CTFC Enews 20 Feb
==========================

Solo and wings on the 23rd February
Booking sheet chaos
FASX Fly in 2-4 March
New requirements for IFR alternates
Aircraft accidents and incidents
In the news
---New name for Cape Town International
---Why we avoid thunderstorms
A picture of the "new" KKC

Humour
==========================
Dates to diarise

23 February: Solo and Wings party at the club
2-4 March: FASX Fly in
==========================

Solo and Wings on Friday 23rd February

Don't forget about the solo and wings party at the club on the 23rd!

All new soloists are requested to wear a tie (failing that, please wash certain other garments...)

Vossie will have the fires burning from 18:00, and obviously food will be available. Come meet and congratulate our achievers!

=================
Booking sheet chaos --> P Wesselman

Many members will agree with me that all is not well with our booking sheets. Bookings are incorrectly made or are made with the wrong instructor or some simply disappear.

This is a very unsatisfactory state of affairs and is one of the causes of increased member dissatisfaction.

What is the cause?

Mainly, too many people, with inadequate knowledge of the legal and club requirements concerning the reason why the booking is made in the first place, take down these bookings. This is one of the areas in the club where too many hands do not make light work but create chaos and dissatisfaction.
The reception at times can be extremely busy and unfortunately even Beverly can only handle one call at the time. Willing helping hands in such a case answer the other ringing phone and take down the booking when that is why the caller called. Why is this bad. Well here are a few examples.

* The caller is not a member of the club. No deposit is taken and no details of the caller are taken down as a result we are unable to call the caller to set matters straight.
* The caller is booked with an instructor who as a result of existing legislation or as a result of the requirements according to the club's Manual of Procedure cannot be of service to the caller. We usually find this out when he shows his face.
* Inadequate time is booked in order to do what the caller intends doing. The result is that the club ends up losing the utilization and the instructor the time.
* Callers receiving incorrect answers to their questions.

It should be abundantly clear that both club and instructors are the losers in this sorry state of affairs. What needs to be done to improve the situation.

* Bookings have to be left to Beverly, Hilda and the instructors.
* If a member would like to assist then answer the phone when it is ringing but take down the callers details and pass them on to Beverly so that she can attend to the callers need as soon as possible.

Everybody's assistance will be very much appreciated.

=================
FASX Fly in 2 - 4 March

Swellendam, the 3rd oldest town in SA, lies at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains. Your are all invited to join the Swellengrebel Flying Club's annual Fly-In.

Camping, >70 B&B's or Hotel accommodation. Ablution facilities, braai facilities, bar service and meals available.

Elevation: 407ft; Radio Freq 124.8 Mhz;
Runways: 15/33 1000m Tarmac (Lit) 06/24 600m grass;
GPS: 34°03.00S 20°29.00E

Contacts:
Colin Langridge: 082 552 4126
Gustav Tomlinson: 082 788 1213
Donald Buxton: 082 552 4126
Bontebok Tours (B&B, Accomm): 028 514 3650
Clubhouse: 028 514 1000

=================
Requirements for IRF alternates affect feasibility of GA flights --> AWSA newsletter

Subsequent to the promulgation of the 24th amendment of the CARS, the
monitors of AWSA have received various communiqués detailing concern with
regards to section 91.06.34 (3) which states’ “(3) No pilot-in-command of
an aircraft may nominate an aerodrome as an alternate aerodrome unless
there is a procedure for an instrument approach authorised by the
Commissioner, and the aircraft complies with the requirements for
Regulation 91.06.25, and there is reasonable certainty that the
requirements for flights conducted under IMC authorised by the Commissioner
will be complied with. ".

This regulation could effectively rule out legal IFR for GA flights to the
more remote areas of the RSA due to the limited range of light aircraft.

See page 16 of Gazette 29511 dated 28 December 2006 found at :

http://awsa.co.za/docs/gg29511_nn1317a.pdf

and

http://awsa.co.za/docs/gg29511_nn1317b.pdf

=================
Aircraft Incidents & Accidents 5/20: Famous people – Golfer Payne Stewart --> Danny Buitendag

On 25 October 1999, a Learjet 35 crashed near Aberdeen, South Dakota, USA. The aeroplane departed Orlando, Florida, for Dallas, Texas. Radio contact with the flight was lost north of Gainesville, Florida, after air traffic control cleared the aeroplane to FL390.

The flight crew's last communication with ATC was when the first officer acknowledged an ATC clearance to flight level FL390 and the aeroplane was climbing through 23,200 feet. Her speech was normal, her phraseology was accurate and appropriate. The flight crew's failure to respond to repeated ATC radio inquiries beginning at 09h33 when the aeroplane was climbing through about 36,400 feet, was the first indication of a problem on board the accident flight. As the flight continued, it deviated from its assigned course and failed to level at its assigned altitude (FL 390). There was no evidence that the flight crew attempted to intervene over the next 4 hours, as the aeroplane continued to fly off course, ascending to 48,900 feet, and finally descended to impact. These events indicate that the flight crewmembers became incapacitated at some point. Several U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard aircraft intercepted the jet as it proceeded northwest. They reported during the final stages of the flight that the aeroplane was descending and doing multiple aileron rolls in a severe descent.

