{"id":132936,"date":"2024-03-31T15:44:57","date_gmt":"2024-03-31T15:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=132936"},"modified":"2024-03-31T15:45:35","modified_gmt":"2024-03-31T15:45:35","slug":"celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/","title":{"rendered":"CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY—CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD."},"content":{"rendered":"

CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY—CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD.<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

I have been pondering for some time , how to honor a person who sowed the seeds of Aviation in my mind. I would say,\u00a0 it was God’s providence that I met this gentleman out of all the places , on an interview panel. In 1972\u00a0 when AirCeylon recruited Flight Operations officers , I was one of the applicants for this job interview and was interviewed by Capt.P.B.Mawalagedra\u00a0 and\u00a0 Capt. G.E.L.. Ferdinand\u00a0,( Both were there in their uniforms) and the personnel manager\u00a0T.S.de\u00a0Fonseka. The interview was done by the two Captains and especially by Capt. Ferdinand\u00a0, who was to be my immediate boss. Besides the basic qualifications ,the prerequisite for this Job ,\u00a0was to have a Private Pilot’s License . I did not have\u00a0 a\u00a0 Pilot’s License , Captain Ferdi. was instrumental in recruiting me to this position\u00a0 with Captain\u00a0 Mawa. based purely on merits ,the command of the language and the communication skills\u00a0 I\u00a0 had. This association with Capt .Ferdi continued till he passed\u00a0 away in Melbourne , at least by postal mail, when I was working at Abudhabi Airport.<\/span><\/p>\n

I would say at the outset, it gives me great pleasure and also a heavy heart to pen these few words of this lovable human being ,who always flew other’s\u00a0Hearts\u00a0and Lives to greater heights ,than he flew his beloved aircrafts without any incidents.\u00a0 Shakespeare’s theme , ” Some are Born Great , Some Achieve greatness ” ,\u00a0 Capt. Ferdi fit this mould without any doubt. Born to a family of privilege , his father ( informed by a friend ) was a\u00a0 Government agent of Srilanka. Capt. Ferdinand was a product of Royal College Colombo, When World War two progressed , he volunteered as an Air Cadet , joined the RAF at 17 years and was sent to England for training . After his basic training in England , he was stationed\u00a0 here,\u00a0 in Canada,\u00a0 \u00a0at the RAF base . When the war ended thankfully for the world, Ferdinand returned to Srilanka and joined the first National Airline that was being formed, AirCeylon, as a Trainee Pilot in 1947, with his RAF flying experience\u00a0 for a salary of\u00a0 Rs 10.00 per hour , as indicated in some other publications. I am sure\u00a0 that Capt. Ferdi enjoyed his time in the air more than the hourly pay, since he strongly felt his passion for flying was much greater than the remuneration. He was more keen on advancing his career and decided to leave an indelible mark in his flying .<\/span><\/p>\n

