Flight Log: Luxor HELX -- Khartoum HSSS 05.11.2010

Distance: 600 NM
scheduled Flying time: 5h 55min
Filed Route: DCT LXR A727 GOPDA
ATIS Luxor: 0540 rwy 20 wind 000 00kts CAVOK temp 15 QNH 1020
Clearance: climb 090 inb. BOVAR
Take Off Time: 06:55 (UTC)
ATIS Khartoum: 1120 rwy 36 wind 330/12kts vis CAVOK temp. 41 QNH1009
Landing Time: 11:25 (UTC)
05.11.2010 Luxor: We leave Luxor with a hefty handling fee of USD 1,200 for landing, parking and plenty of discussion with the immigration officers and other important people on the airfield. Directly after taking off, we see the Nile below us and then just desert and mountains for quite a while, followed by a lot of water again. The reason: we're flying over the Nasser dam. At the border with the Sudan, the Nile is concentrated into one enormous lake. It's located in the middle of the desert, surrounded by a few fields. The vegetation is however not as abundant as in the area around Luxor.

After another hour, we reach the border to the Sudan already. We are requested to switch into a Khartoum radar frequency. As a result, we couldn't make any radio contract with the Sudanese authorities for about two hours. Martin did however manage twice to state our position using an airliner as a relay station. Radio contact returend when we were about an hour north of Khartoum. This is when strong thermals started to rattle the plane up and down. Martin got paler and paler and after about half an hour I was beginning to feel nervous too. We were flying over Khartoum's 'saucepan'. Hot air rises in bubbles and shakes the plane about. At the same time, you're supposed to carry on flying. Above all, it was a huge challenge for the photographer to take any reasonable pictures at all.

The air traffic controller also had problems getting us on course so that he could always identify our position without radar. A plane approached us at approx. 4,000 feet when we were at 6,000 feet. But this plane passed by and we finally took a left turn to runway 36 and were able to land there by making a visual approach.

After landing, we were welcomed by our handling agent. One of the first responsibilities was to fill in another flight plan - for the flight from Khartoum to Addis Ababa which was to take place two days later. After passport control, we passed through the VIP terminal with our baggage to the terminal building.

06.11.2010 Khartoum: This day we planned a meeting with our handling agent and Mr Marwan from the Sabal Group to refuel our 'Marie'. At around 10.00 h we meet up at the VIP terminal and are brought to 'Marie' with our handling agent. In the meantime, Mr Marwan had made sure that four Avgas canisters really were available at the airport. Using our manual pump, the company's staff then refuelled the tanks and also filled out turtle pack in the cabin with 300 litres of Avgas.