Did Birchall really save Ceylon? – Capt Elmo Jayawardena   Or was it another story like charge of the Light Brigade? I wrote few days back about the Japanese bombing of Ceylon in 1942. Many who read emailed me asking for more details. Some expressed nostalgic sentiments, remembering what their parents conveyed to them about the Easter Sunday bombing. Some gave additional information, such as the rare photo that is published here. All these made me write somewhat a sequel to the story, perhaps little bit more information for those who are interested in the bygone days and what may have taken place. There was a Japanese young man who came to learn to fly in Ratmalana as a ‘fun flier” in the late 1930s. It was said among the instructors and fellow ‘fun fliers’ that the said Japanese knew to fly and may have pretended he came to learn. It ...

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RATMALANA – in Emperor’s New Clothes – by Capt Elmo Jayawardena A few days ago, I read in the papers that Sri Lanka has opened another International Airport (RML) at Ratmalana on the 27th of March. There was a photograph too, the arrival of the first plane, a Maldivian Airline Dash-8, twin turboprop 50-seater that flew from Velana Airport in Hululle to Ratmalana. The aeroplane was welcomed with arches of water canon salutes created by the fire engines of the Airport Fire Brigade. There were Kandyan dancers in attendance too plus a VVIP contingent to celebrate the opulent opening of the new International Airport. Of course, the day’s fanfare cost millions, that is what the newspapers said.    Ratmalana (RML) Airport has a remarkable history. It began its life as a cleared grass patch of 600 sq. feet which had galvanized roofing sheds on the side which was the terminal. ...

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A TALE OF THREE AEROPLANES      The present-day sky is crowded. Airways crisscross above continents and oceans and are  severely congested with all kinds of aeroplanes carrying passengers and cargo. Then someone crashes, people die, and we say “What a shame!” The manufacturers start defending their aeroplane, the insurance companies look for loopholes to creep through and save their bacon. Of course, there is always the ever-present ‘pilot error’ verdict to take the final blame. That is what happens in air crashes and crash causes. The dying or the surviving is seldom man-made. It is all done upstairs and has little to do with what we deduce from what we know or hear. I’ve seen enough of the sky and what happens in it to figure that out. August 7th,1997, a Fine Air DC-8-61F took off from Miami International on a direct flight to Santo Domingo. It was a ...

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