50 years ago: a Proctor's wonderful journey...

January 3rd 1961 saw the boys undertake one of their longer sectors, as they began to approach their final destination. The day started with a pre-dawn take-off out of Wadi Halfa:



The first part of their flight was flown in near darkness, as the trio followed the railway line from Wadi Halfa to Atbara. Except for some occasional campfires in the desert, the railway line was just about the only sign of civilisation in the barren lands of the Nubian desert.



By the time the sun rose over the horizon, the trio could see the Nile in the far distance. They knew that if they followed the railway, they would reach the river near the town of Abu Hamad.



By the time they finally reach Abu Hamad, the sun is well and truly up, even though it is only about 6:30 AM. They are still about an hour away from Atbara.



Miles and miles on end they fly over the river, occasionally passing smaller and larger towns....



Until they finally reach Atbara. After receiving clearance, the Proctor swoops in, landing at the small airport.



Once on the ground, the trio wastes little time, as they prepare to fly their next leg.

Flight:
Leg 18: Wadi Halfa (HSSW) to Atbara (HSAT)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 05:03:11
Landing: 07:36:51
Flight time: 2 hours 34 minutes
Fuel used: 184.5 lbs
 
About an hour after arriving at Atbara, the trio take off once again. This time their journey takes them in a south-easterly direction, meaning they leave the Nile behind them.



Instead, they follow another river: the Atbarah. This is a seasonal river, which for much of the year is nothing else but a dry riverbed.



Luckily, it has just been the wet season, so the river is flowing through the otherwise dry landscape. The patches of green of scrubs growing at its banks make it a highly recognisable, aiding the trio to navigate their way through the deserted flatlands.



For well over an hour, the little plane flies high over the flat sands. Except for the river below them, the landscape looks pretty much the same on all sides, nothing but sand, dust, rocks and dirt. The trio starts to become a little nervous, the thought of a forced landing in this hostile environment starts to play through their minds...



Then, in the far distance, they see a change in landscape. At first they can barely make out the shapes in the blur of the heat, but as they start to close the trio see mountains in the distance. At first they seem very small...



But soon they reveal their true magnitude. Flying at 6000 feet, the trio can see most of the mountains tower high above their flight level. A truly hostile environment.



However, the trio still has to make one stop before they start to head into these mountains. At their foot, the three men can see the city of Kassala. In the distance, to their right, they see the town's airport. Starting their descend, they radio the airport and request clearance for landing...


Soon after, they touch down at the small airport. Not quite sure what to expect on their next leg, the trio try their best to prepare themselves and their little plane...



To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 19: Atbara (HSAT) to Kassala (HSKA)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 08:40:31
Landing: 10:33:59
Flight time: 1 hour 53 minutes
Fuel used: 115.1 lbs
 
About three quarters of an hour later, the trio are airborne again for their next leg. This will take them into Ethiopia, however they will have to cross some very mountainous terrain...



Still following their maps, the trio navigate their way past Kassala, following the road to Teseney, across the border. From there, they head due East.



All the way, the trio coax their Proctor into a climb. For the first time during their journey, they take their plane above 6000 feet. Despite the altitude, the terrain looks rather flat...



The engine readings tell differently, though. Even on full throttle, the engine barely delivers a boost of -4, where it usually gives -3/4 at sealevel.



Following the road, the trio find their way past Aykota. With the mid-day sun over their plane, the trio has no other choice than to open the windows: the heat is giving them quite some trouble.



Soon after, though, they notice the terrain is becoming even more difficult. In front of them, they see quite a number of high mountain ridges, some apparently some 8 to 9000 feet high. The trio knows they must climb over these mountains to get to Asmara. All of a sudden this trip doesn't seem to have been such a good idea after all...



But the little plane makes it. Climbing higher than it ever did before, the Proctor clears the mountains. The trio thank their luck that there was no turbulence, and the visibility was at its best. In the distance, they can already see Asmara.



Rather relieved, the trio get out of their plane once they taxi to their parking spot at Asmara. It seems like they have gotten through the worst. They couldn't have been more wrong...

