Fear Factor : Flying in Indonesia _ D A N G E R !

S.O.S. = Save Our Soul -- Mayday - Mayday - Mayday . . ...- . . . - . .

Mayday = Panggilan internasional dengan radio minta bantuan dari sebuah
kapal atau pesawat terbang.

Seorang ekspatriat yang tinggal di Jakarta menulis artikel ini. FYI.

Pada waktu saya kembali dari liburan di Bali, saya menggunakan Adam Air
rute Denpasar - Jakarta. Saya mendengar maskapai yang relatif baru ini
dari beberapa teman, yang menyebutkan bahwa maskapai ini mempunyai
pesawat-pesawat yang relatif baru dan diijinkan terbang ke Singapura.
Kedengarannya maskapai ini sangatlah bagus, khususnya jika menyangkut
masalah tiket sekali jalan yang hanya Rp. 295.00,- yang sedikit lebih
mahal dari penerbangan "metro-mini" Lion Air. Penawaran ini sangat
bagus, berdasarkan pengalaman saya tinggal beberapa tahun di Indonesia.
Tapi kemudian saya mulai berfikir bahwa ini terlalu bagus dan pasti ada
yang salah dengan semua ini.

Bagaimanapun, saya memutuskan untuk mencoba keberuntungan saya dan
terbang bersama Adam Air, yang ternyata banyak orang juga berfikir sama
karena pesawatnya sudah penuh di booking? Dibandingkan dengan Garuda
yang nyaris tanpa penumpang.

Waktu naik pesawat Adam Air, saya segera melihat bahwa Boeing 737-400
tersebut, engine cover-nya penuh dengan goresan (scratch), sayapnya
sangat kotor dan banyak cat-nya yang cacat, pintunya juga terlihat
sangat tua dan sangat jauh dari ekpektasi saya akan pesawat baru.
Bagaimanapun, saya tetap memutuskan untuk menguji level keberanian saya
untuk tetap terbang dan masuk ke pesawat. Sebagai catatan, saya mencatat
kode registrasi pesawat PK-KKI (lihat Table Adam Air di bawah).

Sesampainya di Jakarta, saya mencari kode tersebut di database
penerbangan dan "Pesawat Baru" tersebut pertama kali terbang pada 10
Desember 1988, yang artinya umurnya sudah 17 tahun, dan kalau
dibandingkan dengan umur manusia, berarti usianya menjelang 50 tahun.
Dalam catatannya juga disebutkan bahwa pesawat ini mempunyai jam terbang
yang tinggi, dimana sebelumnya digunakan oleh Sahara India Airlines,
Sierra National Airline dan Air Belgium (pemilik pertama). Sungguh
merupakan catatan yang menarik untuk sebuah pesawat. Sekarang
pertanyaannya adalah apakah saya yang kurang beruntung sehingga
mendapatkan satu-satunya pesawat tua di Adam Air, atau apakah semua
pesawatnya memang tidak sebaru seperti yang saya harapkan?

Mengikuti rasa keingintahuan saya, coba lihat Tabal Pesawat Adam Air
berikut yang menyajikan informasi umur dari masing-masing pesawat.



