IN AFRICA THE PROVISION of airports and air traffic management to the airline industry is difficult as they are fundamentally monopolistic enterprises.
It is thus widely accepted, even in largely free market economies, that government should provide these services. The challenge is that air traffic management requires the highest standards - and these are incompatible with state owned enterprises, which carry the burden of a transformation agenda.
The history of such service provision across Africa has been poor, with many countries struggling to provide reliable ground based navigation aids. In South Africa the Air Traffic Navigation Company (ATNS) is in crisis.
The root cause is that, as a government agency, unqualified people are promoted into management by cronies. These managers are insecure, and so the work environment becomes toxic. This then leads to the ‘Crushem Principle’ I discussed in the previous issue’s editorial.
In an opinion piece, OUTA writes, “Years of established processes designed to ensure good governance, robust internal controls and audits appear to have been neglected. Red flags, concerns and complaints raised by staff and external customers appear to have been ignored. This, in turn, has led to a backlash from some within the ATNS leadership team who appear to either be overwhelmed or driven by other agendas, leading to not only the loss of essential skills, but also the sidelining, castigating, or suspending of those who speak up or ask difficult questions.”
Reduced standards may be okay
ATNS has become the latest victim of inept management and the Crushem Principle. Many of the best controllers and managers have left for greener, or sandier, pastures.
Basic maintenance and checks of key equipment such as ILSs are being missed, and as a result, they are taken out of commission. This affects airline on-time-performance and safety. Reduced standards may be okay for the prison services and trains, but for airline operations it is unacceptable. Passengers expect uncompromising safety and on time performance.
All this inevitably requires more money to pay for the inefficiencies of the incompetents. Thus, IATA’s Willie Walsh says that ACSA and ATNS are “grievous examples of airports and air navigation service providers shifting the costs of their inefficiencies on to airlines”.
In a useful insight, OUTA said, “There are troubling signs that senior ATNS management is allowing essential functions typically handled by internal staff to be outsourced to external service providers…. These providers can then demand higher fees over time, as they can exploit a weakened institution.”
Fortunately the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) will gradually make ground based navigation aids obsolete. In South Africa the government has said it expects to be able to retire radar in five years. It is however yet to make ADS-B compulsory, so this is an unrealistic target.
In the meanwhile, we will just have to endure the very third world deterioration of essential aviation services.
PART 2 ACHMED
Hugh
continues
his story
of the remarkable Achmed, the head of the Red Cross in Somalia.
ACHMED
ARRIVED
IN BERBERA
in an eight-passenger Swearingen Merlin. So great were the risks that each flight from Mogadishu to Berbera in the Merlin cost the Red Cross $10,000.
Ten thousand bucks was a year’s salary for a lot of first-world people, so they filled the plane to the gunwales. When Murray, the Kiwi Captain, as he was known, opened the doors after landing at Berbera, I couldn’t initially see any passengers at all, and it was only after removing about half the cargo that we discovered our two visitors.
Somalia has come in for its fair share of media attention over the years and, having spent some time there, I can see why.
from snipers who aimed at people who were hiding behind our walls. So in one way we found ourselves at the centre of the fighting, although we were constantly assured that we were never targeted. If we were hit it was purely coincidental. Nice to know that, I thought!
The result of being the focus of attention however was that there was an awful lot of shooting all night, every night. The sharp cracks of the Kalashnikov were punctuated by the much deeper and louder thuds of the American M-16.
an awful lot of shooting all night
It was the nights that were the most difficult times to live through in Berbera. The Red Cross compound presented ideal cover for those who needed it. There was no electricity except for the solar panel which kept the radio batteries topped up and so we had no electric lights. Kerosene provided our only form of illumination after sunset. The wall around the compound was about eight feet high and as bullet-proof as we could make it, but the very cover it provided attracted attention
Only very rarely did we hear a scream to signify the successful conclusion to a duel, but frequently the rattle of spent bullets entering the house reminded us to avoid the windows. Dominic and I had become quite used to the routine and neither of us felt particularly threatened, but Peter and Achmed hardly slept a wink. After five days they were both exhausted and I caught them both catnapping during the day time.
On the fifth day we received clearance to fly to Eregavo, a small stone-built town six thousand feet up on a plateau about one hundred and twenty miles to the East of Berbera. The rebel Somali National Movement, or SNM, had attacked Eregavo and driven out the government garrison, causing a lot of casualties.
They also killed a number of senior officials whom they accused of supporting the corrupt President Mohammed Farrah Aideed. Bodies were left to rot in the streets.
The government was incensed by this defeat and sent a large force, supported by tanks, to recapture the town. It was a slaughter. More bodies were piled in the smashed streets. The nauseating stench of decomposing humans pervaded the whole town. The flies swarmed over dead and living alike, and we arrived about ten hours after the SNM had been routed.
We were greeted by a fat little general who wore winkle picker shoes with no laces. He ushered us to a wrecked but mobile Land Cruiser for the ride into town. The smell made me want to gag and the inhuman expressions on the faces of the bloated corpses, which were the only remaining inhabitants of the shattered streets, were the stuff of nightmares.
