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Fly Around The World With Me 268 Individual Flights PART FIVE |
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TRIP DETAILS: Click here to view a map of the trip. |
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FLIGHT 128: June 9, 2003 Asmara Intl.(HHAS), Eritrea Khartoum (HSSS), Sudan It's just coming up on 6:00 in Asmara and we're on the road again! Today was my wife's birthday, so I sent her some flowers via the Internet and told her we were about to tour Africa. It's about a 2:45 flight to Khartoum, Sudan and we'll be tracking the Nile on approach. We'll be flying at 14,000 so we can obtain a reasonable ground speed and we ought to arrive about 8:45 where we will grab some coffee, gas-up and double back to Djibouti. FLIGHT 129: June 9, 2003 Khartoum (HSSS), Sudan Ambouli (HDAM), Djibouti It's 10:15, we've dropped-in to Khartoum, and now we're on a 600 nm trip back eastward to Djibouti. We'll be flying at 12,000 so that we can give our nostrils a rest! As we passed over Kassala on our way to Khartoum, we noticed some interesting hill formations that rise up out of the earth like they're confused! And, we can see the increased greenery around Kassala, however, as soon as we head into western Eritrea, the land becomes very arid. As we approach Asmara, we ought to see a half moon rising – at noon! As we turn southeast at Asmara, we'll be staring at 9,000 foot mountains. We should arrive around 15:15. FLIGHT 130: June 10, 2003 Ambouli (HDAM), Djibouti Bole Intl. Addis Ababa (HAAB), Ethiopia It's 7:20 and we're on our way to Bole Intl airport in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. We'll once again be flying at 12,000 feet on this 300 nm trip. We should arrive about 9:45. They runway is 7624 feet above sea level. On approach to the area, we can expect light turbulence as we climb up over the 9,000 + mountains surrounding Addis Abeba. We'll top-off-the-tanks, grab a late breakfast, and head onwards to Mogadishu, Somalia – about a 600 nm trip. FLIGHT 131: June 10, 2003 Bole Intl, Addis Ababa (HAAB), Ethiopia Moi Intl, Mombasa (HKMO), Keyna We've topped-off-the-tanks, grabbed a late breakfast, and we're now heading onwards to Mombasa, Keyna – about an 800 nm trip. It's currently 11:15 as we depart on our trip and we should arrive about in Mombasa about 18:30. We'll be passing over the western part of Somalia as we turn southwards towards our destination. We have made reservations to stay at the Exelsior Hotel in Mombasa – about 45 km from the airport. This is another LONG trip – so ensure the mixture, manifold pressure and prop-pitch are set right-on-the-nose! All things being equal, the unnerving "Low Fuel" indicators will appear as we approach Mombasa. FLIGHT 132: June 11, 2003 Moi Intl, Mombasa (HKMO), Keyna Moroni Hahaia (FMCH), Comoros OR MORONI ICONI (FMCN), Comoros It’s June 11, 2003, about 8:30 in the morning and we’re on our way to the tiny island country of Comoros. We’ll be flying at 9,000 all of the way and our “customized” flight plan will take us over Chake Chake airport in Pemba, Tanzania, over Zanzibar (and I simply could not resist flying over “Mafia” Tanzania) en route to Prince Said Ibrahim airport in Moroni, Comoros. Our flying time will be about 4 hours and 15 minutes, arriving around 12:45. FLIGHT 133: June 11, 2003 Moroni Hahaia (FMCH), Comoros OR MORONI ICONI (FMCN), Comoros Seychelles Intl (FSIA), Seychelles It's June 11, 2003, about 15:30 in the afternoon and we really want to get to the Seychelles Island – a place we have been looking forward to visiting for quite a while. So, we're going to press onwards into the evening. Our flight will take us over the tiny country of Mayotte on the way to our destination. We'll be cruising at 10,000 for we can get the best mileage without having to stick those horrible plastic things in our noses! We should arrive a little after 10 PM in some light thunderstorms and choppy air. FLIGHT 134: June 15, 2003 Seychelles Intl (FSIA), Seychelles Mauritius Intl. (FIMP) Paradise on Earth is what they call the Seychelles. Seemingly forgotten, out in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a thousand miles from Africa, this archipelago of more than a hundred islands stretches for hundreds of miles. We had a ball. Mauritius is another of those select place names that conjure the exotic…a place that you may not be able to find immediately on the map, but that you just know that when you do, it will have been worth your while. So – we're heading