, please check out my Instagram profile [https://www.instagram.com/karangeddam?igsh=Y3RxaTRhNHl0cDRz](https://www.instagram.com/karangeddam?igsh=Y3RxaTRhNHl0cDRz)

Please watch the reel in full to understand how difficult or easy as per your trekking level experience it was of the Nongriat Living root bridge - https\://www\.instagram.com/reel/DVtNRTtE\_XF/?igsh=bmZnNDA3Mjg2dmY2

Meghalaya Tourism - https://www.meghalayatourism.in

Euro Car Rally

2024-10-17T13:09:00.002+05:30

The Euro Car Rally

We at Indigo Pilots Group got an email inviting interested people for a Euro Car Rally adventure and I immediately expressed my willingness. “The Endurance Club” led by couple of our Captains were instrumental in coming up with the concept and arranged a third party team - “Adventures Overland” for logistics. The trip was planned in 2 legs - from Paris to Munich(leg1) and Munich to Paris(leg2) and I opted for leg2. It was for 10 days drive across Europe starting from 22nd Sept 2024. For me personally the attraction was visiting some countries I could not visit while I lived in UK before and covering the French Riviera Drive. Also Left Hand Drive was never attempted by me before and this provided a good opportunity in controlled environment to try it out.

As we were all reaching Munich from different cities of India, we were advised to reach early to sync with the first leg members and get familiar with the time zone. I reached on 21st Sept and spent the evening in Munich Reim Square which was just outside our hotel. Next day morning, went out in Munich for a city tour with whoever reached early. The official tour was to start later in the evening. The official start for our leg2 was the visit to the famous Oktoberfest in Munich which was also the first day of the festival. Special tent was booked for all of us and we started off the tour with a bang! What an ambience the fest was! Besides Beer, it had everything for everyone to enjoy - the vibe of the place was fantastic - loved it to the core!

Day2 - September 23,2024 was the first day we started driving. We were 40 participants and were assigned our vehicles and given initial instructions. All our vehicles were BMW X1 top models. We were all to drive in a convoy between a lead and sweep vehicle. We comparatively had a short distance to cover from Munich to Zurich in Switzerland which was 370Kms. The drive had an initial stretch on Autobahn which had no speed limits and was an exciting drive. However we were delayed heavily due to the fact that we were still getting used to driving in a convoy. We had lunch midway by the highway. We then drove to Rhine waterfalls which was the largest waterfall in Europe. We later learned that it was our planned lunch pit stop which we could not make it as we were delayed. This fuelled us for the rest of the journey to stick to the timelines for the rest of our tour. Later in the evening we reached Zurich hotel and went out for a city trip but returned back as it was raining and the high street in Zurich was barricaded for a bike rally the next day.

Us with our Vehicles - Drone Click

Day3 - September 24th,2024, We started early from Zurich in the morning for Innsbruck(320Kms). The drive involved passing by picturesque Swiss towns and passing another country Liechtenstein and then we reached Arlberg Pass, Austria which was at an elevation of 6000 ft above Mean sea level and a damn beautiful spot. This place was our lunch pit stop which was enjoyable for everyone. We just couldn’t get enough of clicks and we moved on to our destination of Innsbruck. Our hotel was situated in a wonderful spot giving us a good view of the mountains. In the city, we explored the town centre, saw the golden roof, had dinner and returned to our hotel.

@Arlberg Pass

Day4 - September 25th,2024, From Innsbruck, we started towards Zagreb, Croatia which was 530Kms. The drive involved passing through Germany Autobahn again and hence was exciting to drive. We passed through Slovenia and stopped close to Ljubljana for a lunch pit stop. We then continued to Zurich and immediately left for the town centre to visit places and ventured out partying before returning back to the hotel. The unique aspect of this day was that we had breakfast in Austria, Lunch in Slovenia and dinner in Croatia.

Day5 - September 26th, 2024, We started from Zagreb and headed to Florence, Italy which was a good 630kms. Enroute we stopped at Predjama Castle in Slovenia which was a fantastic spot. This castle is the largest castle within a cave! This castle was made famous in Game of Thrones series, Armour of God movie and Counter Strike game. We then moved towards Florence. In Florence we had a three course meal in our hotel itself and then few ventured out to the city in night. This day too, we had breakfast in Croatia, Lunch in Slovenia and dinner in Italy.

One of the Highway Pitstop Location

Day6 - September 27th, 2024, We complained that being close to Pisa, we did not cover it and hence we got it included in our route. From Florence, we first went to Pisa which gave us some wonderful clicks, had Lunch there and then moved to Nice, France which was 450Km drive. The route was part the famous Riviera drive. Once in Nice we checked in our hotel which was at a beautiful location by the beach and had dinner at one of the beach shacks.

Day7 - September 28th, 2024 was our rest day from driving. As a group, we decided to go to Monaco which was close by. It was a wonderful place as we got to see the Palace, Monaco F1 circuit, the Casino, all sports/super cars and also the day had a special Yatch festival going on and hence was buzzing. We later returned to Nice, visited the old town centre, beach had dinner and headed back to our hotel.

SuperCars at MonteCarlo, Monaco

Day8 - September 29th, 2024, we drove from Nice to Toulouse which was 560Kms drive. Enroute, we stopped by a beautiful seaside town named Le Grande Motte. We had lunch strolled by the beach and headed for Toulouse. In Toulouse we went to a classic style pub where we rendezvoused with our leadership team members and had fun partying!

Day9 - September 30th, 2024, In Toulouse we had an Airbus factory visit planned. We went to the Airbus A350 factory line, learnt about the assembly,had a brief conversation with Airbus Test Pilots, visited the Flight Safety Centre and finally the Aeroscopia Museum where we could see different planes and purchase merchandise. Later in the evening, Airbus hosted us for an informal dinner where we had a wonderful conversation, got some goodies, clicked photographs and returned back to the hotel.

Airbus A350 Model

Day10 - October 1st, 2024. The planned drive was from Toulouse to Paris (700Kms). However, I along with another Captain whom I got well acquainted left early in the morning by flight from Toulouse to Paris and reached by 12 noon. In Paris, we started from Notre Dame Cathedral, went to Arc De Triomphe, had Lunch at one of the brasserie on Champsélysées, then went to Eiffel Tower, did some shopping and then went on the River Seine cruise. Later returned back to the hotel where we had our farewell dinner as many had early morning flights back home including myself.

In a nutshell, we could get a glimpse of typical European Countryside while driving and get a peek into the towns and villages lifestyle, which otherwise could not have been feasible for us pilots who would normally fly into cities and return - fantastic effort by the organizing team for such a curated route! A big thank you to Airbus Team for giving us the opportunity to visit their Offices and also get an opportunity to get an understanding on our aviation field and enrich ourselves! Overall, a fabulous adventure activity with fellow colleagues and family members which to describe in one word for me was “Picturesque” both in terms of the beautiful surroundings but also the moments we spent together!!!

P.S: Below are some links for further reading.

1. Adventures Overland - our Tour Operator - https://www.adventuresoverland.com

2. Munich Oktoberfest - https://www.oktoberfest.de/en or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest

3. Rhine Waterfalls - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine_Falls

4. Arlberg - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlberg

5. Golden Roof, Innsbruck - https://www.innsbruck.info/en/sightseeing/sightseeing/historical-buildings/detail/infrastruktur/golden-roof-innsbruck.html

6. Predjama Castle - https://www.postojnska-jama.eu/en/predjama-castle/

7. Leaning Tower of Pisa - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa

8. Monaco - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaco

9. Le Grande Motte - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grande-Motte

10. Toulouse - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toulouse

11. Notre Dame Cathedral - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Paris

12. Arc De Triomphe - https://www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/en

13. Champs Elysees - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champs-Élysées

14. Eiffel Tower - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower

15. River Seine - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seine

16. My Instagram Handle for more images - https://www.instagram.com/karangeddam/

17. Drone Clicks were by my colleague - https://www.instagram.com/_krishnaraju/

Pacific Thrill

2024-03-23T21:50:00.000+05:30

I wanted to share my recent vacation trip to Australia. I went to visit my Sisters family in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Mostly when we take the name “Queensland”, it rings a familiar bell - Great Barrier Reef! Yes, the most conserved and largest natural coral reef system in the world. It’s one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World” made by living organisms! Coral Reefs - Support marine life and are a good indication of our water bodies overall health.

To visit Great Barrier Reef, we choose “Lady Elliot Island” a small Island which is the southern most part of the Reef which starts from Close to Papua New Guinea. It’s located 85KM into the Sea North East of closest Queensland city of “Bundaberg”. We choose a day return tour from Gold Coast to the Island.