No
Registrasi
Penerbangan Pertama
Umur

1
PK-KKF 737-200
12-02-1980
26

2
PK-KKN 737-200
21-03-1980
25

3
PK-KKQ 737-200
16-01-1981
25

4
PK-KKJ 737-200
03-02-1982
24

5
PK-KKL 737-200
12-04-1984
21

6
PK-KKE 737-300
31-08-1987
18

7
PK-KKP 737-200
31-05-1988
17

8
PK-KKH 737-400
11-07-1988
17

9
PK-KKU 737-300
04-08-1988
17

10
PK-KKI 737-400
10-12-1988
17

12
PK-KKD 737-400
22-12-1988
17

13
PK-KKR 737-300
09-01-1989
17

14
PK-KKS 737-400
28-01-1989
17

15
PK-KKT 737-400
05-09-1989
16

16
PK-KKG 737-400
07-01-1991
15

17
PK-KKC 737-400
09-01-1992
14

18
PK-KKA 737-500
10-06-1997
(hanya satu pesawat yang agak aman, bagaimana yang lain?)
08

Melihat tabal tersebut, saya benar-benar beruntung, dimana pesawat
berumur 17 tahun yang saya tumpangi termasuk yang baru dibandingkan
dengan pesawat Adam Air lain dengan kode regirtrasi PK-KKN (KKN adalah
singkatan paling popular di Indonesia untuk Korupsi-Kolusi- Nepotisme) ,
yang umurnya 25 tahun.
Dibandingkan dengan usia manusia, pesawat ini sama dengan manusia
berumur hamper 80 tahun dan mungkin sudah memesan tempat di kuburan .

Berdasarkan tabel di atas, kita bisa menghitung umur rata-rata pesawat
Adam Air, yaitu 18 tahun. Sebenarnya, hanya ada satu pesawat yang
umurnya kurang dari 10 tahun, dan jika saya tidak salah, ini pasti
pesawat yang diijinkan mendarat di Singapura.

Jelas, banyak penumpang memilih Adam Air karena berfikir tentang pesawat
yang baru, padahal armada sebenarnya dipenuhi oleh pesawat polesan
seperti baru (refurbished) dengan hanya satu pesawat yang relatif baru,
yang digunakan tim marketing Adam Air untuk menciptakan image, atau
lebih tepat khayalan, tentang terbang dengan pesawat baru. Mungkin
definisi Adam Air tentang pesawat "baru" adalah definisi untuk
penerbangan lokal Indonesia, dan mungkin persepsi saya lah yang salah.

Untuk memverifikasi hal tersebut, saya membandingkan umur rata-rata
pesawat dari beberapa penerbangan di Indonesia, dan inilah Statistik
Umur Pesawat Penumpang di Indonesia:

Garuda Indonesia Umur 10.0 tahun

Lion Air Umur 17.3 tahun

Adam Air Umur 18.1 tahun

Awair Umur 18.8 tahun
Merpati Umur 21.6 tahun
Batavia Umur 23.4 tahun
Sriwijaya Air Umur 23.5 tahun
Mandala Airlines Umur 23.9 tahun
Bouraq Indonesia Airlines Umur 25.1 tahun
Mengejutkan! Dengan armada berumur 18 tahun, Adam Air menempati urutan
ketiga dari armada dengan pesawat terbaru di Indonesia. Garuda Indonesia
memimpin dengan armada berumur 10 tahun .

Hal lain yang sangat mengejutkan adalah Lion Air menempati urutan kedua
dengan armada sedikit lebih muda, yaitu 17 tahun?? Itu hampir setengah
kali lebih tua dari armada Garuda Indonesia.

Urutan terakhir ditempati oleh Bouraq Indonesian Airlines, dengan umur
pesawat 25 tahun, yang memberikan saya ide tentang Fear Factor stunt-man
"Terbang bersama Bouraq" untuk trial & error penyakit ketakutan terbang
(flying phobia).

Mandala Airlines menempati urutan kedua dari terakhir. Melihat hal ini,
saya teringat dengan kecelakaan pesawat Mandala Boeing 737-200 pada 5
September 2005 yang menelan korban hampir 150 orang. Pada saat kejadian,
pesawat PK-RIM tersebut berumur 24 tahun.

Sebagai pembanding, pesawat Lion Air McDonell-Douglas MD-82 yang
mengalami kecelakaan di Airport Solo pada 30 November 2004 dan menelan
korban 25 orang, berumur 20 tahun. Pada laporan terakhirnya, jam terbang
pesawat tersebut 56,674 jam dan telah melakukan pendaratan 43,940 kali!

Saya pikir bukanlah suatu kebetulan kalo pesawat-pesawat yang mengalami
kecelakaan berumur paling tidak 20 tahun. Sebagai pembanding, saya
mengecek umur rata-rata pesawat dari maskapai-maskapai pemilik
sebelumnya pesawat Adam Air PK-KKI yang saya tumpangi.

