Flying the Jodel 1050 to East Africa

This is a translation of a trip report which I have published here in 2017:

https://www.pilotundflugzeug.de/forum/2017,03,12,18,4200606

I feel that it could be interesting to the non German speaking GA community as well. So I tried my and the internet’s best to translate it to English. The pictures need not much translation and can be viewed by referring to the above mentioned link.

We flew our Jodel1050 to East Africa and back from mid-January to mid-February 2017. The diary entries have become a text. We hope that it provides at least some interesting reading during the long winter months. The fact that we flew a small and affordable airplane and used a comparatively small amount of money may help to eleminate excuses and mental blockages and encourage the step from dreaming towards planning a trip like this yourself!
If you have any questions feel free to mail us.

On each of our previous trips we have learned a lot. In our opinion, the most important lessons:
Only when it no longer runs according to plan does the adventure begin. 99 percent of the people are kind, friendly and helpful, no matter where they are. And there is no problem for which there is no solution. That’s why it’s not going to be the end of the world if there is bad weather or a technical problem. Especially in such situations, in which one is dependent on the help of others, great friendships and memories arise.
Equipped with this mental tool, we started planning an air trip to Africa about a year ago.
Our destinations were the national parks in Kenya and Tanzania. We have imagined that it should still be possible to experience the beauty of these countries up close and personal with a small airplane, like the famous Professor Grzimek and his son back then. But at first, as so often, there were some hurdles to overcome.
While it is not unusual in Europe for people to fly through the air in their free time, it is simply unheard of in many African countries. Sometimes the economic situation of the people does not allow it, or the state and the military suppress it. Often it is a combination of these reasons. In Egypt, for example, there are virtually no private pilots, and the only small aircraft that can be seen there are those of the Flight Academy. And this only for the training of commercial pilots and within very narrow limits. With a plane registered in Germany one must let us through, because Egyptian registered airplanes are also allowed to land in Germany. However, the price for overflight and landing permits is dictated by the country to be overflown. At the beginning of the planning phase, it was also uncertain where to get petrol for small aircraft. Then Sudan was on our route. Have you ever heard anything positive on the news about this country? Our friends advised us to leave the whole thing alone. You can be mugged, robbed, taken away. In the desert, you can die of thirst in case of an emergency landing. We asked ourselves,“Can we just land, fill up and spend the night there?”
Then comes either Ethiopia with its almost insurmountable highlands for our small plane, or Southern Sudan, which unfortunately has been the source of sad news due to fighting in recent years.
By chance, we learned from a team of aviation enthusiasts who have set themselves the goal of promoting general aviation in Africa and worldwide. Like us, they are fascinated by the idea that travelling with small airplanes can open up completely new perspectives for people, both for the beauty of our planet and for their fellow human beings behind the boundaries (by the way, boundaries are invisible from the air…). They have gathered in Egypt, of all places, one of the most difficult countries for general aviation.
A contact was quickly established, and Eddie and Ahmed from G. A. S. E. (General Aviation Support Egypt) had very well-founded answers to all our questions. Many of our worries turned out to be unfounded, so we were now able to tackle the real challenges. Where there is fuel, which tools have to be taken along, what survival equipment do we need, how do we proceed in emergency situations, how far can we fly with a tank of fuel, at which airports can we take off at which temperatures, what weight savings can we make, at which airports can we handle customs and immigration formalities, where can we spend the night, and much more. Our living room was soon wallpapered with maps and to-do lists. At the end of 2016 the flight route was fixed and we had completed all preparations with Eddie’s and Ahmed’s help. Due to the fact that overflight and landing permits are only valid for 72 hours in each African country, we had an unusually tight schedule for a holiday trip. In order to avoid bad weather on the day of departure, we stationed the loaded plane to friends in Acqui Terme in Italy, and then one week later we flew from there.
We started on January 18th, but because of bad weather we only made it to Rome instead of southern Italy. As compensation we spent a nice evening in the old town. The next day we flew south from Rome. Passed Naples and Vesuvius to Scalea on the west coast of Italy. After a very quick stop of refuelling we went across the Mediterranean Sea to Heraklion on Crete. We had a tailwind and were able to make up for lost time from the previous day. Nevertheless, the time between sunrise and sunset was completely used, which comes with travelling in small and slow airplanes.
The following day was just as tough: from Heraklion via the Mediterranean Sea to El Alamein on the Egyptian coast, then we were allowed to turn off to Mersa Matruh. The completely unnecessary detour of 170 km was due to the military dictated airspace structure in Egypt. In Mersa Matruh we filled our tanks, completed the entry and customs formalities and then followed our route to Cairo, which was full of detours. At the “6th October” named airfield many friendly pilots received us, who unfortunately are no longer allowed to fly in their beautiful country. We parked our plane in a hangar full of dusty and forgotten small planes, all testifying to better times. Outside there was also a lot of airplane skeletons, a sad sight. We have been reminded of how valuable our freedom is at home and what will become of a country governed by military force and fear. The cordiality of our welcoming committee was a great prelude to our Africa adventure. We spent a nice afternoon together with the grounded pilots in Cairo and talked a lot about the better times. It was a strange feeling, as foreigners, to enjoy more freedom than those who own the country. We were allowed to fly on, our new friends had to stay on the ground.
