Bristol Blue Glass Factory - photos from Ahmad

On Sunday 2 December a small group of students visited the Bristol Blue Glass Factory.

After hearing a short talk about the history of Bristol Blue glass, we all got a chance to blow a glass bubble. Here we are with James, who at 22 is the most experienced glass blower there.

Maria learns how to blow a good bubble... The trick is to blow continuously, soft and steady - like a balloon, at first nothing happens...

And here she goes...! James is turning the tube to ensure the bubble stays round.

Here you can see Rayan demonstrating his technique - see the white-hot glass...

Cooling to red-blue as he goes on blowing...

However, if you blow too hard, like Mohammad did, the bubble sags towards the floor.

Finally and sadly our bubbles were smashed and the glass recycled - Shige shields his eyes.

Ice Karting - photos from Ahmad

On Sunday 25 November we were really lucky to be able to go Ice Karting at Bristol Ice Rink.

Here you can see the whole Karting gang, the ENAC: Benjamin, William, Nicolas et al. then Rayan, Shigehiro, Ancor, Shin Ho, Ibrahim, Ahmad, Mohammad, Abdulaziz, Khalifa, Maria, Park Jong-Hyeok and Alexey.

We were divided into 4 teams: (red, yellow, green and blue) and took it in turns to relay race around the rink. The team with the most laps won.

A related video promoting our favorite social program venue:

Report: Ivato International Airport, by Rafanambinantsoa Valohery

You have probably already heard or seen documentary about Madagascar. Madagascar is a wonderful island which appears on a lot of documentaries about the Indian Ocean. This island offers a lot of activities and leisure pursuits. It has Ivato as the International Airport which is located in the capital: Antananarivo Indeed, Ivato is not the only one, but there are still around eight smaller airports located in the other provinces.

The first point is about traffic in navigation which defines the number of flights in the FIR (Flight Information Region) on average for a precise time which is always a day. Especially for Ivato, it controls all the flights inside the Indian Ocean space. It means, task is difficult for Ivato Air Traffic Controllers to manage all the aircraft inside the FIR which is almost the whole Indian Ocean. In 2005 all the terminals were re-developed and nowadays the airport has around ten terminals and it also provides stands for 20 aeroplanes.

Secondly, as we can see inside the famous airports as Foissy Charles de Gaulles for Paris and Heathrow for London, modestly, Malagasy people must be proud of their Duty Free shop and their Customer Service and above all safety service. Before boarding, foreign passengers are invited to discover or to buy Malagasy products for souvenirs. After that, there are three companies which provide all kinds of flights (international or domestic), these is Air France for international flights, Air Madagascar for international and domestic flights and ATTR for only domestic flights.

The final part is focussed on technology used in navigation. Even if this airport is not among the biggest in the world, it uses the main technology required by ICAO rules, for example, x-ray scanner, Instruments Landing System and VOR. The government has incl.uded in hits development plan the rehabilitation of all airports and especially making Ivato a reference to Indian Ocean Islands.
To sum up, time and paper are not enough to describe all the beauty of Madagascar International Airport. But, it represents or reflects the first symbol of Madagascar when foreign people arrive for the first time in this country. The most important is that one of the main subjects of government plan is the redevelopment of Ivato Airport. So, imagine our airport after 5 years!!


[and in a similar vein... - Ed]


My Airport, by Benj

On the north-wst of Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar is Ivato. With its three kilometres runway, many companies such as Airmad, Air Mauritius, South Africa Airlines, Air France link Antananarivo to other local, regional and international towns. 15 aircraft can stand there.

The airport opens seven days a week and many controllers and technicians work every day and every night to guarantee a safe and secure flow traffic with many kinds of equipment, giving information used in air navigation control such as meteo (wind direction, wind speed, visibility), navigation equipment (VOR, DME, radar), landing system (ILS, NDB), phones, VHF transmitter and receiver, microphones and clocks.

In departure, it has two terminals: one for national and one for international in which twenty check-in desks are available serving passengers for all destinations. The luggage weight doesn’t exceed the authorised weight described on your ticket and 12 kg for your hand luggage. There are four passport control desks and two x-ray scanners with two metal detectors. Before the departure gates, duty free shops are available for souvenirs and gifts.

In arrival, four passport control desks are available and one caroussel for the luggage. It doesn’t have an x-ray scanner, but four tables are used by customers to check passenger luggage and two big screens show permanently, in the real time, the arrival or departure information.

Number of flights in Madagascar doesn’t stop rising every year and the number of passengers to be served follow the traffic frequency. That why our government take in their account to extend the airport, in arrival and in departure and Malagasy people hope that this extension will happen as soon as possible.

Report: Cotonou International Airport, by Charbel Serge Quenum

Located in Cadjehoun, about 5 kilometers from the town centre, Cotonou International Airport is the main airport of Benin. The Civil Aviation provides the transport sector with enough financial resources and this was possible because of the airport facilities. To, I will point out, the characteristics of the runway and the terminal.

Without the adequate facilities, at least, Cotonou International Airport cannot provide the transport sector with such financial resources. Then due to its runway which is 2.4 kilometers in length and the radio-electrical, meteorological pieces of equipment well maintained by ASECNA’s technicians, Cotonou International Airport provides aircraft with a good level of security. To fire rescue, police, security guards (who take care of the pieces of equipment) excel themselves to be efficient and air traffic controllers really respect ICAO’s rules.

