Mombasa, Kenya.
 

Evening All,

Just wondering if anyone has flown to Mombasa just wondered about the following:

1) Route flown, I presume straight south, south east direction all the way from Manchester UK?

2) What is the approach like into Mombasa is it a tricky one?

3) The wife is not keen on turbulance whats it like over North and Central Africa for turbulance (generally not after a predicition!)

4) I have conflicting reports on time taken to fly there general opinion is 9.5hrs can anyone confirm (It looks closer than the Carribean!)
We fly in July if that helps.

Thanks in advance.

EGNH

1- yes, that is the general direction!
2- Mombasa not especially problematical at all. Even if its 'tricky', what is the problem?
3- Any flight can experience turbulence. The flight to Africa crosses the North African jetstream that blows from the west and can cause a bit of bumpiness. Kenyan gets some thunderstorm clouds and the hot ground can cause low level turbulence. I flew Nairobi to Mombasa in an F.27 turboprop. It was one of my roughest ever flights for an hour. So? What is the big deal?
4- Flight time about right.

To any nervous members of your party, you have to be blunt. Either they can hack it and travel and shuddup, or go by train! If they are going to hack it, keep off alcohol, tranquilisers and don't cause a nuisance to others- it is their duty to the other occupants of the plane. Decide- travel and not be a nuisance to all and sundry with a 'personal crisis', or find another way to get there.

Dont take the train!
 

I always enjoy Rainboe's bluntness and the unique sense of raised blood pressure he is able to convey. I was assigned to Kenya for a couple of years in the mid 90's and was in MSA every two weeks. Bored with the KA flight I once did the train from MSA - NBO (called by some the lunatic express). Fun then - lethal now. African N-S routes can be moderately turbulent - especially over the Sahara but.... so what.... as Rainboe says. EGNH - if worrying about the return flight is going to spoil your wife's holiday, go to the doctor and get some diazepam - really. You'll need to lay it on a bit thick... panic attacks, hyperventilation, etc etc. They'll give her something.

PS Rainboe - I had exactly the same experience in an F-50 from Malindi - Mombasa - NBO. The most interesting thing was that on the way out there is a small cabin baggage space with nets and all (on the right, by the galley). As I went past I saw a small African child with eyes as big as saucers staring out.. he must have been sh1*ting himself it was so violent. Who he was and who put him there I never did find out.

Pinkman

It's called 'Staff Travel, Kenyan style'! They might have been my eyes-- it was darned rough that day hammering over the Kenyan bush.

Tightslot, whilst you may have a valid opinion, this is essentially an aviation professional's forum, not the place for every nervous passenger wimping out about a forthcoming flight and wanting their hand held, and really wanting to be told 'there there, you WILL arrive safe and sound, there is nothing to worry about!'. Whilst the occasional query is not unwelcome, there are too many of these, and Pprune should take itself more seriously and handle these queries in a single 'Nervous Passenger' thread, not let the forum become a reassurance blanket. Call it abrasive or plain speaking, but sometimes rather than pussy foot around nervous people, the equivalent of a virtual slap on the face and 'either go or don't go, but don't go boring everybody to death' is more beneficial to them. IMHO.

I really hate precipitous roads. I went paragliding last year and petrified myself going up the mountain. I will either do it again and keep quiet about it, or not do it and use a Briggs and Stratton motor strapped to my posterior instead to avoid the drive up. But I will not go around boring people and asking everyone if the drive up the mountain is 'safe'. Either do it or don't! Simple.

How far would you get in ARSSE, the Army forum, if people kept coming up and saying 'I'd love to be a soldier and go soldiering, but I'm very nervous of getting shot!' What would you say? 'Well gee, I can't say I'm particularly fond of it myself, but I like being a soldier. I am a soldier and I take the chance!' Well I don't like crashing, and indeed I'm frightened of it, but I fly and get on with the job. I have the option of not flying. I chose to do it.

Hmmm
 

I actually enjoy turbulance, a reference to the wife being afraid (I use the term loosly) was more for my interest to see if I was in for a rocky ride!

The main point of the post was to find out routings etc etc certainly not a nervous passenger thread, far from it.

Thanks for your replies ill get back to being in the circuit and leave you big boys to fly your machines!

EGNH.