The next day we flew, again with many detours, to Aswan. The air traffic controllers were friendly, but they could not change the strange rules of their country. Part of the flight route led us far away from all settlements through the desert. Only from Luxor we could follow the Nile. The abrupt transition from vibrant greenery to hostile desert at the edges of the Nile-irrigated landscapes has impressed us greatly. How much life this river brings to such a landscape.
In Aswan we had a rest day, among other things with a nice little sailing trip on the Nile. The low number of visitors makes the locals very worried. Many hotels are hardly visited, a whole fleet of Nile cruise ships are lying unused in the water. The people here are all very friendly, it is very quiet, and we really see no reason not to make a trip here.
After the rest day, the next flight to Khartoum in Sudan was scheduled. We were very curious to see what would await us. After a takeoff at sunrise, we flew along the Nasser reservoir to Abu Simbel and then along the Nile to Dongola, where we landed for refuelling. The desert in this area has beautiful shapes and colours that can only be perceived from the low altitudes in which you are flying a small plane.
We were warmly received by the airport staff. They had already bought us gasoline, helped us with the refuelling and we got along great. After the round through the offices to pay the landing fee and to the tower because of the flight plan we were invited to the airport firemen. Due to much less bureaucracy than in Egypt, we found time for a cosy round of tea in the shade and were moved by the hospitality. The communication went very well thanks to the English language skills of our hosts. Our first impression of Sudan was, and should remain, extremely positive. We continued on to Khartoum, another three hour-long flight over the desert, it was hot and tiring. The oil temperature didn’t move away from the red line. The voltage regulator didn’t seem to like the heat and the on-board voltage dropped below 12 volts at times, so that we already recapitulated the radio failure procedures. The approach to the big city, where the White Nile and the Blue Nile flow together, was a great experience again. We parked the small plane between abandoned helicopters, did our post flight checks, filled up the fuel tanks, adjusted the voltage regulator and were then driven to the hotel. The passage through immigration was not too easy, because the officers did not recognize us as aircrew since we wore no white pilot shirts with stripes. It was dark again in the meantime, so that we could not collect too many impressions of Khartoum. The road traffic was very quiet and calm, just like the people here. In the restaurant there was good food and the waitresses made a very cosmopolitan impression. Again, everything was completely different than we had expected.

The next flight took us three hours down the Blue Nile to Damazin, where we had to refuel. Same picture again. Helpful, friendly people with a sense of humour and good manners welcomed us, helped us with refuelling and a quick oil change on the apron, showed us the way to the offices, asked us about our journey and our impressions, provided us with provisions and waved goodbye. Unfortunately we were in a hurry to land in Lokichoggio in Kenya before sunset. Another 5 1/2 flying hours. The take-off and climb with the loaded plane in the midday heat of 35 degrees Celsius was at the limit of what one wants to put on an aircraft engine, on which one sometimes hangs his life. The flight went more or less directly along the Ethiopian-Sudanese border. It was hot, turbulent and we had to deal for hours with the dense smoke of numerous bush and forest fires, very bad air and no real outward visibility. (After landing the propeller was black of soot.) Below us there were only a few settlements and we marked every free area for emergency landings in the GPS. The storks we met on the way were a welcome change. It is quite possible that these migrating birds are already on their way home and bring home the spring in a few months. Home felt really far away in this moment… In the end of our he flight we were very happy to have arrived in Kenya. Because we had to start very early the next day due to the expected heat of up to 37 degrees Celsius, we had to complete all the formalities and preparations for the onward flight. It was dark we arrived at the hotel, Camp 748. A real African shed, 1-2 stars maybe, but there was cold beer and tasty burgers, a bed and a shower. That’s all we needed anyway.
