1999

OUR THIRD SEASON - Banner year for Self-Fly Safaris^Ž

We have concluded our 1999 season of Self-Fly Safaris^Ž and we have enjoyed meeting each one of the couples and families who have come to Africa. Ray and Rhoda Batson came back this year with their granddaughter Jessica, to fly the bush and ride elephants. Nick has written about this season's Self-Fly Safari^Ž pilot's experiences in this African Flyer. In total we had thirteen Self-Fly Safaris^Ž this year and we take 13 as an auspicious number!

We also hosted our first AVIATOR'S TOUR AND SELF-FLY SAFARI^Ž from September 22 to October 9, 1999. The group, organized by Bob McCann, of Portland, Oregon are mostly members of Portland, Oregon based Columbia Aviation Association. The group spent a few days in Cape Town, then traveled northward in a DC-3 to Johannesburg. At Lanseria airport 7 pilots began their pilots license validations, before flying off into the bush for eleven days in a gaggle of 9 aircraft. We will report back on the Aviator's Tour.

This venture is done in partnership with Dave Vanderspuy, a South African Cessna 185 pilot who some of you may have met at AOPA EXPO last year. We formed a company with Dave and call it African Aero Safari. Besides organizing the Aviator's Tour, we are also working with Dave on "Classic Safaris". These are Safaris, which use airplanes such as a DC-3, Beech 18 or a Staggerwing as the mode of transport to the Safari destinations. While you cannot fly this yourself, those who are pilots can get right seat stick-time. We will let you know more about these Safaris in the future, but first some of the experiences of this year....

COMING BACK FOR MORE…
We were gratified that Ray and Rhoda Batson saw fit to come back to southern Africa for a second Self-Fly Safari^Ž. Their return marked our first "repeat Customer". The Batsons from Hurricane, Utah, were among the "Pathfinders" - the first six people to ever fly a Self-Fly Safari^Ž in 1997. They came back to introduce their granddaughter Jessica to southern Africa.

Ray, a retired planetary cartographer who briefed Apollo program astronauts on what to look for when they reached the moon, took a C-182 on an 11-day safari in August. Rhoda is a pilot, too, but she did not renew her validated pilot license.

The Batsons paced their safari differently this time compared with their first trip two years earlier: They spent more time at fewer places -- well-known game areas including Kings Pool - planning a more relaxed trip. For clients having the time to do so, Hanks Aero recommends at least one stop of three nights during the safari. "Get somewhere and sit there for a while," says Nick. "Give up the urge to keep moving. Relax and let Africa overwhelm you."

Before flying off into the wilderness, the Batsons spend a day visiting Johannesburg's massive black-African township, Soweto. Though it earned a reputation during the years of anti-apartheid demonstrations as a violent, urban jungle, their experience here was eye opening. "The people we met were extraordinarily friendly. Above all else they wanted to be accepted as human beings and to get on with their lives…. We were encouraged to wander about unescorted and to talk to people, and take pictures. Our guide deliberately abandoned us, we sallied forth, white dots in a black matrix, and eventually back to our van, having been neither insulted nor injured."

Unless you make specific plans, during a wilderness safari you'll never see contemporary, urban black Africa. The bush camps are isolated and highlight the continent's great and unique spectacle of wildlife. But the experience reveals nothing about the life and ways of the millions who live in African cities. As well as visiting Soweto while in Johannesburg, consider a break in the flying with a night or two in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, or at Bulawayo, the country's second-largest city.

Of course, neither the cities nor the bush are trouble-free. Ray got in trouble with ATC at Victoria Falls for failing to request permission to taxi across the apron from parking to fuel depot! Just another African surprise. Down at the famous Mala Mala camp in South Africa a jackal ran across the runway in the middle of Ray's take-off run. 'We came very close to hitting him," Ray recalled. Just minutes earlier the ranger had driven up and down the length of the strip to clear it of game. "One cannot be too sure."

