Tall Tales at the Alvear
- Thread starter MM
- Start date
MM
Charter Member
The long flight from Nice to Lisbon was marked by unexpectedly fierce headwinds. For half the trip, fuel was marginal and threatening. But misfortune abated and the upper atmosphere winds diminished and all was well. The scenery was great, of course, with Spain's splendid plains and rugged terrain (Spain it the second most mountainous country in Europe.) All in all, happy to get to beautiful Lisbon.
Here at Portela, the Air France technicians are making modifications on the Constellation to see if it can work in what Moses calls "the junior simulator." Might take a little while to get the long-distance navigation capabilities installed. The guys just shrugged their shoulders and said, "Maybe."
We are now scheduled to stop at Casablanca. The faster route, of course, is direct to Los Rodeos in the Canary Islands. But we at Air France feel compelled to connect with Casablanca—our headquarters during the past War just four short years ago.
During that period, Air France maintained the link between Lisbon with Casablanca. Neutral Lisbon was the crossroads between German-occupied Europe and the Free World. A center for spies and intrigue...and an escape route for refugees.
That was a difficult time for France, with heroes and villains and mostly ordinary men seemingly overwhelmed by the forces of history.
Perhaps one sweet fleeting moment, at Rick's Café Américain ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iYbEPZVVIA
... the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Here at Portela, the Air France technicians are making modifications on the Constellation to see if it can work in what Moses calls "the junior simulator." Might take a little while to get the long-distance navigation capabilities installed. The guys just shrugged their shoulders and said, "Maybe."
We are now scheduled to stop at Casablanca. The faster route, of course, is direct to Los Rodeos in the Canary Islands. But we at Air France feel compelled to connect with Casablanca—our headquarters during the past War just four short years ago.
During that period, Air France maintained the link between Lisbon with Casablanca. Neutral Lisbon was the crossroads between German-occupied Europe and the Free World. A center for spies and intrigue...and an escape route for refugees.
That was a difficult time for France, with heroes and villains and mostly ordinary men seemingly overwhelmed by the forces of history.
Perhaps one sweet fleeting moment, at Rick's Café Américain ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iYbEPZVVIA
... the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Flyin Bull
Charter Member
Made it into South America after a very slow and uneventful flight. Was a little worried about the nav over a 1700nm leg but in the end all was well, I made landfall within NDB range (only just) of SBRF. Winds were on the nose all the way and fuel was getting to be a worry until I sighted land.
Managed to get the camera out for a shot of the coast of Brazil
Steve
Managed to get the camera out for a shot of the coast of Brazil
Steve
Completed flight from Noumea (NWWW) to Nadi, Fiji (NFFN). A most enjoyable flight. Took off in the late afternoon, and it was full dark by the time we made Fiji. The weather was fine and we had a strong tail wind for the entire flight. At around a half hour out, the ADF needle jumped up, dead ahead, and I heard that lonely "beep-beep-beep" from out there in the darkness... Doesn't get much better than that! There was one odd encounter, however. As it was getting dark, there appeared an enormous object, which I can only compare to one of Larry Niven’s Ring Worlds, but situated about our own Earth. I suspect something not quite right about the new Moon texture I recently loaded… Will do some tests. The object did not hinder navigation or landing, and was not visible in daylight.
Willy
Administrator
Got my night flights out of the way when I landed in Atlanta (KATL) to meet the Merc Air ground crew. While I'm here, they're going to reconfigure the cabin from the Sleeper Berths to the Day Passenger configurations as well as do some quick maintenance to the Wright Cyclones. This will raise my passenger capacity from 24 to 33.
Now where can I find 9 more victims... er... paying passengers?
Now where can I find 9 more victims... er... paying passengers?
Nice to Lisbon
After looking over the previous reports, we knew there would be a persistent headwind most of the way. Took her up to 17,000' for awhile but the going was slow. Decided to head back down to about 11,000' or so and sure enough we were able to keep a steady cruise with less headwind and without too much fuel stress. Ended up at 15,000' to finish out.
The crew played rock, paper, scissors to see where we would go next...
After looking over the previous reports, we knew there would be a persistent headwind most of the way. Took her up to 17,000' for awhile but the going was slow. Decided to head back down to about 11,000' or so and sure enough we were able to keep a steady cruise with less headwind and without too much fuel stress. Ended up at 15,000' to finish out.
The crew played rock, paper, scissors to see where we would go next...
srgalahad
Charter Member 2022
A dawn departure from Brisbane into favourable tailwinds. Fuji certainly is an artist and has done the company proud with his paint schemes.
The descent into New Caledonia was smooth in spite of the building cumulus and the smoke from the ever-present fires once again obstructed visibility but arrival was almost perfect. It seems the plan to have a second aircraft following along with mechanics and spares will turn into a holiday junket - at company expense!!, but best to be prepared and it's nice to have someone to chat with on those long ocean hops. Better than to get disoriented and suffering hallucinations like those QANTAS chaps...
