Where is my FWW magazine?

[ian]

Issue 187 arrived today at my house in Perth (and we are isolated). Still have not yet received issue 186 after it was posted on 12 Sep.
Les

Les
issues 186 & 187 arrived today, hurray!!

187 was posted International Surface Air Lift in Chicago

186 appears to have gone to the Dominican Republic, the plastic bag has a sticker that appears to say (in Spanish) "delivery impossible - no such address" It looks like all Australian orders got bundled and sent somewhere they shouldn't have because also written in the bag is
SWLF NSW FMOCR 704
20 OCT 06 02:42
and
SWLF NSW FMOCR 705
20 OCT 06 14:59
which I think means that the mag arrived at and was processed by an Australian bulk mail forwarder last Thursday


ian

[ian]

I'm genuinely curious. Is that a realistic road freight option? Seems to me there are one or two places along that route where you might encounter a delay or two. Does anyone actually ship international freight overland through Iran et al? If so, how long does it take?

Driver,
I've not plotted a route in detail, however I know the Chinese are in the process of converting the old Silk Road to a 4 or six lane highway, that Saudi Arabia have constructed a 6 lane freeway between the Red Sea and Persian Gulf and that Surface Air Lifted packages from Europe take 2–3 weeks to arrive — times consistent with a very long drive or a few relatively short sea voyages. For comparison, Global Priority packages from the Atlantic side of the States take about 2 days (maye a bit less) to get from the supplier to Australian Customs


ian

[lesmeyer]

Guys - please lets stop this nonsense of expounding the overland very cheap shipping methods. We do NOT want to give Rob Lee at LV any ideas now - do we ?? Is'nt it enough that Taunton has taken to this??
Les

[ian]

Guys - please lets stop this nonsense of expounding the overland very cheap shipping methods. We do NOT want to give Rob Lee at LV any ideas now - do we ??

I don't know. I thought we'd already done that with last year's Great Aussie Bessy Clamp order !!

Thank you again DarylF

[lesmeyer]

I don't know. I thought we'd already done that with last year's Great Aussie Bessy Clamp order !!

Thank you again DarylF

Yes,
thanks to Daryl. The Bessey K bodies are great clamps.
Les

[Driver]

Driver,
I've not plotted a route in detail, however I know the Chinese are in the process of converting the old Silk Road to a 4 or six lane highway, that Saudi Arabia have constructed a 6 lane freeway between the Red Sea and Persian Gulf and that Surface Air Lifted packages from Europe take 2–3 weeks to arrive — times consistent with a very long drive or a few relatively short sea voyages. For comparison, Global Priority packages from the Atlantic side of the States take about 2 days (maye a bit less) to get from the supplier to Australian Customs


ian

Ian

I've probably been a bit unfair - please accept my apologies. I actually do know a bit about this and I spent some time in the Middle East during the 80s.

Surface Air Lifted packages use a combination of overland freight (including both rail and road transport), seafreight and airfreight. The freight companies involved will take advantage of whatever means is most economical within a realistic time frame. This usually means buying top-load space in mixed cargo.

Using your example of a package airfreighted to Germany en route from the US to Australia, it would be highly unlikely for the freight outfit to elect to send it overland from Germany to Singapore. The instability in the region from Turkey to India would make this both uncertain and potentially expensive. I am not suggesting that there is no road transport through this region - of course there is. However, if you were transporting from Europe to Australia, you would try to avoid this route.

Your comments on the updating of the Silk Road and the superhighway across Saudi are accurate but misleading. The Silk Road's original route passed through modern Iran and Iraq. Not a particularly recommended journey right now. The Saudi route from the Red Sea to the Gulf has been in place for a long time (over 25 years in my personal experience). It's simply being widened. Also, you wouldn't use it by choice as a part of a direct overland route from Europe to SE Asia).

You say that a 2-3 week transit time from Europe to Australia is consistent with a very long drive. Actually, the overland route would take a helluva lot longer than 3 weeks, I reckon.

Col

[ian]

Col
no offence taken

For the exercise if you assume two-up operation and driving for 20 hours per day, an average speed of 60km/h for the 20 hours totals 24,000km over 3 weeks.

to pick the fastest land route would take some detailed knowledge of road, rail and ferry routes


ian

[bitingmidge]

#187 is here (from Chicago), but of course it was never missing!


Roll on #186

Cheers,

P

[Wongo]

I bet you mine will be here last.

[silentC]

I bet you issue #188 it wont

[Bob38S]

Just looked in the big white box at the head of the driveway --

Nix, nothing, nada, no, zip - all I can hear in the back of my mind is Sgt Schultz "I know............ - Hmmmmm.....must remember to close the door on the letter box gently.:mad:

- no 186, 187 not even the AWW or Woodsmith - I think I'm going into withdrawal.

One day it will be....

[Wongo]

Hay Taunton dude,

If you are reading this thread then let me ask you something. What is happening to the "complete reply within 48 hours"?

It is now more then 672 hours since I sent my first email, 504 hours since my second email and 200 hours since my third.

WHERE THE HELL ARE MY COMPLETE REPLIES?

I am not angry or anything, I am just disappointed.

[Driver]

WHERE THE HELL ARE MY COMPLETE REPLIES?

They are on their way to you via Surface Air Lifted mail.

Currently they are transiting Turkmenistan in the company of a small quantity of python poo which was despatched to you from Melbourne about six months ago, addressed to Possum Base, Sydney.

[Driver]

For the exercise if you assume two-up operation and driving for 20 hours per day, an average speed of 60km/h for the 20 hours totals 24,000km over 3 weeks.

Ian

It's not just about average road speed. It's mainly about decidedly below-average bureaucrats and procedures at border crossings and checkpoints.

Here's an example. In 1982, I travelled by road from Amman in Jordan to Baghdad in Iraq. The Iraqi border is about 300 km from Amman but back in those days there was no control point actually at the border. You didn't get your passport and other documents checked until you reached Rutbah, another 120 km inside Iraq.

The trip from Amman to Rutbah took about 6 hours to cover roughly 420 km. Getting my visa checked and passport stamped at Rutbah took about 4 hours. (Rutbah, by the way, is never going to win any prizes as a tourist destination ). The remainder of the trip from Rutbah to Baghdad took 10 hours to cover roughly 450 km. More than half of this time was consumed with more checkpoints, document perusal, stuffing about, getting off the road to let interminable military convoys pass by etc, etc.

For the record, the high desert road from Amman to Baghdad was in excellent condition back then: blacktop the whole way, at least two wide lanes and long stretches of dual carriageway with two lanes in each direction.

The worst aspect of that journey (apart from the coffee at Rutbah :eek: ) was the genuine danger of being run off the road by overloaded Mercedes trucks driven mainly by over-exuberant Turks, hammering down the middle of the road at 150 km/hr plus.

Ah, nostalgia! It ain't what it used to be, y'know.

Col

[craigb]

I've been away for a few days but when I got home this evening #187 was in the letterbox.

Still no sign of #186 though :confused:

Wongo, is your subscription up to date?