We Started of early in the morning from Gold Coast Airport at 0645 Hrs on a Cessna Caravan(C208) to the Island which is a 1.5 hour scenic flight. The flight itself was wonderful given the fact that it would fly low over the ocean to see enroute scenic attractions like Gold Coast city beautiful beaches, Brisbane skyline, Moreton Bay Island, Tangalooma wrecks, marine life movements from the sky and then onto the scenic island!

Once on the Island, our tour guide gave an introduction to the Island and prepared us for the day. We changed to swim wear with snorkelling equipment and other safety gear provided by the Tour operator. We first went on a glass boat to the coral reef viewing every thing in the clear waters. Later the boat docked and we made the plunge into water. For me it was my first time in the ocean - I was anxious as well considering I never swam in the seas or rivers - only a Pool swimmer. Once in water, I initially gingerly held onto the safety rope and started looking in the water. The magnificent view of the coral reef along with the beautiful fishes quickly eased my anxiousness that I left the safety rope and started swimming besides the fishes. To my delight, We stumbled upon an “Green Sea Turtle” which swam right next to us and reached the surface to get some fresh air and again ducked underwater and swam away. That moment was epic for me and my excitement knew no bounds. It was simply a wonderful experience to watch the animal we know since our childhood stories live its natural beautiful life unknown to us till that instance. Once back on the Island, we tried to snorkel back on the other side of the island which was shallow trying to take advantage of the high tide to spot more sea life in action. However, the high tide was not that high and the sea current was too strong that we returned back to the island. Back on Island, we changed and ate our Lunch offered by the Island tour operator and chilled by the beach. Afternoon by 1430hrs we were back on the Cessna Caravan to return to Gold Coast.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience for all of us. Greatly appreciate the tour management firm and the Island operators for running a very balanced tourist attraction whilst paying utmost care to safeguard the marine and avian ecosystem. Even plastic water bottles are prohibited on the island in efforts to safeguard the reef. Simply Amazing!

P.S:

This is a personal opinion and none was influenced or paid for by any tour/island operator.

For detailed read, Please read the following links:

Great Barrier Reef - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef

Lady Elliot Island - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Elliot_Island

Tour Operator - https://ladyelliot.com.au/day-tour-ex-gold-coast

Amritsar Trip

2023-05-08T15:39:00.000+05:30

It’s been ages since I last been on a solo trip. This time the destination was the Holy City of Amritsar! I have been planning this trip since December 2015 with friends but never worked out. Finally I found a gap in my training schedule that I decided to hop on to cover the city and fulfill my commitment. As usual it was not a well planned trip but an impromptu one with tips from my friends on phone. Only thing I did was to book a hotel room.

I landed in Amritsar early in the morning by flight. Luckily the weather was pleasant as it was the 1st week of April. I booked a cab and reached the hotel to stow my luggage. I requested the hotel authorities to guide me as I came in unresearched and they gladly did. I hired a cab for the day and started on my journey after having my breakfast.

First stop - JallianWala Bagh. It is the site of massacre by the colonial rulers on citizens which was the darkest event in history leaving deep scars on the people’s minds. Currently the place serves as a memorial depicting the gory event. There is a walk through along the place with videos, plaques etc giving a detailed description on what and how events transpired. The well where people jumped to escape but met an unfortunate outcome is well preserved, so are the brick walls with bullet marks. There were memorial stones of freedom fighters with their inspirational quotes. A well documented journey into the past.

Next stop - Lunch. Been to the famous restaurant “Yellow Chilli” by renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor! Was mesmerised by the lip smacking food.

Next stop - “Sadda Pind”. It’s a model village setup depicting the lifestyle of a village in Punjab. It’s an interesting and well curated journey for all age groups. Initially I felt that I would not spend much time, but ended up spending a lot of time. It had food, cultural and adventure shows, fun games etc. I got the opportunity to don the traditional Turban! I rode on a horseback, I got a glimpse of weaving carpet. Overall I was impressed by the setup and appreciated my time spent well.

Next - Attari Border! It’s the border between India and Pakistan where every evening there is a beating retreat ceremony by both the border patrol forces of India (BSF) and Pakistan(Rangers) face off in a well sequenced event culminating with the lowering of flags. This event is like the “Haka Dance” seen on television during rugby matches played by New Zealand. It’s a high adrenaline goose bumps raising event to watch. It was a wonderful to watch women being part of the contingent on either side which was not there in the videos I used to see before of this event.

Final stop - The Golden Temple! The holiest worship site of Sikh religion. The worship place is open to visitors from all walks of life irrespective of their religious backgrounds. The visit to this place cannot be penned in words but must be experienced by all. The “langer” or the community lunch is a must have! I can assure that you will return well enriched by the experience!

Next was me heading to the hotel for a good night rest and return back to airport the following morning for catching my onward flight. Another great solo trip to cherish!

Steps to safeguard mental health and avoid fatigue

2020-04-25T13:21:00.000+05:30

What is Fatigue?

Fatigue is the general term used to describe physical and/or mental weariness which extends beyond normal tiredness.

Physical fatigue concerns the inability to exert force with ones muscles to the degree that would be expected. It may be an overall tiredness of the whole body, or be confined to particular muscle groups. Physical fatigue most commonly results from physical exercise or loss of sleep. Physical fatigue often leads to mental fatigue.

Mental fatigue, which may include sleepiness, concerns a general decrease of attention and ability to perform complex, or even quite simple tasks with customary efficiency. Mental fatigue often results from loss or interruption of the normal sleep pattern and is therefore of great concern to pilots and ATCOs, who are frequently required to work early in the morning or at night.

[Source: https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Fatigue]

Having looked at the above definition, it must be pretty obvious that this is a cause of immense concern given the current situation in the world with COVID-19 Lockdowns/ Quarantines. There are many symptoms of mental health for people to be careful about - like social distancing(Isolation) or lack of assurance etc. These mental health issues when prolonged could lead to fatigue.

Health Meme - Source: www.pintrest.com

Now how am I qualified to talk about it? Well I have been in depression before and overcame it and successfully went on to qualify for my Pilot License and hence can give a brief insight.

Even before starting my Pilot training, I was earlier a Software Engineer working and having a decent life in London, UK. However due to personal issues and work related stresses together led me to become low-spirited and decided to return back to India. I undertook professional help (medical professionals and counselling) and recovered back. As part of the counselling, we explored what would make me very happy and one thing which was always there in my heart was to become a Pilot and thus I decided to embark on changing my career. However to become a Pilot, one must be both physically and mentally fit! So I approached an Aviation Medical Practioner to consult whether “At my age and recent mental health episode, if I could qualify for Pilot Fitness?” - to which I got a positive response and rest is me working hard to make my dream come true.

Later again after successfully completing my Pilot License and Multi-Engine endorsement training, I was struggling to find the right kind of job for me as there were age restriction of 35 for many entry level Pilot jobs in India - which I just crossed. I tried many other ways to improve my chances to become employed but was not succeeding - which again was causing me anxiety. However, I could recognise the symptoms early as I had previously seen them and hence immediately rushed to get help. Counselling helped me again to quickly realise my groove and was back in no time. At this juncture to my delight, the job scene for Pilots was improving and saw few ads which offered promise for me. I started applying to all and finally was successful in tests, interviews and thus getting a Letter of Intent from a leading airline in Asia! After completing the required Type Rating program, the induction got delayed which now is likely to get pushed further due to COVID-19 :(. Hence this attempt at trying to beat the crisis by educating all on how it can be handled.

Now, I would put forward the steps taken by me to overcome - from which you’ll can gleam and customise it according to your personal needs and interests.

Firstly, one must try to hone your instincts to identify your own behaviour patterns, likes and dislikes. This is not an easy task! Also, one cant be perfect in identifying his own states that well. Hence, its always better to seek HELP! Help can be obtained from family members/friends etc. But best Help can be obtained from a professional mental health expert.

The ways I try to notice patterns are like eating habits - am I over or under eating? My speed and ability to do certain tasks - like speed of doing some familiar exercises - is it at an average speed or under?, sleeping habits - is it over or less?, screen time on devices - is it excessive? Given current lockdown, we cannot but do away with screen time - however, its important to give well balanced breaks. Also listening to friends or family joking or telling you about our behavioural change - this is difficult to grasp but one such way to start introspecting.

Next, Formulate a good time-table or routine to follow for the day. This helps the mind to be consciously active rather than just getting carried away with whatever activity you are engaged in. Try to follow it.

Make it a point to exercise for sure - its essential. It keeps the body active and sharp. However, its best kept at a moderate level - avoid over exercising to reach some target weight goals etc. Because strict targets would mean fixation on that target which could lead to some sacrifices for mental well being. Best is to do some form of mild exercises like walking/ yoga/ meditation/ short 30 minutes preferred workouts/dance.