Resting up in a nice bro... hotel in preparation for what Boss McHale calls a wildcard... whatever that is.
The descent into New Caledonia was smooth in spite of the building cumulus and the smoke from the ever-present fires once again obstructed visibility but arrival was almost perfect. It seems the plan to have a second aircraft following along with mechanics and spares will turn into a holiday junket - at company expense!!, but best to be prepared and it's nice to have someone to chat with on those long ocean hops. Better than to get disoriented and suffering hallucinations like those QANTAS chaps...
Resting up in a nice bro... hotel in preparation for what Boss McHale calls a wildcard... whatever that is.
"Qantas Empire Airways would like to take this opportunity to reassure the travelling public that we know where we are going!"
RedGreen
Charter Member
Miami, Havana, and now Kingston. How lucky can you get? It's been a wonderful tour of tropical paradises so far, and I can't wait to check out Jamaica.
The locals have warned me to stay away from this island called Crab Key. Seems there's a man who lives there who doesn't take well to trespassers...but I wonder if he'd mind a fly-by?
[YOUTUBE]E5jjYLsh1V4&fmt=18[/YOUTUBE]
The locals have warned me to stay away from this island called Crab Key. Seems there's a man who lives there who doesn't take well to trespassers...but I wonder if he'd mind a fly-by?
[YOUTUBE]E5jjYLsh1V4&fmt=18[/YOUTUBE]
I'd like to thank the Evita Event Organizers for.....
.... San Juan Isla Grande (TJIG).
It was a challenge to get my full payload out of this airport. Only 5300' of runway and the take off on rwy 27 obstructed by a cargo container ship just beyond the runway threshold. Rwy 9 obstructed by buildings.
Very nice....
.... San Juan Isla Grande (TJIG).
It was a challenge to get my full payload out of this airport. Only 5300' of runway and the take off on rwy 27 obstructed by a cargo container ship just beyond the runway threshold. Rwy 9 obstructed by buildings.
Very nice....
Willy
Administrator
Nice short flight to Nassau in the Bahamas (MYNN) until time to descend into the thunderstorm that was over the island. Then things got real "interesting". But it all worked out good in the end.
Got a few pics...
1) From looking at this Pan Am Sikorsky, you'd think Juan Trippe could afford some new airplanes
2) Leaving Miami behind
3) Parked at Nassau
Got a few pics...
1) From looking at this Pan Am Sikorsky, you'd think Juan Trippe could afford some new airplanes
2) Leaving Miami behind
3) Parked at Nassau
MM
Charter Member
By arrangement with Air France in Paris, the team took the route along the coast to honor the early days, some fifteen years ago, when Aéropostale flew the mails from France to South America. Here we flew from Casablanca to Agadir to Port-Étienne.
Here is a bit on Saint-Exupéry's second time around in North Africa, after serving as the chief in Buenos Aires.
Here is a bit on Saint-Exupéry's second time around in North Africa, after serving as the chief in Buenos Aires.
(1931) …Now in a Laté 26 he began to fly the mail from Casablanca south to Port-Étienne, leaving Morocco late on a Sunday afternoon and adhering to a tight schedule down the coast, one that provided the rites by which he lived for a good part of the next two years. At Agadir he and the mail changed aircraft; the relay plane was up and running on their arrival. In his ten minutes of ground time Saint-Exupéry chatted with the mechanics as he gulped down an hors d'oeuvre of chocolate followed by a plate of fried eggs, a banana, and a glass of wine. Alexandre Baïle, the chief of the airfield, provided a word on the weather and—the mail having been transferred—saw to it that the pilot made a prompt departure. As the sun set over the desert Saint-Exupery forged on to Juby, three and a half hours to the south. Here another plate of fried eggs awaited him; in his ten minutes on the ground he traded memories with the Spanish officers who still occupied his former home. …
Through the night the Latécoère continued on toward Port-Étienne, overflying Villa Cisneros to drop, quite literally, the mail, whereupon the chief of the airfield waved the plane on from the ground. With the dawn, Saint-Exupéry arrived at Port-Etienne, having flow for nearly twelve hours, a period of duty and under conditions that would be abhorrent to any member of the pilots' union today. His stay in Port-Étienne lasted until the end of the week, when—the Buenos Aires mail having been sent up from Dakar—the trip would be repeated in reverse, landing Saint-Exupéry in Casablanca on Sunday morning, in time for an early breakfast of warm croissants and cafés au lait. (From Saint-Exupéry by Stacy Schiff)
Through the night the Latécoère continued on toward Port-Étienne, overflying Villa Cisneros to drop, quite literally, the mail, whereupon the chief of the airfield waved the plane on from the ground. With the dawn, Saint-Exupéry arrived at Port-Etienne, having flow for nearly twelve hours, a period of duty and under conditions that would be abhorrent to any member of the pilots' union today. His stay in Port-Étienne lasted until the end of the week, when—the Buenos Aires mail having been sent up from Dakar—the trip would be repeated in reverse, landing Saint-Exupéry in Casablanca on Sunday morning, in time for an early breakfast of warm croissants and cafés au lait. (From Saint-Exupéry by Stacy Schiff)
MM
Charter Member
Here is a small bit of the Aéropostale flying—which had become so routine that Saint-Exupéry lamented the loss of danger and thus the visceral sense of living.