SOLO PILOTS
Our first client of the season took the entire trip at his own pace. Norman Schwartz, a retired California attorney, planned and scheduled a safari route well before leaving the United States. He kept to the planned schedule (more or less) through the license validation exercises and first couple of days of safari. After that, it seemed, he flew according to the aviator's adage "Blue skies and tailwinds".

Norman's first bush stop was at Mashatu Lodge in eastern Botswana's Tuli Block. He happened to be the only guest in camp and he was well attended. "54 staff to one guest!" he beamed.

His itinerary called for two nights there and then a flight northwest to the Okavango Delta. But, Norman wouldn't have it. He was in Africa. He had an aircraft at his disposal. He would fly as the spirit moved him. Such is the stuff of true adventure!

However, a change in plan raises several issues. 1) If   we don't know where you are or where you are going, flight following is impossible. In an emergency, search and rescue would not be initiated until someone actually noticed your aircraft was missing. 2) You would have to stick to registered airstrips. Insurance companies vet Self-Fly Safari^Ž itineraries before a proposed routing is approved and aircraft are not covered for operations into all airstrips. 3) Money paid for booked accommodations that are not used would not be refunded.

Norman acknowledged the implications of his changes in plan and flew on. He called in from time to time telling us where he was and that he was "having a wonderful time!".

Leslie Wadsworth was the first solo female pilot to take a Self-Fly Safari^Ž. Leslie, a senior ground employee of United Airlines, flew a Cessna 182 around an extended itinerary that took her to far northern Zimbabwe to the recently renovated Chikwenya Camp at Mana Pools on the Zambezi River.

Leslie had done her homework before arriving in South Africa - and it showed. She had a Jeppesen Trip Kit for Africa. She brought her own GPS 195 complete with the international database for Africa. She'd read the South African Airlaw book. Before leaving home in New York she'd taken several hours of dual in a C-182 including take-off and landing practice from a 1900-feet grass strip. She also read our Cockpit Trip Kit cover-to-cover before beginning her safari.

Her preparations reduced much uncertainty facing a pilot flying in Africa for the first time but the real unknown were issues of the safety of a single woman flying in Africa. The provincial attitude "Because you're a woman you can't be a pilot" is not entirely absent from the African continent. We admire Leslie's spirit of adventure.

We suggested that Leslie bring a pilot's shirt, Captain's epaulettes, necktie, and blue pants. We advised her to wear them going into any paved airstrip - fuel stops and International airports. (Male pilots get the same advice.)

The object is less to show official rank as it is to demonstrate to local officials, at a glance, that you are aircrew and not a passenger. The outfit greatly helps to reduce confusion and possible confrontation. When a uniformed security officer believes, simply by looking, that you are a pilot, you are less likely to be challenged when you leave the terminal to walk out onto the ramp. (There are occasions when it helps to "pull rank" with more stripes on your shoulder than the other person. But that's another matter). As it worked out, our concerns were unfounded. At the end of her safari Leslie reported no problems of any sort stemming from being a single woman in Africa.

Weather was a greater factor for Leslie than for any other pilot during the 1999 season. She was fully capable (Commercial, IFR, CFI) of handling adverse weather but, according to South African flight rules, flying an aircraft on a validated license in South Africa must be done in VMC and daylight hours.

At the tail end of Leslie's Safari weather (overcast, light rain) entered the picture. She'd been at Mala Mala's Kirkman's Camp and was scheduled to leave for the South African coast for her final two nights. A few phone calls (Kirkman's has telephones) made it clear she could not get to the coast in VMC. Kirkman's had room so she elected to stay another night. (ITEM: If you have to get weathered in somewhere, this is a very good place to have it happen!) She notified Hanks Aero Adventures and we canceled her reservation on the coast.