Cultivate some time towards your hobby - some form like music/art/cooking/philately etc.

Learn a new language. You can either learn another Indian language or international languages like Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Arabic etc. I learnt French when I was struggling to find opportunities.

Eat a balanced diet. This means combine well both healthy foods and an occasional comfort food/cravings. This keeps both body and mind happy.

Maximise efforts to be in cheerful moods. This is the key! So whatever works for you to be happy - pursue it. Maybe a comic film or watching standup comedies or just speaking to some jolly good friend of yours!

Keep away from negativity. There is plenty of it all over currently - Try to channelise efforts to stay away from it.

Despite your best efforts if you are unable to hold fort, do seek HELP. Prefer professional help over family members as family members could be biased.

Try to avoid consuming alcohol - which universally the society prescribes to elevate your moods. It is only a temporary effect and does not solve the problem and hence may lead to more craving for alcohol - potentially leading to abuse.

Speak about Mental Health issues openly. This is very much a necessity. I do know it is considered quite Taboo and is Stigmatised. Trust me, I discovered it myself - Many of your close friends or relatives might distance themselves. It did happen to me and the way I look at it is - It helped me discover my true friends who really stand by you. You can easily cut down your close friends list and know which relatives you can fall back for support!

This Speaking about Mental Health issues openly is now encouraged as Good practice the world wide - However, its a tricky situation in the world of Aviation. The state is Damned if You Do - Damned if you Don’t!

To Support the argument of Damned if you Do:

{

Being labelled with a "mental health problem" in aviation might have consequences, including stigma and discrimination (perceived and real); grounding; additional costs, including costs associated with examinations and treatment to obtain/maintain medical certification; loss of income; and fear of loss of employment. Possible outcomes of being diagnosed with a mental health problem include self-esteem and self-confidence issues; reluctance to seek help due to medical confidentiality matters; seeking help, but declining treatment; obtaining treatment but failing to disclose the condition or treatment; having peers be hesitant to report concerns to an employer/regulatory authorities; increasing stress and isolation; experiencing adverse effects on the progress of a mental disorder and/or the exacerbation of symptoms. All of these situations can lead to an increased risk to aviation safety, and, in extreme cases, to, Pilot Suicide .

}

Source : https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Pilot_Mental_Health

To Support the argument of Damned if you Don’t:

Is the classic aviation accident of GermanWings Flight 9525.

The above riddle is true and valid throughout the world. Given the current low in aviation due to lockdowns throughout the world, Proper and thorough steps and balances should be finalised and put in place to avoid and hardship or delays with Pilot Medical’s/Job Opportunites for the one who declares and an easy mitigation plans for Employers, Doctors, Regulatory Authorities alike!

Having said the above, many would like to know how I went about it. Here, Professional Help I took came in very handy. I did discuss the above related to my strict licensing requirements and they do suggest the best way forward for me. They understand the gravity of situation better and advice accordingly. The whole point of all the regulations is not to further cause agony to a person who recovered from mental Heath issues. I did take the path discussed and I prefer going the path of speaking openly on my mental health issues - which I did inform in my job interviews as well. Even employers would prefer someone who is open and forthcoming in disclosing about the mental health issues and taking the right remedy rather than hiding things in dark.

Hope the above is thought provoking and aids you in taking good steps for your mental well being!

Credits:

Most definitions/theory has been obtained from SKYbrary an online wiki for Aviation. It requires publication of source and credits mentioned - www.skybrary.aero.

Image Source: Health memes - www.pintrest.com

Ladakh Trip – A Pilots Perspective

2019-11-08T20:49:00.001+05:30

I have recently been on a trip recently to Ladakh with my school friends. Leh, the capital of Ladakh region is located at a very high altitude – 11000 ft above mean sea level. Please check my earlier blog “The Adventure trip of Ladakh” on our fun activities. Now what is it for Pilots that I am writing this blog? The very fact that it is located at 11000 ft AMSL should raise eyebrows .

At Leh Airport

Now coming to the trip, since I did not Pilot myself there – I cannot write anything about the performance aspects of the aircraft nor offer any tips or tricks on Piloting to this challenging airport of Leh. So what do I have to offer?

Some TextBook Theory to start with.

Hypoxia – “Hypoxia is a state of oxygen deficiency in the body sufficient to impair functions of the brain and other organs. Because of the nature of flight, flight crews are much more likely to suffer from hypoxia than “normal” people. Knowing what to look for and how to react to resolve the situation is essential to maintain flight safety.” [Source: Skybrary]

Time to useful consciousness table

[Image Source: Skybrary]

Hypoxia signs include increased rate and depth of breathing, tachycardia, cyanosis (blue coloured lips and nails), mental confusion, anger, euphoria, poor judgment, loss of muscle coordination, slouching and loss of consciousness. [Source: Skybrary]

How many like me have read the above in books and memorized the numbers by rote? 🙋

Now, Let’s see the Human Factors in action.

For the purpose of this blog – Please treat me and my friends as mere test subjects rather than someone who is an expert or being shown in poor light.

The day we landed in Leh, almost all of us had some symptom of hypoxia or the other – most notably Headache, tiredness and bloating sensation of the tummy. I personally had a headache.

We had medical check in the evening and almost all had elevated levels of blood pressure and lower content of Oxygen in our body with varying heart rates. BP of upto 150 systolic was considered normal at that altitude.

Some walking on the day2 of our trip was tiring for many but it did help us adapt to the conditions well. Our BP, Oxygen levels and heart rates were now normalizing.

On Day3, it was all good until we did water rafting. It was an intense exercise which had some people gasping. I too had some breathing difficulty for few minutes after the rafting experience.

On Day4, Couple of them including me reported having a bleeding nose/nostrils early in the morning – probably because of the exertion of rafting the previous day. Thankfully it was not severe for any of us. However, during our trip to Nubra Valley via Khardungla Pass which is the highest motorable road at 18000ft, almost all of us were struggling. One of my friend was panting and at Khardungla pass, he vomited and was feeling unwell. The Oxygen level in his blood dropped down to 48% and had to be put immediately on Oxygen. He was few seconds away from passing out! Many had bloating sensation of the tummy. We went out to take images but struggled, we found it difficult to go to the nearby coffee shop. We were advised to remain no longer than 10 minutes at the Khardungla pass and we realized it why – the hard way!

Here I realized the importance of Time of Useful consciousness concept!

Day 5 and Day 6 were a breeze. The only thing on Day6 was the Changla Pass at similar altitude of 18000 ft but this time due to the acclimatization over the days and proper use of the drug diamox, we could carry ourselves through!

Day 7 was significant as we friends almost all being city riders embarked on a tough but achievable mountain biking trip to Kargil on NH1 a relatively safer road to ride on. Our communication was good in the beginning but once the setback of a vehicle tyre puncture occurred, things started to take a down turn. People did not look clearly in the rear view mirrors for the other riders etc – things were not smooth. After a late lunch almost around 1400 Hrs, we started on the tougher mountainous part of the ride. We being relatively amateur riders of the terrain, treaded cautiously. This led to us riding in the chill which starts after 1600Hrs in that region. Because of the chill and our poor biking gear – btw we just wore arm and knee caps on our regular jeans and jackets, we were all suffering from chills. We kept taking breaks and that added to more time to our journey. We kept continuing in the dark hoping to reach the destination soon. Though the distance was less, it was taking lot of time due to the mountainous roads. We kept pushing and pushing and finally reached our destination at 2000 Hrs safely!

The terrain and roads of NH1 between Kargil and Leh

Day8, We started out by getting our bikes checked for tyre pressures. One bike had a nut missing for which we tried to get a replacement which went in vain. We were split in our thinking about refueling our bikes at the start. Finally, it was agreed that we would refuel the bike enroute as soon as it hits the reserve tank. The day biking started smoothly and quarter of a way two bikes developed some breaking issues. One bike exhausted its fuel midway – the driver of the bike left it on reserve tank all the way so he did not have an indication when it hit the reserve tank! Ironically, that rider was the one who proposed the solution of refueling when on reserve. Thankfully it was not far from a fuelling station – so we could refuel and continue our journey. Many riders keeping the previous days uncomfortable night riding in chilly conditions kept pushing to reach back Leh. So - Not all bikes were riding together. However, we all reached our destination back safely and thanked our stars for completing the trip safely!

Now, Let me interpret the Human Factors which were in play during Day7 and Day8:

· Poor Communication
· Complacency
· Lack of team work
· Distraction
· Stress/Pressure/Fatigue
· Lack of resources/Knowledge/assertiveness

Almost all the factors known to disrupt aviation safety were in play.

