Padded Laptop Briefcase Bombs Way into Thai Aviation History

Team "Kwai Dang," that's Thai for "Red Oxx," is now in the record books of Thai aviation.

Bombardier David Weston and his crew relied on our padded briefcase as they competed in the Pattaya Sun & Fun Fly-In in Thailand.

Dear Red Oxx,
I just got back from flying single engine airplanes in Thailand with the Thai Flying Club. Your Metro padded briefcase makes an excellent pilot bag.

• It is perfect for carrying the oversized Tactical Pilotage Charts, headsets, digital camera, sunglasses and other gear with ease.
• My aviation radio and hand-held GPS unit fit perfectly in the side pockets.
• The end pockets are very convenient to carry bottled water, a necessity in the hot and humid climate of Thailand.

I really appreciate the heavy duty utility of this bag.

As part of our flying adventure, my pals and I flew into the first ever Pattaya Sun & Fun Fly-In, fashioned after American air shows, with events, competitions, and flying demonstrations.

We entered the flour bombing competition under the team name "Kwai Dang," that's Thai for Red Oxx. My friend Brian, from Japan, was the pilot. Tom Claytor, the acclaimed National Geographic round-the-world bush pilot, was the navigator. Kruu Paul, the Thai Flying Club ground instructor was the mission commander. And I was the bombardier.

The competition required dropping a small plastic baggy filled with flour onto a bulls-eye target from 100 feet in the air. My drop mark was a termite mound the size of a California bungalow opposite the 200 meter mark on the runway. We had three tries.

Team Kwai Dang came in third overall. We were beat by Team Bad Guy. However, we won the airplane division and we gave ourselves a lot of style points for bare-chested flour bombing. The team was awarded a commemorative plate that is sitting on my bookshelf right now. I have no idea what it says. It's written all in Thai.

Team Kwai Dang, the Red Oxx, is now in the record books of Thai aviation. We celebrated like Super Bowl champions at Pattaya's infamous walking street. But that's another story.

David, if you thought that just by naming your flying team after Red Oxx, that would make you maxi-cool, well, you're right. We like the sound of Kwai Dang as it rolls off our tongue and drops bomb on target. We like the image that comes to mind when you describe "bare-chested flour bombing." It sounds like something we'd embrace. ~ Cheers, Jim Markel, CEO