Around the World in '62

[Okami]

Day 8: Sunday, June 3rd, 1962​

Our stay in Leopoldville has been rather brief - 7 hours in all - but we've seen more than enough interesting things. Of course, Leopoldville is one of the places which is all over the news nowadays, and we've seen plenty of evidence of that today. While waiting for our flight to depart, we did a little bit of plane spotting: except for the Air Congo DC-4s and DC-6s, and the Sabena Boeing 707 on its way from Brussels to Johannesburg, we saw DC-4s, C-46s and C-47s in UN livery; USAF C-124s and C-130s, Italian Air Force C-119s and Ethiopian Air Force F-86 Sabres, either parked at the cargo and military aprons, or landing or taking off on their respective missions.

Following extensive air operations by the UN which destroyed much of the Avikat (Katangese Air Force), things had died down a little since the end of 1961, however since a week or two Katanga appears to have an air force once again, with armed Harvards mounting harassment raids in the East of the country. (We read about this in the papers during our Ethiopian Airlines flight.) Right now the origins of these Harvards is a bit of a mystery, although observers can't help looking towards neighbouring Portuguese Angola as being somehow involved in all of this.



We too are looking towards Portuguese Angola, but for entirely different reasons: our next flight is taking us there. Today's a Sunday, so there are no newspapers - which also means we still don't know the scores of yesterday's group matches in the World Cup! Instead, we managed to pick up this week's Time Magazine at a small stall inside the terminal building. This should make for some interesting reading while we are on our way.



After Comet, Boeing, Caravelles, Viscounts and DC-6s, today's flight is a little more of a throwback to the past: DTA flight 203 is being flown by a venerable DC-3. While in Europe the DC-3 has gradually been replaced by more modern types such as the Convairliner series,and is mostly used for cargo duties, here in Africa it is still one of the main types used for airline operations. Its ruggedness, easy maintenance, the general availability of spares and its flying characteristics seem to make it an ideal design for flying in these surroundings - rather surprising for a design that is already over 25 years old.



We leave the busy airport of Leopoldville around eleven o'clock, The weather at Leopoldville is a bit iffy, with an overcast obscuring the sky above. As the Dakota gently climbs out, we see the river Congo to our right, disappearing in the distance.



The pilot takes the plane to an altitude of 10000 feet, above the cloud layer. For the first part of our journey, it seems like we're gliding over a blanket of clouds, obscuring the landscape beneath us. We take the Time Magazine we purchased at N'Djili, and start reading the articles. One describes the impact of the Common Market in Europe, established five years ago, on the sale of cars in the continent. A recent cut in import tariffs means that cars are being exported and sold more easily between the member states of the Common Market.



Another interesting article analyses the trial against General Salan in France, who was sentenced to a jail term rather than the death penalty, as many had expected, for his role in the OAS, its terror campaing in Algeria, and the attempted assassination of General de Gaulle. In sport, a portrait is sketched of Belgian cyclist Rik van Looy, who despite having been seriously injured in last month's Paris to Brussels race, has already won two stages in the Giro d'Italia which will started two weeks ago, and will end in a week's time in Milan.



While we were reading through the articles, our flight entered the Portuguese Angolan airspace. The weather en route has improved, allowing our pilot to take the plane down to 6000 feet. This gives us an excellent opportunity to view the Angolan landscape, which mostly seems to consist of grassy lowlands and hills north of the capital city.



As our flight nears the Atlantic coast, it begins its descent into Luanda. It's been two hours since our departure out of Leopoldville. In the distance, we can see the capital city of the Portuguese country. In the past two decades, it has grown from a town of 60,000 inhabitants, to a city of a couple of hundred thousand. Founded some four hundred years ago, it is a thriving port city, with trade accounting for much of its current economic growth and development. The impressive outlines of the city greet us as our Dakota commences its landing at the city's airfield.



Once our flight has landed, an attentive crew member warns us that photography is prohibited at the airport. Looking around, we realise why this is: there is quite a lot of military activity going on at the airport. Over in the distance, we can see F-84 Thunderjets and T-6 Harvards lined up, together with a number of Neptunes and Harpoons. Involved in trouble of its own with rebels supporting independence, the Portuguese colony is also suspected of supplying arms and support to the Katangese rebels in neighbouring Congo.



A friendly local assures us that the few fights between government troops and rebels are isolated incidents far inland, and Luanda is not at all affected by it - in fact, right now the inhabitants are more curious about the World Cup in Chile than they are in whatever trouble might be brewing in the East. He tells us the name of a local bar where they have a television, so we can follow the coverage on the World Cup matches that are being played tonight.


Next time: Jetting to Johannesburg...

 

[Sunny9850]

Since starting to follow your thread I have realized that you have accomplished with ease what my teachers sometimes found difficult.....being interested enough in historic events that did not affect my life or my native home to do a bit of extra research.
Now I find myself following your travels and then perusing the WWW to get more info on the events you mention.

Great job Nikko.
:ernae:

Stefan

 

[Okami]

Hi Stefan,

Many thanks for the kind words! I certainly hope I'll be able to make the next installments of my journey as interesting...

Day 9: Monday, June 4th, 1962​

At half past seven in the morning, we are waiting to catch our next flight, which will be taking us from Luanda to Johannesburg in South Africa. We haven't had the time yet to buy a newspaper - not that we would be doing anyway, as they're all in Portuguese. So was the commentary on yesterday's World Cup matches, but the televised images told the story.

We managed to see a round-up of the first games of the second round in the group matches, which were played around the time we waiting for our flight to Leopoldville to take off - remember, no newspapers at Leopoldville and we spent most of our time there plane-spotting. Most of the press coverage went to the match between Chile and Italy, not as much because of the score, as because of the violence into which the match descended. Two Italian players were sent off, and several deliberate attempts were made by both Chilean and Italian players to injure opponents. It even took the police to escort the Italian team off the field at the end of the match, otherwise they would undoubtedly have been lynched by the Chilean crowd...!