Except one, none of us were aware of the terrain/road. We blindly accepted the challenge of biking in Ladakh which was popular “must do” with all adventure seekers. Though few were not inclined on it, they did not assertively push their opinion or to put it in other way, they fell on deaf ears.

Surely given poor mobile network connectivity it added to us not communicating well once we were halfway from our journey commencement. We started very well with proper briefing. However once there was the setback of tyre puncture(Distraction), the communication took a hit. Not looking at rear view mirrors, not looking behind for the next rider let to us not going in an orderly fashion.

Our Bikes and Our Biking gear

During the journey when it was becoming dark, we just pushed on despite the chilly weather. We were not dressed properly ie. We did not wear biking suits – we just put on the arm and knee guards on our jeans and jackets and started off. This lead to a very serious situation. The gear we were wearing was not reflective enough for night riding. Next, we were riding in chilly weather and none were comfortable with it. To add to that we were almost tired(Fatigue). We all exhibited the classic “Get There Itis” or we were trying to reach the destination rather than halting when we were uncomfortable (Destination Obsession). All these almost aligned to form a huge issue for us. But thankfully we survived without any incident.

The ride back to Leh started with a poor choice of not refueling for the trip. However, since it was a road journey with many refueling points, we managed – But nevertheless a poor decision which included complacency. Also on the return journey few riders rushing back to Leh trying to avoid the situation like the previous day. This lead to a disarray of few bikes going ahead without being closely knit together (Lack of Team work).

Given the above examples – Did they just happen by explicit choice? Do me and my friends have to be blamed for so many mistakes? Hypoxia led to much of poor decision making. Thus, I choose to present this as a working case study to understand Hypoxia.

All pilots must understand these phenomena very well – not just read and mug up the topic for exam. Here, we had the luxury of familiarization to the high altitude environment. In real life for Pilot, there is no such advantage of acclimatization – Hence the importance. Hope it helps the readers.

Happy Landings!

Special Credits:

I would like to once again thank the officers of Indian Army who gave us wonderful advice on how to accustom to the high altitude and cope with the conditions better. After going through the trip, all our friends became extremely appreciative of the brave deeds and tough conditions being endured by the soldiers at extremely high altitudes and brutal weather conditions. A big Salute!

Other Credits:

Most theory has been taken from Skybrary an online wiki. It requires publication of the source. [Source: www.skybrary.aero]

The Adventure trip of Ladakh

2019-10-28T20:03:00.001+05:30

I have been on an adventure trip recently to Leh, the capital city of Ladakh. Leh is located at a very high altitude – 11000 ft above mean sea level. Geographically, this place has huge significance – It was formed by the clashing of Indian Plate with Asian landmass millions of years ago. This explains lots of findings in Ladakh – the salty lakes, desert, mountains etc.

Coming to the trip genesis, it was initiated by my friend from school – Vamsee who being an ex-servicemen of Indian defence forces, had friends currently serving in Ladakh who encouraged to explore an adventure trip of Ladakh. He put forward a proposal with our classmates and instantly had great response. 12 of our batchmates from school confirmed for the trip and that gave my friend a good impetus to plan the trip.

Finally, when the trip day arrived, we were down to 10 but still a great number to go ahead with the trip. We started early and arrived in Leh by flight around noon time on Day 1. After arrival at Leh airport, we went to straight to our Stay. We were advised to take complete rest for the reminder of the day and avoid any straining activities to acclimatize to the high altitude.

Day2:

We started the day with a stroll on the banks of Indus river which was very close to our stay. Then we went to a small village where we were welcome by a small family for tea in their home. This gave us a glimpse of local home and their livelihood. We were thrilled by their hospitality. Later in the evening we went to Leh Market and had our dinner at a local bakery – specializing in Yaks cheese.

Traditional Ladakhi Home

Day3:

We headed out of Leh towards Magnetic hill – a place where vehicle runs contrary to expected direction. Then we proceeded to Sangam, a place where the two rivers join(Zanskar and Indus). It’s a wonderful sight. We were immediately drawn to the rafting experience which was on offer there. It’s the highest place on the world where river rafting can be done. But given our fitness levels, we decided to go for the shorter 8KM experience. Many were skeptical but it turned out to be a wonderful experience on the river! Later we moved to Pathar Sahib Gurudwara – A great tranquil place with lots of history. We had langar (communal meal) which was fabulous. Later we continued to Leh Palace which was the royal abode of the ruler of Ladakh. Then we went to Shanti Stupa which was built as part of peace mission. Later, I realized that at its base were Lord Buddha’s relics. We then visited the “Hall of Fame” – a wonderful tribute to the War hero’s of India, It had a museum which gave great insights about military accomplishments. Later there was a beating the retreat ceremony followed by sound and light show about the Kargil War – a hair raising and patriotic depiction of the events – It is a must visit for every Indian. Finally we returned to our stay.

Worlds Highest Rafters😎

Day4:

We started for Nubra Valley via the Khardungla Pass which is the highest motorable road at an elevation of 17892 ft Above Mean Sea Level. It was a grueling journey as our bodies take a hit due to the less oxygen levels at that altitude. We reached NubraValley and checked into a resort tired. In the evening we had a great time under a camp fire with my friend belting out superhit songs on guitar.

At Khardungla Pass

Day5:

We got up early to the stunning view of Nubra Valley. We went for a stroll around the fabulous town. Nubra Valley has a desert which is wonderful. We then started for Pangong lake – which is a salt water lake. The lake is a beautiful place made popular by Indian bollywood film – “3 Idiots”. Later we rested close the place for viewing the Milky way. We were told it was the best place to view the night sky – however, we were novices on this front and were staring at the night sky with no luck. Later read that it is clearly visible during dark nights – we visited almost on a full moon night.

Pangong Lake

Day6:

We started our journey back to Leh via Changla Pass – the second highest motorable road in the world. However, we were now acclimatized with the environment. Hence it was a breeze. Enroute we checked the HemisMonastry, the Thiksey Monastry and Rancho School (Again made popular by film ‘3 idiots’). We then returned to Leh where we went to grab bikes for our next two days.

Day7:

We started with our bikes to Kargil on NH1 which is the best road to bike on for not so expert mountain riders like us. We went quarter of a way before one of our friends bike had a tyre puncture. This led to a delay which resulted in us driving in the night in extremely chilly conditions. It really took a toll on our bodies. However, we successfully made it to Kargil and checked into our hotel.

Bikers in Action💪

Day8:

Keeping our previous days lessons learnt, we started early getting our vehicles checked before starting in Kargil. Without any issues, we reached back to Leh by evening. We went straight to the Leh market to make some purchases like dry fruits as we did not do it until then. We then had a party late in the night with camp fire and drinks to celebrate our grand trip without any issues. The weather turned absolutely chilly compared to the first day we were in Leh.

Different shades of Mountains

Day9:

We had our breakfast and started back to the airport. Bidding adieu to a great vacation for us school buddies!

Overall it was a great journey for the adventurous. We thank Indian Army who are responsible for most of the infrastructure in the region and also the officers who helped us with the itinerary – which proved wonderful and enjoyable for all of us.

For people visiting Leh, please do take precautions of resting for two full days after landing as it lays the foundation for our body to acclimatize to the lack of oxygen at those altitudes. Another important fact is carrying “Diamox” the wonder drug for high altitude sickness. Make sure to use it judiciously for a pleasant trip. Things missed in our trip were ATV biking and Double Hump Camel ride in Nubra Valley – as we were pressed for time. However, they were not glaring misses given the enjoyment we had!

Please visit the links of the sites we visited as these places have great importance and a tale to tell – which I cannot cover all here in this blog(hyperlinked and also links below).

Geography of Ladakh - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Ladakh
City of Leh - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leh
Indus River - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_River
Leh Market - https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297625-d17406552-Reviews-Leh_Market-Leh_Leh_District_Ladakh_Jammu_and_Kashmir.html
Magnetic Hill - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_Hill_(India)
Sangam - https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297625-d3683202-Reviews-Confluence_of_the_Indus_and_Zanskar_Rivers-Leh_Leh_District_Ladakh_Jammu_and_Kash.html
Pathar Sahib Gurudwara - https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297625-d3400596-Reviews-Gurdwara_Pathar_Sahib-Leh_Leh_District_Ladakh_Jammu_and_Kashmir.html
Leh Palace - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leh_Palace
Shanti Stupa - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanti_Stupa
Hall of Fame - https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297625-d4603216-Reviews-Hall_of_Fame-Leh_Leh_District_Ladakh_Jammu_and_Kashmir.html
Khardungla Pass - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khardung_La
Nubra Valley - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubra_Valley
Pangong Lake - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangong_Tso
Changla Pass - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_La
Hemis Monastry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemis
Thiksey Monastry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thikse_Monastery
Rancho School - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druk_White_Lotus_School
Kargil - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kargil
NH1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Highway_1_(India)
Leh Airport - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushok_Bakula_Rimpochee_Airport

Hyderabad Aviators Meet 2019 – A writeup

2019-08-08T12:14:00.000+05:30

The Hyderabad Aviators Meet 2019 was the 13^th Edition of the meet held on the 1^st August. The Meetup was organized in BMW Showroom in Hyderabad. It was a purely networking meetup. It was organized by passionate professional pilots from across the airline industry spectrum. The attendees included pilots from airlines, general aviation, flying schools, aviation medicine experts, aviation historians, ex-defence personnel etc.