The continuous sounding of the cabin altitude aural warning during the final 30 minutes of cruise flight indicates that the aeroplane and its occupants experienced a loss of cabin pressurization some time earlier in the flight. If the pilots had received supplemental oxygen from the emergency oxygen system, they likely would have properly responded to the depressurization by descending the airplane to a safe altitude. It appears that the partial pressure of oxygen in the cabin after the depressurization was insufficient for the flight crew to maintain consciousness and that the flight crewmembers did not receive any, or adequate, supplemental oxygen.

The military pilots who observed the accident airplane in flight before its final descent reported that the accident airplane's windshield was obscured by condensation or frost. Condensation or frost would be consistent with a loss of bleed air supply to the cabin. When bleed air is supplied to the cabin, the cockpit windshield receives a constant flow of warm air that prevents or removes condensation, regardless of the ambient temperature or pressure in the cabin. Therefore, the accident airplane most likely did not have an inflow of bleed air to the cabin.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was incapacitation of the flight crew as a result of their failure to receive supplemental oxygen following a loss of cabin pressurization, for undetermined reasons.

=================
African skies 3 -->Schalk Burger

The clear empty sky. No boundries, no control…just freedom to do and play. Living like a continental king in 18th century Africa. Promiscuous good looking NGO women, parties every night, and an endless supply of Jetfuel to burn low level all the way there and back. Aah…the contract pilot’s life…not?

You are damn right not!

If that is the picture you might have of contract flying, think again…and think quick!

As I am writing this, I am sitting in a little room with a bare concrete floor, a creaky steel door and an opening leading to something that resembles a solitary confinement cell from an Alcatraz movie… in this case a washroom.

Not a bathroom… a washroom. This is a cold tiled room with a toilet, a basin and a drain hole in the middle of the floor, over which is suspended what once was a showerhead. The freezing desert air streams in through a gaping vent hole/window that I have now taped over with a large sheet of plastic and masking tape.

This is my room. I cannot call it a bedroom as I do not actually have a bed. I sleep on the floor on what once was a mattress, but now resembles something more in the line of a skateboard ramp. On this “bed”, I sleep at night under a tablecloth (mine has orange lines and pictures of pot plants printed on it!) that used to adorn my very badly nailed together DIY desk. You think I’m joking don’t you?

We have electricity…sometimes.

We warm our water in black 25lt water containers we leave in the sun every morning before flying, in order not to have to wash in the icy municipal water that drip from the tap. Cold water just does not seem to wash off the sticky dust and sand that covers EVERYTHING here in Chad.

There is absolutely nothing to keep you busy out here. The sun sets just after 6 and the town curfew is just after dark. We are in a war zone after all. After an early dinner (before the food made by a local lady who went home hours ago, gets too cold) there is nothing to do but write your memoirs, count mosquito’s or sleep. I have completed the only two 500 plus page novels I brought along and now I am half way through reading, page by page, Volume 2 of the Aviation Legislation in SA. Volume 1 is already a distant, yet happy memory.

The only saving grace we had this Christmas and New Years days were that we flew on both. Not flying here means the horror of having NOTHING to do for an entire day. Our crew rest days are spend hoping for some poor person in the field to get horribly ill or shot so we can fly a med-evac. Really really! Horrible I know, but it’s true!

Food…

The only way one can eat on contract is to never visit the local food markets. Food comes from the kitchen…that’s it. That is the line of logic you have to force your mind not to think past. Seeing the local street butchers grinding meat in dirty, rusty manual meat grinders, mounted on empty oil drums standing loosely in sandy yards next to shops, is not what gets to you. Forget the complete disregard of even basic hygiene like washing you hands…what gets to you is the smell. The smell and what the smell attracts…flies… Go to the market if you seriously want turn vegetarian. You are guaranteed to lose weight on contract from the periodic bouts of diarrhea you are bound to get a few times per tour. Imodium is about as mandatory in your flight bag as those dead battery holders CAA require we carry for flying at night. Imodium and a roll or two of white gold…never leave the ground without it.

Now, I’m not claiming that all contract locations are like this, but this has been the reality of my tours. My previous contract tour was in South Sudan where we had 24hour wireless internet access in our rooms, double beds and much more to do. Unfortunately with all that “luxury” came mosquito’s the size of homing pigeons, malaria, typhoid fever, people that spit on everything including each other and the ever present smell of human excrement in the air. Choose wisely young padawan!

Now, if we could have those nice comfortable beds and ANY internet access here in Chad, it could almost be called nice out here!