The weather improved marginally the next day but the temperature remained cool. The choice now was between one chilly day at the coast with scattered showers or another comfortable day at one of South Africa's premier game lodges. Again, Leslie elected to stay put. The weather cleared on her final day and she flew west up the escarpment and back to Johannesburg without further delay.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED …
What do Safaris, flying, Africa, life, adventure have in common? All can be a lot of fun but the outcome is uncertain. Two trips in the 1999 season brought unexpected difficulties. When things don't go as planned Hanks Aero Adventures does what it can to assist. A couple of examples…

Southwest Airlines senior pilot Mike Costello brought his wife, Annie, and their two children Erik and Natalie on a Self-Fly Safari^Ž in Botswana and Namibia using a C-210. Mike, who'd flown small aircraft in Africa several times in previous years, made plans for a mobile safari with his old friend and veteran safari operator Lloyd Wilmot.

Late one afternoon several days into the trip the phone rang at the Hanks Aero office in Johannesburg. It was Mike and he had a problem. While in the bush Mike had fallen and suffered serious injury to both knees. Lloyd flew him to a local clinic in Maun (nearest major town) where he received immediate medical attention. However, the nature of his injuries meant he could not push rudder pedals. In short, he could not fly an aircraft. Mike was forced to cancel the remainder of his safari and needed assistance getting his family and the aircraft back to Johannesburg.

Hanks Aero arranged for a pilot to fly the next morning by commercial carrier to Maun to pilot the 210 back to South Africa with Mike and family on board. We canceled the remainder of Mike's safari reservations and booked the family into a Johannesburg hotel. We met the flight, drove the family to the hotel and, the next day, drove them to Johannesburg International Airport for their departure. We also wrote several letters for Mike in an effort to facilitate claims on his travel insurance policy.

We are pleased to report that the policy he purchased is refunding part of his expenses. Back in the USA, Mike underwent surgery and, at last report, had returned to work

George and Eileen Carter also ran into a problem during their safari. They were stopped for two days in Victoria Falls due to a cylinder problem in the C-172 they were flying. George, a retired restaurateur living in Florida and a former F-86 pilot who owns a Twin Commanche, noticed a partial loss of engine power following departure from Nxamaseri Lodge, one of the Okavango Delta's premier fishing camps. The runup was normal but George noticed an unusually long take-off roll and, after departure, was unable to climb above 5500. He flew to Kasane (Customs & Immigration, Avgas, but no maintenance facility) and elected to continue flying to Victoria Falls where he and Eileen had reservations for the next two nights at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. In fact, although Victoria Falls airport is one of the busiest in Zimbabwe, it has no maintenance facilities either.

On arrival late that afternoon George reported the problem to Hanks Aero in Johannesburg. We notified the aircraft supplier (a Johannesburg flight school). George suspected a valve problem and a local pilot/mechanic, who we asked to look at the engine, confirmed the diagnosis. The flight school sent a replacement C-172 to Victoria Falls that the Carters used to complete their safari. However, due to various complicating factors (a local holiday and a strong headwind) they lost one day of their planned itinerary.

Africa intervened in the Carters' plans once more before they were done. One flying day between Zimbabwe and South Africa involved nearly 400 nm with two intermediate stops for Customs & Immigration and refueling. A late start and headwinds were contributing factors but the real culprit was a slow turnaround time. Though ground stops are rarely as quick as a pilot would hope for, some are slower than others.

The day's second refueling stop -- done from drums -- took even longer than the one hour we allow for in flight planning. The electric-operated fuel pump broke down and the attendants had to pump avgas by hand. When the drum went dry before the tanks were full it took still more time to procure another barrel of avgas.

By the time the Carters refueled their aircraft, and paid the bill, it was sunset. Most bush strips - including the renowned Londolozi Lodge where they were going - have no runway lights. George had no choice but to spend the night at the Pietersburg Holiday Inn. The next day they flew on to Londolozi and concluded their safari with a night at the Palace of the Lost City - the casino and entertainment complex northwest of Johannesburg as planned. George and Eileen arrived back at Lanseria Airport, all smiles with tales to tell us of their adventures.