Rules of War and suddenly, after about half an hour of monotony there was silence. I looked up, thinking that Peter had forgotten his lines. He was fast asleep. His head had sunk onto his chest and he had bored himself into a coma!
It took some seconds for it to sink in. There was a stifled snort of suppressed giggling from the little General and then the whole room erupted into a gale of laughter. Peter woke up with a start, looked at me and enquired what the joke was. I just smiled and said that maybe it was time we went home and he got his head down.
Achmed put his hand on Peter’s shoulder and said “I think we’ve just about finished, haven’t we?”
the rattle of spent bullets entering the house
We ended up in the ruins of the old Council Chamber where a large T-shaped table had obviously served previous councillors from both persuasions. It was an eerie blood-spattered place, haunted by a horrifying kind of deranged violence which hung in the air like a sickening odour.
Tea was proposed by the fat little General. All meetings in Somalia have to start with tea. There was only one surviving cup, so we had to take it in turns. The ceremony took nearly an hour, and I could see that Peter, who was sitting opposite me, was fading. Finally it was time for Peter to deliver his International Committee of the Red Cross introductory speech. He launched out on what can be a grindingly boring liturgy about neutrality, openness, even-handedness, the importance of the Red Cross banner as an inviolable symbol of sanctuary for Prisoners of War and then he went over the Geneva Conventions and the Humanitarian
We got back to Berbera that evening and both Achmed and Peter slept right through the night even though the flag pole was hit and came crashing down on the roof at about two o’clock in the morning.
Peter and Achmed went back to Mogadishu three days later and I haven’t set eyes on either of them since then, more’s the pity, because I consider Achmed to be a great friend. I am now very grateful that my prejudices did not get the chance to deny me the company of someone who will be my spiritual companion for the rest of my life.
THAILAND BUYS GRIPEN E/F
In an important breakthrough for Saab, Thailand is repoted to have selected the Saab Gripen E/F program over the F-35 and F-16.
A two-seat RTAF Gripen D and a SAAB 340 Erieye AEW&C platform.
WHILE THE ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE (RTAF) already operates earlier Gripen C/D aircraft, the Gripen E/F brings with it significant advances in capability.
The RTAF said that it wants to buy the Gripen E/F which it considers “has the capability to match the demand of the military doctrine and the Air Force’s strategy.” The final decision to buy the aircraft will require approval by the Thai cabinet. It’s unclear how many Gripen E/Fs Thailand aims to buy, but previous reports indicated an immediate requirement for 12–14 new fighters.
According to previously announced RTAF plans, the new aircraft are to be purchased in the 2025 fiscal year, with deliveries to begin by 2028.
The RTAF currently operates 11 Gripens (seven single-seat Gripen Cs and four two-seat Gripen Ds) which were in two separate batches in February 2008 and November 2010. These jets have recently been upgraded to the latest MS20 configuration and they have a notable anti-surface warfare capability, armed with Saab’s RBS 15 anti-ship missile. A single Gripen C was lost in a crash in January 2017.
the 1987 order, which are operated by 102 Squadron based at Korat. Subsequently, however, Thailand has a requirement to replace its F-5E/Fs, with another 12–14 aircraft slated to be acquired starting in the 2031 fiscal year. Beyond that, there will be a need for a similar number of aircraft to replace more F-16s starting in the 2037 fiscal year.
In contrast to various other countries in the AsiaPacific region, Thailand has, in recent years, enjoyed fairly cordial relations with China and has no territorial disputes with Beijing. As a result, the impetus to overhaul its armed forces has been less keenly felt. At the same time, there has been some friction in U.S.Thailand relations, especially after the coup d’états of 2006 and 2014.
requirement for 12–14 new fighters
China moved to fill the gap, initiating deeper military cooperation with Thailand, including joint air exercises and increased arms transfers. It’s notable that U.S.-supplied F-16s and F-5s are prohibited from taking part in drills with the Chinese military, a restriction that doesn’t apply to the Gripen.
The Thai Gripens are integrated within a Saab-supplied national datalink system, known as Link-T. Playing a vital role within this is a pair of Saab 340 turboprop aircraft equipped with the Erieye radar for airborne early warning and control (AEW&C).
Supporting these are a larger number of F-16s, comprising 36 single-seat F-16As and 14 two-seat F-16Bs. These are the survivors from a total of 52 F-16A/Bs that were delivered by the United States under four separate orders plus seven more F-16A/Bs that were donated by Singapore.
Initially, it’s expected that the new Gripens will replace the RTAF’s oldest F-16s, the survivors from
Thailand is just the second export customer for the Gripen E/F after Brazil. Saab signed a contract with Brazil for 36 Gripen E/Fs in 2014, with a longer-term requirement for an additional 72 jets. The Swedish Air Force is also acquiring 60 Gripen Es. Otherwise, however, the Gripen E/F has seen only failure in the multiple international fighter competitions in which it has entered, notably being rejected in favour of the U.S.-made F-35 stealth fighter, which offers a very different level of capability, or F-16s.
With prospects of follow-on fighter orders almost guaranteed, the chances of Saab winning more orders for the Gripen E/F in Thailand look good.
AIR KENYA AND THE TURBO AZTEC
Laura McDermid continues her stories about Iris McCallum’s early years in East Africa.
Air Kenya's crew in 1980.