The most important and vital thing you can have on contract with you, is your crew. The three of you become family, the only evidence of the real world back home you left behind. You spend literally every waking hour of the day with these people and not getting along is simply not a consideration. Personalities, backgrounds and ethnicity become mere adjectives. The other 2 guys are my family, sharing my life and experiences out here. Not that it matters in the least, but I am the Afrikanertjie, my two brothers are English and Pedi…and combined we laugh constantly… mostly at the French.

Bonds forged on contract stay bound for a long time to come and with an industry as small as ours, you are virtually guaranteed to run into an old tour captain, co-pilot or engineer again in future. I have been blessed with the people I have had the honor to share teams with thus far, and I hope to keep contact with them all. Most of the pilots I’ve flown with will to go far beyond me, in part because of age, onto the highest levels in airlines all around the world, and deservedly so.

I really believe that anyone who comes out here to do this work, living and dealing with the challenges encountered daily, deserves to get a break when deciding to leave contracts for a more regular position back home. Maybe I am biased because I too do it, but maybe it’s just because I know that through all of the fun, games and diarrhea to be had, contract flying is paying your dues through really hard and often personally sacrificing work.

We all have people we love, and who…through some miracle of nature… manage to love us back even though they hardly see us (maybe because they hardly see us). Being away for extended periods of time in order to try build a flying career is not easy on any relationship. Not even a little bit. Some, like me, are lucky to have people we love back home who try to understand and who form our support base. However, if this is the life you want to live for a long time, do any potential partner a favor and rather stay single.

To sum up, contract flying is an adventure to be had and experience to be lived all the while getting a tough job done.

Just remember one thing though…one golden piece of advice that will keep you not only sane, but alive out on contract…
All food comes from the kitchen!

Bon appetite and Au revoir!

Last week’s question.

Abeche Christmas!

Traffic!

The blue rooms!

This is the toilet in my Hotel room in N’djemea. Yes…you PAY to have no seat!

The company Twin Otter when we were both at Guereda. Awesome machine!

The modes of transport in Chad parked next to each other.

The sandstorms make for the most spectacular sunsets.

=================
In the news

1) Cape airport name change proposed --> page 1 of Cape Argus on February 16, 2007

By Philda Essop, Political Writer

Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool has proposed that Cape Town International Airport be renamed after the late trade unionist and liberation fighter, James "Jimmy" La Guma.

The plan will form part of a broader campaign over the next few months in a bid to ensure that the heroes and heroines "of every community, culture and group" are honoured in public spaces.

Rasool made the statement on Wednesday in his State of the Province address at the opening of the legislature, where he also announced a R1-billion anti-crime initiative and a R1.2bn boost for housing in the Western Cape.

La Guma was a founder member and president of the SA Coloured People's Congress. He died, aged 67, in 1961.

Indicating that other key sites would also be renamed, Rasool said: "We submit this proposal in humility to kickstart a necessary public engagement that will hopefully take us closer to the common values that bind us together as the people of the Cape and South Africa."

He said that 12 years into democracy, "there was hardly a single street of significance that reflects the architects of our freedom".

"In fact, we still live with the daily humiliation of native yards and boulevards named after those who gave us slavery, colonialism, religious bigotry and apartheid.

"Surely enough time has passed to embark on a wide-ranging debate … to find consensus on how to honour and memorialise the architects of freedom and democracy.

"When will we allow our children to engage with the legacies of patriots such as Basil February, Steve Biko, Adam Kok, Chief Albert Luthuli, Imam Haroon, Sir Richard Luyt, Molly Blackburn, Hilda Bernstein, Alex La Guma, Gaby Shapiro, Looksmart Ngundle, Christmas Tinto, Autshumao, Sarah Baartman, Dullah Omar and others?"

To stimulate debate, Rasool said streets in the province had been lined with posters of freedom fighters. "We are fortunate that in the DA's eagerness to embrace Taliep Petersen by renaming Keizersgracht after him, they have opened the door to a renaming process … we thought they were implacably against."

Rasool's proposal follows the renaming of Johannesburg International Airport after former ANC leader O R Tambo.

La Guma was born in Bloemfontein in 1894, and spent most of his life in Cape Town, where he worked in the textile industry.

He joined the Communist Party in 1924 and also served as a secretary of the ANC in the Western Cape. He was also a founder of the National Liberation League.

His son, the novelist Alex La Guma, who was a high treason trialist in 1956, died in 1985.

--------------------------
2) Why we avoid thunderstorms

German paraglider tells of surviving Australian storm that killed Chinese pilot --> ROD McGUIRK (The Associated Press)

CANBERRA, Australia -- A champion German paraglider said Friday she did not believe she would survive when she was lifted higher than Mount Everest by a thunderstorm in eastern Australia.

Paragliding 2005 World Cup winner Ewa Wisnierska, 35, was lifted to 32,612 feet by a storm that apparently killed a Chinese paraglider in eastern Australia on Wednesday. The pilots were preparing for the 10th FAI World Paragliding Championships next week, event organizer Godfrey Wenness said.

