But beat this for extravagance!!

From the Bangkok Nation November 16th 2007


Air Force to probe 'mushrooms flight'

The Royal Thai Air Force will investigate allegations that a helicopter crew used their aircraft to collect wild mushrooms from a relative in Kanchanaburi, a deputy spokesman for the service said.

Group Captain Monthol Satchukorn said the Air Force had set up a committee to investigate allegations the flight crew, from unit 2034 at the Kamphaeng Saen Aviation School in Nakhon Pathom, abused their position to go on the unorthodox mission.

He said the unit, whose main responsibility is search and rescue, often did practice missions to designated training zones in Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi and parts of Kanchanaburi.

At the time of the alleged mushroom incident, the helicopter crew was undergoing flying and landing training in Kanchanaburi. Monthol said the probe committee would find out if the pilots abandoned their helicopter to collect the mushrooms as alleged. If the flight crew members were found to have broken the rules, they would be punished according to the degree of wrongdoing, he said.

The case emerged after a resident of Tambon Nong Khao in Kanchanaburi's Than Muang district, who asked not to be named, filed a complaint with three photos of the mushroom pick-up to a Thai newspaper on Wednesday, saying officials use the state helicopter for inappropriate activity.

The resident claimed the helicopter circled around the area for 10 minutes on Tuesday morning before landing in a ricefield near Wat Nong Khao.

Villagers to rush to help, believing the crew had been forced to land there.

Five uniformed officials got out of the helicopter followed by two pilots, one of whom explained to villagers he was a pilot training at Kamphaeng Saen Aviation School.

Two days earlier, his mother phoned to get him to collect mushrooms at his home in Tambon Nong Khao, he told villagers. And as they flew the helicopter by the area he had landed to collect them from his mother.

The resident said the group then boarded a pick-up and drove off, leaving the helicopter unguarded - till then came back an hour later.

One of the photos submitted to the paper showed officials on the back of a pick-up going away from the helicopter amid a crowd of onlookers.