FOLLOWING THE CRASH on 14 September 1980 in 5Y-ARN, I continued flying for Sunbird Aviation making trips to Kisumu, Entebbe, Nanyuki, and the Maasai Mara. However, things were never quite the same after the accident.
My work permit was set to expire in October, and the company had made no effort to renew it, which left me feeling uneasy.
Just when I was at my lowest, I received a call from Air Kenya in Nairobi, asking if I would like to fly for them. As it turned out, Air Kenya’s chairman, Nicholas Biwott, was also Kenya’s Minister of Home Affairs, and he quickly arranged a work permit for me.
Chris Kenny, the Managing Director, Sid Dirks, the General Manager, and Dave Leonard, the Chief Pilot, welcomed me with open arms. I was given 5Y-WKA, a turbocharged Piper Aztec, to fly. It had tan leather seats, was quiet and comfortable, and had a strong semi-STOL performance. Did I mention how fast it was? What a difference from dearly departed ARN.
become a target for some mad man
Nicholas Biwott owned Lima Ltd., one of the largest dealers in farm equipment and agricultural machinery in Kenya. He capitalized on the country’s push for self-reliance and economic indigenization during the 1970s and 1980s and as a result I ended up flying most of the Kenyan cabinet members around Africa.
Little did I know that some of the best times of my life were ahead. From the operations staff to the ground crew, Air Kenya was an outstanding company, the pilots among the best in East Africa.
On 19 November, I was booked to fly a charter of members of the Ministry of Public Works and Industry to northeastern Kenya to see how they could improve the roads and airstrips in that area.
Iris (centre) with Air Kenya staff.
My route took me from Wilson Airport in Nairobi to Garissa, a sector of only an hour forty in the turbo Aztec. Garissa is largely an arid to semi-arid region with sandy soil and sparse vegetation dominated by shrubs, acacia trees, and thorn bushes. The region is part of the broader plains that stretch across northeastern Kenya into southern Somalia.
The early provincial and district commissioners had established a members’ club in Garissa, affectionately referred to as the “Yacht Club.” It was here that I waited by the pool under an umbrella thorn tree while the ministers conducted their business.
through occasional spiky shrubs or thorn trees, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the rugged patchwork of low-rise buildings on the horizon.
I skirted the town to land at the army base. Wajir was an important military and security hub in northeastern Kenya, with tight security due to ongoing tensions between the local Somali population and the Kenyan government.
not to get caught in crossfire
This was the first swimming pool built in Garissa, and never having seen a pool before, the locals were convinced that it was some sort of elaborate trap for wild animals.
After a brief wait, we left Garissa and flew 150 nm to Wajir. The landscape was hot, dry, and flat, with unrelenting sandy terrain. Parched riverbeds snaked
Once the passengers were collected, I taxied to the only tree on the far end of the runway and pulled as much of the Aztec as I could under its gnarly canopy. I settled in to wait, grateful for my paperback novel and the sparse shade.
We were to spend the night in Mandera, another 170 nautical miles away. Mandera is at the convergence of the borders of Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, an area heavily influenced by ongoing civil unrest and crossborder tensions, making it a particularly dangerous place to fly.
Nicholas-Biwotts was Minister of Home Affairs - and helpfully also Chairman of Air Kenya.
It was late afternoon by the time I took off and as I headed out, I searched the scorched earth below me for some indication of wind direction. I noted a plume of smoke drifting in a south-westerly direction which meant having to fly into Ethiopia in order to make the turn to land on runway 23 at the Mandera airstrip.
Pilots had to be cautious not to get caught in crossfire or, worse still, become a target for some mad man. At least the airstrip was close to the army camp, offering some protection. I lowered the undercarriage and took 50 degrees of flap, watching the speed bleed off as WKA skimmed over the Dawaro River, the border between Kenya and Ethiopia.
That evening, I was invited to dine in the Kenyan Army’s officer’s mess tent. Clad in an olive green jacket with sharply creased trousers, Major Kibet cut a dashing figure. He seated me on his left and proved to be an attentive and gracious host, fascinated by my choice of profession and commending me for my bravery in flying to such a dangerous place unarmed and unaccompanied.
I was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. Guillaume drove the 3 kilometres from the barracks to the guest house with me standing up through the hatch. I felt like a celebrity on a carnival float, the war briefly forgotten.
I was shown to a room with a single bed and a night stand. The light from the naked bulb in the adjoining bathroom illuminated a small shower cubicle hidden behind a plastic curtain adorned with a repeating pattern of whales and sea shells, an odd decoration considering where we were.
a particularly dangerous place to fly
Feeling human again after my warm shower, I lay down, grateful to be horizontal after a long, hot day. I closed my eyes and was drifting off to sleep when I heard what sounded like thunder, shortly followed by another almighty boom, this time much closer. It took my sleepy brain a while to realize that what I was hearing were exploding missiles.
We chatted about our lives and families over a couple of cold Tuskers before he offered to have me escorted to the guest house they had reserved for me in town, as it was not suitable for a woman to overnight in the barracks.
“How would you like to be transported into town, Iris?” he asked.
I looked around, spotting an armoured tank. “How about that?” I asked jokingly.
