Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Veterans comprising former members of 160 Squadron who had flown B 24 Liberator, Bombers from Ratmalana, Sigiriya, Kankasanthurai, Minneriya as well as China Bay during World war Two, visited the Sri Lanka Air Force Museum Ratmalana (30th March 2010).

The contingent was made up of 12 veterans, 02 widows of veterans, 04 wives and others. They who belonged to the Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF), Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAAF) and the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) enjoyed walking down memory lane whilst viewing the superbly preserved exhibits of their generation.

The 32 member tour groups arrived in Sri Lanka on 20th March 2010 and are scheduled to depart on the 01st of April 2010. To date they have visited SLAF Base Kibissa( presently SLAF Sigiriya), SLAF Base China Bay, SLAF Base Hingurakgoda, SLAF Museum, SLAF Base Ratmalana Air Port all places which they served during their tour of duty during World War Two.

They also held a press conference at the Mount Lavinia Hotel this morning to explain the significance of their visit.

This morning (31st March 2010) World War Two, Veterans from the 160th Squadron of the Royal Air Force visited SLAF Colombo and met members of the SLAF Ex Serviceman s Association.

They were great welcomed by the President of the SLAF Ex Serviceman s Association Mr Guanawardene Secretary Mr Mihindukulasuriya and members of the Ex Co. The Vets were entertained at the Warrant Officers & Sergeants Mess at SLAF Colombo.

Group Captain Saman Lewangama, Air Secretary Group Captain Thilan de Silva, and Command Media Officer Group Captain Janaka Nanayakkara were also present.

After visiting SLAF Colombo the RAF Vets visited the Commonwealth War Cemetery at Colombo.

From May 1, passengers travelling from Colombo to Singapore will be able to experience Singapore Airlines' Airbus A330-300 aircraft, featuring the airline's latest product and service offerings.

Currently operating to and from three Australian cities, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth and two Japanese cities, Nagoya and Osaka, the aircraft will also be progressively deployed over other regional and medium-haul routes Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Kuwait, Male, Fukuoka as well as Taipei between end of March and April, as part of Singapore Airlines' ongoing product enhancement efforts. The Singapore Airlines A330-300 is configured in a two-class layout, with 30 new Business Class and 255 Economy Class seats, and will replace the Airline's Boeing 777 operations on the Colombo-Singapore route.

The Business Class cabin is laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration featuring a new seat that converts to an incline lie-flat bed, specially designed for regional and medium-haul routes.

With in-flight entertainment on a large 15.4 inch screen, customers can enjoy enhanced levels of comfort, privacy and functionality.

Royal Air Force Veterans Visit Sri Lanka Air Force Museum.

Maybe they can tell their present government to stop being such asses.

A former airline pilot has saved his home from creditors after buying an old Boeing 747 and selling the parts for a recession-busting 150,000 profit.

Mustafa Aolad, from Avenue Road, Wallington, lost his job because of cutbacks in the Bangladeshi airline industry and was also facing losing his home as he could not afford his mortgage payments.

But Mr Aolad had an ace up his sleeve and came up with a plan that would have made Only Fools and Horses Delboy Trotter proud.

He said: I discovered that there was a market in breaking-up old 747s aeroplanes and selling the parts for scrap.

So I took out a car loan from the bank and bought an old Boeing 747 300 series for 10,000 and sold it bit by bit for 200,000 pounds.

Having returned to his native Bangladesh, Mr Aolad recruited a small labour force and some ex-airforce engineers and began the meticulous process of breaking the plane up part by part.

The 53-year-old said: The Boeing 747 300 had come to the end of its usefull life and had been dumped at Zia International Airport, in Bangladesh.

This craft had now become a liability, so the owners were very pleased when I offered them 10,000 for it and since then I have saved my home.

Mr Aolad, a former pilot in the Bangladesh Air Force, first achieved minor fame with his 'Chopperdom' flying restaurant - another old plane that he converted into a airborne diner.

Stars such as Hugh Hefner, rapper Ice T and soul-singer Isaac Hayes all apparently tucked into Mr Aolad s mile-high cuisine including Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He said: 'Everyone thought it was a crazy idea and it would never get off the ground. They thought it was an impossibility.

When it finished it was a massive relief for everybody - my uncles, aunties, cousins, my wife. I did feel like I'd proved people wrong.'

In addition to saving his home and providing jobs in his homeland, Mr Aolad has also, as he puts it, done his bit for the environment too by recycling the plane.

He said: My future is very bright in the light of recession and I ve bought myself a brand new car with the profits, plus I ve just flown back to Bangladesh to purchase a second plane.

Interesting info, thanks. I did not know that RAF flew B-24s