I believe somewhere during this period\u00a0 Ferdinand met a really charming, smart, and beautiful air hostess , Therese Victoria,\u00a0 and their romance blossomed in matrimony . Both were blessed with two sons\u00a0 a\u00a0 few years\u00a0 later .\u00a0 Soon Capt .Fedi was flying as a copilot with Capt. Peter Fernando\u00a0 on DC-3 , and his salary too was increased.. On 10th\u00a0 of\u00a0 December 1947, Capt.Peter Fernando and Capt. Ferdi\u00a0 operated the inaugural\u00a0flight to Madras\u00a0 from Ratmalana\u00a0 Airport. Capt Ferdinand and\u00a0 Capt.Mawalagedra flew on the DC-3 almost everyday . Capt. Ferdi. acquired enough hours and experience , and was checked out\u00a0 as a Captain on DC-3\u00a0 along with\u00a0 Capt. Mawalgedra. They trained other pilots to fly the DC-3\u00a0 aircraft.\u00a0 DC-3\u00a0 operated flights to Madras, Trichy,Jaffna,and Trincomalee. Both\u00a0 Captains operated most of these flights, and\u00a0 Capt. Ferdinand acquired around 10,000 hours of flying on DC-3. He was appointed Chief Pilot on the DC-3.\u00a0 In 1964\u00a0 when\u00a0 AirCeylon\u00a0 purchased Hawker Siddeley ,Turbo Propeller aircraft ,AVRO – HS 748 ,Capt. Ferdi and Mawa went to England for training with Hawker Siddeley, and brought the\u00a0\u00a0AVRO to Colombo. AVRO operated flights to Trichy ,Madras, and to Male. DC-3 was mainly used for domestic flights. In 1971 when\u00a0 AirCeylon purchased\u00a0 Hawker Siddeley Trident -HS-121, Capt.Ferdi\u00a0 and Capt .Mawa were selected for\u00a0 Capt’s training\u00a0 and other Captains\u00a0 too ,\u00a0\u00a0L.B.De<\/a>\u00a0Silva, Aussie Jayawardena,Anil Rambukwella ,and P.Nadarajah were also selected\u00a0 .Trident operated flights to Bombay,Singapore,Malaysia ,and to Bangkok. Capt Ferdinand became a Chief and Test Pilot for the Trident , and was appointed as the Manager Flight Operations . When I joined in 1972 ,Capt.Mawalagedra\u00a0was the Assistant General Manager for operations ,and was fortunate to have worked with them for seven years . I believe in 1977 , Capt. Ferdi took a break from AirCeylon for a short time . In 1977 when AirCeylon started independent operation of flights to European sectors, after the Pool Partnership with UTA\u00a0 French Airline, Ferdi was checked out as a Capt. on the DC-8 , and\u00a0 he flew till AirCeylon was asked to cease\u00a0 operations in 1979 by the then government,\u00a0 to pave the way for the startup of a new airline, AirLanka. In 1978 when there was some political\u00a0 unrest in the country, the Tamils were fleeing the capital out of fear , and we operated special evacuation\u00a0 flights to Jaffna on the DC-8.\u00a0 The\u00a0 DC-8\u00a0 never operated any flights to Palaly Airport ,Jaffna. Capt.Ferdi alone operated\u00a0 all these flights,\u00a0 with first officer R.Bala Dharan , and Flight Engineer Vivekanandhan,and myself too went on all these flights as Flight Operations staff for about a week. It was a difficult operation since not a jet engine passenger aircraft operated any flights to Palaly Airport, Jaffna. The logistics and support were also an issue,as there were no aircraft step-\u00a0ladders available, to reach the DC-8 aircraft ,to disembark the passengers. This was eventually solved by bringing the high pedestal steps that were used at the Nallur Temple for the Chariot Festival. The strength of the runway , L C N , and the length was also a factor\u00a0considered, Capt Ferdinand assured General Manager , James Lanerolle ,that he could handle the operations safely. I was\u00a0 part of this planning with Baladharan\u00a0,Udawella,and I believe, my ex-colleague and friend Capt.G.A .Fernando, GAF, was there too. In 1979 when AirCeylon was made to cease operations, and\u00a0 AirLanka was created by President\u00a0 Jayawardena , Capt.Ferdi\u00a0 joined\u00a0 AirLanka,\u00a0 and flew the Boeing 707 ,and Lockheed Tristars- L 1011, as Capt. He did his last flight , was told ( As I was working at Abudhabi Airport)\u00a0 at the age of 62 ,decided to ” hang up his uniform ” and moved to England to be with his sons.<\/span><\/p>\n

” Once A flier Is Always One ” he felt his calling and returned to AirLanka in 1988,\u00a0 and served as the Flight Operations Manager. At the end of 1989 ,he finally decided to lead a private life ,from an active and a\u00a0 well deserved flying career , spanning more than forty years , flying Tiger Moth,\u00a0 DC-3,Nord -262, Avro HS 748 ,Trident HS-121 , DC-8 .Boeing 707,\u00a0 and Tristar – L1011,\u00a0 said\u00a0 Adios and migrated to Australia to be with his sons who live in Melbourne. He still continued his passion in Aviation by listening , maybe on a\u00a0 mobile Radio Scanner , the communications between the Pilots and the Air traffic control,\u00a0 since he lived closer to the Moorabbin Airport , Melbourne , relaxing\u00a0in his garden.<\/span><\/p>\n

He passed away on the 4th of April 1966, while listening to the Tower frequencies ,all of a sudden. He did not have any ailment or any unfavorable health conditions. I heard\u00a0his beloved\u00a0 Therese found him unresponsive in the garden chair , called the EMS,and was pronounced , Capt. had his last breath. His\u00a0passing away all\u00a0of a sudden came as a rude shock to\u00a0many ,\u00a0and was personal\u00a0 for me . I still\u00a0strongly\u00a0feel it in my heart , that he opened the doors to the ” Blue Skies” and gave me an opportunity to make Aviation as a career ,passion ,and pursue this passion even to this very moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0I never saw him getting mad at anyone during the seven years I worked with him, treated everyone with respect,and was always there to give a helping hand to the people down the line. He could have kept to himself thinking that he was a Captain , but Capt.Ferdi never had an Air about him , a real Human Being ,who never lost his head .He was a gentleman,\u00a0 Par excellence.\u00a0 I can quote many incidents of my association with him and the flights I did with him. Like to mention a few words of Therese ,who lives with her sons in Melbourne , was there with Ferdi. every step of the way ,and I was fortunate to have known her\u00a0 like a family. Capt.Ferdi and\u00a0Therese were exemplary hosts , and I fondly\u00a0 remember\u00a0 the\u00a0 moments I had at his home in Classen Place , Colombo 4 or 5.\u00a0 I treasure his official letters to me signed by him as mementos , Xmas cards every year when\u00a0 I\u00a0 was\u00a0 in Abudhabi till his last days . Capt. Ferdinand flew to his Heavenly Abode ,on the 4th April 1996,but the lives he touched ,memories,his mesmerizing eyes, and laughter will always remain in many hearts and for sure in my heart always. Capt. Ferdi always believed ” The Vocation you pursue does not make you great , but the inherent qualities you carry ,\u00a0 Will .\u00a0 \u00a0I\u00a0\u00a0want\u00a0 to say a big Thank You ,to both my ex colleagues ,good friends and Ferdi’s God son , Capt.Duleep Vethavanam, and Capt\u00a0 GAF for providing the information I needed on\u00a0 Capt ferdi’s flying career .<\/span><\/p>\n