He Zhongpin, 42, died during the same weather system, apparently from a lack of oxygen and extreme cold, Wenness said. His body was found 47 miles from his launch site.

Wisnierska described Friday how she attempted to skirt the thunderstorm and when that failed, repeatedly attempted to spiral against its powerful lift.

She said she could see lightning around her and decided her chances of survival were "almost zero."

She said she radioed her team leader at 13,123 feet.

"I said, 'I can't do anything,"' she told reporters at a news conference. "'It's raining and hailing and I'm still climbing -- I'm lost."'

Officials and Wisnierska's ground team used global positioning and radio equipment to track her altitude as she soared well beyond the 29,000-foot plus height of Everest, the world's tallest peak. Wenness said she went from 2,500 feet to the maximum in about 15 minutes.

She lost consciousness for more than 30 minutes while her glider flew on uncontrolled, sinking and lifting several times, he said.

She regained consciousness at about 1,640 feet and landed safely, but had ice in her lightweight flying suit and frost bite on her face.
advertising

She recalled feeling like an astronaut returning from the moon as her landing approached. "I could see the Earth coming -- wow, like Apollo 13 -- I can see the Earth," she said.

Wenness praised her ability to regain her senses and strength to land.

"It's like winning Lotto 10 times in a row -- the odds of her surviving were that long," Wenness said.

A paraglider is a type of hang-glider but the pilot's harness is attached to a modified parachute that can be steered rather than to a hang-glider's wing-like canopy.

Picture By: Bjørn Skarpås

ED: The image above is from the flying that day, taken from another paraglider. More images (and reports from those involved) can be found at http://ozreport.com/blog.php#2007-2-19_8:01:58pm_PST

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The "new" KKC (picture by Schalk Burger)

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Humour

Things you don't want to hear over the airplane PA

1) I'm sure everyone noticed the loss of an engine, however the reduction in weight and drag will mean we'll be flying much more efficiently now.

2) Our loss of altitude allows a unique close up perspective of the local terrain. I assure you that it's all part of our airline's new commitment to make your a flight a sight seeing extravaganza

3) Ummmmmm....Sorry......(silence)

4) It would be a good idea if right now everyone closed their shades and watched the in-flight movie

5) Hey folks, we're going to play a little game of geography trivia. If you can recognize where we are, tell your flight attendant and receive an extra pack of peanuts

=================

CTFC News 14 February
==========================

Solo and wings on the 23rd February
From the front desk

Aircraft

Aircraft accidents and incidents
African Skies 2

Bedtime reading (Safety topics for GA)
Humour
==========================
Dates to diarise

23 February: Solo and Wings party at the club
==========================

Solo and Wings on Friday 23rd February (not the 16th anymore!!)

Don't forget about the solo and wings party at the club on the 23rd!

All new soloists are requested to wear a tie (failing that, please wash certain other garments...)

Vossie will have the fires burning from 18:00, and obviously food will be available. Come meet and congratulate our achievers!

==========================

From the front desk

Filling out the flight folios

Members are reminded that the flight folios must be completed correctly. Leaving out figures or sums requires Hilda or Beverly to take time out of their busy day to do it. For those of us with a shortage of fingers, there are calculators in the clubhouse.

If you would like to sponsor Hilda and Beverly an afternoon out for lunch, they have indicated that they will gladly do your folio calculations for you.

==========================

Aircraft --> The Committee

The committee has received many complaints recently about the state of the Tomahawks, and this is currently being attended to. KKC is back with a red nose but looking absolutely fab!(Ed: When a camera, and KKC are in the same vicinity, at the same time, a picture will be posted!) We are just waiting for the plastic panelling to arrive from overseas in order to complete the extreme makeover. The instructors have recommended delaying refurbishment of the rest of the aircraft until the winter months due to down time of the aircraft and so KFV won't be going in just yet.

However, despite the refurbishment, the aircraft continue to be left in a complete mess sometimes by members. Empty water bottles, empty oil containers, apple cores etc are continually being cleaned out. Also, Carl has reported that on occasion, the aircraft is not chocked correctly, pitot cover is not in place and seat belts left in a tangled mess in the plane. This is unacceptable. If there is anything that bugs you about the planes that is not being attended to, please contact Carl at the Club or David (get his email/phone number at the club)

We urge all members to ensure that our aircraft are treated with the respect they deserve. We will shortly be introducing a fine system for offenders. There is nothing worse than going to fly and the person before you has left the aircraft looking like a tip.

While on the topic of trips, there are 3 "away kits" available at the reception. Please feel free to book them out if you are going to be staying overnight or think you might need a spare spark plug. One for the Tommies, one for KSS and one for KBK.

You will all have noticed the new signage which looks really good. Thank you to Dave Barnes for expediting this.

The next committee meeting is 19 February. We invite all new members who have not met us before, to join us at 18h00 for a quick drink so that we can get to know you all.