Unfortunately, the stands are not big enough, with only one taxiway and one runway. After that, one part of one side of the runway possesses aquifers and the other part is like a forest. Therefore it attracts snakes and other reptiles. So what about the terminal?

Due to the fact that BENIN is an under-developing country, Cotonou International Airport has got only one terminal. Therefore some days it is so full of people that it is quite impossible to move. Luckily, for passengers and everybody’s security and safety, Cotonou International Airport has got metal detectors, x-ray scanner, camcorders and enough security guards and custom officers. It also has check in desk and immigration respectively the staff and the officer of which are kind and helpful with someone who has a lot of luggage. After that information about all the flights is displayed on the flight information screen.

For your health there are pharmacies and for other needs there is a wonderful duty-free shop.

It is very important to notice that even though it has some wonderful facilities, Cotonou International Airport is very small (nowadays a lot of people travel).

Finally Cotonou International Airport had some of wonderful facilities in spite of the fact that Benin was an underdeveloping country. Cotonou International Airport is sometimes full of people so it is very small. Therefore it does not respond to the needs of the passengers.

With the project of building of the new GLODJIGBE International Airport which will well respond to the rules of ICAO we will have a wonderful development of transport sector.

Report: Leopold Sedor Senghor International Airport, by Oumar Diallo

Leopold Sedor Senghor International Airport is one of the biggest airports in West Africa and it has an important role for the management of the Flight Information Regions (FIR’s) trusted to ASECNA by ICAO. For this reason, many devices are installed in this airport.

However, LSS Airport does not have all the modern devices we could find in the most developed airports in the world, but it is deemed by FAA/ICAO like one of the safe airport in Africa. All the departure gates have metal detectors and x-ray scanners and also a lot of security agents. Sometimes it could be frightening but heartening because the travellers can trust in a safe flight. So, lots of airplanes companies are established in Senegal like Delta Airlines, America Airlines, Egypt Airlines and even Air France, Royal Air Maroc and South African Airlines have a representative in our country.

It does not have many terminals like in Heathrow or in Roissy Charles Degaulle, only two terminals (A and B), but very pleasant by this simplicity and the diversity of the control positions makes the management of travellers not so easy.

In the arrival/departure hall we have some pleasant places like the duty free shop or restaurants where the travellers can relax. It also have free luggage trolleys, a lot parked in row for travellers. The baggage carousel is maybe deemed not so long and can make busy the arrival hall.

With regard to flight information screens, they are present everywhere inside the airport.

The airport has big hangars for Air France, SAA and military hangars, but more than six aircrafts can be on stand. Furthermore, the runway, three kilometres long, is often controlled by specialists from the aeronautical regulation department of Senegal (ANACS) which allows better security lift to aircraft.

However, meanwhile, LSS Airport needs to be extended and to have modern devices. At the moment, the government is building a new one (called Blaise Diagne Airport) in Diass (a department of Dakar) with two runways and probably a new infrastructure, because in the future, it will be difficult to manage a small airport in a big passengers and aircrafts traffic.

Report: Abidjan International Airport, by Coulibaly Sionhagnigui

Abidjan International Airport is in the east of the city with a new terminal since 2000. It about 20 mins. from the city centre by car. The runway is 3 km long. The air traffic is managed by ASECNA and AERIA manages all the formalities for travelling.

Abidjan Airport is the most important in the country and many airlines such as Air Ivoire, Air Burkino, Air France, Royal Air Maroc operate there.

The security at the airport has been improved the last few years with a new property demarcation since 2005. The runway previously about 2.7 km long has been extended about 3 km and the radar had been replaced by a new one in order to make easy the traffic management.

The terminal has a main hall where people can stay before going to the departure hall, there they can get information about any flight from or to Abidjan. Before going to the departure hall a security agent check the passport and then they go to the check-in desk. Once luggage is checked in with the x-ray scanner, they make their way to the duty-free shop or the departure lounge after their passport have been checked in by immigration officer. The last control with a metal detector happen when they are boarding.

The traffic increase at Abidjan Airport, but the certification is on issue unsolved. The authorities have to provide strict services according to ICAO conventions in order to make more safe the airport and get the certification.

[and more on this airport... - Ed]


Abidjan Airport, by Kouassi

Abidjan International Airport is situated bordering the Atlantic sea, in Cote d’Ivoire in West Africa.

It is the biggest airport in the country and one of the most important in West Africa.

The runway is 3000 m in length, with 25 aircraft stands. It has all the equipment used by pilots to communicate and fly their aircraft. In the Control Tower, the Air Traffic Controllers are always giving all the information for the safety of flights, such as meteorology. The electronical equipment is completed, by night, with an airfield lighting system which makes landing easy and safe. The Air Traffic Controllers use also RADAR systems to manage the traffic.

Abidjan airport has a new modern terminal. It has been renewed and extended in 1998. In 1999 and only for this year, the traffic had reached 1.2 million of passengers. The arrival lounge is equipped with the usual systems, like metal detectors and x-ray scanners. In the departure lounge, you have the same equipment on which you add a duty-free shop and a restaurant.

The airport authorities have an extension plan of the terminal. They think that in the future, Abidjan will become the hub of West Africa. It will be the biggest airport of this area of the continent.