I aborted a takeoff in Kikondja, Zaire, because of a man down the runway: being used to all sorts of living forms on our airstrips, I started to roll, sure he would have pulled off to one side easily.
But instead of doing so, he started to run on the middle of the runway, like in some movies (!), running and watching behind him the airplane - an Islander - closing in.
He thought he could run faster than the airplane!!!
Just before hitting the ***, I aborted.
We had to shut down, hung to the tail to raise the nose and be able to turn 180° on the naaaaarrow strip, start the engines, roll again uphill, shut down, do the same trick, start again and then takeoff, at last!
Another era...