Group 1: Yugoslavia - Uruguay 3-1
Group 2: Chile - Italy 2-0
Group 3: Brazil - Czechoslovakia 0-0
Group 4: England - Argentina 3-1

Yesterday's matches were a less violent affair, but just as interesting to watch. Colombia and the Soviet Union had a dazzling match, which despite eight goals ended on a draw. This was surpassed, however, by Hungary's magnificent triumph over Bulgaria, with Florian Albert scoring the tournament's first hattrick. Spain managed to win from Mexico with a last-minute goal, while West Germany trumped Switzerland.

Group 1: Soviet Union - Colombia 4-4
Group 2: West Germany - Switzerland 2-1
Group 3: Spain - Mexico 1-0
Group 4: Hungary - Bulgaria 6-1

With two of the three group stage-matches played, it is already certain that Chile and Hungary are placed for the quarter-finals; Switzerland, Bulgaria and Mexico are already sure of their elimination. The next round of matches will be in two days' time, on July 6th.



As we board our plane, South African flight 215, we are more concerned with a snippet of news we heard on the radio this morning. Apparently, "um desastre" - a disaster of sorts happened in Paris yesterday, although we didn't understand much of the Portuguese broadcast. Perhaps we'll be able to buy a newspaper in Johannesburg and read something about it.



After a somewhat breathtaking and nerve wrecking takeoff out of Luanda, the South African Boeing 707 we are in begins to climb to its cruising altitude, over ten kilometers up in the sky.



At this altitude, the landscape below us seems like nothing but a giant canvas, which is being slid beneath our aircraft. The low rumble of the engines seems to be the only thing one can hear from outside the plane (I'm still rather puzzled how Boeing's PR claims that "Jets are so quiet, you can hear your watch tick"...)



Looking into our pocket atlas, we see this trip will be taking us over South West Africa and the Bechuanaland Protectorate. While Bechuanaland is one of the last British colonies in Africa - even though it is effectively being ruled from Mafikeng in South Africa - , South West Africa is the subject of an International Court of Justice case brought against South Africa - who have a UN mandate to supervise the territory, but view it as their own fifth province - by Ethiopia and Liberia, who allege that South Africa hasn't fulfilled the duties to which it is obliged under UN agreements. This case has already been running for two years, with no clear answer formulated yet.



Of course, none of this is apparent while looking at both countries from ten kilometers up - in fact even the notion of borders is quite surreal looking from up here. It is true what people say: air travel has simply shrunk the world, even more so since the introduction of jet aircraft.



Enjoying the comfort of jet travel, time seems to fly - in fact, the 1500 miles separating Luanda and Johannesburg seem to evaporate as if the two cities are merely a stone's throw away from one another. Now, not even two and a quarter hours after our departure, our flight begins its descent into Johannesburg.



Some fifteen minutes later, the 707 is beginning its approach into the Jan Smuts airport which serves Johannesburg. Located at an altitude of over one and a half kilometers high, the airport was opened some ten years ago, replacing the international airport at Palmietfontein and the domestic one at Rand. During our approach into Jan Smuts, we can see the old airport at Rand, which is still being used; Palmietfontein, however, has since become a racing track.



Springbok 215 finally touches down at Jan Smuts at noon - exactly ten seconds past twelve local time. Aided by a considerable tail wind, the aircraft arrives some twenty minutes ahead of schedule. As the 707 taxies off the runway, we observe a DC-8 of Scandinavian airlines landing. Only 2 years ago, this would still have been a DC-7C, and our flight would probably have been flown by a SAA DC-7B or Constellation...



As we start to debark the plane, we look at our watch - our next flight will be departing in about two and a half hours' time, and will be taking us to the southernmost destination of our trip, namely Durban on the Pacific coast. As we start entering the terminal building, though, the newspapers at the newsstand grab our attention - immediately we understand what the radio news in Angola meant by the "desastre" in Paris. Quickly purchasing an English-language newspaper, we start reading the front page: 129 die in Jet crash in Paris...



Next time: Viscount to Durban

 

[SADT]

I feel so proud right now seeing that SAA/SAL (Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens in Afrikaans) 707 - thanks for posting that, this series as a whole has been very enlightening for me about world events in 1962 as a whole!

Craig :salute:

 

[Okami]

Hi Craig,

You're most welcome!

During our lunch at the airport restaurant, we read the newspaper article on the accident in Paris. It sure makes for some grim reading - we ourselves were in Paris just five days ago, which makes it all feel even more weird. Once again, we read the article:

129 die in Paris air crash

A chartered Air France Boeing 707, headed for Atlanta, Georgia, has crashed on take-off at OrlyAirport in Paris, killing 129 people on board. Three of the ten crew survived, one of which is in a critical condition, the two others having sustained only minor injuries.

Most of the 122 passengers on board were Americans, member of the Atlanta Art Association on their way home after a cultural tour of Europe. Eye witness reports say the plane, which was taking off, failed to gain height before running off the runway. It exploded into flames after hitting an empty house, leaving only the tail section intact. The intense heat of the fire prevented local residents from helping the rescue effort, and firefighters only managed to reach the victims after one and a half hours.

Air France and the local authorities have already launched an investigation. Brake marks have been found at the end of the runway, which seems to indicate that the pilot tried to abort the take-off. It is the worst accident involving a single aircraft, its toll only surpassed by the mid-air collision over New York City two years ago.

Both President Kennedy and President De Gaulle have sent messages of sympathy to the Atlanta Art Association and the victims' families.

Looking out towards the tarmac, we take another look at the 707 in which we arrived an hour or so earlier. An airline accident is always something horrible to occur, but this is already the third 707 to crash inexplicably in four months' time - two weeks ago, a Continental 707 disintegrated in flight, killing all aboard; four months ago, an American 707 crashed on takeoff out of New York's Idlewild airport, again with the loss of all aboard. It certainly gives us some food for thought...



