Getting there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqbxiWDSBes
Shockingly, I received an e-mail reply from Peter regarding the April FOTM! (Now, I want you all to notice that I’m doing something different this month so this paragraph starts back in Mid-March, 2005 and you’ll read UP from here.) A quick web search indicated that we’d be flying in Nepal – “Great” I thought to myself, a chance to log some more hours for Flight Club Airways the Club’s Virtual Airline; but then again, Peter seems to always have something devious up his sleeve (See the February 2003 and July 2004 FOTMs for confirmation of that!)
Well, March had been my flight to present and despite where the rest of you ended up, I found myself in Tivat, Yugoslavia. So I unzipped a new download for me, the Piaggio Avanti twin turbo, and figured this would be a good break-in for it. I loaded some clouds with light rain and wind and set out about 07:20 AM. I taxied out to runway 32 for a northbound departure toward the Dubrovnik VOR. Then I turned back south to pick up my route from the Podgorica VOR. PIC_024 (Podgorica -> Skopje -> Istanbul -> Ankara -> Trabzon -> Bat’umi -> T’blisi) I finally arrived just before lunchtime locally, hand flying from cruise to touchdown. PIC_025
While I thought about flying an FCA route back to Mumbai, I decided instead to fly another plane I’ve had for a long time but never really FLOWN before, the TU-154. After a quick lunch in town I was ready for a 15:00 pushback. I’d fly High-Alt Jetways to Mumbai before taking an FCA flight to Kathmandu. I taxied back out to 32 for departure PIC_022 (why couldn’t I use 31R, it was closer?). Then I proceeded to make a slow climb up to my eventual cruise level of FL330. PIC_023
My route down to Mumbai took me diagonally across Azerbaijan to the Caspian Sea PIC_020 and finally into darkness over central Iran. PIC_021 I cut down across Pakistan, finally descending into Mumbai where ATIS was reporting clear skies but 30 mph winds out of 300 degrees. Since ATC brought me down late, as usual, I crossed the airport at 4,500 feet and set up a left pattern into runway 27.
I check directly into the Flight Club Airways Suite at Mumbai Airport for about 4-hours’ sleep, then I take the first AM flight out to Kathmandu. FCA Flight 101 departs Mumbai at 04:55 so I am up and checking out the aircraft and weather reports by 3:30 AM! This time I’ll be flying the Club’s Constellations 735 for the level 2-ranked flight into Nepal.
Departure weather is clear and calm but as I head northeast into the Himalayan Mountains I encounter some growing clouds, light gusting winds and a few drops of rain here and there. PIC_018 I shoot the VOR/DME step-down into runway 20, where we arrive without difficulty. PIC_019 Then I am off to the terminal to look for information on this month’s Flight of the Month Challenge!
Positive Life Radio streaming on-line 24/7 at http://www.plr.org/ I don’t know, just thought I’d throw that in here somewhere’s.
Sunday April 3, 2005: After spending the weekend at the home of my Pastor’s son and daughter-in-law (they really are in Kathmandu!) I received the call from Peter. Seems that the Flight Club was here on a mission of mercy! You see, considering the political situation here, many folks did not have access to Bill’s book GET REAL – and they also had never tasted a good Australian wine! My job was to deliver the goods to several towns and villages throughout the country. “I should think you could make all the stops in one die Mite” Peter had said, before chuckling, “If you don’t die that is.”
So, with confidence, I reported to the airport after breakfast at the church. There I watched the local staff load my C-23 Sherpa (HAA!) with pallets of books and cases of wine. I departed from Kathmandu runway 20 at 10:21 AM with my first stop in the village of Gorkha. PIC_015 This lies in a valley about halfway between Kathmandu and Pokhara. PIC_016 (you will also note that I chose a plane wherein, IF I should crash, the evidence would be very hard to find – I was camo!) I landed northbound on the dirt strip and off-loaded the first pallet. PIC_017 I was on the ground from 10:40 to 11 AM and departed to the south. I was feeling good because I have been to all the other airports in this months’ FOTM! Although, I did not find where to download Peter’s add-on…
The next stop was Pokhara and with paved runway and a VOR this was easy work – although if you approach from the south as I did there is some terrain in the way to your left. I dropped off some fliers here and assured the airport staff that other simmers would bring their loads by in the next couple of days. I also grabbed about 8 bottles of water because I was not feeling too well. I was on the ground in Pokhara from 11:15 – noon.