that way today! It's going to be another one of those marathon trips, so pack our lunches with lots of stuff! We will be flying at 12,000. FLIGHT 135: June 18, 2003 Mauritius Intl. (FIMP) St. Denis (FMEE), Reunion We had a marvelous stay at the Merville Beach hotel in Mauritius – walking distance from Port-Louis, the capital of Mauritius. Albeit we'd love to stay in paradise, it's time to move on. It's Wednesday, June 18, 2003 about 6:45 and we'll be flying to Gillot airport in St. Denis, Reunion. Regrettably, we'll spend just a few hours in Reunion, then we'll press onwards to Ivato airport in Antananarivo, Madagascar. We'll be flying this leg at 7,000 feet on this 120 nm trip and we should arrive in St. Denis around 8:15. We can expect a substantial amount of landmass turbulence, so keep a close eye on the VSI. FLIGHT 136: June 18, 2003 St. Denis (FMEE), Reunion Ivato Intl(FMMI), Antananarivo, Madagascar We can now say we visited Reunion – albeit only for about 3 hours. It’s now just past 11:00 and we’re on our way to Ivato International airport in Antananarivo, Madagascar. We’ll be flying at 12,000 and we should arrive about 16:00. There is some reported choppiness near landmasses - but, what the heck! We’ve made reservations to stay at the Hilton Madagascar – only about 4 miles from the airport. It’s been a long day (in fact a long few days) of flying, so we’ll get a good sleep and head out early tomorrow morning for the mainland. PS. Do NOT trust the glideslope on this approach! FLIGHT 137: June 19, 2003 Ivato Intl(FMMI), Antananarivo, Madagascar Lilongwe (FWKI), Malawi We had a great meal at the Hilton Madagascar hotel last evening and rested-up well. It's early dawn and we have another long day ahead of us. We'll be flying at 12,000 feet to Lilongwe International airport in Lilongwe Malawi. Our trip will take us over Angoche Mozambique (just south of Nampula), over Cuamba and then into Malawi. As we pass over Club Makokola, the massive Lake Nyasa will come into view. Considering it's about an 875 nm trip, we should arrive about 12:30 local time. The runway surface at Lilongwe is 4,032 feet. FLIGHT 138: June 23, 2003 Lilongwe (FWKI), Malawi Johannesburg Intl.(FAJS), Johannesburg, South Africa Malawi rightly deserves the title 'The Warm Heart Of Africa' – for this is a nation whose people thrive on smiles and friendliness. We stayed at Le Meridien Capital hotel - the largest in Malawi and had a wonderful time over the past few days. It's now Monday, June 23, 2003 and we're on our way to Johannesburg, South Africa. It's about 6:45 in the morning and we'll be flying over Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana en route. We'd really like to stop in all of these nations, but time is marching on. So, maybe on our next trip around the world! We'll be flying at 12,000 and this will be another very long flight - so, get the mixture set just right and be sure to close the cowl to keep the engine toasty warm. As I figure it, the Low Fuel indicators will illuminate about 30-40 miles from our destination and we should arrive about 14:15. FLIGHT 139: June 25, 2003 Johannesburg Intl.(FAJS), Johannesburg, South Africa Matsapha (FDMS), Manzini, Swaziland We spent a couple of wonderful days in Johannesburg. We stayed close by the airport at the Emperor Hotel at Caesars; an appropriate place to stay since my last name is Cezar. We spent the first evening at one of the oldest bars in Johannesburg – the Radium Beer Hall. This establishment seems to attract an interesting mix of locals and visitors like us, which proved to be an interesting evening out to say the least. We're now heading to Swaziland, Lesotho and then on to our final destination for today - Cape Town, South Africa. We'll be flying at 9,000 and should arrive in Swaziland a little after 8:00 – although your clock will say 9:00+. Besides the screw-up with the time (in the simulator), the air traffic control is going to bring you in way too high. And, to make matters worse, the ILS doesn't seem to work – so we had better hope to hell there is clear skies on approach! FLIGHT 140: June 25, 2003 Matsapha (FDMS), Manzini, Swaziland Moshoeshoe Intl (FXMM), Maseru, Lesotho Swaziland is a small, beautiful country. It's surrounded by the Republic of South Africa on three sides and by Mozambique on the east. We've landed in Manzini - the major commercial center. It's a pity we cannot spend more time here exploring, however, it's off to Lesotho and then on to Cape Town, South Africa. It's now 12:30 local time, although my Cessna 