86 African Pilot October2007

Sotheplanningbegan,andmoreplanningandyetstillmore.Atfirstthegroupconsistedof three airplanes and ten people. The mix changed all the time, finally topping offwithwhat I thoughtwouldbeabitunmanageable:SuperCubs flyingwithCenturions?Bonanzaswith tail draggers?Whatwere theairstrips like?Propellerandspateaters?Sissy-wheelpounders?Wherewouldweobtainfuel?Fuelbowsers?Drums?Howtoshipit?Howmuch?Howtopumpit?Guards?Alternatives?Weatherrouting.?Transfers?

Oncewesetupthedatestocoincidewithmyeight-yearolddaughter’sschoolmidtermbreak,themachinemovedahead.Thepilotsgavemethefuelcapacity,usageandspeedsfortheirplanes.Inumber-crunchedthistoarriveatwhowouldneedwhatfuelandwhere.Iorderedthedrumsinlotsof200litresonly,ofcourse,andgrittedmyteethattheprice.OvertotheaccommodationplanningandImanagedto‘shoe-horn’everyonein.

“WhataTrip!“ThebestWildebeestSafariever!“Whencanwedoanother?Theseweresomeofthecommentsbyour23-strong,10-airplanegroupontherecentlycompletedNamibiatrip.

Finally June 21st arrives. Everyone came from different home bases. Super Cub, HuskyandKitfox fromNelspruit.Airvan fromHarare.C185 fromStellenbosch.Husky fromErmelo.B33fromKrugersdorp.C210fromNylstroom.TurboArrowfromFly-inn.AnotherHuskyfromWonderboom.WerouteviaPolokwane.LastinwereStefanandLena,farmersfromErmelo.Theyhadforgottenthattodaywasstartday.Inapanic,theypacked,fuelledandleftthefarm.

Kunene River Mouthor bust!Dave Vanderspuy

It all started when I figured I needed to go and see some new places. Fly uncharted territory. I needed to GET there, wherever that was.One day it’ll be too late and it’s no use bleating about it. I had misgivings at first, thinking of the distances, the fuelling requirements,

and visiting remote places without any technical assistance.

Husky over dunes

A passalbe wheeler

Alternative Runway

October2007 African Pilot 87

Polokwanewasaneasytransit,withgoodcoffee.ThenontoLimpopoValleyinBotswana’sTulireserve. Mikado military are bemused at our bevy of craft, flying low level. Last plane in lands at 15h59 local. Botswana immigration officials become rather upset if you land after 16h00! Beersallroundandweheadoffthroughdustyandslightlyfrighteningelephantherdsforouraccommodation.Self-catering tonightatLimpopoLodgeandShalimpo lodge.Unfortunatelythe latter does not have any hot water and then finally, no water! Next day we are off, flying betweenthehillsalongtheShasheRiver,borderofBotswanaandZimbabwe.Shadowsracebelowourbirds,scatteringthelocalcows.SaddleBilledstorks,white-backedVulturesstareimplacablyupatusfromtheriverbed.TheZimbabweanillegalimmigrantsdashforcover.

ThenweflytoMakgadigadipans–andloandbehold,theyarefullofwater!Enormous,almost unbelievably large flocks of pink flamingos and pink-backed pelicans conducttheirsymphonyonthewatersbelow.

AtNatawerefueltheSuperCubfromcanisterswearecarrying….thenweareheading010upthenorthroadtoKasane.Chriswonderswhy“his”roadisheading270.Dummy–we’regoingtoKasane,notMaun!

Weobserveherdsofelephant.Wedive-bombpilotfriendPhilipatChandiafarmsandfinallylandatKasane.Nowwe’reoffonarivercruiserintotheChobeNationalPark.Theherdsofbuffalo,hippoandelephantsontheshoresofthegreatwaterwayareoverwhelming.Whatawaytoseethesungodown!Theboathasabarandsnacksonboard!

Kubulodgehostsusthisevening,doingagreatjobattheirbaranddiner.SomeofusheadoffforElephantValleyduetoKububeingtoofull.Kubu’slodgingsareonstilts,overlookingtheZambeziRiver.Agreatandaffordableplacetostopover.Website:www.kubulodge.net.

On Saturday we gather at Kasane. Fuel and paperwork. We are now flying north-west. Wecross“FourCorners”,whereZambia,Botswana,ZimbabweandNamibiameetatonepoint.Then up the Zambezi, over the floodplains, spotting crocs and hippos. The flight is serene, and special. Namibian immigration check-in is at Katimo Mulilo. Here we get our first wake-up call aboutrefuellinginremotelocations.AR200calloutfeeforEACHairplane.WeexplaintotheFranchiseethatweareonegroupandsheshouldsplitthecalloutfee.Negative,negative.Shetells me she has not been profitable since 1994. I suggest this maybe because of unreasonable fees. Iexplain to the ladywewillwrite thisup,notgoodforherbusiness.Shedoesn’tcare.Sohereitis,inblackandwhite.Don’trelyonKatimoforfuel!Wakeuptothemarket,lady!