Blue Panorama Airlines Umur 11.6 tahun
Sahara India Airlines Umur 10.5 tahun

Sangat menarik ternyata, 11.6 tahun dan 10.5 tahun, yang membuktikan
bahwa kedua maskapai di atas merasa bahwa pesawat tersebut terlalu tua
untuk beroperasi, sementara manajemen Adam Air berpikir bahwa
mengoperasikan pesawat berumur 17 tahun adalah benar-benar tidak
bermasalah ??? SNOBBISH ! But FOOLISH ? (Congkak! Tapi Tolol?)

Mencari di beberapa Koran, saya menemukan beberapa artikel yang bisa
menjadi kesimpulan dari tulisan ini.
Yang pertama datang dari The Jakarta Post (11 Februari 2006): Sebuah
pesawat Adam Air Boeing 737-300 yang melayani rute Jakarta-Makasar,
terpaksa mendarat secara darurat pada hari Sabtu, di bandara kecil
Tambolaka, Sumba-NTT; disampaikan oleh juru bicara Adam Air.

Pesawat tersebut berangkat dari Bandara Soekarno-Hatta Jakarta pada jam
6:20 a.m. dengan 145 penumpang. Pesawat dijadwalkan mendarat di Bandara
Hasanuddin Makassar pada jam 9:25 a.m. waktu setempat. Begitu menurut
Suwandi, Supervisor Adam Air di Makassar.

" Tapi, masalah navigasi membuat pilot Tri Tuniogo kehilangan kontak
dengan bandara tujuan", ucap Suwandi. Pesawat kemudian ditemukan telah
mendarat di Tambolaka pada jam 9:45 a.m. waktu setempat.
"Tidak ada yang terluka dalam insiden ini", ucap Didik, public relation
Adam Air Jakarta, yang menambahkan juga bahwa pendaratan darurat
dilakukan karena kondisi cuaca yang buruk. "Berdasarkan kondisi cuaca,
terjadi badai atau hujan lebat yang memaksa pilot untuk mendarat - kami
belum mendapat informasi lebih lanjut," ucap Didik. Jadi, ini masalah
cuaca buruk dan pesawat harus mendarat. Tidak ada yang aneh kan? Sampai
Anda baca terbitan selanjutnya pada hari Valentine.

Kementrian Perhubungan mengangap Adam Air telah melakukan pelanggaran
serius dalam pengoprasian pesawat, tapi masih memerlukan bukti mengenai
insiden serius pada sistem navigasi pesawat. "Ini adalah pelanggaran
serius dan yang pertama kali terjadi pada penerbangan di Indonesia,"
ucap Dirjen Perhubungan Udara, Iksan Tatang, menjawab pertanyaan
wartawan pada hari Senin.

Pesawat Adam Air Boeing 737-300 dengan nomer penerbangan DHI728,
melakukan pendaratan darurat di Tambolaka, Sumba Barat-NTT, setelah
berputar-putar selama 3 jam karena kegagalan navigasi dalam
perjalanannya dari Jakarta melewati NTT, dimana dirjen mengatakan bahwa
pesawat tersebut seharusnya tidak boleh terbang karena masih ada
pemeriksaan yang tertunda oleh Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi
(KNKT) dan Direktorat Sertifikasi Kelayakan Terbang.

Itu sangat menarik! Awalnya insiden ini terjadi karena cuaca buruk, dan
sekarang karena kegagalan sistem navigasi. Huh?

Saya pikir cerita sebenarnya adalah pelanggaran serius yang dilakukan
oleh Adam Air . Untuk Anda ketahui, dua orang teman saya terbang dari
Manado dengan Lion Air dan pesawatnya mengalami permasalahan serius
sampai-sampai pramugari memerintahkan semua penumpang memakai jaket
penyelamat. Untungnya penerbangan berakhir tanpa insiden, dan tidak ada
satu pun Koran yang menulis berita tentang kejadian ini. Mungkin karena
KKN yang saya sebutkan sebelumnya.

