Wings of Duty

Wings of Duty — Page 48

Syed Muhammad Ahmad 48 The two of us along with a driver took the community’s jeep and drove to Walton Airport. We went straight to the airport manager’s home and apprised him of our situation. He told us that, officially, we were not allowed to fly at this time because the airport, and more importantly, air traffic control were closed. But if we wanted to go out at our own risk, then we would have to light the flares needed for take- off and landing at both ends of the runway ourselves. He pointed us to the store where the flares were kept and told us to collect them. The three of us got into the jeep, collected the flares, and then took them to the start of the shorter runway. Unlike today, where every runway is fitted out with permanent electric lights, back then we used flares that somewhat resembled the fabled lamp of Aladdin. They relied on kerosene oil and had thick cotton wicks which were lit with a match like a lantern. Even in strong winds, these flares did not go out, so once they had been used they had to be extinguished manually. The night was dark and despite having our headlights on, we had great trouble finding our way. After almost an hour, with all three of us working together, we managed to light up enough flares to allow our L-5 to take off and land.