WecontinuewestdowntheCaprivi–diestraightroadsandlongwadisofgrassland–goodfor forced ‘lobs.’ Soon we intersect a waypoint where the Okavango River flows from Namibia into Botswana. It’s just south of our landing point. The low flight is rewarding – herds of browsing elephant and buffalo, wading in the wetlands. Food for the soul. We circle ourriverbanklodge,wavingtosomeofourpartywhoarrivedearly,andarealreadytuckingintoawelcomebeverage.Mahangulodgeissimple,butcomfortable.Riverbanktentsandthatchedbungalows,justdownstreamfromPopaFalls(whicharenotveryimpressive).RalfandFelixkeepuswinedanddined.Theyrunagoodoperation,withlotsforthetravellerstosee.

Theriveristhecentrepoint-wideandpowerful.Wegotigerandbreamfishing.Wedrivethroughtheun-commercialandscenicMahanguNationalpark,whichmustbeoneofthehighlights.Asecretplaceundiscoveredbythebiglodgegroups.Roanandsableantelopeaboundaswellaselephantandbuffalo.Wegazeuponthestillfresh,buteatencarcassofanelephant–purportedtohavetrampledtwogamerangersrecently,andsadlyputtorestthereafter.Thisisawildplace.Thevultureseyeuswithcircumspection.Hyenaskeepavigil,waitingfortheunwary.Website:www.mahangu.com.

We have an early morning departure for the longest flying day of 500 nautical miles.TheSuperCubtakesadeepbreath,andpilotsSimonandEtienneintheKitfoxheadoutatdawn.Theirtripisasurrealisticvisualsmorgasbord.ThewideOkavango,risingsunbehindandatailwind.Youcan’tgetmuchbetter,orsotheythought.RunducomesandgoeswithAngolaslidingunderourrightwings,andsometimesourleft.

Bagani, West Caprivi

Damaraland

Kitfox in Namibia

The locals

Negotiating our security arrangements

88 African Pilot October2007

SuperCublandsforfuelatNamparaanoldmilitaryfield.Simonishassledbylocalmilitarystrongmen - justenough to feeluncomfortable.Theywant toknowwhyhe iswearingacamouflage jacket. He hands over a 6-pack of beer. Africa! Next stop is Ondangwa for fuel. Finallyweheadtowardthefarnorth,pasttheRuacanafallsandintothedeephinterlandofNorth-westernNamibia.Youngbygeologicaltimestandards,theKuneneRivercarvesthroughcanyonsandgorges,greenandfastflowing.It isclearly inahurrytogetoff theAfricancontinent!AtEpupafallsweturnsouthtotherunway.Scaryapproacheswehavebeentold,throughthehighground.Itturnsouttobejustfine.Weturnbasearoundahill,therunwayisinsightand10airplanestouchdown.OurhostsatOmarungacamp,driveusthe7kmtothebanksoftheriver,200mabovetheexpansiveEpupafalls.Homefortwonights.Itisdonkeyboilersandtwintentsensuite.Weareadvisedtoavoidswimming.Ifthefallsdon’tgetyou,thecrocssurewill!Website:www.natron.net/omarunga-camp.

Activities here revolve around relaxing, visiting the truly remote Himba villages (the mostgenuineHimbatribalexperiencesinNamibia)andlocalwalks.Wehaveferriedupdrumsoffuelandspendsometimerefuelling.20litresforthisplane.35foranother.70forathird,andsoitgoes on. That night I am thrilled to hear not just a Pearl spotted owl, but a Pels fishing owl and a whitefacedowl.Novisuals,butthecallswereunmistakable.Moreticksforthebirdinglist.

DeparturedayisplannedwitharemotestopontheskeletoncoastfortheSuperCubwhowon’t make it on its fuel. We set forth westwards down the Kunene. The mountainousterrainbecomeslessfriendly,harsherandprettysoondownrightfrightening.Adonkey-outheremeans…well,let’snotthinkaboutit.Everyonefliesalittlehigher.SuddenlythegorgeopensoutintothemagnificentHartmannvalleyandMarienfluss.Sanddunesstretchintothedistance.Thepulseslows,theenginerunssmoother.Continuingtoourobjective,theKunenedelta,wearedisappointedwith fogcovering thisarea.Wecutsouthwest to thecoast, meeting a strong headwind at beach level. Now we scout for landing fields andshipwrecks.Welookoutforthelastremains,aradialengine,oftheVenturabomberthatwent to rescue the folks off the Dunedin Star.All have gone. The competition is on tooutspotoneanother.Atanabandonedminingcamponthebeach,someofusland,justbecausewecan.AtMoewebayweturninlandovertheDamaralandscrub.

