Flounder's FlightSim Pilot Reports: April 2009

Those who have been around this Flight Club any length of time know that three and one-half decades ago (Thirty-Five years) I was privileged to travel on Mission work in Central Africa. While the flightsim world lacks some detail over most of the continent, I still enjoy flying here and reliving my adventures. This month we are going to tour six remote airfields through the Ethiopian Highlands.

What, exactly, does this mean?

Dirt, gravel or grass runways most more than 7,500 feet above MSL!

Nothing too tough like Peter’s Nepal Challenge or Tony’s shoehorns into Central Oregon strips, just some good clean GA-flying fun – all for the good of humanity.

I have two very distinct memories of Ethiopia. First was that mid-week drive in the little “Eurobus” out about three hours to a lake. It was BLAZING HOT and the bottles of water were not staying cool. We’d drive with the windows down (if there were even windows I don’t recall) and blast along these horrible roads (by American standards) at break-neck speeds. We’d pass where no vehicle should pass, honking the horns as we blasted through herds of goats or chickens… It was too scary to watch but too exciting to miss! Once we got there everything slowed to a stop. There were Millions of pink flamingoes out on the lake and we saw wild animals grazing on the far side.

We stayed until sunset which was beautiful

but the drive back, in the dark, was way more scarier than the drive there. Thank goodness we didn’t center-punch a water buck or something!!

Amazing memory number two was the weekend in N’ma Tabor (not featured in FS). As near as I can recall it was northwest of Addis, about 90-minutes flying time. Here’s the deal though, I wasn’t supposed to go but at the last minute my Father and Uncle said, “Why not, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime!” So they toted me along to the airport where we met up with the mission pilot in his four-seat Cessna something. Do the math with me: Pilot is one, Father is two, Uncle Lloyd was three, the other pastor going all the way up north is four. (apparently they forgot to mention that guy) So, after very carefully packing the weekend’s-worth of bags and medicines into the tiny cargo area, little Ron climbed up on top of the bags! No seat, no belt to strap me in, no nothing just my little white knuckles on the seatbacks! (Again, it was 1974 and in the middle of Africa, who was going to stop us?) We taxied out and I distinctly remember the tower clearing us but the pilot looked and there was a big old 707 on finals! He was like, “With five of us in here and near max weight, taking off from over 7,000 feet high, I’m going to wait for him to land.” So we waited while the Ethiopian Airlines plane landed, then we were off! N’Ma Tabor was a little mountain village with a Seventh-day Adventist-run medical clinic. The “airport” was the cow field about a mile downhill from the village. We buzzed low over the field two or three times to scare the cattle off, and then we landed in the dirt and grass. By the time we turned around the World War II-era “used-to-be-green” Army jeep (still had a faded star on the hood) bounced up and about 20 men jumped off. They loaded us into the Jeep, carried our bags and literally pushed the Jeep back up the hill! Three days later the take-off, from somewhere near 9,000 feet ASL with FIVE folks in the four-seat Cessna was … well, it had been raining so the field was a mud pit and the take off was … impossible! I couldn’t watch but I remember something about, “Once we leave the edge of the field and start downhill we’ll gain more speed which will help.” Yes, he said “Leave the edge of the (airplane-worthy) field.” Holy Carnival Ride!!

This I guess is the true essence with which I offer you this Flight of the Month Feature.

Single Engine Aircraft,

No Turbochargers,

Six Remote Strips in the Ethiopian Highlands.

You can fly for any real or invented Non-Government Organization ferrying Missionaries or Medicine or Everyday Supplies to villages throughout the region.

I did find a 9-part scenery add-on for “The Horn of Africa” which is for FS9 but chose not to install the huge files that would result. Perhaps you can find more information or scenery on your favorite FS website.

For those who fly to and from our features you’ll be coming into Addis which is the main commercial airport in the nation and is well over a mile high. From Addis you’ll catch a ferry up north to Mekele as this will be your starting point.