Flight 19 European Vacation
- Thread starter Willy
- Start date
MM
Charter Member
Catching up with some Kodaks. First, from Entebbe to Nairobi.
Notes. The old terminal at Entebbe was the scene of the daring 1976 Israeli raid to free skyjacked passengers. The Kenyan highlands, including Eldoret, are home to the world famous Kenyan long distance runners. And one of the more dramatic scenes of the Great Rift Valley is the soaring Elegyo Escarpment on the western side--which we saw only in the distance. Also, flying the Viscount along SrG's Britannia was a bit of the ugly duckling next to a beautiful swan.
Notes. The old terminal at Entebbe was the scene of the daring 1976 Israeli raid to free skyjacked passengers. The Kenyan highlands, including Eldoret, are home to the world famous Kenyan long distance runners. And one of the more dramatic scenes of the Great Rift Valley is the soaring Elegyo Escarpment on the western side--which we saw only in the distance. Also, flying the Viscount along SrG's Britannia was a bit of the ugly duckling next to a beautiful swan.
MM
Charter Member
And then Nairobi to Dar es Salaam with Willy, Taco, and Sky_Warick.
Notes. Kenya's famous Amboseli National Park is home to the proud and once feared Maasai (the very tall and very successful peoples, known for their lion hunters) and an abundance of wildlife, most famously the elephants and the camera toting tourists. A free-standing mountain at 19,341ft, the glacier-topped Kilimanjaro dominates the landscape for many miles. (At the current rate of warming, the glaciers will disappear in 10-20 years.) Near Kilimanjaro and Arusha lie a number of grand wildlife parks. And Arusha itself has become a center for African diplomacy. The lush tropical rainforests of the Usambara Mountains are one of the worlds Biodiversity Hotspots--nowadays there is a constant struggle to preserve the ecosystem against the deforestation of local farmers. The old colonial neighborhoods of Dar es Salaam's Oysterbay house the international set in that cosmopolitan city.
Notes. Kenya's famous Amboseli National Park is home to the proud and once feared Maasai (the very tall and very successful peoples, known for their lion hunters) and an abundance of wildlife, most famously the elephants and the camera toting tourists. A free-standing mountain at 19,341ft, the glacier-topped Kilimanjaro dominates the landscape for many miles. (At the current rate of warming, the glaciers will disappear in 10-20 years.) Near Kilimanjaro and Arusha lie a number of grand wildlife parks. And Arusha itself has become a center for African diplomacy. The lush tropical rainforests of the Usambara Mountains are one of the worlds Biodiversity Hotspots--nowadays there is a constant struggle to preserve the ecosystem against the deforestation of local farmers. The old colonial neighborhoods of Dar es Salaam's Oysterbay house the international set in that cosmopolitan city.
srgalahad
Charter Member 2022
Well, I was there in spirit at least. Got a call to do a special "Historic Flight" from Nairobi to Dar in the recently-restored EAA DragonRapide so I did some research to amaze the pax..
One reason not to fly the route direct :
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19550518-0
--too close a look at the mountain
On the other hand, the area was so interesting visually and historically for aviation enthusiasts. Look at this treasure trove:
http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/East_Arican_Airways/East_African_Airways.htm
http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/Entebbe_Airport/Entebbe Airport.htm
http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/NairobiAirport/Nairobi Airports.htm
and as we discussed on the way into Kenya, there were the railroads...
http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/EastAfricanRailways/indexEAR.htm
one for Willy:
View attachment 48297
One reason not to fly the route direct :
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19550518-0
--too close a look at the mountain
On the other hand, the area was so interesting visually and historically for aviation enthusiasts. Look at this treasure trove:
http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/East_Arican_Airways/East_African_Airways.htm
http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/Entebbe_Airport/Entebbe Airport.htm
http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/NairobiAirport/Nairobi Airports.htm
and as we discussed on the way into Kenya, there were the railroads...
http://www.mccrow.org.uk/EastAfrica/EastAfricanRailways/indexEAR.htm
one for Willy:
View attachment 48297
Willy
Administrator
Had an "interesting" early morning take off at Dar es Salaam. The nose suddenly popped up, the tail hit the runway and then the nose bounced back down again. This left me climbing out with the nose wheel stuck in the locked and down position and trailing enough smoke that it looked like I'd been shot down.
Other than that it was a fun flight to Mbeya
Other than that it was a fun flight to Mbeya
Hi There,
Again, here are a few snaps of the last two nights flights. We took off just behind Willy when he started to do the connie jig! hehe. But he pulled her out of dance, and cleared the runway just about the time we hit V1, and we made it OK. Some small talk about our travel agent, who I relieve works for Achmed Enterprises, Gold heck, this place has been mined out years ago. Come to think about it, were we here before?
Again, here are a few snaps of the last two nights flights. We took off just behind Willy when he started to do the connie jig! hehe. But he pulled her out of dance, and cleared the runway just about the time we hit V1, and we made it OK. Some small talk about our travel agent, who I relieve works for Achmed Enterprises, Gold heck, this place has been mined out years ago. Come to think about it, were we here before?
srgalahad
Charter Member 2022
Haven't had time to get the film developed until now. Company mtce. flight brought the snaps in this morning so here are a few from the last 3-4 days
View attachment 48390 View attachment 48391 View attachment 48392 View attachment 48393
The last two are from the East AFrican Airways Historic Flight trip to Dar-Es -Salaam
View attachment 48390 View attachment 48391 View attachment 48392 View attachment 48393
The last two are from the East AFrican Airways Historic Flight trip to Dar-Es -Salaam
srgalahad
Charter Member 2022
Last couple to get up-to-date...
