Henshaw Challenge: Success! (Now includes photographs)
That should mean he's taking off about now, I guess? Any idea on a Southend ETA? We've got the plane ready to come over from R'Dam!
Anyone got any contact details for his Southend team, or anyone else going to visit? Would be nice to meet up with someone so we can be sure of seeing things!
Anyone got any contact details for his Southend team, or anyone else going to visit? Would be nice to meet up with someone so we can be sure of seeing things!
Sounds good FL! Mind if I PM you our contact number (and maybe get yours?) so we can be sure of meeting up? Or will it be very obvious indeed where everything is going on...? 
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: London
Posts: 2,916
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think it will be very obvious where everything is going on. 
But, just in case .....
There's a recent photograph of Chalkie in post #44 of this thread about Alex Henshaw's Cape Flights and the 70th Anniversary Dinner the Guild of Air Pilots organised in Cape Town in February >> http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...ml#post4789504
Although I suspect he'll be in a flying suit rather then a DJ!
FL
But, just in case .....
There's a recent photograph of Chalkie in post #44 of this thread about Alex Henshaw's Cape Flights and the 70th Anniversary Dinner the Guild of Air Pilots organised in Cape Town in February >> http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...ml#post4789504
Although I suspect he'll be in a flying suit rather then a DJ!
FL
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London
Age: 68
Posts: 1,269
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
latest update from the webmaster:
I am able to update the website directly.
We had about four days to put together a system that we would normally have allowed a couple of months to develop and test.
As I type this our web developer is adding a message box to the web page where it will be easier for me to add comments more often and this will hopefully help a bit.
Regards,
Tim
This should mean we will be getting a bit of additional written information from time to time as they get it, will be great!
I am able to update the website directly.
We had about four days to put together a system that we would normally have allowed a couple of months to develop and test.
As I type this our web developer is adding a message box to the web page where it will be easier for me to add comments more often and this will hopefully help a bit.
Regards,
Tim
This should mean we will be getting a bit of additional written information from time to time as they get it, will be great!
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: U.K.
Posts: 615
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
2009-05-09 08h26 GMT
Chalkie's now over land again, flying along the east coast of France and looking good.
Chalkie's now over land again, flying along the east coast of France and looking good.
'Follow Chalkie Live'
France's eastern coast
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Follow Chalkie website
Hello all,
By way of an intro, I am the Tim who was referred to in an earlier post in this thread, who is responsible for the live tracking website Track Aircraft.
My wife is one of those nauseatingly brilliant people who does magic with software, especially software related to Internet/Web applications.
Just a week ago we learned of the Henshaw Challenge. We knew nothing of it prior to that.
I heard Chalkie being interviewed on a local radio station in Johannesburg and when he was asked if people could follow his adventure on the Internet he said that while there is a website for the Henshaw-Challenge, there is no tracking facility.
Chalkie explained to the radio presenter that he and his team had tried to find someone who could make it happen but had luck in that department.
I was astonished that this adventure was about to be undertaken in a way that was almost hidden from the world and decided that something had to be done about it.
Having had some experience with tracking systems, and knowing that my wife, Julia, would be able to work her magic on the Internet side of things I twisted her arm and we agreed we'd find Chalkie's contact info and ask him if he'd like us to do it. (Purely for the fun of it, no money involved.)
A couple of hours after his radio interview I was on the phone with Chalkie and he loved the idea.
Over the last week my wife and I have been working flat out to make it all work and we keep tweaking it and adding bits to the website to improve it.
Although it's Chalkie up there in his tiny plane we feel very much a part of the adventure and have had very little sleep this past week.
Chalkie would be overjoyed if there was a welcoming committee for him at Southend.
Please tell him how you came to know about it and that you've been following the live tracking.
Tim
By way of an intro, I am the Tim who was referred to in an earlier post in this thread, who is responsible for the live tracking website Track Aircraft.
My wife is one of those nauseatingly brilliant people who does magic with software, especially software related to Internet/Web applications.
Just a week ago we learned of the Henshaw Challenge. We knew nothing of it prior to that.
I heard Chalkie being interviewed on a local radio station in Johannesburg and when he was asked if people could follow his adventure on the Internet he said that while there is a website for the Henshaw-Challenge, there is no tracking facility.
Chalkie explained to the radio presenter that he and his team had tried to find someone who could make it happen but had luck in that department.
I was astonished that this adventure was about to be undertaken in a way that was almost hidden from the world and decided that something had to be done about it.
Having had some experience with tracking systems, and knowing that my wife, Julia, would be able to work her magic on the Internet side of things I twisted her arm and we agreed we'd find Chalkie's contact info and ask him if he'd like us to do it. (Purely for the fun of it, no money involved.)
A couple of hours after his radio interview I was on the phone with Chalkie and he loved the idea.
Over the last week my wife and I have been working flat out to make it all work and we keep tweaking it and adding bits to the website to improve it.
Although it's Chalkie up there in his tiny plane we feel very much a part of the adventure and have had very little sleep this past week.