In the morning we finally started our holiday, the first flight through Kenya to Samburu National Park. In Kenya, General Aviation belongs to the norm, not so much as a recreational activity, but many places are connected to the larger cities by small runways. We started shortly after sunrise and flew low in the calm air. Below us we saw small huts of people who still live like hundreds of years ago. Dry riverbeds with green trees and palm trees in otherwise brown landscape. After one hour the terrain rose and we climbed up to 7000 feet to get over the mountains. The last hour was turbulent again, over the mountains the thermals start early. Due to the good visibility and our inaccurate maps, we had some trouble estimating distances. But we found the landing place Samburu South and made our first “bush landing” on the rough asphalt runway at 3300 ft elevation. The local rangers of the Samburu National Park welcomed us warmly. We paid our entrance and landing fees and we were assured that the airport was guarded day and night. We climbed into the safari jeep of the lodge, where we had booked ourselves for the night. The Samburu National Park is little known, but has a large animal population and is not yet overrun by tourism. Already on the short drive to the accommodation the driver showed us various giraffes, zebras, elephants, a crocodile and some monkeys, and we suspected that the evening safari would exceed our expectations. That’s how it happened. For example, we stopped in the middle of an elephant herd and were able to watch and hear the animals at close quarters during their main occupation, eating plants. Our driver was able to explain a lot about the nature and the behaviour of the animals, which was very interesting. The next morning we were able to watch a lion family move, even our driver, who has been on tours like this for 8 years, was thrilled to experience something so rare. The morning safari ended with some delay at the airport, as we were now heading south. The destination was Kilaguni airstrip in Tsavo West National Park. It was quite warm and we were glad not to have loaded too much fuel in Lokichoggio. According to our calculations, we had 30 minutes of reserve at the destination, and we didn’t want to be heavier than necessary for the takeoff. We found the plane undamaged, gave the friendly guards a little “tip” and got us off the ground. With the mixture lever we set the maximum RPM before releasing the brake and then enjoyed the infinite slowness of the takeoff roll in 5000 ft density altitude. After we had checked with the 50/70 rule that the distance available would be enough, we continued. Quickly the end of the runway came closer. At the end of the runway the terrain fell off and we unfortunately also, because a thermal wind was exactly where we flew along. We searched for an updraft in the pattern and then used this free energy like glider pilots to quickly and gently get up to altitude.
The flight was again over high terrain, past Meru to the south. This time there was a lot of green on the eastern mountain slopes. We missed the passage of the equator, because the landscape impressed us more than the GPS. In Kilaguni in Tsavo National Park we searched for the windsock but found only one big elephant not far from the runway. He couldn’t help us. Dragging cloud shadows and our drift helped us to find the best landing direction. We anchored the plane to the ground, bought some fuel at the nearby car refuelling station and were then picked up by our hosts at the Severin Safari Camp. The ride in the open old Landrover was fantastic. The film “Out of Africa” was also shot in this area. Now we ourselves were in the middle of the landscape, which for so many people embodies the dream of Africa. We spent two full days in the camp and it was really great. From our balcony in front of the luxurious tent we could watch herds of zebras, giraffes, gazelles and other wildebeests moving to the nearby waterholes. In the morning we woke up at sunrise from the trampling of the zebras, in the evening the gazelles fought loudly for supremacy in the herd. The peaceful, majestic giraffes stand above all the hustle and bustle and simply eat the leaves in peace and quiet that no one else can reach. Really great. If we hadn’t had our schedule, I think we’d still be there today. As a farewell we circumnavigated our home of the last days a few more times before we continued our flight to Nairobi. It was really like in the movie, we couldn’t believe what we were doing. First we flew westbound along the northern slopes of Kilimanjaro, to Amboseli National Park. We made some turns along the lakes and saw a huge herd of elephants crossing a road just trunk to tail. At the next visit we would land here and stay longer, but now we had to go on to Nairobi. The terrain rose more and more to the north and shortly before the city we flew in over 6000ft, while the landscape was only 500ft underneath us. The approach was a bit strenuous, as the air traffic controller gave some incomprehensible instructions very quickly in a mumbling voice. Nevertheless, we soon found ourselves in the final for the 5500ft high runway 07. After the short landing we quickly left the runway to make room for the other planes. Then we had to taxi against a long stream of caravans and dash 8 to the parking position. Just like driving the wrong way with an auto scooter, only by airplane. The next day we spent the rest of the day finding all the offices without the help and invoice of handling agencies in order to prepare the onward flight and the departure to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. We had a lot of fun doing our errands in the midst of the many criss-crossing airplanes. The processes adopted by the British reminded us of Monty Python, and with time and humor you can endure a lot of things patiently. We needed some exercise anyway. For the overdue 50 hour check and for the night, our aircraft was kindly given a hangar at Hawk Aviation, just adjacent to our parking position. We were superbly supported with tools for, the purchase and disposal of oil, and Asim, the mechanic there, even called the Aeroclub of East Africa to check if our reservation for the room still existed. When everything was finally done, we were finished. The rest of the afternoon and evening we spent at the venerable Aeroclub. In contrast to us, where flying is also affordable for normal middle-class citizens, mainly the rich and famous, or foreigners with adequate income spend their time here. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the flair of this historic place where civil aviation in East Africa began in the 1920s.
The night was short and we woke up early. We got some stamps for the GENDECs at the airport and were already at the hangar shortly after six o’ clock. Jola prepared the plane and I bought a few liters of engine oil to take along. The shop was just outside of the airport and finding it was another little adventure in itself. In a blue container that a lady operated as an aero shop, everything the pilot’s and mechanic’s heart desires was available. From headsets and tools to hydraulic fluid… everything.