Capt. Ferdi , with great humility , I say that you were the Sweetest Prince I met in my life, and you left an indelible impression in our lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quoting Leonardo Da Vinci , ” When\u00a0 Once You Have Tasted\u00a0 Flight\u00a0 Forever, Walk With Your Eyes Turned\u00a0 Skyward\u00a0 ,\u00a0 For\u00a0 There\u00a0 You Have Been\u00a0 &\u00a0 There\u00a0 You Will\u00a0 Always Long To\u00a0 Return ” .<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0So Long , Capt. Ferdinand ,\u00a0 A Job\u00a0 Well\u00a0 Done .\u00a0 \u00a0To\u00a0 Sir !\u00a0 \u00a0With Love .<\/span><\/p>\n

K.N. Sivagnanasunderam\u00a0( Blue)<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Former Flight Operations Officer,<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Air Ceylon Ltd.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

kanesiva6@gmail.com<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Click here to receive your free copy of the eLanka Newsletter twice a week delivered directly\u00a0to\u00a0your\u00a0inbox!<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY—CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD. I have been pondering for some time , how to honor a person who sowed the seeds of Aviation in my mind. I would say,\u00a0 it was God’s providence that I met this gentleman out of all the places , […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":132937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[63042,63043,50520,63041],"class_list":{"0":"post-132936","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-airceylon","9":"tag-anniversay","10":"tag-captain","11":"tag-srilankan-aviation","12":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\nCELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY-CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD. - eLanka<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I have been pondering for some time , how to honor a person who sowed the seeds of Aviation in my mind. I would say, it was God's providence\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY---CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I have been pondering for some time , how to honor a person who sowed the seeds of Aviation in my mind. I would say, it was God's providence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"eLanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-31T15:44:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-31T15:45:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CELEBRATING.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\"},\"headline\":\"CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY—CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD.\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-31T15:44:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-31T15:45:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/\"},\"wordCount\":1641,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CELEBRATING.png\",\"keywords\":[\"AirCeylon\",\"ANNIVERSAY\",\"Captain\",\"SRILANKAN AVIATION\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/\",\"name\":\"CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY-CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD. - eLanka\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CELEBRATING.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-31T15:44:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-31T15:45:35+00:00\",\"description\":\"I have been pondering for some time , how to honor a person who sowed the seeds of Aviation in my mind. I would say, it was God's providence\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CELEBRATING.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CELEBRATING.png\",\"width\":600,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"SRILANKAN AVIATION , AirCeylon , Captain , ANNIVERSAY\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY—CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"description\":\"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"width\":192,\"height\":82,\"caption\":\"eLanka\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\",\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"eLanka admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY-CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD. - eLanka","description":"I have been pondering for some time , how to honor a person who sowed the seeds of Aviation in my mind. I would say, it was God's providence","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY---CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD.","og_description":"I have been pondering for some time , how to honor a person who sowed the seeds of Aviation in my mind. I would say, it was God's providence","og_url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/","og_site_name":"eLanka","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","article_published_time":"2024-03-31T15:44:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-03-31T15:45:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CELEBRATING.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"eLanka admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"eLanka admin","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/"},"author":{"name":"eLanka admin","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd"},"headline":"CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY—CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD.","datePublished":"2024-03-31T15:44:57+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-31T15:45:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/"},"wordCount":1641,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CELEBRATING.png","keywords":["AirCeylon","ANNIVERSAY","Captain","SRILANKAN AVIATION"],"articleSection":["Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/","name":"CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY-CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD. - eLanka","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CELEBRATING.png","datePublished":"2024-03-31T15:44:57+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-31T15:45:35+00:00","description":"I have been pondering for some time , how to honor a person who sowed the seeds of Aviation in my mind. I would say, it was God's providence","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CELEBRATING.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CELEBRATING.png","width":600,"height":400,"caption":"SRILANKAN AVIATION , AirCeylon , Captain , ANNIVERSAY"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/celebrating-the-life-of-a-srilankan-aviation-legend-on-his-anniversay-captain-george-e-l-ferdinanad\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF A SRILANKAN AVIATION LEGEND ON HIS ANNIVERSAY—CAPTAIN GEORGE. E. L .FERDINANAD."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","name":"eLanka","description":"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization","name":"eLanka","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","width":192,"height":82,"caption":"eLanka"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd","name":"eLanka admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"eLanka admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew"],"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132936"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132939,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132936\/revisions\/132939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}