However, it's better not to think too much - after all, we still have quite a distance to fly. As mentioned, our next flight will be taking us to Durban. Although people were already living there at the time it was first sighted by Vasco da Gama, the modern city of Durban was only established a hundred and thirty years ago. Under British rule, Durban had a well established sugar cane industry. At the end of the last century, thousands of Indian labourers were attracted to work in this industry, which led to the establishment of a Asian community - which is still one of the largest in Africa. Among the many Indians to arrive around the turn of the century was a young barrister by the name of Mohandras Gandhi - the rest is history.



Our Viscount takes off a little over half past two, for what should be a relatively short flight. It certainly gives us an opportunity to read the rest of the newspaper. In the sports section, we read that the Grand Prix of Monaco was held yesterday. The second race on the calendar, it was won by Bruce McLaren riding for Cooper, with the Ferraris of Phil Hill, last year's world champion, and Lorenzo Bandini behind him. Monaco is a particular challenging race: after two and three quarter hours and 100 laps, only five cars out of sixteen managed to complete the race.



Soon the Viscount is at its cruising altitude. We decide to put away our newspaper and look out of the window instead. In the afternoon sun, the landscape looks absolutely stunning.



Once again taking out our pocket atlas, we look at the many names of the towns and villages we are passing: a mixture of English, and Dutch-sounding names, some distinctly sounding 'out of place' such as Bethlehem, Dundee, Frankfort, Newcastle, Parys or Utrecht. During our stay in the terminal we heard some passengers speaking Afrikaans - having passed Amsterdam and Brussels on our trip earlier on, we recognised some of the words and phrases from Dutch.



Of course this is because Afrikaans is related to Dutch - the first settlers in South Africa were Dutchmen, this being during the 17th century when Holland was one of the major sea-faring countries. Over the past three centuries, Afrikaans has developed as a language in its own, but it still shares quite a lot with Dutch. Dutch- and Afrikaans-speakers generally understand one another, although the two languages do have some distinct differences.



Looking outside, we notice our aircraft has begun its descent into Durban. Daylight is now fast beginning to fade - of course, here on the Southern hemisphere we're nearing the end of autumn, so even though it's only around half past three, the sun is already setting at the horizon.



Approaching Durban from the North, our Viscount commences its approach into the city's airport. While Johannesburg's airport is named for Jan Smuts - twice Prime Minister of South Africa; the airport at Durban is named for Louis Botha, the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa. Our flight touches down at the airport at eight to four, by which time dusk seems to be settling. Stepping out onto the apron, we take a moment to look around. We won't be flying anymore today - and from tomorrow on, we'll be heading North once more.



To be continued...

 

[Okami]

Day 10: Tuesday, June 5th, 1962​

Sometimes it definitely doesn't hurt not to know something. On arriving at Durban airport for the first leg of our journey North, we notice a SAA DC-4 which is standing inside one of the hangars. It is under repair, its tail being replaced by SAA technicians. On asking, one of the technicians explains the aircraft was involved in an accident a month ago. It was coming in to land at Durban, when it was hit by a SAAF T-6 which was doing a training flight - Durban being a shared civilian/military airport. Luckily nobody was injured: the T-6's crew managed to bail out of their crippled aircraft. If we had known about this yesterday, we would definitely have been a bit nervous.

​

Now however, we're not nervous at all. After nearly 24 hours in Durban, we're good to go again. It is already in the afternoon when we board our flight, Central African 772, which will be taking us to Salisbury in Rhodesia - or to use its full name, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Unlike many other countries here, Rhodesia isn't an independent state nor a colony - instead, it is a federal realm of the British Crown. In its current form, Rhodesia has only existed for nine years - before, it existed as three separate parts, namely South Rhodesia, a colony, and the protectorates of Nyasaland and North Rhodesia.

​

Central African Airways is the official flag-carrier of the Federation. Formed in 1946, it took over the services of its predecessor, the Southern Rhodesian Air Services. In the decade that followed, the airline grew from a local operator using Ansons, to an international airline flying services as far as London using the Vickers Viking. In 1956, the Vickers Viscount joined the fleet, with the type gradually replacing the Viking - the last ones being retired around 1960 when Bulawayo's Kumalo aerodrome was replaced by a newly-build airport - the Viking being the only type able to fly into the old airport.

​

Even though CAA has no jets of its own, it now has jet services to Europe - this due to an agreement with BOAC. The 'Rhodesian' services are flown by BOAC Comets; until a couple of years ago, the service was flown by BOAC Britannias. The inauguration of the Rhodesian service also brought an end to CAA's 'own' European services - until two years ago, you could still see CAA Viscounts arrive at London Airport on a weekly basis.

​

Except for its Viscounts, CAA also uses Dakotas and Beavers on its regional network. The Dakota's are mainly used on secondary lines, while the Beavers are used for feeder services. Both types arrived at the beginning of the 1950s, replacing the airline's Doves, which didn't cope really well with the Rhodesian climate.

​

While recounting all of this, our flight has already taken off out of Durban. It is late in the afternoon, and the sun is already beginning to set - it might be well past sunset by the time we arrive in Salisbury. Sitting in the Viscount's comfortable interior, with an excellent view of the scenery outside, we take our newspaper, and start reading some of the articles.

​

Of course, news of the air disaster in Paris still dominates the headlines. Unfortunately, one of the surviving cabin crew died in hospital, bringing the total death toll to 130 - the surviving two were only lightly injured. According to the newspaper, the accident has had a considerable impact on the city of Atlanta, as almost all of the passengers were from the city's wealthy and influential families. Among those to recognise the city's grief is Martin Luther King, the civil rights leader: he has announced that he will not be holding a sit-in which had been planned, as a conciliatory gesture. However, a political storm is brewing over the words of another activist - Malcolm X - who expressed his joy over the death of an "all-white group from Atlanta".

​

The sports section has more articles on the World Cup in Chile. After the second round, observers are speculating who will go through to the quarters - the punters bet on the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, West Germany, Chile, Brazil, Czechoslovakia and Hungary; the fight for the eight spot is between England and Argentina, who currently stand on a tied second place in their group. The biggest news is the confirmation that Brazil's Pelé is unlikely to play in any future matches - he was injured in Saturday's match against Czechoslovakia. Also gone with a strained Achilles tendon is referee Ken Aston, who last Saturday refereed what has quickly become known as the "Battle of Santiago", the - if it deserves to be called as such - match between Italy and Chile, which saw plenty of kicking (little of which against the ball), some sporadic fistfights, some of the foulest tackles ever seen in the game, and even saw the police being called out onto the field and having to intervene a number of times...