To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 20: Kassala (HSKA) to Asmara (HAAS)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 11:20:12
Landing: 12:41:17
Flight time: 1 hour 21 minutes
Fuel used: 113.2 lbs
 
On January 4th, 1961, the trio board their Proctor once again. Their next planned stop is at Hawash. However, they have pressing concerns. With Asmara being located at over 7500 feet above sea level, they are concerned about how their plane will handle the take-off, as well as some of the en-route parts. As such, they decide to leave some of their gear at Asmara, as well as carrying a minimum of fuel reserves.



The trio is cleared for take-off after a Saudi CV-340. After backtracking to the treshold, the trio throttle the Proctor up. They notice the engine gives decidedly less power at this altitude, and it needs a far longer take-off run than on any of the previous legs, but eventually they manage to get her into the sky.



Again referring to their Stanfords maps, the trio seek out for a visual reference point, and soon they notice the road to Mekele.



As they follow the road, the trio notice the terrain gets higher and higher... soon they pass a cruising altitude of 10000 feet. They notice their Proctor has some difficulties with the altitude, but it still seems to cope rather well.



After about an hour, they pass the city of Mekele. Rather worryingly, the nature of the terrain means they have lost contact with Asmara control, and with the mountains in front of them, they have no means to call Addis either.



Once past Mekele, the terrain becomes formidable. Inbetween them and their goal is a line of mountains the likes they haven't seen yet before. In order to clear them, the trio has to take their Proctor way up. Eventually, the Proctor manages to struggle up to 13000 feet, clearing the terrain below by about 500 feet...



Suddenly, the radio crackles back to life. But rather than Asmara or Addis, it is another callsign which comes over the waves. "Ethiopian 604 to Proctor GWA, urgent message from Asmara. Hawash airfield unservicable. Request you divert to Dessye."



The urgent message takes the trio by surprise. They hadn't planned for a diversion, and aren't familiar with Dessye. Some frantic moments later, Dessye is found on the maps, and a new course is set. By now, however, the weather has started changing. By the time they cross the ridge, they find themselves with less favourable weather conditions.



Luckily they find the right road, and track it towards Dessye. Even so, they aren't quite sure they are heading the right direction until they spot Lake Hayk.



About ten minutes later, they approach nearby Dessye, however the airfield proves rather difficult to spot. After a few nerve-wrecking minutes, they finally see the airfield - if that's what you can call it. It turns out it is nothing more than a dirtstrip situated somewhere below the town, on the side of a hill.



The approach proves to be even more challenging. They turn in for landing, but the wind forces them to approach the strip in the downhill direction. This proves to be a mistake: by the time they are three-quarters down the strip, they still haven't stopped. So they go around, and try a second landing, this time with a tailwind but uphill. This second attempt is succesful. Clearing the strip, the trio halt at the edge of the field. Their ordeal has left them rather exhausted, and they decide to remain at Dessye for the night.

To be continued...

Flight:
Leg 21: Kassala (HSKA) to Hawash (HAAW) - no, erm, Dessye (HADC)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 14:16:08
Landing: 16:34:15
Flight time: 2 hour 18 minutes
Fuel used: 159.5 lbs
 
Great thread, love these stories and pics of historic or epic journeys. Going to have to bookmark this page so I can create my own flights and give this a go myself.

:ernae:
Jamie
 
Thanks for all the kind comments! ^^

January 5th, 1961, and our trio is still somewhat shaken from yesterday's near-disaster. After arriving at Dessye, they were told even more bad news: with the aircraft's payload and the runways condition, they would have to be up early, otherwise the air density would leave them unable to take off out of Dessye.

Well before dawn, the trio arrive at the strip, and are greeted by the armed guard they hired the day before. Whether to protect the aircraft from men or wild animals they weren't quite sure, but at just 3 Shillings for a night, it didn't really hurt their pockets.



