Global Aviator December/January 2017/18 / Vol. 9 / No. 12 55
Capt KP Sanjeev Kumar
is a former navy test pilot and blogs
at http://www.kaypius.com. He is dual
ATP rated on Bell 412 & AW139
helicopters and flies in the offshore oil
& gas division of a leading helicopter
services company in India.Our mission statement
Trio Helicopters and Aviation CC management
will endeavour to supply prompt, efficient, friendly
service with state of the art equipment, tooling
and yet maintain cost effectiveness at all times!Authorised to service
Piston and Turbine Helicopters up to 5 700kg
Bell 47, Enstrom 280
Robinson R22 and R44
Eurocopter AS 350 series
The Schweizer 269 series
The Bell 206 series
The Fairchild Hiller FH 1100 series
The Hiller 12 series
The Allison 250 SeriesHelicopters and Aviation cc
Hangar 44, Gate 5, Lanseria International Airport P.O. Box 43, Lanseria, 1748
Tel.: +27 11 659-1022/3/4 Fax.: +27 11 659-1188
E-mail: [email protected] Reg. CK No: 2010/174526/23 VAT no: 4410261319the vagaries of weather become your
constant companions. It’s a veritable
tinder box. Everything is fine-tuned to
a drill. Lives depend on adherence to
safe and approved practices, much like
a submarine. Offshore helicopter pilots
and O&G crew share a healthy mutual
respect. It is a symbiotic relationship
- we need them, they need us. Our
fortunes react to the same upheavals.
As per a PWC report, the oil downturn
that started in 2014 led to over 400,000
job losses in the O&G sector. Hundreds
of experienced offshore helicopter
pilots were also sent home globally.
Thanks to our own roster system,
we understand their lives and
sentiments when they are headed
home on breaks. The excitement of
counting down to your next break
starts to peak towards the last week.
Among offshore pilots, “I am on
short finals” usually means it’s
your last week on duty. There is no
phrase to describe the first day of
duty for a touring pilot. The long
face says it all as you unpack your
bag, scratch your head and stare at
the next day’s programme grimly!
For people whose spouses are
pursuing a career, there is another
thing you have to contend with back
home. Folks at home are busy with
their school and work. They have
a routine. Look at me for instance.
Smiles, hugs and the warm welcome
aside, I soon start to get in everyone’s
way. I want to sleep in but they have
jobs and colleges to go to. Soon, they
shuffle off to work and I am left all
alone in the house with our two cats
staring at me as if I am an intruder.
In countries like India, you have
to also contend with the ‘cleaning
lady’. Just as you settle down with
your WhatsApp chats and coffee, the
‘cleaning lady’ is at the door. Wherever
in the house you try to curl up, she
manages to chase you down, first with
a dusting cloth, then broom and then
the mop – “Sir, move over. I need to
clean”. By the time she has finished
chasing you around the house four
times, it is time to set off on your
‘bum jobs’ list. Because when your
wife returns from work, you don’t
want to hear “did you get something
done or were you just lying around?”Me? I give a sheepish grin, make
coffee and we arrive at a compromise!
There’s always tomorrow.
Soon, your return ticket
arrives and you get your
excuse to procrastinate some
more. The last week of break is
officially ‘mourning week’.
It has been a little over three years
for me but I am loving it. Distance
makes the heart grow fonder, they
say. When I was a young boy with a
fondness for the sea, people told me
“don’t join the merchant navy. Your
wife will run away”. It’s not true.
25 years in the navy and 3 offshore
years later, I can tell you – it’s the
husbands who ‘run away’! •