The Dragon Rapide heading into Dar and then last night's Viscount haul along the shore of Lake Nyasa
View attachment 48397 View attachment 48398
The Dragon Rapide heading into Dar and then last night's Viscount haul along the shore of Lake Nyasa
View attachment 48397 View attachment 48398
:salute:Howdy all,
Wow! what a flight, very enjoyable and lots of information on the countries we flew over! Tried to get close to Moses and his bent over drunken sailor, figure of speech, while he was have problem adjusting his fluel load on the Super G. Hey, maybe Achmed and his henchmen had something to do with his problem! Well anyway, we will be standing down for the next day in order to do some well needed maintenance on the 749, If completed early enough will try to catch up in a day or two, so my fellow CNs of Flight #19 have a good flight and take mucho amounts of pictures as you fly over Victoria Falls.
Taco and Crew.
Wow! what a flight, very enjoyable and lots of information on the countries we flew over! Tried to get close to Moses and his bent over drunken sailor, figure of speech, while he was have problem adjusting his fluel load on the Super G. Hey, maybe Achmed and his henchmen had something to do with his problem! Well anyway, we will be standing down for the next day in order to do some well needed maintenance on the 749, If completed early enough will try to catch up in a day or two, so my fellow CNs of Flight #19 have a good flight and take mucho amounts of pictures as you fly over Victoria Falls.
Taco and Crew.
MM
Charter Member
On arrival at Livingstone, we looked about to find what aircraft we might rent. Found a trio of British classics: Moses got the Airspeed Ferry, Willy a Puss Moth, and MM an old Australian Tiger Moth. Went for a fly about over Victoria Falls. Thanks to Holger Sandmann, we have a splendid rendition of the scenery. And thanks to Ted Cook, Milton Shupe, and Warwick Carter we were able to select interesting classic aircraft.
After Moses' success in the Airspeed, I followed the old axiom "Monkey see, Monkey do." Managed to fly through the gorge, under the Victoria Bridge, and then blindly into and out of the spray of the Falls. When he commanded the building of Victoria Falls bridge, Cecil Rhodes ordered that it be built so that the spray of the Falls would cover the railway carriages." He got what he wished.
Delightful flight.
After Moses' success in the Airspeed, I followed the old axiom "Monkey see, Monkey do." Managed to fly through the gorge, under the Victoria Bridge, and then blindly into and out of the spray of the Falls. When he commanded the building of Victoria Falls bridge, Cecil Rhodes ordered that it be built so that the spray of the Falls would cover the railway carriages." He got what he wished.
Delightful flight.
MM
Charter Member
Taco and I left Livingstone for Francistown in Botswana. We were joined by Sky who managed to witness a couple of "Death by Typing" incidents by the Flight 19 veterans.
We diverted a bit to see the enormous salt flats of the Makgadikgadi Pan. (This is the world's second largest salt flats next only to the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia--which you may remember!) The pan is covered by water briefly during the wet season, but most of the year it is dry and inhospitable. (Thanks to Jim Keir for his landclass portrayal.) We then turned over the Orapa airport which is privately run by the Debswana corporation (a joint venture between DeBeers and the Botswana government). This is the site of the Orapa diamond mine--the world's most productive mine. The city (just south of the NDB and airport) is completely surrounded by a security fence. The airport is private and you need 48 hours notice before you can land. It is not hard to understand the concern over security. Francistown was an original gold rush town and was, for quite some time, the largest city in the colony (called Bechuanaland before independence in 1966). Nowadays Francistown is second to Gabarone but remains a regional center for the minerals industry. In all, Botswana has been one of Africa's success stories--combining solid government with economic growth and good management of the natural resource boom.
We diverted a bit to see the enormous salt flats of the Makgadikgadi Pan. (This is the world's second largest salt flats next only to the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia--which you may remember!) The pan is covered by water briefly during the wet season, but most of the year it is dry and inhospitable. (Thanks to Jim Keir for his landclass portrayal.) We then turned over the Orapa airport which is privately run by the Debswana corporation (a joint venture between DeBeers and the Botswana government). This is the site of the Orapa diamond mine--the world's most productive mine. The city (just south of the NDB and airport) is completely surrounded by a security fence. The airport is private and you need 48 hours notice before you can land. It is not hard to understand the concern over security. Francistown was an original gold rush town and was, for quite some time, the largest city in the colony (called Bechuanaland before independence in 1966). Nowadays Francistown is second to Gabarone but remains a regional center for the minerals industry. In all, Botswana has been one of Africa's success stories--combining solid government with economic growth and good management of the natural resource boom.
MM, nice review! I must agree that it was a very enjoyable flight. I was kind of hopping that our fearless buddy Achmed would try something at that diamond mine while we are in town. It sure would be nice to see he and his smelly buddies get their backsides full buckshot. hehe.
Earlier, I tried and now again to upload some picture, but for some unknown reason SOH keeps rejecting them.
Taco
Earlier, I tried and now again to upload some picture, but for some unknown reason SOH keeps rejecting them.
Taco