"November Charlie"

There is nothing amazing about this watch. Just an ordinary digital – analogue watch or two in one watch. Its another ‘fake it till you become it’ product that I am on. I mean as compared to watches like Citizenand Breitling… You are probably wondering why I need both analogue and digital. I don’t actually. However, I am a watch fanatic. I could just have picked an ordinary two button digital watch and life would have progressed in some way. Aviation operates on Universal Standard Time or UTC. This is the time at the Greenwich Meridian. This makes it possible for the synchronization of Aviation for safety and ease of management of air traffic. It should also be in the twenty-four hour system. I have noticed that some pilots do not like the digital watches so much and so will carry a spare simple digital watch in their flight bags and only wear them when flying. The digital watch is set UTC, which at our position on the globe is 3 hours less the local time. I did not like the inconvenience of carrying two watches, struggling with the minute hand of an ordinary stick* watch and the deduction of hours when you should be busy doing other things. I also wanted something that would last and something that would tell this story. That is why; I preferred an analogue watch and a digital watch in one. The digital watch reads UTC in 24 hours and the analogue indicates local time. With time, I have gotten used to doing the quick math, but people do not understand. Like tweeting “1000hrs Lunch time is here!!! Have a Nice One” I think it is cool too.

So where did I get it? Online? There is a site Gad, introduced to me where he orders his things from China called Ali Express. That is where I went. They even deliver… For $8.99, I could get this watch and I think a dollar or two extra for postage. Before ordering though, I decided to do a visit of the various watch shops in town. Luthuli did not have what I wanted – that is good for analogues – My source of Philip Persio and Casio, Back in the better days. (I have been wearing 200/- watches for the last like two years. Just hush about that) Corner house, Ksh 2,500/- best bargain Ksh 2,000/- Jamia also Ksh, 2,000/- Non Negotiable. Norwich union had it but was too pricey. Ksh 2,500/-. I told the lady I was a student and I only had Ksh 1,000/- the most I have ever spent on a watch was Ksh 1,200/- ( Back in the Philip Persio Days). I wasn’t planning to go above the K and I told the lady its fine if she did not want me to have a digital watch. I feigned a walkout, & she said its fine with the Thousand, and that is how I got this plastic, sports watch. Analogue, Digital, Alarm, and Backlight inclusive. I was satisfied with my buy and proud of my baby face complete with the boredom, dry lips, et al and that is how I got the watch. By bedtime, I hadn’t got a name for it. On that online procurement note… I noted a typo on a major brand “WATEA RESIST” watch. I will leave it at that.

To the origin of the name Charlie. This is Charlie for Charlene; let us get that confirmed first. We are in a very slippery period – if you know what I mean. So, why November Charlie? Phonetic for NC. While internalizing my/ our procedures, we use the name of an actual plane. This is currently a Cessna 152 belonging to 99sflyingschool. That is my school. By internalizing, I mean when practicing the radios. That is the proper radio comms as well as the confidence to do it. I have been singing 5Y NNC for the last like three weeks in front of a Redbird simulator. It’s so locked that any time I start “Five Yankee November…” The mind just wants to go “… November Charlie.”
When I started flying, this is obviously the plane I booked first. I also tended to feel Charlie is closer to me since Chris is my name and blah blah… November Charlie was my first plane to fly. It’s a Cessna 152. – These are things that you cannot afford to forget. The details. I may not be as lucky as my cousin or my flight instructor who have planes, which have their names coincidentally. It’s not that it is important, just things that minds like mine observe some things with the potential to be classified as petty. Like Ian, who is currently winding up his CPL, there is a plane 5Y-IAN. India Alpha November… Or my Instructor who probably will, punch me for this, – if he will ever get to read it, there is a Dornier 5Y-BUX Bravo Uniform X-ray. The best my name would do is maybe 5Y-CBG Charlie Bravo Golf, but I have seen a Charlie Hotel Romeo. A Charlie Bravo Golf existed at some point, which if I switch to ‘weird’ right now, I will say, ‘I will fly a Caravan someday as a bush pilot’ estimating next year December. There used to be a 5Y-CBG Cessna 208 Grand Caravan, owned by Phoenix Aviation, but it is no longer around these aprons (read streets) – haven’t seen it I mean. Anyway, that was just a diversion. For the experience, though I have flown other 152s. It feels different, just like cars. Your friend’s Subaru does not necessarily feel the same like yours, even if it has the same specs. Individually, some things will not handle the same or give the same kind of response, i.e. brakes, acceleration, et al… That is pretty much like saying, November Charlie is my first girlfriend… & thus the watch was named after her.