selaparang airport is located on the western side of lombok island where lombok straits -- the deepest strait in the nation lies to its west and the mountains range surrounding mount rinjani as the third highest peak in the nation to the east.

a nice clear weather will land your aircraft smoothly. on the other hand, the picture above tells a different story. a thick stormy clouds was in the vicinity not to mention the gust from the strait. what afraid me the most is the aviation term called the wind shear.

thought it was a rough climbing towards the 27,000 feet on the way to Jogyakarta, the pilots managed to fly this Boeing 737-400 well.

and, i just realized, having tasted the ultra-secure airport security in the US after the 9/11, only in the nation (i think) the passangers can walk leisurely on the tarmac boarding the aircraft. as an airlines enthusiast like me, no complain whatsoever. i can easily walk under the aircraft, seeing luggages being loaded, talked to the first-officer and saw avtur being pumped in. the experience you can never have outside the nation.