Only a few minutes passed between starting up and taking off on runway 14. Despite the supposed chaos, it’s very efficient in Wilson. We made a special effort to adjust the best engine performance before releasing the brake. As expected, the acceleration was very slow. We kept the angle of attack small to generate as little drag as possible. Only after half of the 1500m long runway we had reached our 130km/h, with which we could safely climb. With 250ft/min it went upwards and then out of Nairobi’s control zone in silky soft morning air along the departure route. We were pleased that this small aircraft was able to get into the air much better than we had expected, even at a density altitude of 7500 feet. The Jodel really is a great plane. Following the sloping terrain, we went south through the Amboseli National Park. We watched from above as the elephants had breakfast. Directly ahead was the Kilimanjaro in its full size and this time completely without clouds. We sneaked along its west flank to the south, until we could finally make radio contact with the large airport in Tanzania. Soon we landed on the long runway and taxied our tiny plane onto the large apron. After we had slipped into our white pilot’s shirts with our friend Bernd’s golden captain’s stripes, we went back to the bureaucrats. To enter the country we needed visas and had to go to customs. We had to show everyone our tiny aircraft, which was barely visible at the end of the ramp. Then it was all about filing flight plans for the coming days, paying overflight fees and landing fees…. always with a friendly smile on the face and with the time and the rising temperatures “in the neck”. After almost two hours we were ready for take-off again. Luckily, in Nairobi Jola had fuelled a little more than we had calculated. As a result, it was not bad that Kilimanjaro, contrary to expectations, did not have any petrol for us. We had enough to land in Lake Manyara with a little more than half an hour’s reserve, and in case of a blocked runway it would have been enough to make it back to Arusha. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have been sweating on the short flight just because of the heat. In the approach to the beautifully situated airfield on a high plateau we were the first, still before two Cessna Caravan, which fly here in charter traffic. The gravel runway is 4150 ft long and in a great condition. We found someone from the airport fire brigade who drove us twice with our canister to the gas station, so that we had enough fuel for the next flight. Then we went to a small, cosy campground directly on the edge of the plateau. There was a fantastic panorama over Lake Manyara. When the thunderstorms came in the evening, a huge dust roller approached from the north. I could not estimate how strong the wind would become and so we sprinted across fields and meadows the two kilometers around the airport fence and to the plane. The locals looked at us in amazement. After we had weighed down the small yodel with many large stones, we waited for a while for wind, but there were no more than 15 knots. At least we did some sport again.
The next day was exciting. We wanted to fly further over the big Ngorogoro crater into the Serengeti and land there in Seronera. Instead, we spent the morning in fog and rain doing some routine work on the plane and waiting for better weather. Every now and then the fog cleared up and it was tempting to take off and see if we can get to the other side of the crater where the weather should be much better. But it always closed in again in short time, so that in case of a return we might have had to divert to an alternate, and they were all in bad weather. While we were waiting, we had a conversation with Paulo, who works at the airport to earn his training as a tourist guide. He could tell us a lot about Tanzania and the situation of the people there. The country is much poorer than its neighbour Kenya. For many years, corrupt politicians have divided the country’s wealth among themselves or sold it to foreigners. It’s getting better today. However, much of the money that tourists bring to the country goes directly back into the pockets of foreign investors, who run the majority of the noble and expensive hotels, lodges and camps. In the meantime, however, there are also local accommodations that can be booked, which helps to support the population in Tanzania, he said. Paulo’s remarks helped us to understand why the people in Tanzania seemed to be much more serious and less carefree than in Kenya. In the evening we became Paulo’s first guided tourists. We went together to a lookout point and he explained to us what was going on down there in Lake Manyara National Park. Meanwhile the front had moved out, the visibility improved to over 100 kilometres and we were very happy about the nice afternoon and the sensible decision to stay on the ground. Tomorrow it would certainly be a very nice flight. In the evening we met another young man, also named Paulo. He told us his impressive story of how he managed to achieve satisfaction and prosperity with a lot of work and commitment. In the meantime, he has built a school in the village and from the school fees, which are paid by some of the better off pupils, he finances the education of socially disadvantaged children. It all sounded incredible, almost too good to be true. On the way to the airport the next morning we met a mother and her children (in school uniforms) on the way to school. It was, indeed, Paulo’s school, she confirmed to us. A truly impressive story that should always serve as an example for us.
In very good weather and only a few clouds at the eastern edge of the crater we first climbed over the lake to an altitude of 6500ft before heading for the big mountain. The crater rim was about 8000ft high and we flew over it with a little safety distance in spite of calm winds. Then there was the largest volcanic crater in the world. We went into the descent and inspected the area up close. At that time there weren’t many safari jeeps on the road, so we had this paradise for a while almost on our own. A huge elephant with very long glowing white tusks impressed us very much, it looked as if the whole crater belonged to him. Jola took a lot of photos of the landscape and the animals and we felt a bit like astronauts who were inspecting a remote corner of the universe, but soon had to fly away again in their capsule. We then trimmed our space capsule to climb up again to reach the altitude that allowed us to leave the crater. The crater floor is located at about 6000ft, the western rim is about 7500ft. At the western edge we found many settlements of the Masai, which have there their herds of animals. We went on into the Serengeti. First towards Ndutu in the southeast of the National Park, then to Seronera. We saw many large herds of animals, mainly wildebeests, antelopes and zebras. The vastness of the landscape could be perceived very well due to the all-round glazing without struts, we felt like part of the big whole. In Seronera and on the Unicom frequency there was already a lot going on. Here many small charter airlines land and take off to bring the tourists. We joined in and landed our good Jodel on the long gravel runway. It is really pleasant that most of the places in this high altitude area have comfortable long runways, which are also sufficient for less powered airplanes. The previous day, the owner of the camp had contacted a young Tanzania Wildlife Service staff member. She was already waiting with a driver at the airport.