NowonthelookoutforRhino,IsuddenlyspotoneintheshadeofaEuphorbiamilk-bush.ImarkthepositiononmyGPSandphotographitwhilstcirclingataheightsoasnottoupsetthesensitive,endangeredbeast.IhavetoproveIhaveseenadesertblackRhinobicornisbicornis–andwhatalonghornithas!SoonafterwardswelandatPalmwagairstrip.Whilstmanoeuvring theairplanes ImeetBerndt–a localpilot takingpart inaRhinocount.Heexcitedlytakesdowntheco-ordinatesofmy‘spot’andlooksatthedigitalcameraphotoonmyscreen.“HEY,there’sacalfunderthebush”heexclaims–andsureenough,it’snotapaparhino,butmamawithcalf.Somuchforthegrey‘rock’Ithoughtitwas!

Palmwaglodgeoffersgreataccommodationandissetinariverbedwithpermanentwater.Amaleelephant roamsbetween the lodges–becareful.Agamedriveoffersup two leopard,eland, gemsbok, springbok, kudu, and a Hartmanns zebra. What a delivery. We are happy.Three of the big five is not bad for the first two hours! Website: www.palmwag.com.na.

NextstopisSwakopmund.SomeofusheadforthecoastdowntheUniabRiver.OthersfortheBrandbergtolookfortheremainsofthehaplessC172thatcrashedatopthereat7000ft.(apparentlyadaredevilpilot landedonsome“flattish”area,thencouldnotgetairborneagain.Hehad towalkdown. I’llbethehadsomeexplaining todo!).Wedivebombfishingtrawlersandgenerallyhavefunlowflyingonthebeach.ThefishermenatHentiesBay,Mile72andotherswaveaswegoby.Thelocalsseemfriendly.

SwakopmundisawelcomestopandawonderfulGermancolonialtown.Afterdepositingourbags,we’reoff to theBrauhaus, thegreatGerman restaurant in themiddleof thetown.Shopping,cleanstreets,Germanvoicesandkudu‘veldskoene’abound.Thebeeris“vomfass”andexcellent–thisisthehomeofWindhoek,TafelandHansa.TheGoulaschzuppengoesdownatreatasdoestheEisbeinforthehungry.OuraccommodationisinLaMerguesthouse.50metresfromthebeachfrontroadandclosetoeverywhere.

Zebra River

The airfield is in here somewhere

The captain is wearing the headphones

Wolwedans ramp

Zebra River ramp

October2007 African Pilot 89

The people are friendly, very German and helpful in every respect.Recommended.Website:www.pension-a-la-mer.com.

Before departure next morning, we attend to some maintenance.WestAirhelpswithmagnetodrops,alternatorproblemsandoil leaksonvariousairplanes.

Wegoquadbikingintheduneswiththekids–greatfun.Aftertakeofffrom the unmanned field, we pass Walvis bay, carrying on past thebonesoflonelyshipwreckstoMeob(challengeyoutofindthe‘runway!’)and then turn eastward for 35 nm over spectacular dunes with deepshadowsonthesoutheastsides.SoonweareoverflyingthehighestduneintheworldatSossusvlei.Deadvleipassesbeneathandwearethankfulnot tobe in thebootsof theshipwreckedsailor thatmade itonlythatfarfromthecoast,beforesuccumbingtothetimelesssands–orsolegendhasit.

Thelandscapenowtransformsintothemostextraordinarysceneofflatwhitedesertplainsandblack,blueandpinkmountains juttingstraightupoutoftheflat ‘floor’.Thecontrastandcolourschangecontinuously,neverending,dramatic.Wecontinuetowarda1000foot‘wall’ofrock,thesunpickingoutthestratathatindicatesitsformationontheseabed,overthemillenniainanotherworld.WeavinguptheZebraRiveritzigzagsitswayintoanincreasingarrayofcanyonsandmountains.Theterraingetsmorerugged.Howcouldarunwayexisthere?Suddenlyitappearsasiffromnowhere?Theapproachistrickyinthelowwintersunlight.Ielecttolandoutofthesun,notwithstandingthelighttailwind.

ZebraRiverlodgeiswarmandwelcoming.WeheadupintothemountainsasatributetoLandRoverasthedoughtyvehiclepicksitswayoverhugerocksteps–tohighabovethelodgeforasundownerinahardandremoteplace.RobandMariannearetheconsummatehostsandourpartyhasfilledeveryspace,eventakingoverthemanager’saccommodationandarusticcottageinanearbyvalley.Dinneriswasheddownwithcopiouswineandthemoodisfestive.Website:www.zebrariver.com.