With confidence under my wings I set off for Jomsom, PIC_010 ignoring Peter’s directions. As it turns out I headed up the wrong canyon and had to climb up over a 19,000-foot high pass to circle around the topside and drop down in to Jomsom from above. After my last venture here I wanted to land to the west (from up-hill) but coming down from the limits of the Sherpa’s flight envelope I was too high to make the first pass! (Thank goodness for all that flying in Peru because this time I actually had FUN flying up where there’s no air!!!) So anyway, I turned around in the narrow canyon with the stall horn blaring. This noise brought the kids over, “Whatcha doin’ Dada?”
“Flying Peter’s FOTM, can you please stay back, this is tough.”
“Where’s the airport Daddy?”
“It’s that little brown smear right there!”
“Dada, why’s he make it so hard on you?”
“Because he likes it when I get sick.”
“I don’t like Peter very much. Why is he your friend?”
“Because he feels safe over there on the dark side of the planet!”
“Hey, maybe Peter will get Koala Fever! Yea, then HE could be sick!” Anyway, with the help of my kids I had to go missed PIC_011 , which was okay ‘cause like I said, I wanted to land westbound this time. So I turned around AGAIN, stall horn blaring, AGAIN PIC_012 and landed successfully at 12:34. PIC_013 I kept the engines running figuring if I shut down now I’d never get out of here. I departed westbound as well at 13:00. PIC_014
Next stop was Simikot. Sure, I was flying over other villages but these were for our fellow simmers to take care of, not like the little C-23 holds THAT MUCH cargo. (Hey, maybe I’ll try a drop in the new C-5!!!) About 13:45, as I was nearing Simikot my cell phone started to ring. It was Alastair from the UK reporting that it had been a BAD DAY up on the mountains with a number of serious casualties needing aerial evac. Hans, Tony and Brad were already making runs into Lukla but Bill and Alejandro were too afraid to attempt the approach…and what was my suggestion? I asked Alastair to get a plane to Dhangadhi (in southern Nepal) in the next 90 minutes and promised him that I’d handle it from there! Simikot is not an easy approach but then again, not as tough as Dolpa! I dropped down the valley, swung around along the nearby ridgeline; PIC_008 made the hard Tai Kak-like turn on final and slammed the little plane down (a little too hard) at 14:02. While I didn’t register a crash, I was buried in turf up to my windscreen. PIC_009
With the next-to-last load dropped off I was headed out of Simikot by 14:30, leaving me only an hour to get down to Dhangadhi – but I still had one drop to make! While auto flew the plane I went in back and untied the last pallet, pushing it up against the rear ramp. Then I gently flew low through the shallow valley at Bairadi hoping to not hit any turbulence. While there was a crosswind I was able to make a low, slow pass over the runway, PIC_007 dropping the rear ramp and then punching the throttles whist pulling hard back on the yoke. Peter, I can’t see how any of the wine survived but Bill’s books should have arrived safely!
I made the drop-off at 15:05, then raced down to the rendezvous point arriving at the roomy, 5,000 foot grass runway at 15:25. There, I met Alejandro PIC_005 who dropped of one of his not-yet-released BeechKing 200’s. Now I firewalled the throttles and headed for Lukla. My GPS groundspeed was showing about 320 knots! PIC_006
I’ve flown into Lukla before as well but never in this poor light and never in something this fast. I have a plate worked up with a northbound heading from the near-by NDB. I flew in at about 9,500 feet, directly at that ridgeline until I was sure I’d hit a tree, then I slammed the throttles forward and yanked the yoke to the right, pivoting onto runway (if you can call it that) 7. PIC_001 I landed long PIC_02 (floating), which is a mistake here. But with reverse power and locking up the brakes I screeched to a halt before tasting the rock wall, which loomed ahead. It was 16:44. We quickly loaded the last of the most severe victims leaving the rest for the morning’s runs. I pivoted around, off the end of the runway, held the brakes and advanced throttles at 17:03. Once airborne PIC_003 I made a straight line for Kathmandu arriving just after sunset. PIC_004
We commandeered an Evergreen International A310 and had a planeload of casualties ready to head to Karachi by 21:00. (Yes, I started and ended this FOTM in Evergreen colors.) After a longer-then-planned day of flying (thanks to what was now a full-blown sinus infection) I piloted the 310 for the last hours of the day arriving into southern Pakistan before 23:00 local time. EMTs, Medics and Ambulances were standing by and I am happy to report that none of our virtual patients have suffered any life-threatening injuries.
Peter, never knowing for sure what to expect from you…this was a great adventure! I am SO THANKFUL that I had flown into all these places before. WELL DONE my friend, MANY THANKS for the ENJOYMENT!!
Peter, never knowing for sure what to expect from you…this was a great adventure! I am SO THANKFUL that I had flown into all these places before. WELL DONE my friend, MANY THANKS for the ENJOYMENT!!
