Thanks for affirmation. To many people it will sound too nuts to be true. "Mama Benze's" - hah! For the benefit of others: people who drive around (or get driven around) in Mercedes-Benz cars are the "Wabenze" (or similar).
A colleague of mine had pictures to show boarding in places like Chad and the CAR - essentially they opened the gate on to the tarmac and it was everyman for himself to the stairs. They even used to drive the stairs away , packed with passengers, once the plane was full.