Chalkie would be overjoyed if there was a welcoming committee for him at Southend.
Please tell him how you came to know about it and that you've been following the live tracking.
Tim
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oops!
GK430 said: "Hmm, let's hope Z-LC is navigating better than whoever is updating
'Follow Chalkie Live'
France's eastern coast"
Sorry about that. Not much sleep has happened here in the last week.
Tim
'Follow Chalkie Live'
France's eastern coast
"Sorry about that. Not much sleep has happened here in the last week.
Tim
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London
Age: 68
Posts: 1,269
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Welcome to the forum Tim !
I think considering the amount of time you re doing a brilliant job!
I used 2 tabs on a (safari) browser where I keep both the live track and this thread open all the time.
The scroll box is a big improvement.
Perhaps for the return leg you can get agreement from the pilot to post more info in the scroll box as and when it comes available. Things I am thinking about are:
weather updates en route (you may be able to link to an aviation weather site for it
Pilot state as and when he reports in (tiredness etc)
updates on ETA for the next fuel stop
State of the plane and engine
Finally unless your wife has collapsed would it not be great to have a tab on the website where people (who have registered) can post their comments directly, or failing that make a link on the live route page to this thread so that people can also read what is being posted here?
Regards from Tulip country!
BvH
I think considering the amount of time you re doing a brilliant job!
I used 2 tabs on a (safari) browser where I keep both the live track and this thread open all the time.
The scroll box is a big improvement.
Perhaps for the return leg you can get agreement from the pilot to post more info in the scroll box as and when it comes available. Things I am thinking about are:
weather updates en route (you may be able to link to an aviation weather site for it
Pilot state as and when he reports in (tiredness etc)
updates on ETA for the next fuel stop
State of the plane and engine
Finally unless your wife has collapsed would it not be great to have a tab on the website where people (who have registered) can post their comments directly, or failing that make a link on the live route page to this thread so that people can also read what is being posted here?
Regards from Tulip country!
BvH
Bloody marvellous!
Tudor, me old, please pass on my congrats as well!
TimJNB, thank you and your good lady SO much for such an excellent live tracking website.
Tudor, me old, please pass on my congrats as well!
TimJNB, thank you and your good lady SO much for such an excellent live tracking website.
Last edited by BEagle; 9th May 2009 at 12:07.
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks vanHorck, we appreciate the pat on the back.
Chalkie's plan is to be on the ground at Southend for twelve hours, sleeping for ten of those, before he sets out on the return journey.
This gives us a bit of breathing room and we'll see what extras we can implement on the website.
Talking to him while he's flying has proven quite challenging so far.
I can't talk to him right now because he's surrounded by people and is rather busy but, hopefully, I can talk to him some time in the next hour or two and will discuss the possibility of more regular calls to him on his satellite phone while he's flying and, if that's doable, then I'll certainly be posting more updates with info directly from him.
Tim
Chalkie's plan is to be on the ground at Southend for twelve hours, sleeping for ten of those, before he sets out on the return journey.
This gives us a bit of breathing room and we'll see what extras we can implement on the website.
Talking to him while he's flying has proven quite challenging so far.
I can't talk to him right now because he's surrounded by people and is rather busy but, hopefully, I can talk to him some time in the next hour or two and will discuss the possibility of more regular calls to him on his satellite phone while he's flying and, if that's doable, then I'll certainly be posting more updates with info directly from him.
Tim
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London
Age: 68
Posts: 1,269
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tim
We can all be proud of the pilot and he can be proud of you and your wife!
So now the plan is for you to get some sleep, your wife to carry on and then she can sleep once he s back in the air and the updated site works! Hihihihi!
If all fails just post your info here and add a link to this thread on your live tracking page
We can all be proud of the pilot and he can be proud of you and your wife!
So now the plan is for you to get some sleep, your wife to carry on and then she can sleep once he s back in the air and the updated site works! Hihihihi!
If all fails just post your info here and add a link to this thread on your live tracking page
Rainbow Chaser
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: At home, mostly!
Posts: 608
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have been flipping News channels but haven't seen any mention of this at all... really don't understand why the media haven't picked this up! Have to admit I had been hoping to catch something of it "live"!!
Congratulations to Chalkie and his support team back in S Africa - I do hope the Immigration and Customs officials at Southend weren't too jobsworth with the arrival in UK - with Flying Lawyer at hand I am sure it all went smoothly!!
Well done TimJNB and to your wife for an excellent tracking site - I would never have guessed that you had so little time to get things up and running.
For those at Southend, here's hoping your cameras take lots of pics!!!
Congratulations to Chalkie and his support team back in S Africa - I do hope the Immigration and Customs officials at Southend weren't too jobsworth with the arrival in UK - with Flying Lawyer at hand I am sure it all went smoothly!!
Well done TimJNB and to your wife for an excellent tracking site - I would never have guessed that you had so little time to get things up and running.
For those at Southend, here's hoping your cameras take lots of pics!!!