For most of this period he was teamed up with a Corsican radio operator named Jacques Néri, as brilliant a match as could have been made. A 1929 recruit, Néri was a hugely talented radio-navigator; his preferred means of communication was drawing, however. Not only was this easier to understand, he felt, but it was aesthetically more interesting. ...
In Wind, Sand and Stars, it is with Néri that Saint-Exupéry has been drawn off course in the middle of a foggy night. No airport can tell the two men their bearings, which makes them feel as if they have "slipped beyond the confines of this world." The two set their cap on star after star, each time in the vain hope that they are actually headed toward an airport beacon. The first time the skies yield up a light, Néri, singing, begins to pound the fuselage with his fists. Lost in interplanetary space, hungry and thirsty, Saint-Exupéry dreams of the breakfast with which the two will celebrate if ever they return to earth; all the joy of being alive will be his in the first rich, burning mouthful of coffee. But the two remain hopelessly lost. When Néri asks that Cisneros blink its beacon three times, the light ahead "would not, incorruptible star, so much as wink." Finally Néri hands his pilot a scrap of paper. "All's well. Great news." He has received a transmission from Casablanca which he expects will save them. In fact the message has been delayed somewhere in the 1,250 miles of night sky and dates from the previous evening, when a government representative sent out word that Saint-Exupéry was to be disciplined on his return for having flown too close to the Casablanca hangars. He had indeed done so but was never happy to be reprimanded, least of all when he was lost on the company's behalf, in the night sky, in a dense fog, hoping for some more pertinent information. It was as if he had jumped overboard to save a shipmate and—upon asking from the open sea for a buoy—had been told that his socks were mismatched. (From Saint-Exupéry by Stacy Schiff)
In Wind, Sand and Stars, it is with Néri that Saint-Exupéry has been drawn off course in the middle of a foggy night. No airport can tell the two men their bearings, which makes them feel as if they have "slipped beyond the confines of this world." The two set their cap on star after star, each time in the vain hope that they are actually headed toward an airport beacon. The first time the skies yield up a light, Néri, singing, begins to pound the fuselage with his fists. Lost in interplanetary space, hungry and thirsty, Saint-Exupéry dreams of the breakfast with which the two will celebrate if ever they return to earth; all the joy of being alive will be his in the first rich, burning mouthful of coffee. But the two remain hopelessly lost. When Néri asks that Cisneros blink its beacon three times, the light ahead "would not, incorruptible star, so much as wink." Finally Néri hands his pilot a scrap of paper. "All's well. Great news." He has received a transmission from Casablanca which he expects will save them. In fact the message has been delayed somewhere in the 1,250 miles of night sky and dates from the previous evening, when a government representative sent out word that Saint-Exupéry was to be disciplined on his return for having flown too close to the Casablanca hangars. He had indeed done so but was never happy to be reprimanded, least of all when he was lost on the company's behalf, in the night sky, in a dense fog, hoping for some more pertinent information. It was as if he had jumped overboard to save a shipmate and—upon asking from the open sea for a buoy—had been told that his socks were mismatched. (From Saint-Exupéry by Stacy Schiff)
Made a short hop from Nadi International (NFFN) to Nausori (NFNA) today. “Loaded for bear” with coconut trees, sun tan lotion, beech umbrellas and beer. While a short flight, the folks at Nausori haven’t yet learned of this new invention called the chain saw… The trees were trimmed a bit close to the approach ends of the single 6000 foot runway. Had to come in a tad high, then dove for the runway, touching down way too far down. Then the prop reverser system picked that very moment to go on the fritz. Oh well, no worries. Made it just fine.
Nice one P!
Casablanca to Atar
Nerveracking flight over the desolate stretches of the western Sahara. Trip started out fine but about 100 miles out a sandstorm blew in and sent visibility doen the drain. I feared the engines might start choking off from the sand but they held on thankfully. Took a very conservative approach at a lower alt all the way in.
Was on the ramp locking down the Connie last night and spied a Lockeed twin taxiing out. Grabbed the camera and snapped a shot as it took off. Neat little Electra 12.
Nerveracking flight over the desolate stretches of the western Sahara. Trip started out fine but about 100 miles out a sandstorm blew in and sent visibility doen the drain. I feared the engines might start choking off from the sand but they held on thankfully. Took a very conservative approach at a lower alt all the way in.
Was on the ramp locking down the Connie last night and spied a Lockeed twin taxiing out. Grabbed the camera and snapped a shot as it took off. Neat little Electra 12.