==========================

Aircraft Incidents & Accidents 4/20: Famous people --> Danny Buitendag

1. David Coulthard

On 2 May 2000, a Learjet 35 crashed during final approach to an emergency landing at Lyon Satolas International Airport in France. An IFR flight plan was filed from the departure airport, Farnborough, UK, to the destination, Cote D'Azur Airport, Nice, France. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at Lyon.

During an ATC-directed descent from FL390 to FL370, the pilot radioed a MAYDAY, stated that they had lost an engine, were descending below FL 370, and requested an emergency landing at the nearest airfield. ATC acknowledged the emergency, cleared the flight in the descent, and offered emergency airports. The flight requested the nearest airport with a runway of at least 1,600 meters in length. ATC asked if the flight wished to land at Lyon, and the pilot accepted.

On a straight-in final, near the approach end of the runway the airplane was observed to bank sharply to the left. The left wing tip tank struck grass, the fuselage then impacted and the airplane came to rest in the grass to the left of the runway. There were post-impact fires on both sides of the fuselage, which were extinguished by airport fire and emergency personnel that were standing-by during the declared emergency landing.

Coulthard and the passengers miraculously escaped from the burning wreckage through a broken window of the section of the fuselage that had broken away from the cockpit. Coulthard said he was familiar with the aircraft, but said it was not the aircraft or the crew that he uses on a regular basis.


2. Patrick Swayze

The pilot of a Cessna 414A, Patrick Swayze, reported hearing a loud noise and feeling his ears pop while the aeroplane was in cruise at 12,900 feet. Radar data revealed that the aeroplane was on a relatively straight and level track until approximately 1 hour prior to the accident, when it initiated a spiraling descent to the left. It then proceeded on an erratic flight path, with the altitude varying between 6,000 and 9,000 feet. The pilot reported having trouble seeing his instruments and felt confused. He thought he was landing at an airport near his ranch, but landed on a road and struck light poles.

Witnesses at the accident site stated that the pilot appeared impaired and confused, but did not smell of alcohol. He reported that he did not consume any drugs or alcohol prior to, or during the flight, but did report smoking three packs of cigarettes a day and also smoked cigars.

Examination of the pressurization and cabin air systems revealed a fractured clamp that could have prevented the cabin from maintaining pressurization. In addition, there was evidence of engine exhaust by-products in some components of the pressurization system. The source of the engine exhaust infusion into the pressurization system could not be determined.

It was concluded that the accident was caused by the pilot's physical impairment due to the cumulative effects of carbon monoxide from engine exhaust by-products, carbon monoxide from heavy tobacco use, and the loss of an undetermined amount of cabin pressurization. The loss of pressurization compounded the problem. There were no injuries. The accident occurred 01 June 2000 in Prescott Valley, Arizona, USA.

=================

African Skies 2 -->Schalk Burger

Zulu Lima Romeo, no reported traffic. Report ready for descent.

A transmission like this in and around an ATZ/CTR without Radar control is wonderful to hear. You can basically do whatever you want with your descend and at your own pace, time …anything. Nothing is out there for you to be concerned about. Or is there…?

That same transmission can be pretty “eye opening” when just moments earlier you overheard on exactly the same frequency, speaking to exactly the same, lets call him a “controller” (for the lack of an adequate word), an outbound aircraft report climbing through a fright level just below yours, en route to exactly where you are inbound from.

And sure enough, there he is, maybe 200m to the left and climbing past you in that Twin Ottery kind of way. You know…slowly.

Amazingly, this is more a rule than an exception when flying in airspace…how to say this…under the authority of either untrained or uninterested (the former leading to the latter) personnel.

When the weather is clear and there aren’t any clouds to hide those pesky little Twin Otters, Let410s, Caravans and those occasional huffy and puffy cast iron Russians… those two ocular TCAS receivers in your forehead work pretty hard, but effectively.

Paint that same sky with some white and fluffy patched of puff, haze or dust and your ocular TCAS will most probably only effectively detect the ocular TCAS units of the crew in the aircraft about to hit you head on.

Its times like these that you only have that picture drawn up in your mind’s eye to tell you where that rascal of an Antonov is hiding… or at least help you guess in the case of some of our Russians and local comrades.

Those really important senior airline pilots who interview new wannabe’s (like myself) and write hard cover books about what you really should know about flying, call it Situational Awareness. I simply call it being awake, and flying in African skies forces you to develop this important skill to a fine art.

You become your own controller (so much for my invite to the next Cape Town ATC bash), anticipating for anything and anyone around you, even in controlled airspace. Actually…make that ESPECIALLY in controlled airspace. Keeping a “listening watch” takes on a whole new meaning in some of the places that one visits flying contracts. The fact that mid-air collisions make up such a minute percentage of Africa’s atrocious accident stats, speak absolute volumes for the situational awareness skills of the pilots flying in these skies.