182T says 13:30 – WRONG! We'll be flying at 12,000 and should arrive in Lesotho about 14:30 local time – a two hour flight; not one! FLIGHT 141: June 25, 2003 Moshoeshoe Intl (FXMM), Maseru, Lesotho Cape Town (FACT), South Africa We will simply touch down, top-off-the-tanks, and head on down the road! It's coming up on 15:00 and we're on the last leg of this trip today… another long day. We'll be flying to Cape Town at 12,000 feet and we should arrive about 21:30. So, bring lots of snacks please! It should be smooth sailing most of the way, although we have received reports of strong easterly headwinds (30-40 kts) and some choppy air as we approach Cape Town. FLIGHT 142: June 30, 2003 Cape Town (FACT), South Africa Hosea Kutako Intl, Windhoek, Namibia Try these: FAWE, FAWH, FYWE The past 5 days in Cape Town were indescribable. The high spot was our evening out at the Café Riteve, Hatfield St, Gardens where comedienne Tracy Klass had us rolling on the floor! The food was great, the evenings delightful – could have spent a year! But, alas, all good things must come to an end. It's early Monday morning (just before 6:00) June 30, 2003 and we're on our way to Hosea Kutako Intl, Windhoek in Namibia. Our flying time will be about 6 hours, meaning we should arrive about noon. The weather looks great and it should be as smooth as a baby's behind at 12,000. Let's rock! FLIGHT 143: June 30, 2003 Hosea Kutako Intl, Windhoek, Namibia Lusaka Intl (FLLS), Lusaka, Zambia Well, I believe this is turning into the longest day of continuous flying since we left California. We got here just after noon, we've made the necessary "pit stops", filled our stomachs and we're on our way to Zambia. Once again we'll be flying at 12,000 over mostly expansive savannah grassland, dominated in parts by tall elephant grass. In fact, not very interesting from the air. We will be flying over this kind of terrain until dusk. We will be passing over the southern part of Angola and we should arrive in Lusaka, Zambia about 21:30. FLIGHT 144: July 10, 2003 Lusaka Intl (FLLS), Lusaka, Zambia Bujumbura Intl (HBBA), Bujumbura, Burundi We spent the last 10 days at the Protea Hotel Lusaka Safari LD in Zambia. It was a very pleasant stay and the rate was only $30 per night. We needed the rest after all of that traveling. We just learned that President Bush is going to be visiting Entebbe, Uganda tomorrow. As it works out, we're going to be there at the same time. So, let's get in our wild mustang and get an early start. It's just coming up on 6:00 and we'll be heading north to Burundi, Rwanda and then on into Entebbe, Uganda. We'll be cruising at 12,000 and flying along Lake Tanganyika for a good part of the way. We should arrive in Burundi about 12:15. FLIGHT 145: July 10, 2003 Bujumbura Intl (HBBA), Bujumbura, Burundi Gregoire Kayibanda Intl (HRYR), Kigali, Rwanda We've stopped here in Burundi just long enough to grab a bite to eat at the airport café, top off the tanks and press onwards to Rwanda. We'll be cruising at 12,000 feet on this rather short trip (by our standards) and should arrive in Kigali, Rwanda about 16:15 local time – considering a one hour time shift. FLIGHT 146: July 10, 2003 Gregoire Kayibanda Intl (HRYR), Kigali, Rwanda Entebbe Intl (HUEN), Uganda Once again we've stopped just long enough to say "we were there" and proceed down the line to our destination for today – Entenne, Uganda. Flying altitude – 12,000 once again. It's now 17:30 here in Kigali and we should arrive in Entebbe about 18:00. There are reports of thunder showers in the Entebbe area with wind shear on approach. We have reservations at the Kampala Sheraton Hotel, about 22 miles from the airport. FLIGHT 147: July 12, 2003 Entebbe Intl (HUEN), Uganda Bangoka Intl (FZIA), Kisangani, Congo (DRC) Well, we got to see the US President's Air Force One (a little bigger than our plane) and spent a couple of evenings at the Kampala Sheraton Hotel. It's very early Saturday morning, July 12, 2003 and we're on our way to M'vengue airport in Franceville, Gabon, with a fuel-stop in Kinangani, Congo. Our flying time to Kinangani will be 5:15 and we'll be cruising at 12,000 feet. We'll arrive at Bangoka a little after 9:00 local time. FLIGHT 148: July 12, 2003 Bangoka Intl (FZIA), Kisangani, Congo (DRC) Nsimalen Intl (FKYS), Yaounde, Cameroon We've topped off the tanks, and we've topped off our tummies, and it's onwards we go to Yaounde, Cameroon. Once again – 12,000 feet and we should arrive about 17:00 local time. Our flight will take us over the city of