You Know You Are In Africa When.....
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Africa
- Lining up on runway 16 in HAAX you notice the number 16 has been painted over the number 34 which has been scratched out with grey paint.
- Discovering exactly how 10 years of erosion has converted an officially declared asphalt runway into a loose gravel strip.
- When local pilots tell you the runway is "TAM" - that's africa man!
- ATC involves someone shouting ilegible instructions at the top of their voice into a portable 2-way radio at the top of an half-built tower with in Ravens and other birds nesting on it.
- All controllers base their instructions on the same hand drawn map of radials and distances to all destinations based on only one partly serviceable beacon.
- Discovering exactly how 10 years of erosion has converted an officially declared asphalt runway into a loose gravel strip.
- When local pilots tell you the runway is "TAM" - that's africa man!
- ATC involves someone shouting ilegible instructions at the top of their voice into a portable 2-way radio at the top of an half-built tower with in Ravens and other birds nesting on it.
- All controllers base their instructions on the same hand drawn map of radials and distances to all destinations based on only one partly serviceable beacon.
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Marriage made in heaven?
darkroomsource Quote:- "Leave the poor chap alone, that's just the way he is, he can't help it if he likes goats."
They do have the right to get married, don't they?
They do have the right to get married, don't they?
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As SLF I once flew in some class of rust-bucket from Llilongwe to Blantyre.
We were brought to the plane in a trailer hitched to a tractor. It took fifteen minutes to get the door closed. Apparently there was a "knack" involved and the guy who had the "knack" was on sick leave that day.
In the safety announcement the pilot cautioned that we should observe the seat-belt signs, warning that those passengers in a listed number of seats should observe the signs in the adjacent seats as their bulbs were inoperative.
The airline took delivery of a new 737-400 during the trip (purely a vanity gesture for the Life President) and we used it for the return to Llinogwe. We didn't realise that His Excellency the Kamuzu, Life-President Dr Hastings Banda was on the flight (he was doubtless heading off to London forhis regular monnkey glands treatment). We were woring for the World Bank assessing some loans for the country, so we were pretty much Access All Areas, which I guess is why we were allowed on the flight.
On landing at Llilongwe we were told that His Excellency the Kamuzu blah blah was slightly indisposed and we could deplane. At the door we were met by the sight of a temporary stand with schoolgirls belting out the national anthem, while various dignitaries were ranged either side of a red carpet. Thankfully, they studiously ignore my colleague and myself as we basked in our VIP welcome.
The kids will have been standing in the heat for hours. That was the way. When Banda travelled through the cities all the kids were taken out of school to line the routes and sing - which they did beautifully.
They'd catch the merest glimpse of him in his open-top Rolls as he sped past at 80+kph.
We were brought to the plane in a trailer hitched to a tractor. It took fifteen minutes to get the door closed. Apparently there was a "knack" involved and the guy who had the "knack" was on sick leave that day.
In the safety announcement the pilot cautioned that we should observe the seat-belt signs, warning that those passengers in a listed number of seats should observe the signs in the adjacent seats as their bulbs were inoperative.
The airline took delivery of a new 737-400 during the trip (purely a vanity gesture for the Life President) and we used it for the return to Llinogwe. We didn't realise that His Excellency the Kamuzu, Life-President Dr Hastings Banda was on the flight (he was doubtless heading off to London forhis regular monnkey glands treatment). We were woring for the World Bank assessing some loans for the country, so we were pretty much Access All Areas, which I guess is why we were allowed on the flight.
On landing at Llilongwe we were told that His Excellency the Kamuzu blah blah was slightly indisposed and we could deplane. At the door we were met by the sight of a temporary stand with schoolgirls belting out the national anthem, while various dignitaries were ranged either side of a red carpet. Thankfully, they studiously ignore my colleague and myself as we basked in our VIP welcome.
The kids will have been standing in the heat for hours. That was the way. When Banda travelled through the cities all the kids were taken out of school to line the routes and sing - which they did beautifully.
They'd catch the merest glimpse of him in his open-top Rolls as he sped past at 80+kph.
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I was just above V1 on a very heavy G550 flying out of Malabo to Aguadilla, PR., when one of the locals decided to run across the runway with a load of bananas on his head.
When he realized the danger and instead of hitting the deck or going back, he just ran faster.
I had to rotate about 5 kts slow or I would have splattered him and the bananas all over the runway.
Since then they actually put a fence up. Not to protect air traffic, but to improve security for the dear leader and his Falcon 900, 737 and 777.
Got to love Africa!
When he realized the danger and instead of hitting the deck or going back, he just ran faster.
I had to rotate about 5 kts slow or I would have splattered him and the bananas all over the runway.
Since then they actually put a fence up. Not to protect air traffic, but to improve security for the dear leader and his Falcon 900, 737 and 777.
Got to love Africa!
Nicolaas900816....After operating the full length of Africa and you pop into SA and hear those two magical words...."Radar Identified" Is a magic relief for those, like me, who are unaccustomed to "Africa"!
