So is there anyone out here who has actually BEEN to Moghadishu, who can explain why he could not have made a right hand climbing turn to say 500’ ? Which sounds more sensible to me, sitting at the kitchen table north of 51 north.
I asked the same question elsewhere and was told by an experienced commercial pilot who has flown into Mogadishu that Strela 2's (known to be floating around in Mogadishu) will not fire at under a 7 degree inclination, so staying low is imperative.
I believe that he believed what he was saying. I don't know if the SA-7 firing inclination is actually true or not.