Timing is everything in life and with Jack's school outing coinciding with a week that I was at home, I couldn't resist joining his class for their outing to visit the Sultan's Flight. The morning started with surprise visit to the private helicopter pad where we saw two Black Hawks which are kitted out for VIP transport. We even had the opportunity to have a look insider with some of the Mum's spending that extra moment to sit in the back and just imagine !
Jack got to sit in the cockpit and hold the controls - despite the lights, we were assured it was going nowhere !
A lesson learnt - the pilot will always sit on the right and it actually takes two people to fly a Black Hawk (I'm trying to look like I belong but to be honest, I'm more used to sitting closer to the tail on aircraft these days !)
Following a quick refreshment (Evian water for the parents !), we boarded the bus again to head for the airport and the Sultan's Flight hanger. We were treated to snacks before taking a tour of the facility - Jack was very excited to meet Uncle Hans and he then got to see the plane that Uncle Hans flies (A340, in the Royal Brunei livery but certainly not a plane you will see in commercial use !)
The tour included seeing some of the land based equipment and the kids all got a turn to try to spot a knife in baggage using a mobile scanning unit - Jack spotted a bag and immediately claimed to see the knife !
Overall, I think the parents enjoyed the trip more than the kids but it was a great day out with very hospitable hosts ensuring that the kids will remember their visit to the airport for some time to come. The only problem comes when we will have to explain why we can't use the planes we saw and have to use the 'common' entrance to the airport from now on !
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