Mogadishu Mogadishu!!!
halas
Mogadishu Mogadishu!!!
halas
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when these things are normal like in these 2 you tube videos
1) google: Cockpit view Dassault Falcon 900 incomprehension with Kinshasa tower (Congo)
2) google: An-26.Congo DR.Visual Approach at Kinshasa N*Djili.flv
1) google: Cockpit view Dassault Falcon 900 incomprehension with Kinshasa tower (Congo)
2) google: An-26.Congo DR.Visual Approach at Kinshasa N*Djili.flv
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Gear down
Some years ago in Entebbe....
L29 Delfin takes off, reports gear will not go up. Confirmed was locked down.
Returned, landed safely. While taxiing disappeared from sight from the Tower behind the hill and never reappeared.
Called to ask what was happening. Happy voice responded that he had managed to get the gear up now!
L29 Delfin takes off, reports gear will not go up. Confirmed was locked down.
Returned, landed safely. While taxiing disappeared from sight from the Tower behind the hill and never reappeared.
Called to ask what was happening. Happy voice responded that he had managed to get the gear up now!
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I have read all this thread over the last week and wanted to share with you some of my adventures ...
You know you are in Africa when ...
... inbound to land at the capital city airport, you call in in French over the radio but nobody replies. You can hear another inbound airliner from Belgium calling also in French, greeted back in French by the controller.
You insist one more time in French and still receive no other reply. Then you start to call the tower in English, and you immediatly get a reply, in French of course ...
... on finals to another capital airport, you are established 10 miles final when the local air force Sukhois take-off at counter QFU and start slowly climbing still in the axis of the runway straight at you, loaded with bomb and stuff. You don't need to worry about any RA on the TCAS since they fly without transponder ...
... in the aforementioned airport, you wait 20 minutes at the holding point because the "contractors" actually flying the Sukhois on behalf of the locals are calling their bank over the satellite phone to check if they have been paid. You subsequently know they haven't been paid when they finally taxi back to the apron.
... the 40+ dogs living at the end of the runway are actually more civilized than most of the villagers living around. At least, the dogs leave the runway when you come in.
... on a mission on behalf of the local governement to drop food supplies to a remote location, you are asked to take with you one of the colonel of the army (actually beeing 25 years old or something) in order to ensure that you will not drop rebels and start an invasion.
... on one of the remote airfield, the most efficient loadmaster you've met was actually a 14 years old boy.
The followings have already been said in previous posts, but it still feels good to share them :
... you can cross 3 countries and do 5 hours of flight without managing to get one enroute controller over the radio.
... the controler advises of inbound traffic once you have actually crossed it and deconflicted each other between gentlemen using the TCAS and 126.9.
Keep this thread alive guys !
Can't wait to fly there again
You know you are in Africa when ...
... inbound to land at the capital city airport, you call in in French over the radio but nobody replies. You can hear another inbound airliner from Belgium calling also in French, greeted back in French by the controller.
You insist one more time in French and still receive no other reply. Then you start to call the tower in English, and you immediatly get a reply, in French of course ...
... on finals to another capital airport, you are established 10 miles final when the local air force Sukhois take-off at counter QFU and start slowly climbing still in the axis of the runway straight at you, loaded with bomb and stuff. You don't need to worry about any RA on the TCAS since they fly without transponder ...
... in the aforementioned airport, you wait 20 minutes at the holding point because the "contractors" actually flying the Sukhois on behalf of the locals are calling their bank over the satellite phone to check if they have been paid. You subsequently know they haven't been paid when they finally taxi back to the apron.
... the 40+ dogs living at the end of the runway are actually more civilized than most of the villagers living around. At least, the dogs leave the runway when you come in.
... on a mission on behalf of the local governement to drop food supplies to a remote location, you are asked to take with you one of the colonel of the army (actually beeing 25 years old or something) in order to ensure that you will not drop rebels and start an invasion.
... on one of the remote airfield, the most efficient loadmaster you've met was actually a 14 years old boy.
The followings have already been said in previous posts, but it still feels good to share them :
... you can cross 3 countries and do 5 hours of flight without managing to get one enroute controller over the radio.
... the controler advises of inbound traffic once you have actually crossed it and deconflicted each other between gentlemen using the TCAS and 126.9.
Keep this thread alive guys !
Can't wait to fly there again
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Flew into Goma at the height of the Rwandan crisis and having 1000's of refugees run toward my C-141 trying to score some food. I brought a case of Marlboros to pay the biggest guys to keep the majority of the refugees away.
Landing in Kigali during said crisis and having zero ATC, lighting, etc. A pack of wild dogs were living at the end of the runway were said to be feeding on the unfortunates that were recently killed and piled up just outside the airport perimeter. UN peacekeepers would periodically drive out and shoot the dogs to try to contain the spread of disease.
It was a colossal mess, but a few hours later we were kicking back and drinking beer on the beach in Mombasa. Very surreal.
Landing in Kigali during said crisis and having zero ATC, lighting, etc. A pack of wild dogs were living at the end of the runway were said to be feeding on the unfortunates that were recently killed and piled up just outside the airport perimeter. UN peacekeepers would periodically drive out and shoot the dogs to try to contain the spread of disease.
It was a colossal mess, but a few hours later we were kicking back and drinking beer on the beach in Mombasa. Very surreal.
Drain Bamaged
When in Nigeria, on the company frequency, you decide to swap in flight your Caravan's registration with the one of your collegue who is 12 miles final. While you are on a tight down wind and tower tells you to be number two.