Not all of these botched traffic situations are near death experiences though. Some are actually quite light hearted, even down right hilarious.

Sometimes our Russia friends, not coming from African soil as we do, get, shall we say, irritated with this ATC “system” that actually provides more work than help sometimes.

Not too long ago I heard of the Illusion 72 captain that called ready for taxi only to be told to stand by. Captain Coldwar obviously didn’t particularly feel like waiting, and seeing that the only thing larger than an Illusion 72 is also Russian, proceeded to taxi towards the runway. The controller obviously much more interested in the two or three (much smaller) aircraft approaching his airfield, failed to notice the gargantuan aircraft taxing and entering the runway. When finally the controller did notice the big piece of cast iron on his runway, I am sure quite a few things went through his mind, but what came out over the air, as I understand it, was somewhat distressed and resulted in some rapid instructions including the words “go-around” being used. After a heated monologue aimed at Captain Coldwar in which it was made very clear that our hero was to vacate the runway immediately to give way for landing traffic, the last, and only words heard from the Illusion was, “No you baboon…we go NOW!”, followed by the very distinct, and loud (I might add), sound of 4 huge Russian jet engines spooling up to full power… and taking off!

I can see that my time here in Chad will be another opportunity to sharpen up and practice my situational awareness skills. Actually, I have started doing a completely non-standard after take off call stating my outbound track, level climbing to and take off time on the controlled tower frequency. I have realized that here an inbound aircraft cannot hear the transmissions of the aircraft on the ground taxing for take off, and seeing as the Commissioner of ICAO sitting in the tower only knows one line of ICAO RT (no reported traffic), a transmission like this tells the situational aware pilot that might be inbound, that guess what, there actually IS reported traffic out there and coming his way.

And what does the Commisioner of ICAO reply to this very proper and official sounding transmission…? You guessed it!!

Zulu Lima Romeo, no reported traffic.

Next time, life in the places we go.

Au revoir

Abeche Apron at sunset

Mil gunships starting up. Rocket pods underslung…poor locals.

The twin peaks of Abeche

Spot the runway…

=================

Safety topics for GA (originally posted on avcom.co.za)

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?categoryid=33&pagetype=65&applicationid=11&mode=list&type=sercat&id=21

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Humour

New and unusual words--> Linda Hodgkinson

Foreploy (verb): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid

Caterpallor (noun): The colour you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you’re eating.

Giraffiti (noun): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

Cashtration (noun): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

Bozone (noun): the substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating.

Arachnoleptic fit (noun): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.

Over the airwaves

1)
Cape approach (Chatham, Massachusetts) : "Cessna Four Five Six, are you aware that you are heading toward a restricted area?"

Cessna: "No, I wasn't aware of a restricted area. What's in there?"

Cape approach: "It's some type of microwave installation."

Cessna: "Yup, I see a tower ahead."

Cape approach: "That's the tower I want you to miss. If you fly near that tower, it could ruin all your equipment, and you'll

never have anv children."

Cessna: "Roger that. Turning now..."

2)

(The pilot was behind a Grob 115 that checked in with the tower, holding short of the active, ready for takeoff, with a Shorts Skyvan on final. This is what happened next...)

Tower: Grob 123, sit tight. I'll get you off just as soon as I get my shorts down.

[pause]

Tower: (With laughter clearly audible in background) Oh, you know what I meant!

=================

CTFC news 6 February 2007
==========================
Courses
Solo and wings
Achievements
Aircraft accidents and incidents
African Skies
Out and about
Humour
==========================
Dates to diarise
6 February: Navigation course (see below)
7 February: Radio Course (see below)
16 February: Solo and Wings party at the club
==========================
Courses

Please diarize the following courses.

Course Starting date Lecture days Starting times Number of lectures Lecturer
Navigation 06-02-07 Tues and Thurs 18.00 for18.30 8 Peter Erasmus

Radio 07-02-07 Wed and Fri 18.00 for18.30 6 or 8 Pieter Wesselman

Students are requested to phone Beverley to get there names on the list.

Students for the navigation course need to buy from the club the following items:
1. Navigation notes,
2. Protractor,
3. Computer,
4. Ruler,
5. Cape Town aeronautical charts 1:500 000 and 1;1 000 000.

Students for the radio course need to obtain Dietlind's radio book before the course starts and they will also need the same aeronautical charts as needed for the navigation course.

Qualified pilots can join the above courses as a refresher for half price.

The cost of the radio course will be (in the event of 8 lectures) R 804,00. Of course when the course is completed in only six lectures then the cost will decrease proportionately. The radio exam and skill's test are not included in the price.

The cost of the for the navigation course will be (without notes and tools) also about R 804,00.

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Solo and Wings on the 16th February

Don't forget about the solo and wings party at the club on the 16th!

All new soloists are requested to wear a tie (failing that, please wash certain other garments...)