Discussionsarenowheldonthefollowingday’sactivities.WechoosetheghosttownofKolmanskopoveraSossusvleilandexcursion.Itturnsoutto be a good choice. The flight to Luderitz is dramatic and interesting, alternatingbetweenmountains,dunesandhiddenpans–eachbeckoningalandingandaremotecampsleepoutunderthewing.Thelong-deserteddiamond mining village of Kolmanskop is about 2 km from the airfield and Doeka, who does an exceptional job of catering in her little restaurant,doesashuttletohelpusgetthereandbackforlunch.Wehavemissedthe‘official’ tour, but just browsing around the sand-filled rooms leaves us with aneeriefeeling.Ghostsofthepastwatchusquietly.

The last leg today is to the western edge of the Fish River Canyon.The flight issmooth.Flatplainsgiveway toever increasing tortuousterrain.Ancientrivervalleysturntocanyonsandgorges.ThentheFishRiverCanyonarrives.Bigdaddy!Weturnfinalsoverthevoidandlandon thenewlygradedstrip.GrandView lodgehasacommandinganduniqueposition,over looking thewestern lip into thedeepcanyon. Itwasstillbeingcompletedandsomeoftheunsealedchaletswereabit“windy”.Asalastnightforthegroup,it’sallfalldown.Thefireburns,thewineandstoriesflow.Somesleepintheloungeareatoavoidthewindyconditions.Activitiesaresundownersandwalkingthecanyon.Agoodplacetounwindandconsiderthecavernousspaceatyourfeet.Website:www.canyonnaturepark.com.

Wehavealreadybeen flying for tendaysandsadly todayourgroupdisperses in various directions. We meet our first headwinds goingeast–acoldfronthasjustgrippedthecountry.25knotsonthenoseandwesneakdownontoaroadforrefuellingyetagain.Afterclearingimmigration into SouthAfrica at Upington, the Gauteng group of sixairplanesheadsforDouglasforanovernightstop.

Thewindsdoagood jobofslowingtheSuperCubto55knotsandwelandatsunset!

FlyingfriendandfarmerAntonwelcomesusathis‘DeKalk’farmairstrip.As the proud owner of a stunning V tail B36, he makes sure our airplanes aresafelytieddownbetweenharvestingmachines,ploughsandtractors(surprisingwhatgoodtiedownpointsthesemake!).SittingfourabreastinhisF250,weheadoffthroughthecentrepivotfarms,ashortdistanceto the banks of the Vaal River. The riverbank restaurant is openedspeciallyforusandwedineandrelax.WhilstmostofthegroupovernightatDeGhaapguesthouse, runby the lovelyAnel, others sleepaboardaHouseboat, fullyequippedwithkitchen,cabins,properbeds,viewingdeck,enallesl.Theboatwasthe‘Brainchild’of localentrepreneurandladyextraordinaireRiana.Shedesignedherboatandhaditbuiltmuchtothedisbeliefofthelocalpeople.It’sbeenahitsincedayone.Nowshe’salmost completed five chalets on the waters edge. Riana also ownsthe restaurant!Definitelyaplace togo foranaviationweekend–andfriendlierfolkdonotexist.Website:www.restinations.com/villadeghaap.

Lastdayandhomebound.We flyoverbigmachinery -open-pitalluvialdiamonddiggingsontheVaalRiver;thenoverthefarmingheartlandofSouthAfrica.TheVaalRiver is ourmarker and then it’s theBloemhofdam.Blackandbluewildebeest,eland,kudu,ostrich,springbok,herons,pelicans,spurwinggeeseandmore.Forachange,mycell/headphoneinterface works and I call ahead from my plane to Corrie, who runsthe fuellingatKlerksdorp.Pizzasall round,please, forwhenwe land!Thanks Corrie. They really hit the spot! The headwind is intense, yetagain.EtienneandIlandonthecrosstaxiway.Westopwithoutbrakesin25metres!Taxiingisachallengeinourfourtaildraggers.Take-offisbrisk,onceagainonthecrosstaxiway.TheHuskybecomesairbornein30metres.Webidoneanotheralastfarewellandheadforhome.

Looking back, I find it difficult to believe we travelled over 3 000 nautical miles, had fewproblemsandhadsomuch funasagroup.Anexperience toberepeated,wewillbeplanningthenextfor2008.Listenoutforthenews!

For further information on flying safaris such as this one, please contact Dave: (011) 462 4521 or 082 392 1034 or e-mail: info@aerosafari.com.