His face split into a massive grin, his bone-white teeth glinting like tombstones in the moonlight. He disappeared for a few minutes, reappearing shortly with a soldier.
“Guillaume will drive you into town. I bid you good night,” he said.
I was literally lying in the middle of a war between Ethiopia and Somalia. I was reminded that Africa is not just lions roaming the Serengeti and beautiful sunsets, it can be a very dark place too. One has to have the stomach for Africa, and not everyone does.
I didn’t actively seek out danger, I merely accepted that this was part of my chosen profession and by extension my destiny. Africa has the propensity to bring out the best and worst in people, but when it brings out the best, it seems to ignite a passion in them for which I was eternally grateful.
ATNS AND THE AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT CRISIS
Guy Leitch chats to Ms Nozipho Mdawe, the CEO of South African Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS)
ATNS PROVIDES air traffic management (ATM) services to all nine ACSA airports, as well as 12 regional airports. The company also has a presence in 24 other African countries, plus St Helena Island and is responsible for a large part of the Southern Indian and Atlantic Ocean, comprising approximately 6% of the world’s airspace.
As a state-owned enterprise, human resource development is a key component of the company’s development mandate. The company has therefore developed the ATNS Aviation Training Academy (ATA), which in partnership with the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), has launched an aviation programme to understand and mitigate the effects of solar activity on aviation.
“We are also very proud that ATNS’s Aviation Training Academy has been voted IATA’s best training academy for three consecutive years.” Ms Mdawe notes.
IATA’s best training academy
ATNS provides more than just a pure air traffic management function in South Africa. The company has been awarded a contract for ILS maintenance for South African national airports. Ms Mdawe says, “We have a 30-year service excellence record of maintaining ILS systems for and upholding safety standards and regulations as prescribed by the SACAA and ICAO that gives us a competitive edge in the aviation market. Safety is a priority and a lived corporate value at ATNS. This has earned us recognition as a preferred supplier of air traffic management solutions throughout the African continent.”
This programme is aligned with ICAO initiatives to appropriately respond to adverse space weather conditions, such as occurred in mid-May 2024. “The aviation space is increasingly becoming prone to the effects of space weather due to the greater use and continued miniaturisation of microelectronics. This is in addition to the growing reliance on signals from satellite-based aviation navigation systems. Awareness and preparation for eventualities like solar storms and mass coronal ejections has become critical in our industry,” said Ms Mdawe.
In conjunction with the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), ATNS is leading the way in technology adoption, particular in the field of passive radar. ATNS and CSIR engineering teams are working at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) to survey passive radar site coverage.
“The CSIR developed the technology, while ATNS provides the technical know-how on the system configuration, in line with the International Civil
Aviation Organization Standards and Recommended Practices (ICAO SARPs). The aim is to determine the coverage that the system will provide in the area once deployed. This exercise will also determine the sites and the number of radar antennas to be installed,” she says.
“Deploying Passive Radar at KMIA is an ideal opportunity to test the system, refine the current software and hardware solutions, and monitor continued Passive Radar performance characterisation testing over a predetermined period,” Ms Mdawe says.
As a state-owned enterprise, ATNS has been recognised for the transformation of its employee racial mix. “We are on the right track to meet the National Development Plan objectives as an aviation industry player,” Mdawe says.
However, one of the more significant challenges ATNS faces is staff retention, with many of its experienced air traffic controllers being lured to other countries. ATNS has acknowledged that there is a 10% shortage of ATCs, particularly at Johannesburg International Airport, with staff loses of approximately 10% per year.
To address this, ATNS has signed a Joint Strategy agreement with the South African Air Force (SAAF) to work together in the deployment of infrastructure, training, human resource sharing, and airspace management. “The Joint Strategy aims to establish a collaborative arrangement between ATNS and the SAAF for the deployment of SAAF ATC Officers at various ATNS ATSUs (Air Traffic Services Units). This arrangement aims to address staffing constraints currently faced by ATNS while simultaneously providing valuable traffic exposure and experience to SAAF ATC personnel,” Ms Mdawe says.
ATNS' Ms Nozipho Mdawe.
SNEAKING THREE DAKS ACROSS AFRICA
In Munich I met Roy Mathews, a sometime British Eagle Bristol Britannia Captain, and more recently a DH 125 corporate pilot for Anglo Vaal.
Prior to that he flew a King Air 90, ZS-INN, for the nascent Holiday Inn group. Off-duty he was a frequent Lanseria Airport pub visitor.
IT HAD HOPED TO SIT OUT the second DC-3 delivery to attend to non-aviation matters. So I had asked Monty Burton, the pilot who had accompanied me on the first delivery flight, to recommend a competent DC-3 Captain with a UK passport with some knowledge of African conditions to accompany Roy on the second delivery to Johannesburg, in the then apartheid South Africa.
Once I’d paid for the aircraft and we’d performed engine runs and so on, the pilot arrived and booked into our hotel. I had assumed that Monty Burton had briefed him, and that he understood what was involved, so I took him out to dinner with Roy. The fellow made no demur as I outlined a few of the minor inconveniences we’d previously experienced and expressed no qualms about the forthcoming trip.
taxi to the airport. I paid his hotel bill and was furious as it I would now have to do the trip with Roy.
