In a blur of rotas, the nimble helicopter sweeps up off the asphalt, revealing the vast brown expanse of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley rolling out in all directions.
Cars down below quickly become antlike in size. As the altitude increases, swimming pools shimmering in the summer heat begin to resemble the small blue tiles of a mosaic.
The helicopter swings out over the town of Zahle, offering a view of the Our Lady of Bekaa shrine that few have seen.
Lebanon is fighting an “economic war”, says Brig Gen Ziad Haikal, commander of the country’s air force. And that war, he says, requires “unconventional solutions”.
From this week, his fleet of Robinson R44 four-seat light helicopters will take on a new role — ferrying tourists into the sky for aerial trips of the cedar state in a desperate bid to raise money for a cash-strapped Lebanese army.
The country is convulsing in the worst economic crisis in its history, with salaries collapsing and poverty on the increase and the Lebanese armed forces are far from immune.
They have become desperately reliant on donations from other countries just to feed their soldiers and salaries have shrunk to a fraction of what recruits would have signed up for a year ago. A private soldier now earns the equivalent of just $90 — down from almost $850 before the crisis — and the officers not much more.
Two weeks ago, army chief General Joseph Aoun warned that without urgent support, the collapse of all state institutions — including the army — was inevitable.
“We do battles as a military. Usually, in military battles, we use our aircraft and firepower but this is an unconventional war so you have to face it with unconventional means,” Gen Haikal told The National at the launch of the project at the Rayak Air Base, which has previously housed units from both the French air force and Britain's RAF.
“You are not looking at an army that is just laying down and asking for help. They are trying to stay on top of the water and not to drown,” he said.
A flight costs $150 and can take up to three people on a fifteen-minute ride of the country’s sites. It is, Gen Haikal says, far cheaper than Las Vegas or Dubai, where similar experiences exist.
He has allocated resources for up to 1,000 hours of tourist flights per year. Despite announcing the offer only on Tuesday Gen Haikal says Thursday will see the first of more than 100 trips already booked. That should amount to almost $15,000 in fresh dollars before costs — a sum that will go a long way in helping weather the crisis.
The R44 helicopter costs around $300 an hour to keep in the air, so every minute a tourist flight is airborne is a valuable source of extra dollars for the air force — selling out all the seats on all 1,000 hours of flight time could net the military more than $2 million in the increasingly scarce US currency.
Gen Haikal is keen to show that the air force is being proactive about dealing with the crisis.
“We are not seeking help and doing nothing. We are trying to survive, to do something with whatever capability we have,” he said.
The scheme will soon include flights from four locations up and down Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast, from Batroun to Beiteddine.
Yet with the military, often seen as one of the few independent institutions and a source of stability in the country, going cap in hand for international support, morale is a major concern.
“So far we are doing good, the intention is to keep this morale high by showing everybody we are not standing still,” says the general.
“These initiatives are essential to keep the morale up and this is one step towards this.”
The flight is over in no time, leaving passengers wanting more.
This is Lebanon’s newest tourist attraction, but for the officer behind it, the stakes are far higher than a positive review on TripAdvisor.
“You cannot blame anybody for trying to survive, and we are in a battle of survival — believe me”.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RIDE%20ON
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Larry%20Yang%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Jackie%20Chan%2C%20Liu%20Haocun%2C%20Kevin%20Guo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Fight card
1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)
9. Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