Mungkin Anda bertanya-tanya seberapa tua Boeng 737-300 yang mengalami
kegagalan sistem navigasi tersebut. Melihat umur armada Boeng 737-300
Adam Air, pesawat tersebut pastilah berumur paling tidak 17 tahun.
Mungkin pesawat terlalu muda 3 tahun untuk masuk dalam daftar kecelakaan
pesawat di Indonesia.

Lihat gambaran keseluruhannya, saya memprediksi akan ada paling tidak
satu kecelakaan pesawat lagi di Indonesia sebelum tahun 2006 berakhir .

Have a nice flight everyone !
Terjemahan bebas menurut dokumen aslinya, oleh: MarCom

Making life “easy “ for children usually makes life “ hard” for them in adulthood

From Priyalinov@gmail com

Del Smith, the millionaire founder and chairman of Evergreen International Aviation , has often said , "Thank God I was born poor ; I learned how to work". Like many others who made it to the top on their own, Smith believes that the greatest gift that can be given to a child is to teach him or her the value of work. It is a gift that can never be lost or stolen. It's a natural desire of parents to give their children material things they didn't have as children. Such generosity, however, often deprives children of the greatest gift you can give them : confidence in their ability to take care of themselves. When you make life "hard" for your children by requiring them to learn the value of work, they will have a far greater likelihood of success as adults.

Do They Really Hate Islam?