​

After nearly two and a half hours of flight, our Viscount commences its descent into Salisbury. The sun is now low over the horizon, and outside the light is beginning to fade fast. The sky is turning into immensely beautiful shades of pink and purple. In the distance, we can see the lights of the city of Salisbury, where we will be staying for the night.

​

Just before half past six, our flight arrives at Salisbury. The Viscount taxies towards the terminal before its engines are shut down. After we enter the terminal, we gather our luggage and inform where we can stay for the night. Our next flight isn't due to depart for another twenty hours, so we have ample time to explore the city and its sights.

​

To be continued...

 

[Okami]

Day 11: Wednesday, June 6th, 1962​

After a refreshing stay at Salisbury, we once again turn up at the airport a little over noon. Our next flight will be taking us to Dar-Es-Salaam, this time with a stopover. Our flight is East African 508, the plane which will be taking us to the African East Coast is a Canadair Argonaut.

​

We take a moment to look at the aircraft. You don't see many Argonauts nowadays, especially being used as pure passenger airliners. The colour scheme betrays this airframe's origins: it is an ex-BOAC aircraft. BOAC had only ever intended to use the Argonaut as an interim type, expecting to replace it by the Comet 1; however, after the Comet disasters of 1954, and because the Britannia had quite a lot of teething problems before it could be put into service, the type served longer than expected, only being retired by BOAC two years ago.

​

Of course, the East African Airways Corporation is one of BOAC's affiliate airlines, with the British airline being one of the major shareholders. This explains why we will be flying the Argonaut: if it had been up to East African Airways, they would have purchased Convair Metropolitans instead. However, BOAC forced East African to "buy British" - even if this actually meant purchasing second-hand, Canadian-built aircraft which were actually less suited to their intended role. The airline's management, its crews and its maintenance personnel all resent the type, apparently so much that when one crashed two months ago during a training flight, the pilot urged the fire fighters to let it burn. However, lately it seems that EAA has finally gotten what it wanted: rather than having to buy British again, they ordered some Fokker F-27s to replace the Argonaut, the first of which should be arriving later this year.

​

Despite all of this, you shouldn't be getting the wrong idea about the nature of the Argonaut. It is more than just a "collision of a DC-4 with a crate of Lancaster spare parts" - it is in fact a hybrid of several different aircraft. While its tail fin and parts of the fuselage and wing are indeed taken from, and cause it to resemble the DC-4 and C-54, the main part of its fuselage, as well as its cockpit are technically related to those of the DC-6 - and like the DC-6, it is pressurised as well!

​

Of course, the main problem with the Argonaut are its engines: rather than using radial engines like the DC-4 it was developed from, the Argonaut uses Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. This allowed her to have a far higher cruise speed and range than the DC-4, but it also means she is far more demanding in terms of maintenance - especially as the Merlin engine's production was discontinued over a decade ago.

​

A little over an hour after our departure, our flight begins its descent into Blantyre airport. This happens just around the time we cross the Zambezi river, over the Portuguese colony of Moçambique.

​

As we approach the airport of Blantyre, we notice the rugged terrain. Hills and mountains seem to surround the airport at all sides, with high terrain being located just a couple of miles beyond of the main runway. After lining up with the runway, our Argonaut touches down at Blantyre some ten minutes ahead of schedule.

​

At Blantyre, we step out of the aircraft so we can stretch our legs. The second part of our journey will last a couple of hours, so we can definitely use the exercise.

​

To be continued...

 

[AndyG43]

Really look forward to each new instalment, they are a real treat.

And excellent timing on the part of Andre Reimers, releasing that repaint, otherwise you might have been stuck in Salisbury!!

 

[Andre19]

I had a heads-up from Nikko. He paints a lot of the 'missing' paint schemes himself and is very good at it. As I was doing Central/East African the timing was just right.

Thanks again Nikko for your round the world trips. I know the research you do to get all the information is time consuming, but very interesting and informative.

Andre

 

[Okami]

Hi Andy,

Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying my little voyage! Yes, I was really lucky with the Argonaut repaint; I did have something in my paint shed, but nowhere near as good as André's Argonaut!

André,

Many thanks for all of the repaints - without you, the voyage would have been quite a bit different from Johannesburg. Your South, Central and East African repaints have really made it possible to fly into a great number of destinations which I previously couldn't visit!

...

After a fifty-minute stay at Blantyre, our Argonaut cranks up its engines once more for our second leg into Dar-Es-Salaam. In fact, for the crew it is their third leg - East African 508 is the service connecting Johannesburg with Nairobi. After receiving its clearance from the tower, Flight 508 taxies onto the runway and commences its take-off

​

Climbing out amid the rugged terrain, the East African Argonaut turns north towards our destination, East Africa. Until last year, this was entirely a British colony, however, now part of it has gained its independence.

​

Our destination for this flight, Dar-Es-Salaam, lies in that part of East African which gained its independence last year, namely Tanganyika. The country still is in transition, however: officially Queen Elizabeth II is still its ruler, while its Prime Minister is Rashidi Kawawa. It will probably gain its full independence at the end of this year, when Julius Nyerere should take up the post of president.

​

Except for Tanganyika, the former East African colony is made up of the Uganda Protectorate - which gained self-government last year, and is also on its way to independence; the Kenya Colony; and last but not least the Zanzibar protectorate. Although these four nations have common bonds, they have different pasts: Zanzibar, for instance, once was part of the Sultanate of Oman and still has a sultancy; Tanganyika was part of the German Empire until just forty years ago; and Uganda and Kenya both have been British Colonies since the ninteenth century.

