I've had the dubious pleasure of having flown in Africa (not the DRC) in an AN-24 - the APU, located in the nacelle, with exhaust supplying some thrust, was only shut down at top of climb. SOP?
The load manifest indicated 50kg below MAUW. However, the freight was 'estimated' at 750kg, and every pax seat was full. The take-off was interesting.
The FE gleefully informed me that 'last flight we had full pax and 2000kg of freight'.........
CRM appeared to be non-existent, with the Captain flying, navigating, and doing the radio work. I did wonder what would happen in the cockpit if something went pear-shaped at a critical moment.
Fortunately for those dependent on my physical presence to harvest an income (read ex) nothing went awry.
With this kind of operation very much the norm, and oversight from many African CAAs confined to money-collecting and issuing of bits of meaningless paper, we shall no doubt continue to read of, and experience the loss of innocent lives. Viva Africa viva! Viva corruption! Viva greed!
