Flight Log: Ondangwa FYOA -- Pointe-Noire FCPP 07.02.2011

Distance: 872 NM
scheduled Flying time: 7h 22min
Filed Route: ANVAG R987F VNA R526F EXITO R%?&G LIKAD
ATIS Ondangwa: No ATIS
Clearance: left turn ANVAG climb FL 100
Take Off Time: 06:35 (UTC)
ATIS Pointe-Noire: RWY 17 Wind 160/10 Kts Few 023 Few 026 TCU 31/24 QNH 1011
Landing Time: 13:55 (UTC)
07.02.2011 Ondangwa/Pointe-Noire: Today everything at Ondangwa airfield went perfectly. We had refuelled with 390 litres of avgas, the hotel chauffeur came 15 minutes earlier than planned, passport control was quick and ... the tower didn't have the flight plan to Pointe-Noire.

Nevertheless we took off 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. We left Ovamboland behind us and flew to Angola. After about 45 minutes, all radio contact ceased. The phone number for air traffic control over Angola didn't work. It took about another four hours until we were able to re-establish radio contact in Luanda. In the meantime, Martin issued a few not very enthusiastic messages not targeted at anyone in particular, just as several airliners do too. At the same time we had to navigate ourselves around a few mountains of clouds. All in all the weather was better than we'd hoped for. Sometimes we had rain, but only turbulence for about an hour.

The pumps had gradually emptied our extra tank. Then at last Pointe-Noire (Republic of Congo) came into view. But to land there we had to fly over the sea beforehand in order to fly past Zaire's (Democratic Republic of Congo) sovereign territory. Because after we had cancelled the flight to Brazzaville (Republic of Congo) we had no overflight permit for it. That?s how the situation is.

We landed in Pointe-Noire in brilliant sunshine and searing African heat. A slightly stressed-out young man received us from the handling agency Jettex. But everything went smoothly. For 125 USD he obtained the necessary visas and took us into Victory Palace Hotel. This marked the successful completion of our longest flight in Africa at 7 hours and 20 minutes.