​

Of course, the massive political changes of the past decade have made themselves felt here as well, and one of the most potent symbols of this is East African Airways. Founded as a regional subsidiary of BOAC in 1946, the airline initially only did domestic flights, first using the Rapide and Dove, from the 1950s on using DC-3s as well. Just five years ago, East African started flying services to London, using second-hand BOAC Argonauts; two years ago these were replaced by the Comet. With the Fokker F-27 on order, East African is more and more becoming independent - just like the countries it serves.

​

Heh, with all this talk about regional politics and airline history, I just notice I haven't even taken the time to read today's newspaper! We picked up an example in Salisbury, guess it's time to look what's going on in the world.

​

The main headline is the continuing unrest in Algeria. Despite repeated attempts by the French to get the OAS to surrender, the secret army has continued its terror campaign on Algerian soil. Since the beginning of this month, Algiers has seen bombings on a daily basis, which so far have resulted in several hundreds of casualties. It is apparent that the organisation is trying to provoke the Algerian FLN in such a way, that intervention of the French army is unavoidable, which in turn would compromise Algeria's independence - however, so far the FLN has refused to retaliate.

​

In Iraq, the Kurdish minority has asked the UN to acknowledge its right to autonomy. Ever since the 1958 coup in which the pro-Western King Faisal II was killed, the political situation in Iraq has grown tense. Open disagreements between Prime Minister al-Karim Qasim and several political factions have emerged - mostly over the Ba'ath's party's insistence on joining the United Arab Republic, and Qasim's refusal to do so, instead seeking links with the Soviet Union. Among those feeling betrayed by Qasim are the Kurds. After having shown their support for his 1958 coup, they were promised autonomy by Qasim, however last year the Prime Minister provoked tribal war against the Kurds, rather than granting them their wishes.

​

Other than those stories, the newspaper doesn't really seem to have much important news, other than the usual shoe-banging over Congo in the UN Assembly, and over Cuba in the US Senate. Folding it up, we look out of our window instead. Once again, the sun is beginning to set. During the first part of this leg, we flew alongside Lake Nyasa, the third largest lake in Africa, which stretches some 560 km and is 75 km wide at its widest point. It was given its present name by David Livingstone some hundred years ago now, even though he wasn't the first European to discover the lake. Of course, as any local will tell you today, 'Nyasa' is actually the word they use to name any large body of water - so the lake is in effect called 'Lake Lake'. Quite possibly a little misunderstanding between the locals and Dr. Livingstone, I presume...

​

Just as the sun begins to disappear behind the horizon, our flight begins its descent. We are now nearing Dar-Es-Salaam, where we will be staying for the night. Originally, we would be staying here for two days before heading on to Nairobi - however, at the last possible moment we managed to have some changes made in our travel arrangements.

​

Some two and a half hours after our departure out of Blantyre but twenty minutes ahead of schedule, the East African Argonaut touches down at Dar-Es-Salaam airport. Moments after our flight arrives at the terminal, a moment of comedy occurs when the doors are opened, but the ground personnel have difficulty positioning the air stairs. Eventually, we manage to get off, and while the ground personnel prepare the aircraft for its departure to Nairobi, we go off to collect our luggage. With some luck, we might be able to hear a radio report of tonight's World Cup matches, or even to see some of the action on a news reel report in the local cinema...

​

Next time: a welcome change in travel arrangements...

 

[Ralf Roggeveen]

Interesting about 'Nyasa' just meaning 'Lake'. This is quite common all over the world, several rivers in England are called 'Avon' or 'Ouse' which simply means 'River' (Afon in Welsh/Celtic languages). When the Spanish asked native Americans about the Rio del Espiritu Santo which De Pineda had 'discovered', they were told "Misi Sipi", which means 'Great river'. Livingstone probably knew that Nyasa meant lake; it was decent of him not to put it on the map as some member of the then British royal family! The first proper map-maker's choice of name usually prevails if the geographical feature is big enough and if it borders several nations/language groups, e.g. Lake Victoria, Mount Everest, etc.

 

[Okami]

Hi Ralf,

Yes, such misunderstandings seem to be a common mistake. But I guess it only proves that these adventurers, cartographers and discoverers - despite their legendary journeys and discoveries - were just as human as the rest of us...

And you are right - quite decent of him to give it a local name. Then again, as there already was a Lake Albert and Lake Victoria... :

Day 11: Wednesday, June 6th, 1962​

Last night we managed to find ourselves a nice bar with a radio, where we could follow the World Cup match reports. Once again they were held late in the evening (in fact, in the afternoon in Chile), and it was already past eleven when the final results were announced.

Group 1: Soviet Union - Uruguay 2-1
Group 2: West Germany - Chile 2-0
Group 3: Brazil - Spain 2-1
Group 4: Hungary - Argentina 0-0

Especially the result in group 4 was important, as this means England has a good chance at qualifying itself for the Quarters - the English team doesn't even have win their match anymore: they just need to score a draw.

After a very good night's sleep, we had the entire morning to ourselves, during which we could look around the town. Even though the region was for a long time influenced by the Indian Ocean trade routes, with the fishing village of Mzizima established at the coast, the city of Dar-Es-Salaam was founded just a hundred years ago, under the influence of the Zanzibar Sultanate - hence its Arabic name. Under German rule, Dar-Es-Salaam became the administrative and commercial centre of their East African colony - a function which the city kept after was captured by the British during the Great War. Now, the town that didn't even exist a century ago has become the capital of a country that didn't even exist a year ago...

​

As mentioned yesterday, we changed our travel plans. Originally we were due to fly from Dar-Es-Salaam to Nairobi tomorrow, but luckily some arrangements were made which mean we can take a very nice sightseeing trip. Waiting for us at the airport is a De Havilland Dragon Rapide - the very first type East African Airways received when it started operating as an independent airline in 1946.

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Nowadays, East African only uses the type around the Spice Islands (Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia) although its subsidiary Caspair also uses the type around Lake Victoria. Light and nimble, the type is excellent for use on dirt strips, and it also offers some magnificent views to the passengers.