After a very long and productive safari tour our guides dropped us off at one of the public campsites near Seronera. There we quickly realized that it was really just an area for camping and with very rudimentary sanitary facilities, otherwise there was nothing else. We set up our little red tent and were happy about a rain shower, which brought cooling. Soon we realized that apart from one litre of water we had not packed any provisions. So we even did some mental survival training on this trip. After a rather strenuous telephone call with the flight planning office in Kilimanjaro to verify the flight plan for the following day to Musoma, we were able to sleep well. From time to time it grunted and rustled outside, but we weren’t particularly worried, because on the safari we saw only lions that looked well fed and satisfied. The next day began quite peacefully with a beautiful sunrise, while we dismantled our tent and packed our backpacks. But time was running out again, because we wanted to fly first to Musoma to leave Tanzania and then to Kisumu in Kenya. The humidity in the air mass promised showers and thunderstorms for the afternoon, which would mean detours and thus more fuel consumption at the start in Musoma. The rising temperatures, the high humidity and the elevation of Musoma of nearly 3800 ft did not allow for much more payload, so everything had to work today, no delays please. Would our driver, whom we had already paid the previous day, really come on time to take us to the airport? Those who trust do not suffer. While I was looking for alternatives again, Jola waited patiently for the obligatory 10 minutes, after which our friendly driver arrived. He also had our filled canister with him, everything was great again.
In Seronera there was still nothing going on, and we quickly prepared our Jodel for departure, which included not only refuelling and packing but also removing the thorny bushes around the tyres. One of the local pilots told us that this prevents the hyenas from biting the tires. The takeoff on the long gravel runway which lies at over 5000 ft, was exciting. Astatic Takeoff with setting the maximum power with the mixture lever at rest would not have pleased our propeller, so that we did the whole thing during acceleration. As expected, acceleration was slow, as we already knew from Nairobi. We let the plane roll for a long time again with a small angle of attack to avoid additional drag. The robust landing gear put the load and the quite high rolling speed away without complaint until we finally reached our best climbing speed for these heights and only then carefully lifted off. There was no more than 300 ft/minute, but the air was calm and the landscape flat. We climbed in a flat full circle up to 500 ft above the ground and then headed for Lake Victoria. It was simply marvellous, the tailwind let us glide quickly over the vast landscape of the Serengeti. The engine ran quietly like a turbine and we were completely carefree for some time. Below us we saw again large herds of animals, rivers, single hills and almost untouched landscape from horizon to horizon. After half an hour the picture changed. The land between Lake Victoria and the borders of the Serengeti is completely farmed. Many small fields and isolated small villages with tin huts characterize the picture. Many fields are still ploughed with horse or oxen. We reached Musoma after only an hour’s flight time. The airfield has a comfortable sand runway in the middle of the village, but the obstacle situation of runway 18 is not exactly inviting for a loaded Jodel in the prevailing density altitude. So we landed on the 18, slightly uphill, avoiding anything that could have caused a go around. After landing we were greeted with serious expressions by various officials and airport staff. We felt distrustful and uncomfortable, but remained friendly, smiling and patiently explaining the reasons for our journey. The boss, a strict woman with a chin beard, asked us to unload all our luggage and have it screened. We asked to be allowed to get petrol first and then we went with our canister one kilometre along the main road to the gas station. It is always an experience to dive into the bustling and opaque life of African cities. When we arrived at the airport again, the announced ordeal began. Jola put all our luggage on one wing, I dragged it to the terminal, had it screened and then back to the other wing. In the course of the action we were able to get rid of at least a few kilos of waste and useless stuff that had accumulated. In the end the atmosphere was friendly, the ice was broken and we took some pictures with our customs officers and guards. At the same time, we dealt with the exit formalities: We created a GENDEC, had it and the passports stamped, made a flight plan to Kisumu (by telephone with Kilimanjaro), paid the airport and other fees and sorted our things. At some point we were finally able to start again, meanwhile it was a good 25 degrees and we were a little exhausted. We backtrackedon the 18 and took off on the 36th, it went slightly downhill, the tunway is very flat and we already knew the special features of a thin air takeoff. Below us we saw the Hotel at the lake shore, which we would have liked to visit for one more night.
