THE CAPTAIN HAS A HEAD COLD ...

Yesterday evening I should have been heading over to North Beach, as per tradition of many years standing. But I still had a cold, and my nose was horribly uncivilised. And it's not good to sneeze in a mask. I wonder how medical people do it. I can well imagine surgeons calling out frantically "nurse, hold my mask down, lest it lift off while I've got him opened up and we have to sterilize the incisions as well as all surfaces!" Because, of course, the force of the eruption would, if strong enough, send the little scrap of pale blue or green cloth flying.
Maybe no operations are done while he or she is sick.
That would make sense, I suppose.

So the patient might wake up after surgery, only to be told "we nearly lost you, his hand jumped when he sneezed. Oh, and you're on five different antivirals and antibiotics right now, because you were directly in the line of fire."

Then the nurse asks the standard four questions: "have you had a bowel movement?" "Have you micturated?" "Have you passed gas?" 嘿，聽講你識講廣東話，係唔係真嘅？Because no matter what, one must find out if the patient's organs are starting to function again.
Is limp John or Mary going to make it, or are drastic measures required?


Between sneezing, leaking, and being plugged up, my nose was a pain in the ...


啟德機場13跑道

So to pass the time before going to bed, I drew Runway 13 at Kaitak Airport again.
By the way: Runway 13 is 31 when taking off. Compass bearings.

If a pilot sneezed violently while banking right, things would go wrong. Something to think about retrospectively while having a sternutatory nose. Several times.

The plane would land with a bump and slide into water. Because, as you might remember, the runaway is in the middle of the harbour, and the approach was always a bit tricky.
Yes, planes landed there even during the cold and flu season.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're in a holding pattern above the South China Sea until the pilot's antihistamines kick in, there's something in the cabin to which he is highly allergic. You will just have to be patient. Might take an hour or two. Suck it up, babies. And thank you."

Does anyone ever ask whether the pilot has a cold or there's pollen in the cockpit? No? Perhaps you should.

Here's the airstrip from a different angle.

Not much 'wiggle room' there.


Taking off (bank left sharply to avoid hills) was easier than landing. Either way, there were a number of accidents over the years, despite pilots needing special training for Kaitak.


It is not known how many of those were caused by sneezing.
Bad allergies kicking in. Psychogenic disorders.




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