At the airport the charming Armscor rep handed me a brown envelope containing the US$22k ferry money and asked if our now absent pilot might constitute a security concern.
So much for the need-toknow
The next morning at breakfast, we were approached by the hotel manager who told us our intended Captain had jumped ship a couple of hours earlier and taken a
“No, he’s just a ‘fraidy cat” I said. “Anyway these deliveries are not the best kept secret. I heard a few chaps back at the Lanseria pub are taking bets on whether we’ll make it or not.”
The Armscor man replied, “I hear it’s the same in the squadron mess. So much for the need-to-know edict.”
We crossed the Alps in partial cloud, and our duct tape mounted King VHF radio and VOR unit worked well, but the only built in ADF of indeterminate age seemed sporadic.
I poured coffee from our battered flask and pondered
that the last time Roy had flown a DC-3 it was registered ZS-DKR, and he was the co-pilot to the wellregarded ex Kenya Airways Captain, Paddy Johnson. The heavily laden aircraft was flying a charter for the prestigious Anglo-American Company. Sadly, the left engine stopped immediately after take-off from Rand Airport. The machine limped most of the way around the circuit before crashing onto rock strewn ground, killing Paddy. A number of passengers succumbed to burns and Roy was on crutches for several weeks.
After that crash, Anglo American opened their own aircraft maintenance base, as there had been speculation about the quality of work performed on the crashed DC-3.
Anyway, we flew on to night-stop in relaxing Corfu, dined well and gawked at the bikini clad beach girls.
The morning found us aloft again, so far so good, until about 30 minutes out of Heraklion in Crete when we noticed the right engine oil-pressure dropping. Roy reduced power on that engine and things seemed to be working in our favour. However, in the circuit we were asked to extend the downwind leg to accommodate a Greek Air Force Hercules. We were reluctant to declare an emergency, so the C130 took off as our
engine oil pressure dropped further.
“When we get a bit closer, let’s feather it, Roy,” I said.
We were carrying a substantial weight of Dak spares.
This is why Roy, who had been quite seriously injured in the Dak crash at Rand was so reluctant to feather the engine which then seized just after touchdown at Heraklion.
If we had been at a lighter weight he said he would have shut it down as I had suggested. Eventually we turned about a 3-mile final, flying alongside beach front hotels. We were losing power on the right engine and, closer to the runway, noticed sunbathing beachgoers pointing at us, then scattering from our unstable approach.
Adding to the pressure, an Olympic Airways A300 Airbus had turned long final behind us, and we were having difficulty maintaining height. We crossed the runway threshold with a few feet to spare. As the tail wheel settled onto the runway the right engine seized and, ensuring the tail wheel lock was in, we coasted straight ahead. I informed the tower that we had lost an engine, and could not use asymmetric power to
The 3 Dakotas were destined to be converted to "Turbo-Daks" for the SAAF.
taxi clear of the runway. What I took to be a Greek expletive came over the radio, and about a minute later the seemingly enormous Olympic A300 Airbus overshot, then started turning away to enter the holding pattern.
Fortunately, a Greek Air Force tractor with a DC-3 compliant tow bar arrived a few minutes later and pulled us clear of the runway into a parking area some distance from the main apron. So much for a discreet arrival.
Once parked, I spoke to the Greek Air Force personnel manning the tractor and asked if they knew where we might find mechanical assistance. They suggested that Olympic Airways were the only maintenance organisation allowed to work on civil aircraft on Crete.
crash on beach. People run for their life. Ha ha, was big spectacle! First drink on house.”
The right engine had seized solid, and a Greek Air Force mechanic implied through an interpreter that they could take temporary leave and change the engine for us.
We had shipped the DC-3 spares that came with our deal to SA. However, we had a spare zero-time engine tied down inside the third DC-3 parked in Munich. We had elected to keep the spare engine in that aircraft as it was in the least serviceable of the three Daks.
After further discussion, the mechanic and his chum agreed to take leave when our spare engine arrived in Crete. I went up to the tower and apologised through the pungent garlic ambience for the unintended drama we’d caused.
The ATC controller shrugged, “Is good practice to keep people on their toenails. No emergencies are happening here.”
We booked into a beachside hotel for an extended stay, then walked into the bar with oil specks on our shirts identifying us as the Dak pilots. The barman greeted us effusively saying, “You pilots fly old plane.” He moved his hand in a porpoising motion. “You nearly
I phoned Bob Koriskinsi in Munich and explained our problem and asked for him to airfreight the spare engine to us on Olympic Airways ASAP.
After a couple more drinks, we went to our rooms to shower and change. It was then that Roy must have phoned his wife in Johannesburg.
That evening at dinner, a loudspeaker announced; “Captain Roy Mathews, please take a telephone call from South Africa at reception.” I went pale, and when Roy got up, I said, “Hell Roy! Who knows we’re here?”
“My wife,” he muttered.
Roy came back to the table looking a little sheepish, and said, “Mercedes says Hi.”
I said, “Well don’t tell her where we are in future. That could endanger our mission.”