Unfortunately, we had already reached the end of the validity period of our flight permit and had to leave Tanzania to avoid complications. The climb up to 6500 ft (approx. 2500 ft GND) took its time. We flew north along the eastern edge of Lake Victoria. A lot of agriculture, small fields, fishing villages on the coast. There were carpets of algae on the lake, not at all inviting to go swimming. As expected, the border to Kenya could not be identified from the air. We used the one hour flight to relax, because we already suspected that it would be exhausting again in Kisumu, a bigger airport. On approach we explained to the air traffic controller again who we are, where we come from and what kind of device a Jodel is. Flightplans are probably only used to account for route charges. In Kisumu we parked on the large empty apron and soon got a visit from a friendly handling agent. We explained to him that we only had a small plane, that our money was running low and that we could not pay huge sums of money for handling. When he said that it would be a maximum of $200, we negotiated again and in the end we agreed that we would simply pay as much as the services were worth to us. Then the adventure started. The woman at the border police complained about a badly legible entry in the vaccination record and became really loud! We have not experienced Kenya like that before…We nodded our heads and promised to send her greetings to the doctor in Germany, saying that his work was not good. That’s how we got on. The next lady was a real sunshine and quickly stamped our passports, while we flattered her with compliments about the general friendliness in her country. Then followed an endless odyssey from one office to the next to pay all the bills and fees for the airport, airspace use, etc… We insisted on paying everything in Kenyan currency to save our dollars for Sudan and Egypt. That cost additional time. At some point we were ready to venture into the fuel supply. AVGAS is not available in Kisumu in Jeppesen, so we had to find fuel from the filling station with the help of the team of the Tradewind Aviation Handling Service. That was an adventure in itself. We bought two big canisters in a slum. The fact that the Musungo (the white man) did not follow the request “Musungo, give us Dollars!” but paid in Kenian Shillings was received with astonishment. Also rinsing and cleaning the greasy oil canisters at the petrol station caused a lot of sensation, from the school bus behind me an estimated 100 children watched what the crazy stranger was doing. There was a lot to laugh about for everyone involved. Eventually we had refuelled our plane and were allowed to maneuver it to the edge of the apron and tie it down in the grass. Three hours after the landing everything was finally done. We found that the very good service of Tradewind saved us a lot of work and paid accordingly. The boss organized the trip to the Royal City Hotel. His people even came in with to make sure that this $50 place is really okay. We didn’t care that the hotel room had no window. There was a bed, a shower and a great restaurant. There we were finally able to eat after almost two stressful days on a rather low diet. We then washed our clothes in the sink and went to sleep very quickly. At night it rained and thundered heavily. I had hammered our home-made pegs so firmly into the ground to anchor the aircraft that I was able to sleep soundly despite the weather. Due to the constant early rising, the long days, the annoying work on the ground, the challenging flights and the heat we were not as fresh and cheerful as at the beginning of the journey. When we were preparing the airplane early in the morning, someone from the airport office came to us and wanted to know whether we had actually paid all our fees, and we were supposed to provide receipts for this. After we had done nothing else for three hours the day before than to pay bills in offices, just to takeoff on time today, I was really upset. I slammed all the documents on the still wet wing and felt incredibly angry. This had the advantage that I could pull the long pegs out of the solid ground as if they were in butter. Before I could come up with other ideas, I quickly stowed the long pointed things in the tool bag. The officer kept a safe distance until our departure and didn’t speak to us any more. We took off on time and gained altitude in the southwest over the lake and then headed north-east towards the highlands in western Kenya. Again we were deeply impressed by the landscape, which was quite close to us, despite the indicated altitudes of up to 9000 ft. On the left we saw the giant Mt. Elgon standing on the border to Uganda. Northwest of Eldoret the plateau suddenly dropped off and deep canyons lay in front of us. We followed them to the edge of the rift where the mountains ended. On the way to Lokichoggio we passed some more unlandable areas and were shaken by mountain waves. We plunged into a rather warm haze layer from above and missed the cool clear air of the higher altitudes even before landing. In Loki we were welcomed like old acquaintances. There was a lot to tell. Maurice Kirk’s emergency landing was the number one topic. The postflight checks and refuelling in the heat wasn’t that easy, but we knew the ways and the people on site. When we arrived at Camp 748, we spent a lot of time with sleeping, flight planning and laundry. At night and in the morning there were again showers and thunderstorms. The weather forecasts for the planned route across western Ethiopia were incomplete and left doubts as to how it would develop. Either the showers disintegrated or they would become thunderstorms in the course of the day. On the route from Lokichoggio to Damazin there is only Gambela on about half the distance, otherwise the alternative possibilities are scarce. To the east lies the highlands, to the west of southern Sudan. In view of the fact that the following days would look similar, waiting would not have meant a safety gain. So we decided to give it a try and were happy about our 7,5 hours of petrol on board. Right on time at the beginning of the day the thunderstorms moved west and we could depart. The climb was very tough in the warm and humid air. We flew around the mountains in the northeast of the field and then went on course. The clouds looked threatening but turned out to be harmless. There wasn’t much to see in the haze while we flew over Southern Sudan for a few miles. Much of the route over Ethiopia was very