Mwanza, Tanzania, 14.5.2004
First flight, reaching the operations area: Nairobi to Kindu
Part 1 - Nairobi Wilson HKNW, Kenya, to Mwanza HTMW, Tanzania
My first flight in Africa.
After spending the previous weeks making arrangements and setting up lease contracts for a small fleet of aircraft on behalf of dESPair, I'm ready to fly my first mission.
The aircraft, an old Ex-Kenyan Air Force DHC-4 Caribou one of a pair acquired by AeroPedro, is ready for take off after a quick service and the pre-flight check.
We left Wilson at about seven in the morning; Coop is coming along as copilot and flight engineer and I'm 'driving' the Bou and enjoying the landscape... Someone's got to do the hard work, right?
We flew a more or less direct course to Mwanza in Tanzania, our first stop. Flying over a good stretch of the Kenyan countryside and smaller part of Tanzania, reaching lake Victoria for approach and landing at HTMW, on the southern shore of the lake.
The cargo of 4536 lbs is one 2nd hand diesel generator and a wind turbine, as requested by Byrdseye Ops for the hospital at Kindu.
The flight went smooth, though we had a minor technical problem: about halfway, well before reaching lake Victoria, the RH engine lost some power and we had to fly on to Mwanza with assymetric throttle setting.
Upon arrival at HTMW we inspected the old R-2000 but couldn't find anything that would have caused the problem. Hmmm... we'll have to keep a close watch on that engine when we fly the next leg of our trip.
(click on the snapshots to enlarge)
ready for TO at Wilson <- -> cruising at 9500 ft
enjoying the landscape <- -> more landscape
over lake Victoria <- -> parked at Mwanza
[] see flight log flightno. 945
> next, go to Part 2 & 3
< back to BYRD index