People started arriving from 1900Hrs which was the scheduled start time. The seating arrangement was convenient for the interactions and networking with people. Everyone was friendly and interacted well with others. Sharing experiences, nostalgia, cribbing about schedules etc all was part of the conversations. There was a band playing live music as well. There was a small book presentation ceremony of Aviation history in India.

Many conversations by newcomers to an event was what is this networking meetup? Its like making new friends on social media and participating in random conversations like one does in groups etc. There goes an explanation using analogy from virtual world to the real world. Never expected that such a case would exist but that’s the reality with the current generation! 😇

The hosting of the event at a BMW showroom raised many questions for quite a few. Was the host purely looking for sales? On checking online, BMW was in fact associated with Aviation. Pre-World War era, it was into aircraft engine manufacturing. This fact was not highlighted by anyone around on the day. However, they turned up to be very good hosts – A big applause!

Post event, there was another event for shaking a leg✨/letting loose at another venue – which I did not attend and hence cannot comment.

Overall, Great initiative by the organizers in coming up with the event and providing a platform for all aviators to meet.

Images speak a thousand words – Lets Discover!

2019-07-09T21:22:00.000+05:30

Looking at the above image – what is your first thought?

Great Scenary? Image for bragging rights? What is he pointing at? Etc..

Having posted the image, I may have invited the wrath of licensing authorities. When I took the image, it was pure adrenalin gushing through my head as excitement and requested to be clicked as a memorabilia for myself.

Reflecting back on this, I recalled many things which made me blog about it.

It was a bright sunny day, I was accompanied by a very senior Flyer in the hanger who later became an instructor and is now a First Officer on A320 fleet of Air Asia, India. As I was accompanied by a senior flyer, I decided to get adventurous. In my flight plan, I planned on flying altitude of 7500 ft – however on this particular flight, I decided to go higher to 11500 ft to experience what it would be like and took the necessary permissions with Radar Controller and reached the level and this image was taken. Great! Now let’s discuss about this image.

There are a huge load of negative things about this image – However, the positives that can be gleamed are also worth the discussion.

Radio Telephony(RT) Aspect:

I would be verbose here with my RT calls I made that day as I got some RT lessons directly from the controller that day.

Aircraft: HydCTRL VGE REQ CMB to eleven thousand five hundred feet for one zero minutes.

Controller: VGE HydCTRL CLR CMB to seven thousand five hundred feet (with a smirk).

Aircraft: NEG REQ CMB to eleven thousand five hundred feet VGE.

Controller: VGE HydCTRL say again REQ as one one thousand five hundred.

Aircraft: (Now I realized my mistake) HydCTRL VGE REQ CMB to One One thousand five hundred feet for one zero minutes.

Controller: VGE HydCTRL CLD CMB to FL115

Aircraft: CLD CMB to FL115 – Will REP RCHG – VGE

Navigation Aspect:

The route I was flying was Eastbound heading hence as per Semi-Circular Rule for VFR, the cruising altitudes can be Odd+500 ft only – Hence the 11500ft.

The other mistake I did while climbing to FL115 was just climbing on my QNH. While I was passing FL90, my senior flyer colleague interjected saying you have been cleared to FL115 – Its flight levels, change your Altimeter to QNE. I was lucky to have had been pointed that day but it’s a good point to remember to change between QNH and QNE while passing above or below Transition Level (TL for my AD Control area was FL80). My excitement made me forget it 😒.

Engine/Technical Aspect:

The heavily re-bored engine of my aircraft was dragging to climb the required height at this level. For the first time, I realized that even an aircraft can move slower than a bullock cart(slowest mode of transport – I have ever been). Technically speaking, the slow climb is due to two factors:

1. The air density at that level is low hence the engines though performing well cannot produce the required thrust.

2. The aircraft engine is designed to operate optimally at certain altitude and higher it does not give the best performance. The flight level approaching was almost close to the ceiling levels of the aircraft(FL135 for C172) (the rate of climb reduces – again due to less air density)

Human Factors Aspect:

There is a significant difference bodily in terms of flying at that altitude. Every human being will have their own effects – reinforces that all of us are unique and special in our own way. Nothing can be termed as undesirable/overly special characteristic. When I was at FL150 and while trying to exactly keep my altimeter at that level – I was inadvertently climbing few feet/descending few feet. This caused a slight irritation in my ear. This prompted me to immediately request a descend to FL90 after few minutes. The reason for the irritation in ear is due to the pressure difference at sea level and at this FL(Read more on Barotrauma). Here I am re-iterating again, it could happen or not to an individual – its entirely case by case. Normally, above FL90 a pilot can experience effects of Hypoxia and hence should not be attempted Solo.

The air regulations aspect:

Firstly, as per Indian DGCA requirements, photography is prohibited and requires permission to be taken from authorities for taking any. However, I am posting this article and picture in an attempt to encourage thought process around this very old rule with relevance to current scenario. No attempt is being made to change any rules, but views presented so that all stakeholders can together re-discuss this and come to a conclusion.

The first thing about photography and current day trainee pilots is to take ‘selfie’ or a pictures with fellow pilots/their bird(aircraft). The reaction is almost instantaneous. This can be attributed to the availability of mobile phones with high end camera in everyone’s hand. So for administrators, the first point of action employed was to ban taking mobile phones with the pilot before going for a sortie. However, this proved detrimental because for long cross country flights involving landing at other aerodromes, taking permissions from Control towers etc was quite a challenge. Also I read that mobile phone becomes a secondary ELT in case of a forced landing/ditched landing and could help save precious time for SAR.

So the issue is about camera and Pilot. Camera is now an integral part of every smartphone and current day Pilot requires a smartphone to access weather, reports etc. In my previous job working for a mobile manufacturer, I was aware of internal discussions around putting a front facing camera too in addition to the rear camera. I must admit there were very compelling arguments for both inclusion and exclusion (cases very similar to the one we are talking) but end of the day it’s the customer/consumer who wins and hence cameras were included. So here too specific changes cannot be achieved.

So finally it comes down to the Pilot. Putting a blanket ban on taking photos will it work? Is it practical? To understand this a bit more, we need to delve into the mindset of the current day Pilot. Before we do that, I would explain my frame of mind going into this clicking picture. All during my training days, I was quite conscious about clicking pictures in the cockpit. But I did have a picture taken and kept it to myself – this was purely for self motivation. I felt it was very important for one to feel good and perform. Besides that I never took any pictures at all when I was flying – only on ground with fellow pilots and with bird. However, on the eventful day of the flight, I performed a maneuver (ie. Climbing to a FL not performed by many of my batchmates) which brought in a sense of elation and had the enormous urge for a memorabilia – hence my request for clicking the picture. Comparing to all my flying batchmates, being an older guy, I too had a fallacy. So given the young pilot mindset it was obvious in the current trends of the world, it would be extremely tough - not to make him click a picture. Besides, there could be a need to show abnormal behaviours of certain instruments(like needle flickering etc) and hence the need to click the picture.

Now let me put forward the argument for other spectrum of this debate. If you had noticed, I deflected off the path grossly – Ofcourse cloud was the initial reason was deflecting from the path but had it been a normal clear day, the amount of deviation was excessive and slackness on my part could also have enabled me not to course correct/find a better path closer to desired track. A closer look at the tasks at hand at that point were – the aircraft was not maintaining height due to less air density + clouds + offtrack + urge for clicking picture. In the melee, a poor decision resulted at that point(This poor judgement could also be a side effect of Hypoxia).

As both arguments have been made – it could be seen as a conundrum like many things in life. Finding the right balanced solution would be an icing on the cake for everyone to enjoy!

Disclaimer: As the topic is about understanding human and procedure, it should not be viewed in commercial or legal ways. To be focused only on procedures, processes and performance learning/improving aspects.

My Impressions: Wings India 2018 – Aviation Event in Hyderabad!