hazy, and above us a cloud cover lasted for a long time, so that the thermals didn’t go so high and it became a quiet flight above the inversion layer. The low irradiation also inhibited the shower activity. The wind came only weakly from different directions, we made good progress to Gambela. Our worries about the thunderstorms made room for our worries about the terrain below us. Because of the bad visibility we could not always see what lay in front of and below us, and those were really big wooded mountains. It was very nice to watch them sneaking out of the haze and approaching us from below. But the idea of an emergency landing in this area was anything but pleasant. So we thought about other things and after a good hour the haunt was over. The flat Sudan lay before us and we followed a road towards Damazine. Fifteen minutes before landing, we passed over two large refugee camps. What different worlds one can live in on the same planet. We were full of anticipation on our way home, and the people down there had no home. Once again, it became clear to us what a great stroke of luck we have to have been born in Europe. Most of our worries and hardships are relatively insignificant, but you usually only notice that when you leave this paradise. It was the weekend, and on approaching runway 35 in Damazin we had a good insight into the life of the city’s inhabitants. There was a lot going on in the markets, there was colourful laundry everywhere in the gardens, and a family picnic in a field. It was really idyllic and we could easily imagine that the people here felt at home and liked their lives. After refuelling we sat down for half an hour at the very friendly airport manager’s office. He wore his traditional robe that day, maybe he just came out of the mosque. We philosophized about religion and the future of Africa and the western world. The story of Paulo from Tanzania also made him more confident, that a positive future is possible. We would have loved to stay longer, because it was a nice conversation and we felt very welcome. It wasn’t that hot anymore when we started off again. Unfortunately, the Sudanese fuel didn’t seem to taste so good to our plane. After some power surges in the climb we turned around and climbed above the field until we were sure that the engine was running properly. Then it was another three hours over the dry landscape directly to Khartoum. Only 20 miles out we were able to talk to the approach controller without any relays from other aircraft. Since he didn’t receive our transponder, he made the seperation by radial and DME, and we had some nice exercises in radio navigation with our old steam radio at the end of the day’s flight. Then we plunged back into the city, to our left the white Nile, to our right the blue Nile. Under the inversion it smelled like in many cities of Africa of smoke of burned garbage and exhaust fumes. The big city was an impressive sight. Here, too, things went faster after landing than on our first visit two weeks ago. We were still in the hotel in daylight, not least because of the pilot’s shirts, which make things much easier at the airport. At a fruit stand not far from the hotel we provided ourselves with vitamin-rich food for the next few days.
The next morning we were at the airplane really early, everything that had caused delays on the way south went well this time. Nevertheless, we received an interesting lesson on the short journey from the hotel to the airport, when the car was unable to brake and an accident had almost occurred. A can of peanuts had rolled under the brake pedal and blocked it. Jola summed it up:"Most of the things you care about turn out to be unfounded. “And the things that could cause you serious problems, you usually don’t know about beforehand.” We departed before sunrise and followed the Nile for 15 minutes before we were allowed to turn off towards Dongola. Unfortunately, despite our efforts to drain all the tanks and filters, in the fuel was still water and maybe some other contaminants. The engine didn’t run very well. We came to the conclusion that a reversal to Khartoum would not be a real safety gain, because although we could clean all tanks, filters and the carburetor again, we would get the same fuel afterwards. So we flew on to Dongola with low power settings and rich mixture, since there we had no such problems on the way there. After another hospitable reception with nice conversations over tea in the staff garden adjacent to the apron, we felt strengthened for the flight to Aswan. It would now become clear whether our transponder really did have a malfunction or whether only the air traffic control equipment in Sudan was not working properly. Without transponders, we were told, we would get into difficulties in Egypt. At least the engine ran as smoothly and evenly as we were used to. So we were able to comply with the request to climb up to reach the Egyptian border in 9500 ft without any problems. The air was calm and cool, the plane ran well and we had tailwind. Among us was the incredibly beautiful and varied Nubian desert. And we knew that there would be a solution for all problems, so the whole flight to Aswan was a real pleasure. The moment was really good when the air traffic controller in Egypt confirmed “Radar Contact” to us shortly after Abu Simbel, so the transponder worked. In Aswan we stayed for another two nights and recovered well. It is a beautiful and quiet place with a pleasant climate and most people are very nice to visitors despite or because of the tense political situation in the country. But before we could go to the beautiful hotel, there was a bit of trouble. The soldiers returned with their old AVGAS truck. Egyptair’s handling agent warned us that their meter was inaccurate in terms of the amount of fuel they were delivering, and that we should use our own fuel gauge to determine the amount of fuel they filled. So far no problem. Since the tank nozzle is enormously large, we tried to fill the front tank with a funnel. Unfortunately, the nozzle had such large leaks at the connection to the hose that a good jet of fuel poured over the cowling and into the direction of the still hot engine. The pressure of the pump was so high that the soldier showered himself, a colleague and the plane with AVGAS in the first attempt to start the fuel flow into the funnel, but nothing landed in the tank. This was extremely dangerous and we ordered that the filling process, which actually resembled a high-pressure cleaning, be stopped.
