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Kerosene lamps light runway as Bill Gates flies out of Jodhpur in India

by Ravi Dixit | November 13, 2008 at 08:13 pm

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Technology Czar Bill Gates was powered by the most ancient lighting system, kerosene lamps to enable his chartered plane to fly out of the Historical Indian City of Jodhpur (Second largest city of Rajasthan). As DNA reports that the airport does not have night lighting for civilian aircrafts to take off and this Kerosene lamps were used to guide the aircraft on its way out of Jodhpur.
So much for technology, grassroot human genius is required to sovle many a problems still. It is to be noted that aircrafts of Indian Air Force do make night sorties from this base as it is one of the most important military station near the Pakistan border.

NEW DELHI: He may have a pioneering role in the modern day computing revolution. But Bill Gates had to be assisted with hundreds of kerosene lamps to fly out of Jodhpur.
This novel experience for the Microsoft founder happened on Saturday evening, when Gates and his family members had to be provided “emergency” assistance to leave Jodhpur in their chartered aircraft after sundown.

The airport, a strategic forward base of the Indian Air Force, is shut for operations after 4 pm as repair work is under way, a spokesman said. But Air Force sources said the runway lacks lighting facilities for night operations, which is strange given the fact that Jodhpur is a frontline base along the Pakistan border.

As a special case, the airport was kept open for Gates until 5.30 pm. “But due to last minute developments his flight was further delayed,” said an air force officer.

The Microsoft founder along with his wife, father and two sisters were staying at Umaid Bhawan Palace. “As the flight was further delayed, necessary clearances were obtained as a special case and the runway had to be lit by goosenecks for a safe take off as it was dark,” said Wing Commander Satish Menon, spokesperson for the South Western Air Command, which looks after Jodhpur airbase.

Goosenecks are containers filled with kerosene and lit up with wicks, used sparingly today in case of emergency when lighting fails in an airbase.

An air force officer said “hundreds of goosenecks were lit up” for the Microsoft honcho’s plane to take off. “It is an emergency procedure,” the officer said. And the Gates family finally took off in their private plane as hundreds of humble goosenecks lit up the runway.