Dinner with Shivendra

Today is THU. Last night, I was invited to the house of the owner of Shivani Air, Shivendra, for a Nepali meal. It was great but I noted that the women who cooked the food didn't sit at the table. Certainly a cultural difference.

It turns out that there are two commuter type airlines that do the Mountain Flight, Yeti Airlines and Bhudda Air. Bhudda Air is owned by Shivendra and he has offered to treat me to a Mountain Flight tomorrow. Bhudda Air operates 5 B1900 and 3 ATR aircraft, both of which I am type rated. Anyhow, the Mountain Flight is in the B1900 and will leave very early in the AM. It generally will fly along the base of the hills Easterly, turn back West to give the pax on the other side the view and back to Katmandu after about 1 hour plus of flight.

Last night I learned that Shivendra went to Russia to learn to fly the Mi 8 helicopter. He flew it in Nepal as a civilian freight carrier serving the rural areas that don't have roads. I had many questions about this training and flying. Also, he has a retired Ghurka soldier living in his home who came with the house when he bought it 20 years ago. This fellow fought in Burma during WWII. WOW!

The CAAN has forwarded my unreproachable paper work to another ministry or another poobah or something, so nothing yesterday. Shivendra says that by FRI, it will be done. We shall see. So, it looks like I won't get to the flight school until SAT. We shall see.