Anyone flown in Kenya?

[aidanf]

Hello again my non-feathered flying friends. I'm going on honeymoon to Kenya for the first two weeks of September and would really appreciate some tips. At that stage I still will not have my PPL but should have about 30 hours on log. I'd love to take up a light a/c with an instructor while in Kenya and have the following queries.
1. Can I fly with an instructor as a student PPL in Kenya
2. Anyone know a good place to do this from (I'll be based about an hour from Mombasa)
3. Will any flight-time count towards my training?
4. Anyone know where would be good to go and see - safari, Mt. Kenya, Lake Victoria, Victoria Falls, etc?
5. Any other advice on the area?
Any help would be greatly appreciated (as always)

On a total tangent - I'd been trying to find a good pair of sunglasses to go flying with to no avail. I know a lot of the guys where I train use the RayBan Aviator things, but I look like enough of a **** already, than to resort to such measures (sorry, if you use them, it's just me!) While browsing around a local shopping centre recently I wandered into a golf shop and picked up a pair of golfing shades for EURO 20, and they're perfect - hue stays the same, no rims, full wrap around covers peripheral vision and I'm sorted!!!

[treadigraph]

This is only based on some flying I did with my dear departed dad in the early 70s when I was seven and eight years old... If you are able to get some flying in, these might be of interest.

Aerial view of Kilimanjaro - spectacular! It's next door in Tanzania but as, on occasion, you can see it from the ground in Nairobi that shouldn't be a factor...

The Rift Valley... wow! A flight up to Naivasha and/or Nakuru. Take in the Soda lakes at Magadi (?) and Lengai Crater which is still active occasionally. Nakuru is around 100 miles from Nairobi, but not too sure how far from Mombasa.

One of the game lodges - Kilaguni in Tsavo National Park isn't far from Mombasa and has a strip. Also close to Kilimanjaro...

Maybe a trip over to Zanzibar...

We did all these and the memories still linger even from such a tender age.

You lucky chap... Have a really great time!

[aidanf]

Thanks treadigraph - sounds great. Now I don't know whether I'm more excited about the flying or the honeymoon - sad really, isn't it?

[Paterbrat]

aidanf you didn`t say where you would be, if North of Mombasa there is a small airfield Kijipwe between Kilifi and Mombasa with a resident Instructor called Alan Hurd. Club aircraft and I am pretty sure he would be delighted to assist. He lives at Matwapa. Piper Colt and I believe a cub coming. Treadigraphs tips sound pretty good on places to go. Hours is hours just get them signed off.

[aidanf]

I'll be about 40km south of Mombasa at a place called Pinewood Village on Galu Beach (which is next to the more famous/infamous Diani Beach). Any chance of a contact for Alan Hurd?

[treadigraph]

Paterbrat, don't suppose you happen to know the reggie of Alan Hurd's Colt? 'KSK was one of the aircraft I used to fly in out there and I saw a pic of it at Kilaguni several years ago... Love to know if it's still active.

[aidanf]

I sent off a few e-mails to a few places in Kenya to try and find out more and so far have only received one response. I wont say where from but they've offered me a C172 with instructor for $185/hr - seems a little pricey to me, (for my training I'm paying Euro 110 per hour on 172's and Cherokees) but does anyone know if this would be the going rate?

[Sultan Ismail]

Brave Man

Aidanf I trust your pre-nuptial planning is as good as the post-nuptial, or you could soon find yourself on your own, except possibly for some sympathetic aviators.

Facts, please check your charts and don't get too ambitious, Lake Victoria and the Victoria Falls are not the same piece of water.

In fact, Victoria Falls is some 1160 nms to the South West of Mombasa.

Now because you think Raybans make you look like a **** is no reason not to wear them, thay are not there to enhance your visual charm, you've already hooked the girl, now move on. They are primarily to assist you combat the glare of high altitudes. I have always used 85% density Raybans flying in Southern Africa and Malaysia, but found them useless in the UK, kept bumping into things, blue skies in the UK does not equate to "bright".

So beware, golf shades may give you the "cool" look, but may also screw your eyes up.

Other than that, sounds a great idea for a honeymoon, good luck


Sultan Ismail


Just checking through your later posts, the figure of $185 presumably means US$, in which case it is a ripoff. The going "club" rates in KL are RM315 (Euro 77) and in Johannesburg, at Grand Central, are ZAR750 (Euro 82,50), this relates to your existing Euro 110.

Perhaps you should relocate your honeymoon! What's the priority, back to you....

[aidanf]

Sultan - fair point on the Lake Victoria / Victoria Falls bit - hadn't looked at any charts in details yet, just thought that with the lake bordering Kenya, perhaps the falls might be close by:(

As for the Raybans, it's not just that they make me look like a ****, the main problem I had was the rims affecting my periperal vision during the flare and hold-off. What I've got now (the golf ones) make me look even more ridiculous but they wrap right around and take in the peripheral vision without any break for frames. Perhaps when I get better with the landings it wont be such a big issue, but at the moment it works:D

The honeymoon is booked for Kenya, so Kenya it must be - I still really want to rent an a/c over there but if the price I've been given so far is anything to go by I wont be going up for too long. Do you know of any outfits in Kenya that may offer better rates?

[Hogwash]

I used to live in Kenya and worked out of Wilson for 12 years. i think you will find that Alan spells his surname HERD. he was working for Skytrails so if you call them, their chif Pilot is Rob Cork, you should be able to get a contact for him.

treadigraph, last I heared KSK was still going strong and I would not be surprised if Alan still owns it, he taught me to fly her a long time ago. Did your father work at Wilson?

aidanf

Sorry I forgot to answer your questions about what to see.

!. victoria Falls are in Zimbabwe/Zambia:O

2. if you are into wild life try to get to the Maasai Mara.

3. if you cannot travel to far Tsavo game reserve is close, but it is huge and more difficult to see animals than in the Mara, but worth a trip there.

4. there is plenty to do along the coast and I am sure that you will have a great time there. I'm off to Kenya myself, most propably in April.

[treadigraph]

Thanks Hogwash, delighted to hear you learned on KSK and that she's still around!

No, he learned to fly there in the early Seventies with the Aero Club of East Africa. Chippies, PA-28s, C150s and the like. So I flew with hime, usually elevated on a few cushions!

So many memories...:D

Treadders