By Idris Tawfiq British Writer and Speaker

Many young Muslims have grown up knowing only hostility between Islam and the West. It seems to them as though Islam and Muslims are blamed for the ills of the whole world. Since the infamous attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, in which so many lives were lost so senselessly, Islam and the West look upon each other with suspicious eyes. Subsequent attacks on civilians in London, Madrid, Bali, and elsewhere have caused further tension and misunderstanding between Islam and those who know nothing of its message. In many countries, Muslims are now looked upon with fear and suspicion, as though they are not really a part of the communities in which they live. The veil, far from being the beautiful garment of modesty and piety as Muslims see it, is regarded as a symbol of some strange religion. Young Muslim men wearing a beard are seen as fanatics or extremists, and are stopped and searched on the street as possible terrorists. Even politicians now speak about Islam and Muslims as though they are a hidden enemy within the country, who have to be watched very carefully. On the other hand, what young Muslims see in the news is also very disturbing. The tragedy being played out before all of our eyes in Iraq and Afghanistan, ever since the United States and its allies invaded those countries, and the daily oppression of ordinary men, women, and children in Palestine, leave many young Muslims wondering what it is that so many people have against Islam. The so-called War on Terror has been linked very clearly to Islam. Does the world really hate Islam, they ask. It is a simple fact that most people who are not Muslim do not have much experience of Islam. How could they? The only information they get about Islam and Muslims is what they see on the television, news, or in the newspaper. Newspapers, though, don't run headlines about people trying to be good. The news carries stories about explosions and wars and violence. A Muslim grandmother praying five times a day and teaching her grandchildren to recite the Qur'an does not make the news. A group of Muslim youths who pray together in the mosque and then play football together in the street is not what headlines are made of, is it? Islam is simply beyond the experience of most people who are not Muslim. If you live in a Muslim country, you will hear the Call to Prayer and you will see people praying in the street and reciting the Qur'an on the bus. It is as natural as breathing. If you live in a country that isn't Muslim, you will not only not see these things, but they would seem very strange to you if you did. In a Muslim country, you grow up hearing the name of Allah all the time. In a Muslim home, you grow up in the same way. In a non-Muslim environment, though, this just isn't the case. Before the horrible episode of those cartoons in Denmark, which upset Muslims so much because of the way they spoke about our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Danish Queen made a remark that summed up much of the problem. Referring to devout Muslims, she talked about "those people for whom religion is everything." Now, to us as Muslims, religion is everything, and it is not strange to say so. People who aren't Muslim, though, just don't see it that way, and that is where the problem starts. They don't have friends who pray openly and talk about the Creator as the center of their lives. It's not that people hate Islam, but it's really that they don't know enough about Islam and they are being fed with misinformation and wrong stories about Islam and Muslims all the time. Politicians, though, are very clever. If there is a problem in a country, it is far easier to find a reason for the problem and point a finger at who is to blame than to admit that you don't know how to solve it. Unfortunately, this is what has happened recently with Islam and Muslims. To fight a "War on Terror" you need to have an enemy. You can't fight a war against no one. Even though it has been proved beyond a doubt that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that people knew this, the country was still attacked, with tragic consequences. If bombs go off in the London Underground or in beach resorts, killing innocent people, people want the culprits to be caught. They want someone to blame and they want someone to be punished. We find that throughout a country's history, different groups are blamed for that country's problems. When IRA violence was at its height in Northern Ireland, Irish Catholics were looked upon with suspicion, as sympathizers towards the bombers. When unemployment gets high in a country, people look to immigrants from abroad to blame for the lack of jobs. It is natural, then, for people to be easily led and to be fed targets whom they can blame. It is wrong but natural. If a finger can be pointed at someone else, then people feel they know where the danger lies. Not knowing who the terrorists are is very frightening indeed. Another very sinister fact is that there are some groups in the world who do not want Islam to prosper, and they do everything they can to feed the media with misinformation to make Islam and Muslims seem bad. As for ordinary people, though, they don't hate Islam. They just don't know anything about it. How many young Muslims know much about Buddhists, for example? How many know anything at all about people living in the Pacific Islands? Almost none, we might say, because it is outside our experience. The challenge for all Muslims, then, is to let people know about Islam. How to do this is a problem. It is difficult to talk to people when they are afraid of you or think you are odd. In the present climate of mistrust, just seeing a girl wearing hijab is often enough to make someone turn away in disgust or fear. The very mention of the word Islam is enough to cause suspicion, even among people who are educated. The media has a lot to answer for. I remember just after the 9/11 attacks, one of the popular newspapers in the UK carried a large headline which said "ISLAM IS NOT THE RELIGION OF EVIL." Now, up until that time no one had suggested that it was, but running such a headline put the idea into people's minds. What we, as Muslims, have to do is to change people's ideas. We start first of all with our friends in school and college and at work. It's possible to let people see that we pray and take our religion very seriously, and still laugh and joke and be seen as quite normal. Huddling into small groups and having nothing to do with non-Muslims is not the answer. We need to be proud of who we are and what we believe and to be very much a part of the communities where we live. If our school is made up mostly of non-Muslims, we should respect that, but let them see what we believe, also. If our workmates drink alcohol and go to the pub on a Friday night, we needn't look down our noses at them, but we can let it be known in a very simple and gentle way that Muslims just don't do that. We don't have to compromise what we believe here, as though it isn't important, but there are ways we can do it which will make our point without giving offense. Who knows, the way we talk about Islam in daily life might be just what is needed to correct the wrong ideas people have. If we play in a Muslim youth football team, for example, we can show the other teams who are not Muslim that our soccer skills don't require us to swear or to drink. The very way we behave on and off the pitch should be our own da`wah, our own way of calling others to Islam. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies because we fail to speak up or to give the good example that others are expecting of us. In all things, Muslims say "al-hamdu lillah." If people misunderstand us at the present time, then this is just an opportunity for us to talk about Islam. By showing the people around us that Islam is not violent or extreme, but that it is very beautiful and very sweet, we can change people's minds and win their hearts for Allah. No, people don't hate Islam, they just have never met any good Muslims. Let us be the first ones they meet!

Idris Tawfiq is a British Muslim writer who lives and works in Egypt. He has spent many years working with young people. He was head of religious education in different schools in the United Kingdom and, perhaps more remarkably, before embracing Islam he was a Roman Catholic priest. You can visit website at www.idristawfiq.com.