​

Our destination for the first leg of this flight, East African 202, is the island of Zanzibar. Despite being less than a half hour's flight away from Dar-Es-Salaam - in a Rapide! - Zanzibar is an entirely different world compared to Tanganyika. Even though it is a British protectorate, Zanzibar has been a Sultanate ever since it became independent of Oman over a century ago. Now ruled by the Tenth Sultan of Zanzibar, Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Said, the island has a rich history.

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The Portuguese tried to lay claim to Zanzibar in the 15th century, but their attempt at ruling Zanzibar was soon thwarted: in 1499 they were chased from the island by the Arabs. It was part of the Oman Sultanate until 1856, when the two sons of the then Sultan became the respective Sultans of Oman and Zanzibar.

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The first leg of our flight lasts only 24 minutes, despite having to circle around Zanzibar's airport. As soon as we land, our pilot turns off the runway, and taxies the light Rapide over the grass between the runway and taxiway towards the apron.

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In about twenty minutes our flight will depart for its second leg, so well have time to continue the history of Zanzibar then.

To be continued...

 

[Okami]

Some twenty minutes later, our Rapide starts its engines once more, and after a short taxi the small feederliner departs for its next destination, the neighbouring island of Pemba.

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Pemba is also part of the Zanzibar Sultanate; despite its close proximity to Zanzibar and mainland Tanganyika, it is entirely different in appearance: the island has a far more fertile soil than Zanzibar, and is well known for its clove trees.

​

Zanzibar and Pemba became part of the British Empire in 1890, when the Zanzibar and Great Britain signed treaties. However, six years later the two countries were at war - even though you would have missed it if you had accidentally blinked.

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Things came to a head when Hamid bin Thuwaini, the Fifth Sultan of Zanzibar, died on August 25th of that year, and his cousin Khalid bin Barghash became the Sixth Sultan. The Fifth Sultan's death was very much suspicious: many agree that he might have been poisoned by his cousin, who was eager to take claim on the title of Sultan. However, the British did not approve of him, and gave him an ultimatum: he was to abdicate at 9 AM on the 27th, or else the British would intervene.

​

Suffice to say that Khalid refused to step down, and two minutes after the ultimatum expired, a British force (well... about 1000 men, supported by 3 cruisers and 2 gunboats) opened fire on the Sultan's palace, which was defended by his army (well, about 3000 men, supported by a number of cannons, the Royal Yacht, and 2 boats). After an intense bombardment and some fighting, the war ended about... 38 minutes after it started.

​

Though it is, of course, only a minor episode in the history of colonial wars the British fought in their Empire, the Anglo-Zanzibar War brought along some major changes. Under the new Sultan, installed under British rule, slavery was officially and effectively abolished in 1897 - yes, slave trade still existed in the Sultanate prior to the War.

​

Brief as the war have might been, it was rather effective in establishing the British as effective rulers of the islands - even though the Sultancy was retained during British rule: unlike in other parts of the British Empire, there had never been riots against the British in Zanzibar.

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That is not to say that there are no problems here in Zanzibar - last year, when the first general elections were held in anticipation of independence, the results of the votes turned out to be suspect. With electoral fraud suspected, riots broke out which left dozens of people dead. With the majority of the Zanzibar population existing of Africans, but power being effectively held by an Arab minority, tension remains present on the island. Next year, a second round of general elections should be held, which should result in the islands' independence later that year, but questions are being asked as to whether the result of these elections will be fair.

​

Meanwhile, our flight has arrived at Pemba's Chake-Chake airport. As we are a bit early, our flight will only depart in about half an hour's time.

To be continued.

 

[Okami]

Our last flight of the day sees us taking to the skies once more in the little Dragon Rapide - amazing to think that when this aircraft first took to the skies almost 30 years ago, this part of the world was serviced twice weekly by Imperial Airways using Handley Page HP.42s - a far cry from today's numerous jets which pass through here on a daily basis.

​

As we climb out towards Tanga, we look at the beauty of the island. Except for the forests of clove trees, small patches of farm ground dot the landscape. The local inhabitants farm a wide variety of food, like rice, coconut, bananas, cassava and red beans - little wonder that these islands are usually referred to as the 'Spice Islands'.

​

During our turn towards the mainland, we notice some ruins South of the airport. Our pilot explains that this is Mkama Ndune, the ruins of a fortress built over five centuries ago. They are a unique site: they appear to be the only fortress that was ever built during that era in this part of the world.

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Crossing the coast, we look at the beautifully blue water surrounding the island. Apparently, the fishing here is quite good; a local at the airport explained this to us. As he was telling us this, he also added something weird, something about a Frenchman who had come here some time ago just to look at the fish.

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Our flight to Tanga lasts a little under a half hour. Except for some low clouds, the weather has been perfect for flying today, which makes us all the more glad for having made this detour.

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Sweeping low over the city of Tanga, our Dragon Rapide comes in for its landing at the city's airport. Softly, the biplane touches down at the airport, using only a fraction of the runway. The pilot turns around the plane, and backtracks towards the terminal, where he cuts both engines.

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Even though a connecting flight will depart out of this airport in about half an hour, we won't take it: instead, we decide to take a day off in this harbour town. Tonight, the final matches in the World Cup group stage will be played, and we'll undoubtedly be able to follow the match on the radio here.

​

To be continued...

 

[Okami]

Day 13: Thursday, June 8th, 1962​

As expected, we found a nice place to listen to the live report of the final group matches in Chile - this time in the lobby of our hotel, where quite a number of the guests and some passers-by were rooting for England to go through to the Quarters. However, they were in for a rather disappointing match: England - Bulgaria ended on a goalless draw. Italy and Mexico won their respective matches against Switzerland and Czechoslovakia, but the real stunner of the evening was Yugoslavia - Colombia, which ended 5-0.

Group 1: Yugoslavia - Colombia 5-0
Group 2: Italy - Switzerland 3-0
Group 3: Mexico - Czechoslovakia 3-1
Group 4: England - Bulgaria 0-0

With the group stages over, the final score is the following:
In Group 1, the USSR and Yugoslavia go through, while Uruguay and Colombia are eliminated. The final Group 2 match was unnecessary, as Italy and Switzerland were already eliminated: West Germany and Chile go through. In Group 3, Brazil and Czechoslovakia go through, while Mexico and Spain are eliminated; and in group 4, Hungary and England go through, with Argentina and Bulgaria left to pack their bags.

