Flight Log: Mokuti FYMO -- Ondangwa FYOA 06.02.2011

Distance: 119 NM
scheduled Flying time: 1,5h
Filed Route: Unlov - APNUM -DCT
ATIS Mokuti: Nice weather
Clearance: no clearance
Take Off Time: 06:20 (UTC)
ATIS Ondangwa: Wind 260 5kts CAVOK 22/28 1017
Landing Time: 07:20 (UTC)
06.02.2011 Mokuti/Ondangwa: After three days of tropical storms and heavy rain, we finally saw the sun again on the morning of 6 February. Once we had set off, there followed a one-hour flight at an altitude of just 100 metres because of low cloud over some parts of Etosha National Park and Ovamboland in northern Namibia. At first there were giraffes, elephants and springboks in the bush below us again; later, we saw the small settlements of the people of this region, the Ovambos. We were out of radio contact until just before Ondangwa. There was some irritation at first because the air traffic controller could not find our flight plan. But then we were given permission to land on 08, although shortly before one plane had been directed to 26. In other words: little wind.

And now it was time for the avgas. We had to fill the auxiliary tank with about 400 litres so that we could fly over Congo as far as Duala in Cameroon. Although we had already been told that we could get avgas in Congo, neither in Brazzaville nor in Pointe-Noire on the coast was there any to be had. There was a small airfield near Kinshasa, i.e. over the border in Zaire, that had avgas, but the handling agent said he could not guarantee the safety of the pilots when landing in Zaire, not even in Kinshasa let alone a little aerodrome. It would be quite clearly at our own risk. So, we shall not land in Zaire but in Congo as planned, but not to refuel. The route means it is then better to land at Pointe-Noire on the coast rather than Brazzaville; our flight to Duala will take us via Pointe-Noire.

The 400 litres were safely in the tank and Martin's super heavy baggage had been stowed away when 'Marie' suddenly tipped backwards onto her tail and lifted her nose wheel into the air. How were we to solve this problem? Martin sat himself in the front of the cockpit to act as a counterweight. He would have to stay there all night - or find another place for his baggage. But we had found a solution!