2018-03-20T10:15:00.000+05:30

Wings India 2018(https://www.wings-india.in/) is a biennial aviation event held in Hyderabad, India. The event is an international exhibition and conference on Civil Aviation. The venue of Hyderabad is a good choice given the place is ideal for aviation (flying). Now how did I conclude that? Well, the place has 2 international standard aerodromes(VOHY &VOHS) as many as 4 flying training organizations for civil aviation, headquarters to a regional carrier, training centre of national carrier, home base to many airlines and main training base for airforce cadets. Not to forget the weather is suitable for flying all through the year. The venue - Begumpet airport(VOHY) is right in the centre of city with a large runway(3230m) also has a long stopway – good for landing large aircrafts(A380 landed for previous shows). Ya Ya, I am bragging about it cause I trained at this airfield 😇. But overall, it’s a great venue for such an event!

Next, the static display of aircrafts: This year the static display involved many business aircrafts (large, medium and small), Made in India aircraft, training aircrafts, glider, and chopper. The static display was extremely short on numbers. Quality though was very good among those on display. However, the arrangement of the static display aircrafts is not impressive – Needs proper placement taking all the necessary precautions.

Then, the Stalls: On display were Aircraft Manufacturers, Airlines, Training/Education Organizations, Component Manufacturers, Infrastructure Providers, Service Providers, Aviation Technology, Publishers, Government etc. For impressions: let me elaborate with respect to the type of audience. If you are an aircraft or parts manufacturer, there were few stalls to suit you. If you are an airline, there were few stalls to impress. If you are a service provider, you could talk with some of them. If you are an infrastructure provider, you could explore different ways. If you are a pilot, there are lots of stalls to talk to. If you are an aviation enthusiast you could explore a lot. If you are an exhibiter, unless policy related, you would be disappointed. Having been to many shows though in a different domain, I could make out the audience was not up to the mark including myself 😉.

Finally the Air Show – there wasn’t any 😟. For generic audience it was a massive let down who were wowed in previous shows by aerobat teams. On retrospect, I looked at the wording of the event and there was no mention to be fair. However, that does not explain why have two days of the show, dedicated for general audience? Realistically, given the populated area surrounding the aerodrome, very high g maneuvers is not the recipe. It must be addressed though to garner good interest.

Overall, there are many positives and few negatives. It was a good balance of international and local participants (Exhibiters) though in limited numbers. The quantity could be scaled for next shows. The quality of Exhibiters was good. The quality of audience needs to be improved by having smaller events. The conferences were limited at policy level and can be improved to include all sort of audience.

P.S: I steered clear of mentioning any brand to sound neutral for this blog.

The Weather Checklist for Pilots - Part 2

2017-09-03T16:58:00.000+05:30

Having highlighted all the essential components of weather to look out for in Part-1 of this series, Here is my effort in the direction of coming up with a challenge/response type of checklist.

Since VFR/IFR are two options for flight, it’s the first item Pilots need to ascertain.

Challenge: VFR/IFR flight?

PilotFlying(PF) Response: VFR

PilotMonitoring(PM) Response: VFR

Visibility must next be checked out.

Challenge: Visibility greater than 5000m?

PF Response: 6000m

PM Response: 6000m

Wind direction and speed should be got hold of. Cross wind component must be calculated beforehand so that we can determine whether it’s within aircrafts permissible limits.

Challenge: Wind Speed and direction within permissible limits for flight?

PF Response: 280 Mag/7 Kts - permissible

PM Response: 280 Mag/7 Kts -permissible

Temperatures then should be found out. Cloudbase height calculated to check if it’s acceptable.

Challenge: Temparature and Dewpoint, cloudbase height acceptable limits for flight?

PF Response: 24 deg C temp/12 deg C dewpoint ; cloudbase - 4800ft - acceptable

PM Response: 24 deg C temp/12 deg C dewpoint; cloudbase - 4800ft - acceptable

Pressure then should be obtained.

Challenge: Pressure to be set in altimeter obtained for flight? Qfe/Qne/Qnh

PF Response: 1008 Qnh ; Flying altitudes

PM Response: 1008 Qnh ; Flying altitudes

Clouds then need to be identified. Presence of serious clouds like CB/TCU, Cloud layers should not add up more than half the sky

Challenge: Clouds checked and Clouds coverage more than half the sky?

PF Response: No CB/TCU, less than half the sky

PM Response: No CB/TCU, less than half the sky

TAF carefully accessed for the entire duration of flight with buffers if returning back to same Aerodrome else all aerodromes - departure, destination and alternate checked for potential problems.

Challenge: Weather acceptable for entire journey including destination and alternates?

PF Response: Departure, Destination and Alternate Weather acceptable for landing.

PM Response: Departure, Destination and Alternate Weather acceptable for landing.

Satellite images have been carefully gone over to check for any anticipated weathers approaching from the furthest point. Here, unlike high end commercial aircrafts which boast of weather radars, one must carefully go over them before hand to be mentally prepared. Pilots must exchange the same weather images.

Challenge: Satellite Weather image verified and risks manageable?

PF Response: Image:X,Y checked - manageable.

PM Response: Image:X,Y checked - manageable.

The above could be good checks, one could perform pre-flight and go ahead with flights. The same is presented below in table format.

Challenge	PF Response	PM Response
VFR/IFR flight?	VFR/IFR	VFR/IFR
Visibility greater than 5000m?	xxxx mts	xxxx mts
Wind Speed and direction within permissible limits for flight?	xxx Mag/y Kts - permissible	xxx Mag/y Kts - permissible
Temparature and Dewpoint, cloudbase height acceptable limits for flight?	xx deg C temp/yy deg C dewpoint ; cloudbase - zzzzft – acceptable	xx deg C temp/yy deg C dewpoint ; cloudbase - zzzzft - acceptable
Pressure to be set in altimeter obtained for flight? Qfe/Qne/Qnh	xxxx Qnh/Qfe/Qnh ; Flying altitudes/heights/FlightLevels	xxxx Qnh/Qfe/Qnh ; Flying altitudes/heights/FlightLevels
Clouds checked and Clouds coverage more than half the sky?	No CB/TCU, less than half the sky	No CB/TCU, less than half the sky
Weather acceptable for entire journey including destination and alternates?	Departure, Destination and Alternate Weather acceptable for landing.	Departure, Destination and Alternate Weather acceptable for landing.
Satellite Weather image verified and risks manageable?	Image:X,Y checked - manageable.	Image:X,Y checked - manageable.

Notes:

1. Pilot Monitoring responses in case of Solo flights could be an instructor or fellow pilot buddy.

2. Feel free to correct any inconsistencies/add more information to the above.

3. One of the feedback I received for Part 1 of this series blog was to include the sources of Weather I normally gather from. Below are my usual ones:

Mobile/Tablet apps:

· Aviation Tools Free (aviatools.blogspot.com)

· StationWX Lite (stationweather.com)

Both the above apps give METAR and TAF for a whole lot of locations.

· Weather Underground(wunderground.com) - this app gives satellite images of weather.

During my flight training days, we used to collect ARFOR for cross country flights, obtained from:

· olbs.amsschennai.gov.in - a met watch office portal of India Meteorology Department(imd.gov.in) for aviation. Also has METAR,TAF, Satellite images and a host of other weather related stuff.

The Weather Checklist for Pilots - Part 1

2017-08-29T12:16:00.000+05:30

Weather - pilots best friend cum troubler in chief. All books on Piloting mention about checking the weather at both source and destination. If we look at many aircraft checklists too, it has a weather checked - item among a host of pre-flight checks. I was trying to demystify the above single item check on the checklist and thought about coming up with a detailed sub checklist for weather to be completed by all pilots. Let me elaborate my efforts in this direction:

1. Visibility:- Whether you are in Visual Meteorology Conditions(VMC) or Instrument Meteorology Conditions(IMC), its essential to know the visibility because without it, taxying cannot be started. To know visibility, one must check METAR report or obtain it from ATIS. Future trends can be obtained from TAF. However, old school method of knowing visibility is to check for a known distant marker object from a predetermined position to get a fair idea. Having said that, let me narrate an incident that I faced during my flight training days. We used to have a marker and it was clearly visible, but our Aerodrome METAR had a lower report(Controlled AD) and we used to go ballistic about it. However, during one of my pre-dusk arrival from long cross country flight during hazy weather day, we couldn’t clearly see the end of downwind marker(we used to have markers on ground in circuits) before joining the downwind. Upon landing, the fixed visibility marker was clearly visible. This was ample proof that old school ways, though serving the purpose, are not to be relied on 100% as they are indicative of straight line visibility whilst what is needed for Pilot is slant visibility and is accurately obtained from METAR/TAF/ATIS.

