Posts Tagged ‘Kanaren / Mittelmeer’
Addendum to the fairy tale from June 29th
星期一, 七月 11th, 2011Technical Aids Test Crete Part II
星期六, 七月 2nd, 2011Freeway T 40
(I don’t mean the bus.)
The White Mountains of Crete
The place on my right is free…
Freeway T 40, the off roader among the shower commode chairs
The English shower commode chair “Freeway T 40″, not to confuse it with a Ferrari F 40, is a quite useful medical device. The idea to take a commode chair on the island tour with 4 wheelers from the wheelchair Hotel Eria Resort on Crete is great because wheelchair accessible toilets on Crete are scarce.
If you would like to learn more about this great little hotel, have a look in Facebook or press on the link!
Translator BL
Where are the 70.000 workers at Frankfurt Airport???
星期四, 六月 30th, 2011Long “fairytale”, but worth reading!!!
On Saturday I landed exceedingly on time on 22:30 from Chania (Crete) in Frankfurt.
I will never understand why some people are applauding after the landing. Nobody was ever applauding for me when I did my job well. Anyway…
The aircraft was parking on a remote stand, I had as usual a nice window seat and watched very relaxed the totally stressed pedestrians leaving the plane.
As wheelchair user you have the privilege of the last passenger after the landing.
The flight captain stated that he had requested the special lifting bus and adequate members of the ground staff already several times, so that I could leave the plane as well.
But nobody came!!!
Parts of the crew and the pilot provided some company to me with which they apparently had some fun. The unwritten law that the captain is the last to leave the ship is still of great importance at Condor.
Eventually someone from ground staff came and seriously asked me if I could walk. He accurately observed that he could not help me on his own. Insight of the day…
While waiting for the lifting bus the luggage was unloaded, so I asked a crew member to check if my wheelchair and wheelchair tractive Minitrac are waiting on the airfield and hopefully are not loaded on the luggage carts.
He said that this would be the case, the things would be standing there. Uff…
The lifting bus finally arrived around 23:10, I left the aircraft with the help of two strong guys and my beloved plane transit wheelchair.
Afterwards they helped me into my own wheelchair which unlike my Minitrac was fortunately still there.
Anyway, so we had to get my Minitrac at the bulky luggage claim.
With the bus we were not brought as usual to the FraCare Service (Service for handicapped at Frankfurt airport), because this area was already closed at this time, but to a different entrance.
There a friendly employee from FraCare was waiting for me.
She said that our luggage would be in the reconstructed building C, and we would have to see how we get there at this time because some of the elevators were switched off.
She used her phone virtually as GPS and lead us confidently like a bushman in the desert through the corridors of the building.
When we finally arrived at the luggage belt we didn’t have to search our luggage for a long time, our 3 bags were rotating around and around.
The whole baggage claim area was almost deserted, there was not even a luggage thief.
My Minitrac
stood with its 65 kg a little disjointed in a plastic box on the bulky luggage belt!
My wife reassembled the Minitrac to begin with.
It is unbelievable, but at 23:44 nobody responsible was there nor could be reached by telephone, who could lift my little box from the luggage belt.
In the meantime even the last passengers were gone who we could have asked for help.
At last my wife has magically lifted my Minitrac from the luggage belt together with two men whom I just call Mister X and Y here. At this point I would like to thank them and the employee of FraCare again!
I left the terminal at 23:55!!!
My pre-ordered wheelchair taxi was kindly waiting in front of the terminal.
I have sent this “fairy tale” in a slightly modified version to Fraport (operating company of Frankfurt Airport) requesting their comments. I will keep you informed.
To my shame I have to admit that I used to work 9 years at the Frankfurt airport before my accident.
Translator BL
Back from Technical Aids Testing!
星期一, 六月 27th, 2011Test reports will follow shortly.
Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XXXIII
星期二, 四月 12th, 2011A very well-known wheelchair hotel is the
“Mar y Sol”
on Tenerife.
Everything accessible, 2 pools with lifters, a store for medical supply next door, etc.
Everything great, apart from one little thing:
Tenerife is a volcano island, and the hotel is on top of a hill, fantastic…!
A Paralympics participant might be able to conquer this mountain by himself, but not me, never ever.
Many hotel guests bring their own electric wheelchairs from Germany which often become victims of the airlines, or they rent a scooter during their stay.
