Owais Mughal
![]("http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m237/owaism1971/momigul2.jpg")
On May 20, 1965 Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK705 from Dhahran was descending on the runway of Cairo airport. This was PIA’s inaugural flight to Cairo. 119 unfortunate people onboard died.
Among the victims was PIA’s trend setter air-stewardess Momi Gul Durrani.
At ATP we have done a number of posts of PIA – both on its high-flying early years (here, here, here) and its more troubled recent years (here, here, here). If ever there was a "Face of PIA," it was Momi Gul Durrani. No PIA personality, with the exception of Air Marshal Nur Khan (who, in fairness, was already a celebrity before he came to PIA) has ever achieved such public recognition, affection and fame as Momi Durrani did.
Quoting from the Mr. Abbas Ali‘s website History of PIA:
Momi was one of PIA’s highly trained, professional and hard working cabin crew members of 1950s and 1960s. She was tall, fair with film-star looks. In short period of time she gained immense popularity and achieved status of a bright star and a legend in PIA’s glorious history.
Omar Kureishi, while writing an article in Dawn of March 30, 2003 recalled Momi in following words:
(For the inaugural PIA flight to Cairo) We had our VIP cabin crew including Momi Durrani, a Pathan girl, tall and fair with film-star looks. We had featured Momi in our advertisements. When she smiled, she made others smile.
![]("http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m237/owaism1971/momigul1.jpg")
In the first two photos, Momi Gul Durrani is seen in 1950s uniform of PIA. Once again quoting from website History of PIA (re. the first photograph):
This photos shows PIA’s legendary Air Hostess Momi Gul Durrani in 1950s uniform. This uniform was designed by Frenchman Chausee Fortaignelle who was with PIA on a 5 year deputation from Pan Am. In this design a white shalwar and dupatta were set off by a green shirt with white cuffs and collar. Shoes and bags were black. The most interesting item of this uniform was a jaunty green cap for the hostesses. This uniform design was used from 1955 to 1960
![]("http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m237/owaism1971/230px-PK_705_Cairo_Graveyard.jpg")
Photo to the right is the monument (graves) of 119 fateful passengers of PK705 in Cairo, Egypt.
Note: As written above, PK705 was an inaugural flight in a sense that it was the resumption of Karachi-Cairo service which had been suspended for many years until the fateful day of May 20, 1965.
References:
(1) History of PIA by Abbas Ali
(2) Dr. Ghulam Nabi Kazi’s Photo Selection at Flickr.com
(3) The Cairo Crash by Omer Kureishi
(4) Photo of the PK705 memorial is from Wikipedia
STREET-LEGAL OR MONSTER HIGH, TRUCKS ROAR ACROSS OCEANFRONT TOUGH TRUCKS DRAWS 16 MONSTERS-TO-BE FOR AMATEUR RACING IN THEIR OWN VEHICLES.(LOCAL)
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) October 14, 2001 Byline: MATTHEW JONES THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT VIRGINIA BEACH — Their license plates said it all.
TRUKNN HED HIGH DEZLSMK BLT4SND MUDCRLR These names adorned the bumpers of some of the jacked-up, tricked-out trucks of Monsters on the Beach 4, which began Friday at the Oceanfront and ends in a fit of ear-splitting fury this afternoon. go to web site monster high wiki
For more than two hours Saturday, two dozen trucks did their best to scare away the sea birds and redistribute the beach’s brand new sand.
The crowds heard these monsters’ engines and they came. They packed the bleachers cheek-to-cheek at 6th Street. They hung over balcony railings at the Boardwalk’s hotels.
The monsters also lured another type of fan: the monster-to-be. For along with the pros and their big-name trucks – Grave Digger, Wolverine, Goldberg, Gunslinger – were 16 local drivers who raced in the parallel Tough Trucks competition.
Before the Tough Trucks race, these young men stood atop the racecourse’s final hill. They eyed the track warily.
“There’s a hole there somewhere,” said driver Nick Beane of Norfolk, looking back down the slope.
“You hit that hole and you’re going that way,” he added, pointing toward the drop-off at the hill’s edge.
The stakes for these amateurs were high. They were racing one another in their own street-legal trucks, with no sponsors. If they broke anything, they were going to have to hitch a ride home.
“Unless you have other means of transportation,” said driver Mark Beazley of Newport News, “I wouldn’t recommend doing it.” Sponsorship is even more crucial for a pro monster’s survival. Those menacing tires cost $1,800 each. The alcohol-powered engines are another $30,000. A team can easily spend $150,000 per truck on parts alone.
As the monsters took their turns racing and roaring and soaring over the sand on 1200 horsepower, the local drivers waited in the pit with starry eyes and dreams of going pro. in our site monster high wiki
“I think I’ve got the skill,” Beane said and pointed to Beazley. “I think he’s got the skill, too.” Beazley shook his head. “I’m just crazy,” he countered.
This was Beane’s second year racing his black Toyota. It was Beazley’s third year with his zebra-striped Ford.
Neither man won Saturday afternoon. That honor went to driver Sean DeVinney, who snapped his Suzuki Samurai’s rear shock after going airborne on the course’s second hill.
“It was worth breaking it,” he said breathlessly, after being handed his $250 winner’s check. “I don’t care, I got another one.” Beane, his defeat notwithstanding, had his sights set higher.
“I want to race one of them,” he said, eying the monsters across the aisle, perched above the sand on their 5 1/2-foot tires, idling at low grumbles capable of altering one’s heartbeat.
“Just once.” Reach Matthew Jones at mjones@pilotonline.com CAPTION(S):
BILL TIERNAN PHOTOS/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Tom Meents of Paxton, Ill., drives the monster truck Goldberg during Monster on the Beach 4 on Saturday. Meents, 34, got his truck airborne after going over a pile of junked cars and sand.
Monster truck races on the beach are no quiet event. Sarah Hurni, 2, holds her ears on Saturday to silence the fury. Her 5-year-old brother, Jake, watches the trucks tear through the sand.
Monster truck races on the beach are no quiet event. Phil Hurni of Virginia Beach consoles his daughter Sarah, 2, as her 5-year-old brother, Jake, watches the ear-spitting action on Saturday.
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Today is 20th May 2012, almost 47 years ago, the Tragic
Cairo aircrash happend, we lost many important persons,
many well known journalists of our news papers leading
personalities.
ms.momi gul durrani the most professional and seasoned
airhostess produced by our national airline even today,
It was a tragic incident of that era,
We still sorrow for this incident,
m.babar jameel qureshi,
malir city-karachi
It was a great tragedy for all of us, those who were related
to our great national airline, headed by late airmarshall nur khan, a brilliant and all time honest leader,
I remember the cries and weeping at karachi airport at that
occassion,
abdul aziz,
ex ground care-taker airport stadium, airport karachi
This was a very tragic event of era, before sept 1965-Pak &
India war. I was in Security Deptt of PIA at that time, I
remember,
Sarfraz Ahmed,
ex pia security officer
This is a very tragic late story for me,
ashraf raza zaidi,
ex telephone operator -airport exchange- khi