Cleared for a low pass I accelerated towards the airfield and buzzed mum and dad and a few friends (who had been waiting patiently for the last few days for my arrival) before joining the circuit for a full stop landing. I had made it !!
Crossing the Hawequas mountains minutes from Stellenbosch (FASH)
After just under 3 hrs flight time I crossed over the last mountain peak of the Hawequas mountains at FL070 and descended into a picturesque valley which looked very familiar, it was Franschhoek. I now knew where I was and started quickly descending as Stellenbosch was only just around the corner.
Departure Upington (FAUP), final destination Stellenbosch (FASH)
Catching up with an Link Air pilot departing for Johannesburg before I start my final flight !
Fish River Canyon, South Africa
As spectacular as the scenery was and after such an amazing first flight of the day this ended up being the flight I wish I was not on. The winds were not strong, I was up high above the ground but as I got closer to the canyon the turbulence started to increase. I experienced some turbulence routing to Nairobi and some in Zambia but not like this. I requested a higher flight level and kept climbing, in the end I was at FL095 (9500 feet) and over 5000 feet above ground. The airliners on the radio were reporting moderate to severe turbulence at FL380 (38,000 feet) so there was not much hope for me. I still had 1 1/2 h of flying left and the canyon meanders all the way to Upington (my destination). I pulled my harness as tight as I could get it, one hand on the stick and the other wedged against the side of the aircraft. I had several wing drops and it was the first time on the trip I felt vulnerable in such a small aircraft. Every 30 minutes I have to put the fuel pump on and change tanks, To change the tanks you have to pull a pin up, rotate the selector through the off position until it reads on the other tank. As I was moving the selector there was a sudden drop and my hand came off leaving the selector in the off position, as I panicked and grabbed it to turn, the pin had seated so I had to pull the pin up to reselect. It all happened over the course of 1-2 seconds but was not enjoyable. I was very relieved to arrive at Upington !
Heading down the Namibian Coastline towards SA
It was along this coastline I saw probably the best wildlife moment of the trip, a flock of Flamingos flying over the dunes tracking down the coastline just under my path.
My twelve year dream now a reality !
This was the flight I had spent all those years visualising, flying over the Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namibia. One of the remotest parts of Namibia, no radio contact for over 2 hours.
Arrival Hosea Kutako International Airport (FYWH) Windhoek, NAMIBIA
Chobe National Park, Botswana
An amazing flight, the visibility was unbelievable and no one on the radio for over an hour and a half. It was very hard to spot the game but I did see an elephant at a watering hole as I flew overhead. The Okavango Delta lay straight ahead.
Victoria Falls
The amazing power and noise of Victoria Falls
Zambia-Zimbabwe Border
Due to low rainfall there is very little water flowing over Victoria Falls on the Zambia side. Someone mentioned that it was less that a quarter of what normally flows this time of year. This is not only an issue for wildlife and the environment but also the local population who depend on their hydroelectric supply. Load sharing has now been initiated which means they will have many hours a day with no power. Are these the signs of global warming ?!
The Zimbabwe side although less still has water flowing over the falls. A taxi dropped me at the border and I walked across and into Zimbabwe to view the falls from this side.