The Quarter-finals will be played on the 10th, the matches will be:
Soviet Union - Chile
Brazil - England
West Germany - Yugoslavia
Hungary - Czechoslovakia

After having taken our time to explore the town, we report at the airport at about three in the afternoon. Despite being a relatively large city, Tanga is much quieter than Dar-Es-Salaam was, and it had some nice sights and attractions - much of our morning was spent looking around the harbour and checking out the station.

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Waiting at the airport, we look at our flight flying in: East African 002, coming in from Dar-Es-Salaam. During the quarter of an hour the flight is on the ground, we have our luggage loaded and board the aircraft. At a quarter to four, the Dakota taxies onto the runway, taking off towards Mombasa.

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The Dakota barely manages to take off from the short runway, seeming to use its entire length - out of all of our take-offs, this must be one of the most hairy ones yet. However, once airborne, the aircraft turns north, turning in a circle around the city's harbour. Mombasa is just 80 miles north of Tanga, so this should be a short flight.

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Making our way along the coast, we take time to unfold today's newspaper. Once again Algeria makes the front pages: following the French government's desperate plea to an end to the OAS' terrorist atrocities, the Secret Army responded by setting off a number of phosphorous bombs at Algiers' University. In a separate development, yesterday, two members of the OAS who were captured and tried over last year's murder of Rogier Gavoury, the head of French police in Algiers, were shot by a firing squad in a military fortress near Paris.

​

As our flight approaches Mombasa, we notice a slight haze, which soon becomes rather more dense, all but hiding the ground from our view. Our pilot assures us that this will not cause us any problems, as conditions at Mombasa are still good enough to allow our flight to land there.

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On its approach, the DC-3 sweeps low over the city center, before turning towards the airport. Despite the haze, from a distance, we can see the classical lay-out of a wartime airfield: Mombasa was built during WWII as a Royal Navy support base, with Catalina's being based there on anti-submarine and observation duties.

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Seemingly effortless, the Dakota's crew put the aircraft down onto the runway and taxi it towards the terminal. Mombasa's only a short stop-over, brief enough to allow passengers to get on or off, and for luggage and cargo to be on- and offloaded. In just ten or so minutes, our plane will continue its journey towards Nairobi.

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To be continued.

 

[Okami]

Our stop at Moi airport proves to last a little longer than anticipated: some twenty minutes after our landing out of Tanga, the Dakota starts taxiing towards the active runway. Our pilot tells us that our flight will be doing a slight detour, as some thunderstorms and low clouds have been predicted enroute. As our original route would be taking us quite close to Mount Kilimanjaro, these conditions might prove a bit too dangerous; instead, now we should be passing some twenty miles east of the mountain.

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Despite the fact that Moi is now shrouded by quite a dense fog, the crew seem to have little trouble navigating their way out of Mombasa. Soon, the occasional flash of the airport beacon is the only thing that is discernable of the airport, as it and the ground below us appear to be swallowed up by the thick haze. For a couple of minutes, the Dakota seems to be flying in a thick pea soup...

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... until it breaks out of the haze, into clear daylight. The sky surrounding us is dotted with light cloud, and through the open cockpit door we can see the light of the sun, which seems to be setting in front of the aircraft.

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Leveling off just above cloud level, the Dakota begins its flight to Nairobi. Our pilot estimates that we will be arriving there in some two hours' time, however in just one hour the sun will disappear behind the horizon, so the latter part of the journey will be made in an increasingly dark sky. Hopefully, we will already have passed Kilimanjaro by then.

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The crew's concern about Kilimanjaro is easy to explain: seven years ago, an East African flight enroute from Dar-Es-Salaam to Nairobi disappeared and was only found after four days. It turned out the aircraft had ploughed straight into the mountain, after a navigation error of the pilot.. As it can be shrouded in clouds for days on end, pilots try to keep as much distance between it and them as they possibly can.

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Almost halfway into our flight, with night beginning to fall, Mount Kilimanjaro becomes visible in the distance. Even though our Dakota is well clear of the impressive mountain, its peaks seem to be in touching distance. Some low clouds partly hide the volcano with its three peaks - Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira - from view, which explains why it is so feared among local airmen.

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About half an hour later, our aircraft reaches Nairobi, just as a violent thunderstorm erupts. The dense storm clouds reduce the visibility to just a couple of miles, and gusts of wind push the Dakota from one side to the other. As our aircraft commences its approach into Nairobi, Control warns us about a CAA Viscount which is also on its approach into the airport. After a few moments, the aircraft emerges from the dense clouds, passing just behind our Dakota.

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With Nairobi situated over 5000 feet above sea level, our Dakota struggles somewhat with its engines, something only made worse by the turbulent weather. It sure makes for an interesting landing - our seatbelts are firmly buckled up. However, once again, the highly professional crew land the Dakota with an astonishing ease, and minutes later, the plane is taxiing towards the terminal.

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Our day ends here at Nairobi, where we will be staying for the night. Tomorrow, we will fly with East African for one last time, as we slowly begin to head out of Africa...

 

[Okami]

Day 14: Friday, June 9th, 1962​

Last night's thunderstorm lasted for a couple of hours, but then it disappeared almost as soon as it had appeared. Talking to some of the locals about this (it's the umpteenth thunderstorm we encountered on our trip in Africa), we got the explanation that it is normal for this to happen at this time of the year, as we are at the beginning of the monsoon season.

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Today, the weather's cleared up, but we are warned that some fresh thunderstorms are developing in the East - which is where we are headed. Our flight is East African 720, the airline's jet service to London, and which will be taking us to Entebbe in Uganda.