2. Winds:- Winds are essential component as they are the basis of flight. Wind speed and direction can be obtained by looking at the windsock at the runway(conventional) or from METAR/ATIS and TAF(future trends). It helps determine the runway orientation to use and also the drifts one can expect in flight.

3. Temperatures: Temperatures are a good indicator for engine performance and flight conditions. Temperature and dew point are obtained from METAR/ATIS. TAF does not include any temperatures. ARFOR could be used to determine enroute temperatures at higher flight levels. From temperature and dewpoint, we can deduce the cloud base height to help us determine safe cruising altitude to opt for. It also gives clues on icing conditions that one could encounter.

4. Pressure: Its essential measure to set in our aircrafts altimeter before start. Pressure can be obtained from METAR/ATIS. All heights/altitudes/FLs are dependent on the correct setting made by noting the appropriate pressure(Qfe/Qnh/Qne). Besides, it can also be an indicator of aircraft performance.

5. Clouds: The height and amount of clouds can be obtained to understand the climb profile and cruise altitude to opt for and also any deviations or infact NoGO/NoTakeOff conditions can be determined. During my training days, I used to wonder if the heights were as per name say AGL or altitudes or FL - in this regard I used to try to roughly measure the cloud heights while flying below it and tried to be oversmart or overdumb in the process. But in reality, the clouds are mathematical deductions based on angle subtended at the point of observation and instruments used(ceilograph) - hence are to be treated as heights(AGL).

6. Extra weather phenomenon: Weather is not constant and the predicted changes can be obtained mainly from TAF with indicators like FM/TEMPO/BECMG/INTER/PROB etc. These must be carefully assessed and Flight/NoFlight can be determined.

7. Weather Images: Satellite weather images of current and expected trend images should be checked. These can be obtained from your Local Weather Services Agency or could be obtained from viewing the images in Newspapers/News TV channels. These are indicative of strong weather conditions that are likely to be encountered.

After gathering above data, I have come up with formulating a checklist which follows a flow that could be followed similar to an airplane checklist coming up in part-2 of this blog series.

Notes:

1. All the above weather information represented is based on information I used to gather for my flights during my training days(SE & ME aircrafts).

2. Airline Pilots/other pilots could have more information at hand in the briefing documents received - I have no information regarding those - request readers to pitch in with their views to enhance the above effort to come up with the checklist or if already any such checklists exist, please do share if allowed to.

Flying ILS Approach: Glass cockpits Vs Steam Gauges

2017-04-29T13:21:00.000+05:30

Being an Instrument rated pilot and having flown both 'round dials' or 'Steam gauges'(C172) and glass cockpit(DA42) aircrafts, I was analysing what are the differences between the two/which is better. But sitting idle at home whilst preparing for job interviews, I decided to take this seriously to help me, keep in touch with the subject. Going by my background of being a software developer in my recent past, I would have a leaning towards glass cockpit.

To be honest, I was not very accurate with my ILS flying on glass cockpits as I was with steam gauges. I decided to dig deep, to understand my fallacy and concluded that ILS representation of glass cockpits, DO NOT enhance the Pilots experience of flying vis-a-vis Steam Gauges. It’s a very strong conclusion to make considering my software background and only over 50 hours of instrument flying (Actual aircraft and simulators) up my sleeve. Let me elaborate my view and would be happy to be proved right or otherwise. I could also be blamed as ‘making an excuse’ for being a lousy pilot 😆.

First let me explain ILS for all: ILS or Instrument Landing System is ground based instrument aimed at facilitating an aircraft to precisely be guided to the runway, specifying the direction and height to be followed. Aircrafts have instruments to read the data offered by the ground based equipment and these instruments guide pilot to fly left/right (Localiser Indicator) and Up/Down (GlideSlope Indicator). The aircraft equipment in older aircrafts was by a single instrument (round dial - ILS) and in newer aircrafts by modern software User Interface (UI) representation.

First the software approach: During my software development days, I was not well versed with UI front end development - however, here I am commenting on experts UI! From a software development perspective, the current representation of having a localiser needle associated with direction indicator and GlideSlope indication associated with the altimeter tape makes great sense. Wow! It meets the functional requirements - Yay! Let’s Implement! - Really?

Though it makes great sense and looks perfect on FRD documents, I don’t think it does meet the end user - Pilot's requirement - in terms of change or added complexity to the pilot’s actions.

Now Pilots perspective: During final approach, 1st task would be aligning directionally as directed by localiser then latching onto glideslope and descending as per profile. While descending, the actions of pilot, which differ with respect to both steam gauges and glass cockpits, that I am unhappy about and hence this rant.

During the final stages of descent, the pilot must scan the crucial instruments of Localiser, glideslope, altimeter and ASI besides a lookout for horizon/runway, approaching the decision altitude. The workload on Pilot is immense at this stage - his bodily organs/parts like eyes, ears, hands, feet, nervous system and brain have to process and act with utmost precision.

In glass cockpits, the scan of instruments, as shown in the picture below of Garmin G1000 cockpit display, follows the pattern of GlideSlope(scan gathers more information like height and ROD too – In Image below represented as 1) then localiser (scan gathers more information of direction – In Image below represented as 2) then Speedtape(In Image below represented as 3) and finally the horizon looking out for Runway(In Image below represented as 4 but is actually beyond the image). The eyes follow a quadrilateral scan pattern (In Image below – 1to2to3to4and1). Even a minimalistic scan would need a scan of GlideSlope then Localiser and the horizon - here the eyes follow a triangular scan pattern (In Image below – 1to2to4and1).

In Steam Gauges, The scan of instruments in C172 traditional cockpit, The glideslope and localizer(In Image below represented as 1) are covered in single instrument scan, then a straight line scan to left towards altimeter(In Image below represented as 2) and ASI(speedometer, In Image below represented as 3) followed by horizon scan(In Image below represented as 4). The eyes follow a triangular scan pattern (1to2to3to4and1) instead of a quadrilateral scan pattern, because the need to scan DGI, is avoided with localiser needle incorporated in the ILS instrument along with GlideSlope needle.

Even if theoretical experts argue that I may be following a wrong scan pattern, practising pilots on steam gauges even just follow a straight line scan (In Image above 1to4and1) of ILS instrument and the horizon which is bare minimum scan. More tolerance towards varying behaviors should be considered while designing any product. In reality though the pilot flying would be following the straight line pattern, the Pilot monitoring does scan all the other instruments and calls out the necessary information.

The scan pattern differences, in my opinion, add to the complexity of brain processing as well as a few extra micro seconds of time required to perform the actions on glass cockpits. Careful experts of Human factors Ergonomics practitioners might see the merit in my argument and request them to conduct studies around the same and publish data along with findings.

Feel free to comment.

Notes:

1. The scan of all important AI, is not mentioned as the attitude for descent is finalized when established on glideslope and aircraft is trimmed in that position.

2. G1000 Image obtained online from the link: http://krepelka.com/fsweb/learningcenter/navigation/usingtheg1000.htm - a good learning source. Unfortunately could not find - ‘contact me’ address on the page.

3. C172 Image obtained online from the link: https://flyawaysimulation.com/media/images6/images/Panel-And-FDE-For-Default-Cessna-172SP-fsx2.jpg . Flyawaysimulation is a great place for simulator software downloads.

4. Please excuse my poor Paint skills😞.

Disclaimer:

As it’s a personal opinion of interest to pilots interaction with systems and scope of learning involved, It should not be viewed in legal or commercial angles.

Android - Whatz that?

2009-11-17T11:54:00.000+05:30

When many people come across this term "Android" - Quite a few people associate it with human like robot/outer space character (wiki link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android). Few people in the Computer Software know about it. There are lots of people ignorant of this term as well - This blog is my attempt to help them understand what is Android - in the field of technology.

To tell in a single line - "Android is an Operating System by Open Handset Alliance". It was initially meant for Mobile Phones but now has found acceptance across a wide range of devices.

For a non-techie: the whole line does not make any sense. So let me elaborate it with respect to something very generic. Let me take the example of a house and model it around the mobile phone.

When you look at owning or renting a house - there are many things one look at: The exterior design(external look), interior design(rooms, kitchen, en-suite etc) and the fittings/furnishings(TV point, telephone point, electrical points, taps, showers etc). A mobile phone is very similar - One looks at the stylish look of the phone (exterior design), features of the phone (GPS(location related), FM Receiver, 3G, Camera etc - interior design) and the actual fittings/furnishings (Maps s/w, FM Radio App, Browser, games, utility applications etc).

Broadly speaking - You can say the exterior design and interior design is purely hardware. The Fittings/Furnishings maybe considered as software layer.