About four days later the zero-timed P&W 1830 engine arrived, and the off-duty Greek Air Force mechanics started changing the engine. The following
JEFFERY KEMPSON
The 5200nm route flown by the Dak from Munich to Lanseria.
afternoon the newly mounted spare engine was successfully run and cowled up. I went to the tower and told them we wanted to do a test flight. After many phone calls we were informed that we could fly the next morning, but not now, as they would not risk us closing the airport again during their busy period.
We refuelled, and I paid the two Air Force engineers a couple of thousand dollars. It seemed that the military brass was aware of our arrangement, and not happy about it.
That night we went out to a disco and while returning a pair of men called us from across the street. One of the men said, “Mr. Captain Sir, they are going to impound your aeroplane tomorrow, so you must leave before the Civil Aviation Department opens.”
“Why?” I asked.
“There are many questions to be answered.”
I pulled out $50 and said, “Thank you for that information.”
Early the next morning I paid the landing and parking fees, filed a flight plan for Luxor, and we departed without incident.
He pushed my hand away and said; “Keep your money please, I tell you because of friendship.”
I was very touched, thanked him and we shook hands as he said, “Bon Voyage. I think you are adventure pilots.” That still brings a smile to my face.
Entering the hotel I said to Roy; “This new scenario is a damn nuisance. I wanted to get that seized engine on-board and properly tied down. Fields at Rand Airport could probably overhaul it. Instead, we’ll have to leave it there.”
Someway across the Mediterranean, Roy went back into the cabin and looked out at both engines. Returning to the cockpit he said, “Jeff, that right engine is pissing oil.”
The oil pressure gauge was still reading normal so I said; “Give me a heading and ETA for Cairo.” Out came the big green one in a million map, and my metal E6-B ‘prayer wheel’ Nav computer. There were no fancy electronic Nav gizmos available back in 1981.
We landed at Cairo without further incident, fortunately with oil to spare.
We found a local aircraft mechanic of unknown provenance. After some negotiation he removed an engine cowling and, finding a loose oil pipe connection, managed to tighten it satisfactorily. However, it had taken most of the afternoon for him to borrow a ladder and find the right tools for the job.
We then did an engine run and were pleased to see no oil leaking out. He said, “You want me to sign logbook?” I replied, “No, we don’t have them on board. It’s not legal to carry them with us.”
He laughed, and I said, “How much do I owe you?”
He scratched his chin and said, “five hundred American Dollar.”
“That’s a lot of money for two hours work.”
“I have to borrow ladder, and Dakota tool from friend, and my wife is sick.”
I thanked him, handed over $500, and didn’t get a receipt.
It was by then too late to continue the flight, and too far to head for Djibouti direct from Cairo. We had reasons for not wanting to route via Khartoum, so we booked into the very comfortable Sheraton Hotel in Heliopolis, but the windows should have been double glazed because the Cairo traffic hooted all night.
The flight to Luxor was happily uneventful, and the licentious health officer was absent, but sent his young deputy to collect his required ex-German girlie magazine from the confines of our green quilted cockpit roof lining.
The long desert leg to Djibouti was also happily uneventful, and we relaxed in the steaming humid crossroad city on the Gulf of Aden.
Accommodation was scarce so I shared a room with Roy. After showering I changed into fresh clothes, and was surprised when Roy took off his shoes, then walked under a cold shower fully clothed.
He dried his hair, and after retying his shoe laces we walked out of the hotel in search of a convivial bar. Roy steamed in the hot afternoon and left soggy footprints.
JEFFERY KEMPSON
Roy Matthews in corporate pilot mode on the bus to the airport.
We were mildly surprised to note the local girls frequenting the bars had almost Caucasian features. One whispered into Roy’s ear and he turned toward me.
“We only have money for Avgas, engine oil and beer,” I said.
The disappointed girls moved away.
The next morning saw us mostly following the Somali coast towards Mombasa, where we landed uneventfully around lunchtime.
At the ever-charming Mombasa Beach Hotel there was a large influx of German tourists, and the dinner menus were printed in both English and German. An enterprising German and multi-hotel owner in Kenya, Carl Rudin, ran a DC-8 from Basel in Europe to Mombasa on all inclusive holiday flights.
Over dinner the hotel public address paged Roy for an international call. On his return, I asked him if the call was from Mercedes in Johannesburg.
“We’re just ferrying that Dak outside from Kenya to Lanseria.”
“Funny registration,” he said, “Stuck on too.”
“Yes, just a temporary reg” I said. “I think it’s going to be used for aerial survey.” He nodded and wandered away.
At a suitable time, we took off from Blantyre and had a smooth flight, landing at Lanseria half an hour after dark.
Once again we were instructed to park some distance away. The airport manager took our passports away to be stamped. Even Immigration and Customs officials had been warned to stay away from that Dakota.
scattering from our unstable approach
He nodded and I told him that if she didn’t stop calling him while we were flying these now indiscreet delivery flights I would not give him the option of flying the third and final flight. He said he’d talk to her.
The next day’s flight to Blantyre was uneventful, and the weather perfect. I felt guilty taking the money. At Blantyre we killed time to comply with the Armscor edict to arrive at Lanseria after dark.
Roy asked; “Why don’t we terminate the flight at Swartkops Air Force base, where the aircraft is actually going to be delivered by a SAAF crew?”