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Achievements

Name Date Achievement Instructor Examiner

Grant Huskisson 28 January Night Rating Tony Russell Peter Erasmus

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Aircraft Incidents & Accidents 3/20: Famous people – John Denver --> Danny Buitendag

John Denver had recently purchased an experimental, home-built Long-EZ, which had a fuel system that differed from the designer's plans. The original builder had modified the fuel system by relocating the fuel selector handle from a position between the front pilot's legs to a position behind & above his left shoulder. There were no markings for the operating positions of the fuel selector handle, which were up (for off), down (for the right tank), and to the right (for the left tank). This deviation from the original design plans did not require FAA approval, nor did it require a placard to indicate such change from the original design.

On the 11th of October 1997 at Santa Maria, California, the pilot received a 1/2-hour flight and ground checkout in the aeroplane by another Long-EZ pilot. The checkout pilot reported that the pilot needed a seatback cushion to be in position to reach the rudder pedals, and that he had difficulty reaching the fuel selector handle while seated with the cushion added. The pilot then departed on a 1-hour flight to his home base at Monterey with an estimated 12.5 gallons of fuel in the right tank & 6.5 gallons in the left tank. The checkout pilot estimated about 9 gallons of fuel were needed for the flight, and he noted the fuel selector was positioned to the right tank before departure.

The next day, a maintenance technician assisted the pilot in preparing for another flight. During preflight, the pilot was not observed to visually check the fuel. The technician noted that when the pilot was seated in the aeroplane, he had difficulty reaching the fuel selector handle. Also, he gave the pilot a mirror to look over his shoulder to see the unmarked, non-linear, fuel sight gauges, which were located in the rear cockpit. The technician estimated the available fuel and advised the pilot that the left tank indicated less than 1/4 full and that the right tank indicated less than 1/2 full. The pilot declined an offer for additional fuel, saying he would only be airborne about 1 hour and did not need fuel. As the technician went to the hangar, he heard the engine start & run for a short time, then quit. He saw the pilot turn in the seat toward the fuel selector handle, then the pilot motioned with his hand that things were all right. The pilot restarted the engine, taxied, took off, and performed three touch-and-go landings in a span of about 26 minutes, followed by a straight-out departure.

Ground witnesses saw the airplane in straight and level flight about 350 to 500 feet over a residential area, then they heard a reduction of engine noise. The aeroplane was seen to pitch slightly nose up; then it banked sharply to the right & descended nose first into the ocean. The fuel selector valve was found in an intermediate position, about 1/3 open between the engine feed line and the right tank, and slightly open to the left tank.

Tests using another engine showed that the engine could be operated at full power with the selector in that position; however, when the cap was removed from the left port (simulating the effect of an empty left tank), fuel pressure dropped to less than ½ and, within a few seconds, the engine lost power. The simulation revealed that 4 actions were required to change the fuel selector in flight:

1) Remove the pilot's hand from the control stick;

2) Loosen the shoulder harness;

3) Rotate the upper body to the extreme left to reach the fuel selector handle; and

4) Rotate the handle to a non-marked and not logically orientated position.

During the evaluation, investigators noted a natural reaction for the pilot's right foot to depress the right rudder pedal when turning in the seat to reach the fuel selector handle. With the right rudder depressed in flight, the aeroplane would pitch up slightly and bank to the right.

The probable cause of this accident was the pilot's diversion of attention from the operation of the aeroplane and his inadvertent application of right rudder that resulted in the loss of control while attempting to manipulate the fuel selector handle. The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation, specifically his failure to refuel the aeroplane, was also a cause. It was also determined that the builder's decision to locate the unmarked fuel selector handle in a hard-to-access position, unmarked fuel quantity sight gauges, inadequate transition training by the pilot, and his lack of experience in this type of aeroplane were also factors in the accident.

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African skies: 1 --> Schalk Burger

Ah…the joys of life. December in Cape Town and I have 4 weeks of well deserved vacation time after my second contract tour in South Sudan flying a Caravan. Life is good…no, its great! Its so good that I even answer my cell phone with a smile when it rings.

That’s a bad thing. Not smiling, answering.

Never let the euphoria of being back in the civilized world where highly sophisticated devices such as cell-phones, digital watches and wall-plugs actually work…let you forget that you are in fact, a contract pilot. Yes, in our wonderful world of Navigational Aids that work even when it is overcast simply because they are not solar powered, never forget that you are ALWAYS on call and that a plunge into the stone age is always mearly a phone call away.

This specific phone call away.

A day later I am on FALA apron fighting tooth and nail with myself to keep from fighting tooth and nail with the customs official that has to stamp the SAD500 form stipulating the spares I have onboard our trusty white steed, the Stone Age Express.

I, along with my co-pilot and engineer, am ferrying the SAE to its new home in the land of sand and …well …more sand actually. Tchad. Enroute we will stop in Maun, Ondangwa, Luanda, Kinshasa, Bangui and N’djemena. Sounds cool, hey? A four day ferry! Really great for those all important turbine hours…really bad for your back, butt, bladder and anything else connected to those.