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Looking back over the past few days, it's remarkable how East African has grown in such a relatively short time - back at the beginning of '57, the airline's largest aircraft was the DC-3; barely 3 years later they received their first Comets. Of course, like many other airlines, East African aspires to grow even bigger; like their Argonauts, the Comet was definitely not the airline's first choice (the 707 was, until BOAC stepped in...)

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Our take-off out of Nairobi is a rather impressive one - in what seem to be mere moments, we are climbing out over the wide plains surrounding Nairobi. Barely 300 miles separate Nairobi and Entebbe, so this flight will be a short one - especially at Comet speeds.

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Minutes later, the Comet begins its cruise at 30000 feet. The seatbelt and no-smoking signs are extinguished, and we take the opportunity to retrieve our latest purchase out of our port-on luggage: the most recent issue of Flight International. Looking through its contents, we see that most of the magazine is dedicated to a survey on VTOL aircraft. The briefs, of course, have an article on the recent air disaster in Paris, however another article on the same page draws our attention.

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This article on another 707 disaster - last month's Continental crash - reveals the first results of the investigation, and it now turns out that this crash was not caused, as initially thought, by extreme turbulence, but by sabotage. According to the CAB, the aircraft was torn apart by a bomb which was planted in the rear lavatories, so it is now a matter for the FBI.

​

A host of smaller articles report on the sales or sales prospects on several other aircraft (Viscounts for India and LOT, Argosies for Capitol, 707s for Nordair, CL-44s for BOAC?), disputes between airlines and authorities (BOAC vs Caledonian, Tradair vs the CAB), and the continuing discussions on IATA fares, but the most remarkable thing is a picture of a new terminal which opened two weeks ago at Idlewild airport - apparently a remarkable new TWA terminal. I guess we'll be able to see it ourselves in a couple of weeks' time...

​

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Meanwhile, our aircraft has already arrived over the Victoria Lake. Pretty much as predicted, there are some thunderstorms over the lake: while visibility is adequate over the lake, it is reported to be only marginal in the airport's neighbourhood.

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Our first approach is aborted, due to an aircraft blocking the runway. Our Comet is forced to execute a go-around, which means we will be arriving late at Entebbe. The arrival of a second aircraft means our flight is guided into a holding pattern, as it is reportedly low on fuel, while our aircraft still has enough reserves.

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Fifteen minutes later, a second attempt is made. This time we have more luck than the first time, and with a delay of about 20 minutes, we finally touch down at Entebbe airport.

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Of course, this delay is rather a nuisance to the crew of flight 720, as it means they will have to take off late; however, our next flight will only take off in about twelve hours' time.

​

​

​

 

[spraycan]

Hi Nikko,
I am thoroughly enjoying your world tour.
Great screenies of those classic airline liveries and very interesting news reports of those eventful years.
They trigger a lot of "hey, I remember that !" moments.....

Looking forward to the next leg.

Cheers,
Jaap (Spraycan)

 

[Okami]

Hi Jaap,

Glad you're liking it! ^^

Sorry about the next two legs, but sometimes, nighttime flights cannot be avoided...

...

Once again, the thunderstorms lasted for most of the day, so we were cooped up inside the terminal at Entebbe. The stifling heat and humidity made it almost unbearable, so it's a relief when early on in the night we see our next flight arrive at the airport.

​

BOAC's Speedbird 164 originated in Nairobi, just like our previous flight. It is a weekly service to London, stopping in Entebbe, Khartoum and Rome, and is flown by Bristol Britannia. However, BOAC has already announced that this service will cease in October, when Flight 164 will be replaced by Flight 160. This service will be flown by a Comet 4, and will be rerouted: its stops will include Entebbe, Cairo and Frankfurt.

​

Around half past ten, we start boarding the aircraft, and soon the Britannia starts taxiing towards the runway. After backtracking to the treshold, the Whispering Giant turns around and lines up for take-off. The engines begin to roar as they are throttled up, and as the plane begins to accelerate, we see the terminal go past us.

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After take-off, we look once again at our schedules. We have a hectic twelve hours in front of us: by eleven o'clock tomorrow morning, we will be in Beyrouth, and Speedbird 164 is just the first of three flights we will have to take to get there. It is also the 'slowest' of the three, as it is the only one which isn't a jet.

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Unfortunately, "it not being a jet" is also very much the logic which explains why the Britannia isn't more of a common sight nowadays. Even though it was a truly advanced aircraft when it was first designed, the Britannia was caught in the aftermath of the Comet disasters. The delays resulting from the additional tests the aircraft had to go through to prove its safety, as well as unanticipated icing and engine problems, meant that by the time the Britannia was finally available to the airlines, many had already switched orders to the Boeing 707 and DC-8 instead.

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Some of the high-profile customers which retained their Britannia orders were El Al of Israel and CPA of Canada, two airlines which showed the true potential of the type. CPA, for instance, uses it on their Sydney to Vancouver (via Auckland, Nandi and Honolulu) and Vancouver to Amsterdam (via Calgary and Edmonton) routes, despite since having received DC-8s as well; while El Al saw its passenger numbers increase by 400%, and its cargo by 70% after the introduction of its Britannias (they previously used Lockheed L-049 Constellations).

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Of course, the Britannia isn't the only example of a prop having trouble in jet times: Lockheed's Electra, and Vickers' Vanguard are also a good example of this. Both types seem to have arrived just that little bit too late onto a market, which had become jet-orientated. Had either type arrived two or three years earlier (and if Lockheed's Electra hadn't had its share of problems), one would undoubtedly have seen more of them nowadays.

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After some two and a half hours, our Britannia begins to descend. This is somewhat remarkable, as it would mean we're half an hour ahead of schedule, but soon the captain confirms that our aircraft is beginning its approach into Khartoum. For once, we seem to have nice weather - not that we've seen much of it, but we did have a rather more smooth flight than on some of the previous legs.

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At twenty to one, just shy of three hours after our departure in Entebbe, the Whispering Giant touches down at Khartoum airport. We won't be able to see much of Khartoum, as our connecting flight will depart in two hours' time, and this time, it will be the fastest ride in town...

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[AndyG43]

Anybody heard from Okami? Was there a crash at Khartoum?