Oldpropfan C2C - Southbound again

12000 ft? That's ok, it made for some fun flight planning and interesting flying to try and stay under 10000 ft. Don't know how I got locked on the lower altitude. Good doctor has us all set and it's time to leave Interlaken and head back to Lyon for one last short hand flown flight.
 
Fairly quick and painless flight and we're back in Lyon. Don't know what it is about this place but it has the worst turbulence and gusty winds I've run into yet, same thing first time I came through here. Quick break to load up on coffee and jabon beurre baguettes then we head on to Marseille to pickup the mail bags before we hit Africa.

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Already flew this route in the opposite direction so I don't know if I get to bonus again for flying it back out of Interlaken. Won't claim one till I hear the commitee's decision.
 
And we are down in Marseille, head winds are getting worse, hit up to approx 35 knt on the way down. While the people at the Poste get their act together it's time to get out and enjoy everything the town has to offer, then hope we can find our way back to the airfield to sleep it off.

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The mysteries and legends of the dark continent are singing their songs, drawing us onward, next stop will be in Algeria.
 
Time to wrap up the fun in Marseille and make the hop across the pond. Departing for Oran, Algeria. Africa here we come:wavey:. Carrying 400 lbs mail for the nice people at the Poste, going to go around the long way.
 
Time to move on after volunteering to do some relief work running refugees from a not to named wartorn country. Departing Oran, with mail still safely on board, for Casablanca.
 
Arrived in Dakar, nice flight on the way down but not much to see, blue out one side and tan out the other. Decided to stay lower than normal and think I actually found tailwinds, it's about time. Going to offload the mail for the Poste people, find a cantina, then hit the rack. Tomorrow we figure out our plan from here, maybe see how long a leg we can stretch out before we get down to fumes in the tanks. Four hour bonus for running mail from Marseille to Dakar.

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Now that we've spent a week in Dakar enjoying the wine, women, and song; it's time to move on. Going to try a max range flight if I can find the tail winds to help me out. Planning on making it to DGTK but will bail out at DIAP if things turn south on me.
 
Made it to DIAP and decided I might be able to push it to DGTK, 15 minutes later changed my mind and turned around, probably a good thing. Had 15 gallons left when I shut down. Should be able to make the direct jump to Libreville but it's all over water with no navaids to take bearings from to try to get an idea of ground speed. Will try it anyway but the code for the field, FOOL, makes me wonder .

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Going to make the jump over the Gulf of Guinea, departing DIAP for Libreville. Have the raft patched and stowed in case we need it, hopefully it all turns out well.
 
Most turbulent leg I've had yet, pretty exciting flying in the ITCZ. Think I had a headwind most of the way across the gulf also, no surprise there. The island of Principe was my only nav reference point but it passed by my left wing right where it should have been so I was on course. As the island is about 150 nm out of Libreville I knew I would make it in with 60 ~ gal fuel I had left but I hit that point after ~ 4 hrs flying, slower than I had planned. Alot of thunderstorms in the area but the weather and vis at the field was good, taxied in with 24 gal remaining.

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That it is Willy, have to finish cleaning out and deodorizing the plane first though. Copilot lost his breakfast shortly after our hairy takeoff from Libreville. Thunder and lightning everywhere, wind gusting and swinging through a 30 degree range, plane bounced more on our way down the runway than it does when I bring it in to land. Pretty much same weather that hammered Paul on his run in, clear in the middle then back to the storms as we approached Kinshasa.View attachment 65718View attachment 65719
 
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