After the soldier had washed his eyes with one of our water bottles, we began to fill our containers at a safe distance from the plane, and then refuelled the aircraft from the canisters. After filling three canisters, which corresponded to exactly 66 litres, the plane was full. The tanker had 65 litres on its display and the soldiers asked us to pay 70 litres. That resulted in another explosive situation. Jola had enough of them trying to push us around on every corner. I had never seen my wife so determined when she involved all the people around her, even the secret service man, in the discussion. It was clear that the four litres worth $16 didn’t end up in our tanks. The fact that they never wanted to make a lot of notes on the receipts and only accepted cash payments in US$ was in itself still acceptable, but that was too much. Suddenly the soldiers were not so nice any more, the fronts were hardened. With my offer to agree on 68 litres, I made myself unpopular on both sides, but in the end it was the number we agreed on. When our handling agent later on in the terminal shyly remarked that we had been charged the wrong landing fee on the way out and that we had to pay another $28, whereas the new calculation of $24 plus 10% tax would have resulted in only $27, the mood was finally ruined. Why can’t they be honest? Only the contemplation of the whole journey with all the beautiful impressions and adventures, which cannot be compensated with money, reconciled us on this evening again with the world. The rest of the way back is quickly told. In Cairo we spent an interesting day together with Eddie and Abdullah at the pyramids and were allowed to ride through the desert on camels. Eddie has adopted a camel called Charlie Brown, who has a history of carrying GASE supported aviators around the pyramids.
For the flight from Cairo to Heraklion we decided to use Alexandria’s new airport Borg El Arab for customs and immigration, which saved us a lot of time and money compared to going to Mersa Matruh again. Nevertheless, we had to climb to a rediculous 10000feet for the 120 miles leg, that’s what the rules want. The first 6000 ft over October Airfield, thereafter with vectors from Cairo Radar. In Borg El Arab we fuelled with an extra Jerry can that we had on board in order to have no fuel issues on the onward flight. Then we quickly passed customs with the help of the egyptair handling crew. After a friendly chat with one of the Flight academy’s instructors we put on our incredibly warm survival gear and left. The flight over the Mediterranean Sea in best weather conditions was unbelievably beautiful and relaxing. We were very much looking forward to Europe and now we appreciate even more the (travel) freedom that the Schengen Agreement and the EU give us. In Heraklion we already felt as if we were at home, although there were still 1000 miles ahead of us. How nice it is not to see armed policemen and military men at every corner. We must be vigilant, however, to ensure that this peace in Europe is not destroyed by those who want to benefit from war and divisions between people. And our indifference, which makes it easy for these people.
The onward flight was again exciting. As soon as we had left the bureaucracy behind us as an opponent, the European weather was back on the scene so that it didn’t get boring. At an altitude of up to 11000 Ft we struggled over clouds filled with rain and ice. Afterwards we flew along the coast of Greece, Albania and Montenegro to Dubrovnik, where we landed after 5,5 hours. Two days later, there was an opportunity to fly over the main ridge of the Alps to the north and thus overcome the last major obstacle to a punctual return home. We used the airport Portoroz near Piran in Slovenia for entry, as the Schengen agreement is not applicable in Croatia, what aviation is concerned. It was really nice to see small airplanes again, which made their rounds there and parked on the apron. How small that part of the world is, where small planes are not unusual? We continued through a 40 km wide corridor with nice weather over the Alps to Zell am See. Behind us the gap in the weather closed again the following day. Two more days later we flew home as planned. In Kiel the fog cleared up half an hour before our arrival for the first time in many days. We are now familiar with such weather phenomena and have stopped believing in coincidences.
FAQ:
Costs?
In Egypt we have paid In Mersa Matruh and Aswan for landing, handling, transportation etc. about $400 per stop. With G. A. S. E. support this works very well. In Cairo (October 6th) it was only about $70 each. Fuel in Egypt about 4$/litre AVGAS, in HEOC a little cheaper.
Sudan was also about the same in terms of landing and handling, with the fuel (MOGAS) being much cheaper at about $1 per litre.
Kenya and Tanzania had prizes as they are known in Europe. Mogas 1 – 1,20$/litre.
Altogether we have been flying with about $2 per mile for everything, flying, landing, parking, refuelling, overflight fees, accommodation and food, making safaris…
Converted that makes 160€ per flight hour, again everything included. (of which 50€ variable costs per hour of Jodel flying. Fixed costs are excluded, because we have the plane anyway)
Longest distance?
One of the bottlenecks on the route was Damazin-Lokichoggio. Approx. 5-6h, start with MTOW in the midday heat, few alternates on the way, sunset.
Flight hours?
97 from Kiel to Kiel.
Would we do that again?
One day the world will not be ruled by bureaucrats anymore. Maybe then…

Picture Gallery