In a kitchen, you would have a shelf rack's to store your plates, spoons etc. In similar breadth an Operating System may be considered as the shelf rack to hold all your applications. Applications are games, utility applications, music applications etc. The better the Shelf space and kind of racks, the more variety you can have. The Operating System provides this racks in the form of API's to developers so that they can develop cool applications for your mobile phone.

So "Android" is the operating system. Open Handset Alliance(OHA) as on the official website(http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/) is defined as "Open Handset Alliance™ - a group of 65 technology and mobile companies who have come together to accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience."

Currently in market there are many many mobile phones launched with Android - Motorola's - (CLIQ/DEXT, DROID/MILESTONE) HTC's - (G1, Sense) Google's - (Nexus One), Samsung's - Galaxy etc. The list is not exhaustive but to name a few.

Hope this was informative enough. Let me know your comments and criticism :)

Scandnavia - Norway

2009-07-02T22:04:00.000+05:30

Another time, Another Place - This time its off to Oslo, Norway. Reason for picking Oslo is to see 'Midnight Sun' plus the other constraint being get cheap flight tickets which I could get with Ryanair airlines.

Day1:
Started off early in the morning and took the train to From Basingstoke to Stanstead airport - The train fare was costlier than my flight tickets :(. The train from London Liverpool Street Station to Stanstead airport brokedown in between adding to additional journey time - but still made it in good time for the airport. Then the flight journey was good and landed before time at Oslo Torp airport. The worst part was the airport was almost 2hrs away from Oslo. Fortunately on the airport transfer bus I had a co-passenger who was an Oslo Localite and she helped planning my trip. She suggested against going to North Cape as the time was too short. She was a drug researcher and hence was quite a learned person and when she said that my thoughts of going to North Cape are like her planning to goto India and visit Kerala and Andaman Islands in 3 to 4 days - She rather suggested me visit some other places like Bergen. From Oslo centre, I reached my hostel which was a bit difficult to spot as many people were unaware of its exact location. The hostel was pleasant and good though. Later walked in the evening on the harbour and returned back to hit the bed.

Day2:
Started the day and headed to 'The Opera' then to Akershus Castle then to Vigelands Park followed by 'The Royal Palace'. Later headed back to the hostel as it was too hot to continue and was absolutely tired. I have decided to go on the fjords tour and booked it for sunday. Of all the places, I liked the Vigelands park - it had lots of sculptures and sport activities there. Evening decided to go out into town to check the night life but it rained - so no outing but definitely relieved by the rain as the temperatures were too hot to handle. However just after an hour the rain stopped and sky cleared up. Went out closeby and I end up meeting 2 scottish guys - I dont know what bond I have with them but whereever I go I seem to find them :). They were pretty good guys with very thick scottish accent. We instantly got acquainted very well and had a good time. Also made couple of good Norweigian friends.

Day3:
Didnt feel like doing much and hence went only to few places - Bygdoy and the Botanical gardens and returned back to the hotel after booking for a 'Norway in a nutshell' trip for sunday. Later in the evening - Stefan(Swedish) a friend I made in the Hostel promised to show me the best view of Oslo. He, another hostellite Turcotte(Canadian) and myself went to 34 a bar on 34th floor of Radisson hotel in the town centre of Oslo. Boy it was a great view of Oslo from there. Then we walked on the streets and headed back home.

Day4:
Started early in the day for the 'Norway in a Nutshell' trip which gives a trip around the fjords of Norway in multiple forms of transport. I decided to go to Bergen and return back to Oslo overnight as I had to catch the flight back from Oslo. The first part of the trip was on a regular train till a place called Myrdal. Enroute just before Myrdal is the highest point of the terrain where a german couple - Stefan and bettina, both friends again from the hostel got off for a 10 day hiking! The best thing to do at that place. Hope and pray that they have a safe and enjoyable hike. From Myrday, We boarded another train to Flam. This was a great scenic journey passing through the fyords to a location called Flam. Flam was an absolutely stunning and exotic location! From Flam we boarded the Boat to a location called Gudvangen. Boy this was spectacular - I have no words to describe this journey! I couldnt have asked for more. Then from Gudvangen, boarded a bus to Voss passing through the traditional steep routes by the valley and from Voss headed to Bergen by train. At Bergen I just had 1 hr and to make the best of it, I approached the local people to find out the best restaurant for best Norweigian food - yes the foodie in me never dies ;). Went to a place Bryggen on the coast and had great fish/prawn combo food - Loved it! Then headed back to the train station for the trip back to Oslo.

Day5:
After reaching Oslo, headed back to hostel, checked out and then sat waiting for the time to go by as the weather outside was rainy and cloudy. Then while waiting, decided to write up this blog a good way to kill the time. Then head back to the airport and back to London.

Summary:
Visit Norway to experience great scenic beauty. I am short of words to describe and rewrite the experience I had on the Fjords. Dont ever miss it if you happen to be in Norway. Great People, Great Place but costly one though. Be sure to be surprised to check your credit card bill after you return! Good tour could be arrive at Oslo and depart Norway from Bergen or vice-versa.

My Lyon Trip

2009-05-04T21:49:00.000+05:30

Starting off my blogging activity with my Lyon Trip. A completely non-technical blog!

My selection of Lyon was rather bizarre to say. I wanted a long term schengen visa and the best bet is to goto France embassy. So I had to goto some place in France. I was not too keen on going to Paris as it would be an expensive affair. I did a websearch of cheap flights to other destinations in france and thus I landed up with Lyon tickets. After getting the tickets did I look up on the net and found that it was a student city. Did some enquiries with friends and they did tell it was a good choice. I then booked hostel accommodation as well, went for visa stamping and they gave a 3month visa. All said and done was ready to travel for the trip on 1st May early morning from gatwick.

Day1:
On 1st early in the morning headed to gatwick, parked my car in the long stay car park. Was almost the last person to checkin. Landed on time at Lyon. The first sight of the Lyon airport was not very great to say. So my doubts about Lyon that it could go sour were raised. Then headed to the city by airport bus and it entered the city in the new part. Felt OK so far. Then checked into the hostel and asked the hostel receptionist suggestions to visit places and she gave a good travel plan on the map. Religiously followed the travel route and boy we were not surprised. Checked the Roman theatres, Fourvière Church. After checking out the church and the view from there, I must say all my doubts about choosing Lyon vanished. Then travelled through all the bylanes through old Lyon (Vieux Lyon) and then went to Place des Terreaux, Opera place and finally Bellecour Place before returning to the hostel. Place des Terreaux, Opera place and Bellecour Place were very pleasant to be in. Not overcroweded but the feel was really great.

After a break of couple of hours, headed to Place des Terreaux for dinner. Had "Salad Lyonnise" and boy that was awesome. Then headed for Opera place where there was a latino music concert. The concert was great and then after stroll on the riverside headed back to the hostel. The night view of Fourviere Church and Vieux Lyon was amazing.

Day2:
Wanted to goto a place outside Lyon to get a feel of surroundings and we were adviced to goto Perouges a medieval village 35 kms away from Lyon. This gave us the taste of train transportation in France. We went to Perouges and checked out the place in 1 hour and returned back to the station only to realize that due to engineering works the frequency of the trains is bad. So that was crucial 3 hours lost in the day. After returning to Lyon, we headed to Opera place again to see if something exciting was happening like th previous night - unfortunately No. Then went back to Vieux Lyon, went into an irish pub and watched the big Real Madrid vs Barcelona match. The pub had some english speaking people, met different nationality people out there and talked a lot about football and made lots of predictions about champions league final. Then headed back to the hostel for the night.

Day3:
Headed off to the park in Lyon which also doubles up as a zoo. It was a great place to go. Underestimated its value in our plans and hence allocated far too less time for it. But its a must visit which I did not miss anyways. Next walked through all the bylanes and stairs to get different views of Lyon from heights and finally ended up at Bellecour place. Then headed back to hostel to pack the bags and goto part-dieu, the city centre to catch the bus back to airport. The city centre is lively but most of the shops were closed due to it being Sunday evening. Then caught the bus back to airport bringing my trip to an end. Things I missed - travelling on bicycle. Everyone in Lyon uses a bicycle.

In conclusion, It was a great trip worth every penny. It gives you a young feeling end of the day :). Some comparisions: All people in Lyon are very fit - I could just count 6 people who were fat (besides me ;))- on the contrary you can count the numbers on your fingers - the number of non-fat people here in UK :D. The weather was sunny and pleasant there in Lyon unlike the cloudy, dull weather out here in UK.

The pictures of the trip can be found at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/gkarandeep/Lyon?feat=directlink