“Because they say we don’t have clearance to land at Swartkops,” I replied. Just then a cheerful male voice said; “Hello Roy, hello Jeff, what are you guys doing here?”
We looked around to see a Lanseria based Citation jet pilot.
Walking into the restaurant my girlfriend greeted me, and Roy opined; “With Customs and Immigration being kept away, I could have brought a Porche back and not paid any duty on it.”
About an hour later we heard the aircraft taking off for Swartkop’s Air Force base. I watched it climb into the night with mixed feelings.
Even the military crew had been advised not to see or speak to us. Any information about possible unserviceable items would have been passed to the airport manager on our landing, then be conveyed by him to the Swartkops based head of the transport squadron.
Glad to be home, I enjoyed dinner and relaxed company. Two down, and one last delivery to go.
But the third Dak waiting for us in Munich was the least serviceable of the trio, and we’d already used the spare engine. So, I hoped our luck would last a little longer.
SPACEX TO THE RESCUE
IN A HUGE BLOW FOR BOEING, NASA has decided it’s too risky to send astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth on the Starliner spacecraft that carried them to the International Space Station in June.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the decision was made out of a “commitment to safety.”
What should have been an eight-day shakedown mission for the two veteran astronauts has turned into an eight-month epic that will see them replace two of the four astronauts that were to travel to the ISS on a SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle in September for a planned six-month stay. They will finally go home in February at the end of the long-planned mission.
The announcement was made at a news conference which Boeing did not attend, but issued the following statement: “Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft. We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.”
The Starliner experienced failures of five of its manoeuvring thrusters and numerous helium leaks, and Boeing and NASA have spent much of the past three months assessing the issues.
Boeing will try to recover its multibilliondollar spacecraft with an autonomous
undocking and reentry for a parachute landing at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in early September to make room for the SpaceX capsule.
Boeing’s quarterly earnings report reveals that the company’s losses on the Starliner spacecraft have increased by an additional $125 million, bringing the total losses to approximately $1.6 billion.
NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX in 2014 to develop human space transportation systems, awarding Boeing $4.2 billion for the creation of the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner and SpaceX $2.6 billion for the development of Crew Dragon. While SpaceX successfully launched its first crewed mission with the Dragon capsule in 2020, Boeing faced significant delays. It wasn’t until the second quarter of 2022 that Boeing completed an uncrewed orbital flight test with Starliner, following multiple delays and a malfunction during its initial flight test in 2019.
Boeing Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
H125. Safeguarding Our Biodiversity
Pictures and Text: Grant Duncan-Smith
SANPARKS AIR SERVICES South Africa
SANParks Air Services thrives on the diversity of its challenging and dynamic operating environments. These range from the bushveld of the Kruger National Park to the rugged Cape Town coastline.
SOUTH AFRICAN National Parks (SANParks) Air Services are based in the Kruger National Park (KNP) in the northeast of South Africa. Their core functions range from tackling rhino poaching, conservation, darting of animals to VIP transport.
David Simelane is the Chief Pilot. He says their responsibility is to provide the aerial support for vast distances, expanding their footprint outside the borders of the Kruger National Park (KNP), and servicing the rest of the 19 parks of SanParks. It’s a formidable task, with each park stretching across vast expanses with long borders.
Air Services has three Airbus H125 helicopters based in Skukuza, KNP. In the near future they hope to increase this to four helicopters. David says that they can easily convert from a utility configuration to a VIP configuration, and that the general ease of operating the H125 is a benefit.
the Airbus H125 has sufficient power reserves
SANParks utilises the Airbus H125, which is famed for it’s versatility. Being agile, having ample luggage space and power, the H125 is particularly suited to the wide range of tasks that SANParks requires of it. One of the challenges is dealing with summer temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius but the Airbus H125 has sufficient power reserves to cope with the high temperatures.
There is a benefit of consistency and familiarity in using the same helicopter-type across their operations. The sliding doors on both sides of the cabin provide good access. With cargo ranging from baby rhinos to K9 units and their handlers, easy access to the cabin is imperative.
In spite of aerial resources being limited, SANParks utilise the Air Services to cover the other parks, including operating in the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) in Cape Town. The TMNP is unique as it is surrounded by a densely populated urban area and is an open-access park with about 800 km of trails.
Table Mountain is 3563 feet above sea level, with changeable weather conditions around the mountain and at the summit.
Summertime coastal winds are prevalent, escalating upwards of 35 knots in the afternoon, especially near Simonstown and the Cape of Good Hope.
The operating environment is diverse and in stark contrast to the Kruger National Park. During COVID, restrictions to crowded areas, indoor areas and a prioritisation on health pushed many people onto the mountains for exercise and social gatherings. Street people and poverty increased, and crime from the city expanded into the National Park.
participants were attacked during a major trail running event, attracting international attention to safety. Public numbers on the mountain reduced substantially.
In response to this environment, SANParks, TMNP, City of Cape Town (CoCT), South African Police Services (SAPS) and various other organizations instituted a coordinated response.
