Oh, yes, Africa... 411A, I smile with your remark...
xxx
A few years ago... Vacations.
Went to fly for a few weeks with Kabo Air, Nigeria - 747-200...
Haj contract... Great airline... A real zoo... Inside planes and on the ground.
If you ever want to be pilot with Kabo, take a pistol and shoot yourself.
Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Abuja, Lagos... perfect for vacations.
xxx
Was night... Flight from Jeddah back to Sokoto, Nigeria.
499 passengers, 11 F/As supplemented by 11 Nigerian "cabin service representatives".
Lots of carry-on baggage (zam-zam jugs, microwaves, TVs, refrigerators).
Every passenger dressed in their bed sheets...
xxx
After Khartoum FIR, nobody on ATC to talk to, blind reports on VHF 126.7...
Somebody in Kano answered - cleared to Sokoto, cleared to descent FL 050.
Sokoto Tower did not answer. Pitch dark down there.
Came on top of the airport, tower still no answer. Let's see, how we do this...?
xxx
Visual traffic (exactly as if I was flying a C-172 Chickenhawk)...
Oh yes, great, they even have a lighted wind sock, so I know which way to land.
Turn crosswind, hmmm, now I turn downwind, hmmm, then in base...
And saying all that on the tower frequency, which remains silent.
Hope that it was not a RH traffic... did not see an arrow, anyway.
Finally in final, gear down, flaps down, landing check completed.
xxx
Yes, we superior airline pilots can do that in a 747 as well.
Perfect landing... roll to the end, taxi back, going to the ramp.
APU is on the line, we can shut down engines...
xxx
But the engine noise woke the guy in the tower. Sorry, need power to make U turn on ramp.
Of course no airstairs. Just a kid, the airport guard, age 17, with his AK-47.
Flight engineer goes through the E&E and down the hatch, look for chocks for wheels.
xxx
About an hour later, we get the airstairs... then ground power even.
The tower officer was angry at me - no landing clearance.
I went to his tower, saw the table with his radio, a 1950 vintage.
Under the table, his cot (to sleep, obviously, poor guy needs a rest).
xxx
Only one electrical outlet on the wall... I understand.
That is to get warm water for tea. In Sokoto, it is hot water
or radio.
Not both at the same time.
Happy contrails