Banqui in the Central African Republic. This is another of those VERY long trips… so keep a close eye on fuel consumption and ensure the cowls are closed to keep her nice an toasty warm - after all, even with a logged flight plan, the last thing we need is a 3-point landing in front of a 3,000 tiger! We've confirmed reservations to stay at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel in the center of town. We'll stay there until Monday. FLIGHT 149: July 14, 2003 Nsimalen Intl (FKYS), Yaounde, Cameroon Douala Intl (FKKD), Douala, Cameroon We enjoyed a well-deserved rest this weekend at the lovely Hilton Hotel – Africa is a BIG continent. Today, we're going from Cameroon to Cameroon. That is to say, we're going to fly southwest towards Libreville, Gabon, thereby passing over Equatorial Guinea, turn westwards and head towards Sao Tome International, then north to fly over Principe, continuing north towards Malabo and then east to our destination for today – Douala, Cameroon. We'll be flying at 8,000 so we can get a better view of the islands and we should arrive in Douala around 15:00. We have made reservations to stay at the Meridien Hotel in Douala. It looks like another beautiful "equatorial" day for flying. It's about 8:30 and it's +69F outside! FLIGHT 150: July 15, 2003 Douala Intl (FKKD), Douala, Cameroon N'djamena (FTTJ), Chad It's a pleasant +75F at 6:15 in the morning and we're on our way to Chad. Chad is a developing country in north central Africa with one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world and the country faces challenges in the areas of political stability and economic development. We contacted the Embassy of the Republic of Chad in Washington and were told we do not need an entry visa if we're dropping in for fuel. It's going to be about a 7-hour trip. As we're flying east, we'll be battling 20kts+ headwinds, so our ground speed will be pretty much the same as our airspeed. As we turn north, we'll gain a little momentum. Except for some reported electrical storms and some choppy air in northern Cameroon and in the N'djamena area, it should be pretty smooth sailing most of the way. We should arrive in N'djamena about 12:45. We'll grab some food and fuel and press onwards to Abuja, Nigeria. FLIGHT 151: July 15, 2003 N'djamena (FTTJ), Chad Nnamdi Azikiwe Intl (DNAA), Abuja, Nigeria We've filled the tanks and our tummies and we're on our way to Abuja, Nigeria where we have made reservations to stay at the Nicon Hilton, Abuja. We'll be flying over the southern part of Niger en route. In addition to our passports, we needed (and acquired) our visas (for $100 bucks each) in advance from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Washington before leaving the US. We'll spend the night in Abuja and head onwards to Liberia tomorrow. It's just coming up on 16:00 and we should arrive in Abuja about 19:45. We'll be flying at 10,000 feet. The outside temperature at 10,000 feet will be a pleasant +50F, so let's keep the windows open and enjoy the flight. Incidentally, we'll have about a 15kt tailwind so we'll be getting a good ground speed. FLIGHT 152: July 16, 2003 Nnamdi Azikiwe Intl (DNAA), Abuja, Nigeria Ouagadougou (DFFD), Burkina Faso It's just coming up on 6:30 AM and we're on our way to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. We'll be flying at 5,000 feet today so as to get a better look at the terrain and passing over three other countries en route – Benin, Togo and Ghana. The cockpit temperature will be pleasantly in the mid-sixties most of the way and it should be a pretty smooth flight until we head northwards towards Burkina Faso as run into the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Collision Zone) again, where it we will get really bounced around for a while. We should arrive in Ouagadougou right around noon. FLIGHT 153: July 16, 2003 Ouagadougou (DFFD), Burkina Faso Lungi Intl (GFLL), Freetown, Sierra Leone It's just coming up on 14:30 and we're on our way to Lungi Intl, Freeport, Sierra Leone. This is another one of those marathon days of travel. We'll be flying at 9,000 feet and we'll arrive in Sierra Leone right about 22:00. We're still battling the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Collision Zone), however, we'll escape it en route and things ought to settle down for a very pleasant (but long) flight. We'll actually be in 5 different countries as part of this trip – Burkina Faso, Mali, the Ivory Coast (Cote dIvoire), Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. We have made