Snippets from the Italian Scene:
Flying out of Malpensa? If
You Must
Returning to Cosa Bolle, this has been an interesting week (03/03/2002) for those flying out of Milano's Malpensa airport, and were I the airport's administrator I'd think seriously about changing its name, which translates roughly as bad thoughts: At the beginning of the week a plane strayed onto a foggy runway as another plane was landing, and only the prompt action of a tower operator averted disaster (this was a repeat of what happened last fall, only then the radar was turned off and 130 people died). Then, a couple of days later, a great gout of flame burst from the engine of a charter taking off for Cuba; those with well-placed window seats said it looked like the wing was on fire. One might have expected an emergency landing, but the pilot instead came onto the intercom to say that there was nothing seriously wrong and they could continue. When the passengers refused to be mollified he suggested they vote on it, and only turned the plane around after the votes were tallied. Of the 240 passengers, about 200 took off the next day on a different plane, while the remainder returned home, their faith in the skies badly shaken.
Nor are these the only mishaps suffered by Malpensa: the turbulence from passing planes sucks the roof tiles off the houses at the end of the landing route, and the mayors of all the surrounding towns are demanding compensation for noise pollution (as are the homeowners living around what used to be a dinky airport and is now the major North-Italian hub).
And even this isn't all the runways after a treatment they put down reacted with the asphalt, making it so sticky that the planes were glued to the ground.
A presto,
Kyle
Phillips
Webweaver, About Italian Cuisine
Thoughts on Italian food
On Italian wine
On
living in Italy
Send a card from the
Italian Cuisine Post Office, or browse the photos!