After a bumpy ride, the aircraft lines up with the dirt strip, and the pilot throttles the Proctor up. At first the aircraft accellerates rather sluggishly, and by the time they are halfway the tail wheel is only just beginning to lift clear of the ground. For a moment the trio fears the worst, but just a couple of hundred feet before the end of the strip the Proctor lifts clear.



The trio breathes a sigh of relief. Soon they turn their plane, and start following the road. They know it will take them straight to their next destination, Addis Ababa, the capital of the Ethiopian Empire. At first they fly in near darkness, but soon the sun begins to rise, and its rays light up the landscape beneath them.



Despite the fact they have to deal with a rather rugged landscape, the cool morning air means their Proctor has a bit more power than it had the day before under the warm afternoon skies. Slightly easier than the day before, it carries them clear of the mountains below.



After clearing the mountains, the trio notice the clouds begin to build. However, they know they are flying higher than the terrain in front of them, so they should make it without any problem. Even so, they are on their guard: the events of the previous day still haunt their minds.



However, as the clouds begin to break up, they are greeted by a welcome sight: ahead of them is Addis Ababa. Without any difficulty, they manage to spot the capital's airport, and after radioing the tower they start their approach.



After touching down, they taxi to the terminal, where the customs officer awaits them with the usual paperwork. However, as they stop in front of his office, they notice the man looking strangely at them.

Stepping out of their aircraft, they ask him what is the matter, hoping there isn't a problem. "You the men from England?" he asks. "Yes, we are. Is there a problem, sir?" "Where is your plane?" "You're looking at it." "No, you can't be..." The man quickly looks down at his documents, and looks at the side of the plane. Slightly incredulously he looks down again, and after a moment he mumbles "You must be mad to fly all the way here with something like that..."

Flight:
Leg 22: Dessye (HADC) to Addis Ababa (HAAB)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 05:02:37
Landing: 06:27:59
Flight time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Fuel used: 100.5 lbs
 
After the necessary paperwork, the trio board their aircraft again some two hours after their arrival. It feels rather strange, but they are on their final leg. In less than an hour, they will know if this journey was worth all of their effort...



Having received clearance, the trio taxies their Proctor onto the runway, and moments later they are airborne. Even with their tanks less than half full, the little plane still takes up more runway than it would normally do, due to the height: Addis is some 8000 feet above sea level.



As they climb out of Addis, the trio hears an airliner contact the tower, announcing its approach. For a moment they wonder if it was the pilot that helped them the day before - they rather regret not being able to meet him...



But then again, it's just as likely it isn't him. Anyway, now they don't have to contend with mountains or perillous take-offs for a moment, the trio take a couple of minutes to enjoy their surroundings. The sights themselves are probably worth the journey in itself, but they are here for some rather more serious things. And within minutes, they can see their destination: Bishoftu airbase.



After establishing contact, the trio get cleared for their landing. They approach the base from over Bishoftu town itself. As the plane nears the runway, they see a number of aircraft lined up next to the runway - for a moment it looks like some kind of museum. Fairey Firefly fighters, Saab B17 attack aircraft... All looking rather antiquated in this era of supersonic military jets...



After having cleared the runway, the trio is led to the apron, where they shut down their Proctor. As the engine stutters to a halt, the trio are welcomed by an Ethiopian officer. "I gather you are the men who came for those Safir trainers we offered for sale?" "Yes," one of them answers, "can we see them?" "They're in that hangar over there, but, erm..."

Glancing at their Proctor, the officer's look turns rather worried. "How are you getting them out of here?" he asks them after some moments. "Well, in England they told us they were ready to be flown out. My friends here are pilots as well, in fact we took turns flying our plane here. Is there any problem, sir?" "Well... I'm afraid they've all been dismantled. They all needed a thorough check to start with, and we thought you would be coming with a cargo plane to pick them up..."

As they hear this, the three men look at one another. All of a sudden they get a sinking feeling...

Flight:
Leg 23: Addis Ababa (HAAB) to Bishoftu (HAHM)
Type: Percival Proctor Mk.II
Take-off: 08:27:46
Landing: 08:40:03
Flight time: 12 minutes
Fuel used: 13.1 lbs
 
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