reservations at the Cape Sierra Hotel in Freetown. There is no direct commercial air service by local carriers in this developing country that has gone through years of civil unrest – although, peaceful, successful, nationwide elections were held in May 2002. We'll be heading out tomorrow for Cape Verde. FLIGHT 154: July 17, 2003 Lungi Intl (GFLL), Freetown, Sierra Leone Amilcar Cabral (GVAC), Cape Verde WE SLEPT IN - it's about 14:30 and we're about to embark on a trip to a place we have been really looking forward to visiting – Cape Verde. We'll be leaving Sierra Leone and flying over Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia and Senegal en route to Cape Verde. We'll be flying once again at 9,000 feet and we should arrive about 20:15. As we approach Cape Verde, we will be flying headlong into a pacific-Atlantic sunset – ought to be beautiful. The weather has cleared, and except for some expected coastal fog and strato- clouds, it looks like a great day for flying – so let's fly the friendly skies! FLIGHT 155: July 21, 2003 Amilcar Cabral (GVAC), Cape Verde Dakar (GOOY), Senegal We arrived in Cape Verde last Thursday evening and spent a wonderful time on thi beautiful island. It's now Monday, July 21, 2003 about 6:30 in the morning and it's already +75F. We're about to embark upon another marathon day – Cape Verde to Dakar, Senegal, top off the tanks, grab some lunch and press onwards to the north to the Canary Islands. Our trip to Dakar will be at 10,000 and, except for low-level marine cloud cover, we ain't goin'a see much! We will be fighting headwinds of 20-30 kts most of the way, so we won't get there till a little after 10:00. FLIGHT 156: July 21, 2003 Dakar (GOOY), Senegal Gran Cararia (GCLP), Canary Islands We arrived in Dakar about 10:15 (as expected), filled up the tanks and our tummies and we're on our way to Gran Carania in the Canary Islands. We'll be flying at 7,000 feet over Mauritania and Dakhla and Laayoune (formerly Western Sahara). We're going to see if 7,000 feet is a little less choppy than 10,000. This is going to be a LONG flight, so let's set the RPM about 2,200, and tweak the mixture to get a fuel consumption of about 10 GPH. And, at 7,000, it'll be a comfortable +60F, so we can have an open-window flight and sniff the ocean air along the way. We should arrive in the islands about 21:15. FLIGHT 157: July 23, 2003 Gran Cararia (GCLP), Canary Islands Casablanca (GMMC), Morocco OR GMMN We arrived in the Canary Islands on Monday and spent a great day yesterday taking in the scenery. It would be great to spend a month here, however we need to get on to Europe as soon as possible – there's much to see there as well. It's Wednesday morning just after 6:00 and we're on our way to Casablanca – like in the movie! However, we're going to take the long way there by cruising over Madeira, Portugal en route. We should arrive in Morocco just after 14:00 where we will spend the afternoon and evening. FLIGHT 158: July 24, 2003 Casablanca (GMMC), Morocco OR GMMN Tunis (DTTA), Tunisia We arrived in the Casablanca yesterday afternoon after a very long flight. Ergo, we crashed! We simply stayed at the Sheraton at the airport and got a good rest. It's now just after 6:00 in the morning and we have an exceptionally long day ahead of us – Casablanca to Tunis, then on to Malta. We'll be flying at 11,000 feet on this 900 km trip to Tunis, flying over Algeria en route. We'll follow to Morocco Mountains all the way – i.e., stay north of the sand! Except for a 9-10 kt wind from the NE and some low-level Mediterranean marine clouds, it looks like a great day for flying. There'll So --- let's rock! We'll get to Tunis about 15:00 taking into account a two hour time shift. FLIGHT 159: July 24, 2003 Tunis (DTTA), Tunisia Malta (LMML) OR LMMM We arrived in the Tunis a few hours ago, and now we're on the final leg of our trip today – Malta! This will complete our tour of Africa, albeit we did not get to go everywhere we wanted – like Egypt - maybe next time! It's about 17:30 and our flying time should be about 1 hour at 7,000 feet and we'll arrive at about the same time we took-off because of a one hour shift as though going west, even though we are going east – go figure! It's going to be nice to get airborne and get to room temperature – it's a sweltering +98F in the shade! En route, we'll be passing about 15 km south of the island of Pantelleria, Italy, where there's a military airbase. Click here to view a map of the trip. |
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