SA, Botswana and Namibia all pass quietly underneath in day one. Ondangwa even specially stays open for our 1730 (local time) arrival, way after their normal closing time… which judging by the hustle and bustle around the airport is obviously something like 1030.

Day 2 takes us to Kinshasa via Luanda. 4th of February International Airport has grown exponentially since I’ve last been there in 1995, and I found the airspace well controlled. When I say well controlled, its well…controlled. The standard departure takes you about 12 nautical (quite fittingly) miles out to sea. I don’t care who you are, but just about anyone would be convincing him/herself at this stage that they are sitting behind the most reliable turbine engine ever produced and that the closest you will be getting to all those miles of clear blue, salty H2O below you, is through a zoom lens. Can’t expect ATC’s to remember a C208 only has only one engine I suppose?

Kinshasha has a nickname in the contract world (hell…maybe even in all the world) that cannot be repeated here, but let me assure you, re-assure and completely convince you; anything bad or negative that you might have heard of Kinshasa in the aviation, or any other context…no matter how far fetched, ridiculous or crude it seems…its all true! It is singularly the most awful, corrupt, smelly and all round nasty place that I have ever been. Considering that my previous tour was in South Sudan, that’s saying a lot.

The “apron” looks like an aircraft scrapyard. Aeroplanes of every size, shape, condition and colour are “parked” in a way that would make a Tellytubbie on heroin seem regimental and organized. It’s a mess. And not the cute type of mess your girlfriend makes doing DIY. The space shuttle crash landing in Khayalisha township kind of mess.

Calling the Kinshasa ground controller for startup so we could move the SAE out of the way of an Antonov 24 (before we got loaded into it as well), resulted in us getting somebody else’s after departure clearance and clearance to backtrack the active runway. This with an A300 rolling for take off, OFF the said active runway at the time. Nice. Situational awareness r us. And then the controllers start breaking out in French and all you can say in that language is un, deux, trois and “wanneer eet ons weer”.

Our overflight clearances for Congo amazingly didn’t materialize, so we got the opportunity to fly WFR (we follow the river) up the mighty Congo river to Bangui in the Central African Republic. No issues apart from a Standby Electrical power system failure and a line of CB’s that made the WX Radar look like a wounded soldier in an 80’s Vietnam movie. Hey, it was better than going back to Kinshasa…trust me.

Bangui proved yet again to me that you do not need a visa, a stamp in your passport or anything as trivial as even reporting to the unmanned immigration desk to overnight in an African country as long as you have a pilot’s uniform on with enough golden bars on your shoulders to stock Fort Knox.

Early morning out of Bangui for the Capitol of Tchad, N’djemena. I think they made it the Capitol city because it has more of the only commodity found in Tchad than any other city in the country. Dust.

Flying an ILS down to minima under a completely clear and sunny sky with visibility and sunlight actually reducing rapidly as you descend into a howling duststorm was…let’s say, new.

Ferry complete and time to begin a new contract based in Abeche, 530odd NM to the East of the dust capitol. We will be on contract with MSF (Doctors without borders) serving their various missions out in the refugee camps strewn along the Tchadian-Sudanese border where desperate Sudanese seek refuge from the horrible (and sadly much ignored by the western world) genocide taking place in Dafur.

In my next piece, ATC in African skies. The good, the bad, and the no reported traffic in my 12 o’clock position. In the mean time we’ll struggle through 6 hours of inspections and audits before getting the local CAA authority to operate in Tchad, and flying on to Abeche.

Happy landings, and in the wise words of a wise man, Rocky Romanov, remember; “Never try to out-fly your guardian angel”

Au Revoir

Ondangwa International

Luanda – 4th of February International Airport

Kinshasa – In this picture we are actually still taxing to park RIGHT behind the wing of this DC9.

N’Djemena Airport after the dust storm. Taking pictures are forbidden so excuse the limited angle.

The Stone Age Express in Abeche. All we need now is a siren and big flashing lights above the cockpit.

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Out and about

Letting your instructor relax after a long cross country...100 points --> M Joffe

Things to do before your flight #122 - Gareth sampling the local dinosaur juice --> M Joffe

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Humour

Pilots and ATC --> Gerard van Dijk

Tower: "Eastern 702, cleared for takeoff, contact Departure on frequency
124.7"

Eastern 702: "Tower, Eastern 702 switching to Departure. By the way,
after we lifted off we saw some kind of dead animal on the far end of
the runway."

Tower: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff behind Eastern 702,
contact Departure on frequency 124.7. Did you copy that report from
Eastern 702?"

Continental 635: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff, roger; and
yes, we copied Eastern... we've already notified our caterers."

---

O'Hare Approach Control to a 747: "United 329 heavy, your traffic is a
Fokker, one o'clock, three miles, Eastbound."
United 329: "Approach, I've always wanted to say this... I've got the
little Fokker in sight."

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