I once got the tip when I am down at the beach and would like to go up to the hotel again, to wait for the next electric wheelchair driver and tow myself on to him.
Well, I didn’t rent a scooter, but already for the second time a wheelchair tractive.
I already reported in October 2010 about my positive experience with this tractive type:
Minitrac
By coincidence I got the offer in Tenerife to buy a Trac in black, even fitting my wheelchair colour.
I could not resist and acquired my approximately 10 year old, new toy.
The re-import of the once in Germany produced Minitrac from Spain was a little bit difficult.
At the check-in at Tenerife airport, a slightly panic flight passenger broke off the steering linkage. The thing was fairly crashed.
In Frankfurt my own wheelchair was damaged as well so that I could not ride it on my own because the wheel was rubbing at the brake.
With all the luggage and a little overstrained lady from the airport handicapped service it was a perfect mess.
Without the help of my wife I probably would still be standing in Terminal 1.
After a first repair of the steering linkage of the Minitrac and a set of new batteries the first rides in Frankfurt could be made.
This thing rides only with 6 km/h, therefore doesn’t need a license plate and doesn’t have any constraints from the technical control association.
Some ideas come to my mind immediately what could be changed .
Wait and see…
Translator BL
Wheelchair Tuning Part XXIII (Competitor)
星期四, 三月 31st, 2011I am looking for a text for this picture since weeks!
When “Tracy”, an employee of a store for medical supply next door to a wheelchair hotel on Tenerife drove out of the lobby with this vehicle I was completely perplexed, and I had tears of laughter.
I introduce it, probably the first world wide
Electric Inko Scooter
Tracy is a male nurse and makes everybody laugh with his sweet-and-crazy manner.
This guy is awesome, we need more of these!.
Look carefully, Winnie Pooh meets Mowgli
Back from Technical Aids Workshop in Tenerife!
星期五, 二月 25th, 2011
Tenerife Part V
星期二, 十一月 2nd, 2010I already mentioned the accessibility of Los Cristianos. They have equipped a special area for us wheelchair and scooter users on the beach over there.
You can drive in your wheelchair on wooden planks almost into the water.
If you really would like to go into the sea there are two wheelchair lifeguards who lift you with a hoist into a
Beach Wheelchair
and move you across the sand into the sea.
The guys have pushed me across the beach at a run. I was shocked that Spaniards can move that fast, respect.
Swimming in the sea for the first time after 3,5 years, what a feeling!
I was hardly in the water, and the big fish die-off began.
Translator BL
Technical Aids Tips and Tricks XX
星期五, 十月 29th, 2010Los Cristianos in the south of Tenerife is exceedingly accessible, but quite hilly and only to cope for fit wheelchair users or with extreme pusher.
Wheelchairs, rollators, crutches and rented scooters or electric wheelchairs belong to the townscape.
An alternative to electric wheelchair or scooter is an approximately 60 kg heavy, little tractive.
Minitrac or Swisstrac
I call this thing a mobile cider crate.
With some practice the docking is quite easy. The tractive power is remarkable. I didn’t have any difficulties with gradients, provided that the floor plates were not too slippery.
Curbs are no hurdles at all. The docking bar in the mid of the wheelchair can be de-installed easily, even with a foldable wheelchair.
The some year old Minitrac has passed my 10 day test quite well. Although it was mounted to my wheelchair in a little unconventional-creative-spanish way, it was technically absolutely alright.
The Minitrac a German and the Swisstrac a Swiss product are quite similar. I only heard good things about the Swisstrac, but haven’t tested it yet. I have seen the new Swisstrac on a fair, the new docking station is easy to handle for quadriplegics.
I like these small things, and they fit into any trunk, if a well-trained pedestrian is found to lift it.
The colour was disgusting: pinkish red with glitter effect! Ugh…
There is one comment worth to be translated from the chief engineer of Swisstrac
Signs Part V
星期二, 十月 26th, 2010Online Again!
星期二, 十月 26th, 2010Holidays Tenerife IV
星期一, 十一月 30th, 2009As already mentioned Tenerife is extremely wheelchair friendly.
Even the flora was created corresponding to the accessibility.
Here is the example of a special
Shadow parking space for wheelchair drivers
Holidays Tenerife III
星期三, 十一月 25th, 2009Lifeguards help you into the sea with these beach wheelchairs at the “handicapped beach” for free.