Africa represents a significant market
Public confidence in their safety and the policing of the TMNP dipped substantially, especially during the latter part of 2023. High profile armed muggings occurred at various hot spots on the mountain. Some
During key seasons such as over Christmas 2023 and the recent Easter holiday period, one of the Airbus H125s was flown to Cape Town to support the local
SANParks teams and Sea Air Mountain (SEAM) Special Operations Rangers.
The previous Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms. Barbara Creecy, visited the TMNP to lend support to the SEAM Special Operations Rangers of SANParks.
The Cape has particularly challenging helicopter conditions.
SanParks Airbus H125s have to operate safely over challenging terrain.
SANParks has 112 rangers based in the TMNP, of which 15 are members of the SEAM team. These are highly skilled rangers with a K9 unit of six fullytrained dogs for specialised operations. This group covers multiple functions which include visitor safety, search and rescue for lost persons and illicit wildlife crime such as abalone poaching.
SEAM Rangers have made a large impact through visible policing and targeted operations, including antipoaching missions along the coastline, to apprehending suspects in mugging incidents.
the SANParks helicopter, assisting with daily aerial observation during the festive season.
To find out more visit: https://www.sanparks.org/ news/sanparks-outlines-table-mountain-national-parkfestive-season-safety-and-security-plans
positive public sentiment
The rangers in TMNP recorded 36 successful apprehensions since their deployment. Their presence in the marine protected area incorporating Cape Point, Simons Town, Hout Bay and stretching up to Robben Island has seen over 18 successful operations in 2023.
The aim is increased visibility on the ground, sea and mountains, and increased aerial deployment with
I joined SANParks on two of their’ operations. The first featured aerial support during the Simonstown fires near the end of 2023. The base of operation was at the Simonstown Navy Base, which was a flurry of activity, featuring Working on Fire Bell Hueys, Leading Edge Aviation’s Bell Huey and UH-60 Blackhawk, South African Airforce Oryx and the SANParks H125.
SANParks were tasked with a support function and keeping track of the fire’s spread, whilst the other helicopters focused on the water-bombing of the fire with their Bambi buckets.
SanParks shares the Newlands firefighting helibase.
The SanParks Heli is able to perform key evacuations from challenging points such as Little Lion's Head above Hout Bay.
The Easter patrol included flying along some of the key operational areas and crime hotspots of the Cape Town CBD and coastline, including Lions Head, Camps Bay to Noordhoek and some of the Eastern seaboard.
The general sentiment of the public on social media regarding the helicopter and its deployment over this
period has been very positive. If in future a helicopter and crew could be based in Cape Town permanently, the momentum in crime-reduction and positive public sentiment would surely continue to grow.
AME Doctors Listing
PILOT FACES PRISON FOR LYING ON MEDICAL
IN A LESSON FOR AFRICAN SAFETY standards, where lying on your CV has become an apparently forgivable misdemeanour, a Nigerian pilot in the USA faces jail time for not disclosing a criminal background on his medical application.
The American Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported that a federal jury has convicted a pilot of twice making false statements to the FAA on his application for a Class 1 medical certificate.
The case involves pilot Olukayode Ojo, 36, of Dallas, Texas. Ojo was found guilty on August 16 on two counts of making false statements.
According to the TSA announcement, Ojo, whose LinkedIn post shows two years’, eight months’ experience as a first officer for Dana Airlines in
Nigeria, had pleaded guilty and was convicted on two misdemeanour theft charges in February 2023 in Kentucky, for stealing luggage from the baggage carousel at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Ojo then falsified his applications for an FAA Class 1 medical certificate in March 2023 and March 2024 by unlawfully not reporting those criminal convictions.
After his conviction on the federal charge of lying to the FAA, Ojo was ordered to be detained pending sentencing, which could involve up to five years in federal prison and fines of up to $500,000, according to the TSA announcement.
Olukayode Ojo, from his LinkedIn page.
AVIATION CONSULTANTS DIRECTORY
JOHANNESBURG
VIO Aviation 083 230 7821
Mont Blanc Financial Services 0800 467 873
PRETORIA
Ardent Aviation 082 784 0510
www.vioaviationsolutions.co.za
www.mbfs.co.za a
www.ardentaviation.co.za a a a yolanda@ardentaviation.co.za
Vektor Aviation 012 247 5010
CAPE TOWN
Litson and Associates (Pty) Ltd
+27(0)21 851 7187
safety@litson.co.za NATIONAL
+27 87 703 1062
iTOO
www.vektoraviation.co.za a
www.litson.co.za
*FSF BARS/IOGP/IATA/ICAO/CAP 437
www.itoo.co.za a 0861 767 778
Where romance meets nature
Located in South Africa’s Safari hub of Hoedspruit, Safari Moon is a boutique base from which to discover the wonders of South Africa’s Lowveld region. Explore a range of nearby attractions from the famed Kruger National park to the scenic Panorama Route, or simply chose to relax and unwind in nature, making the most of your private piece of Wildlife Estate wilderness.
Hangar to Rent
Hangar available in White River area:
T-hangar available for rent at a secure private farm airstrip near White River. No landing fees. Power available. R2200/m. Contact Jeremy (064 931 1642).
Aero Engineering and Powerplant AMO
BACKPAGE DIR ECT ORY
208 Aviation
Ben Esterhuizen +27 83 744 3412 ben@208aviation.co.za www.208aviation.com