OPTIONS….
Jack and Randi Singer, of Reno, Nevada, did themselves a favor by devoting a full month for their safari - though not all of it with an aircraft. They flew directly to Cape Town and rented a recreational vehicle camper (RV) and spent the first 10 days on the ground driving along South Africa's Garden Route, cooking in their camper and eating at restaurants, and sleeping on board at designated camping areas along the coast. Afterwards, they took a passenger train (First Class Coupe) from Cape Town to Johannesburg with an overnight stop at Kimberley - DeBeers corporate headquarters and historic center of South Africa's diamond mining industry. We met them at the   Johannesburg Railway station and took them to their hotel out near Lanseria Airport. Apart from making the time to see South Africa's Cape of Good Hope the greatest advantage of Jack's approach was recovering from jet lag before getting his license validated.

Back home, the Singers fly a Maule in and out of challenging airstrips -- Idaho (one with a 28% grade!), South America, Alaska, and Aleutian Islands. We couldn't supply him with a Maule in South Africa although several are in private use there. Instead they used a C-172 for a 19-day safari that took them on a walking safari at Camp Selinda (in Botswana north of the Okavango Delta). They set out on foot for three-days (with an armed ranger) and slept in the bush at fly camps each night.

They flew as far north as the lower Zambezi Valley where they stayed at Chikwenya Camp -- recently renovated with canvas-walled bungalows overlooking the river into Zambia. It is one of Chris and my favorites. We sat on the balcony one night as a herd of elephants grazed past us on both sides - close enough to touch. It's amazing how quiet you want to be (and how loud your pounding heart sounds) when you're so close to such raw wild power. This is also the place where our river raft was charged by a buffalo. (We moved quickly into deep water where he couldn't run so fast).

The Singer's original reservation was at Ruckomechi Camp (some 10 nm distant) but they were forced to shift when the road between the airstrip and Ruckomechi turned impassable. Hanks Aero Adventures notified them of the change in itinerary "on the fly". The wildlife is the same but the design of the bungalows makes it a unique little place visitors are unlikely to forget. It has a great outdoor bath set on a platform overlooking the broad expanse of the Zambezi. Camp staff will set you up with a tub of hot water, drinks, towels, and then leave you alone for the afternoon. Bring your own friend!

The Singers spent three nights at Jack's Camp - in Botswana's Makgadikgadi Pans. In the wet season it is a magnet for migrating zebra and wildebeest (though not a "Big Five" area). During the May - October safari season the area is dry and barren, a bit like Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. But this is when you go onto the pans on 4-wheel motor bikes. Doing this you get to places where you'll stop and look around and see nothing on any horizon in any direction. Talk about wide-open spaces! But the rangers bring the place to life and Chris and I learned things about the African desert we never knew.

Another trip Hanks Aero organized required special logistics. Terry McKay, the Chicago-based real estate developer, wanted to take his wife, Donna, on a flying safari to celebrate her 50th birthday. Their three children Nicole, Michael, and Lindsey were also along. Terry, the only pilot in the group, was current on a Lear 35, but nothing else. No Lears were available for self-piloted expeditions anyway. No single-engine Cessna would do the job. Or would it?

Terry opted for a chartered Cessna Grand Caravan that combined reasonable speed, bush capability, plenty of elbow room, and a cargo pod for their luggage. Former South African Airforce pilot Etienne Viviers flew left seat and handled all logistics during the 12-day safari through South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. The McKays take the 1999 prize for close encounters of the adrenaline-producing variety.

It was tea-time at Kings Pool in northern Botswana's Linyanti border area. Terry left his tented bungalow for the 100-yard walk along a path to the main lodge. An elephant on the periphery of the camp seemed far away and no possible threat. However, after Terry walked a few yards towards the lodge the elephant took umbrage at Terry's movements and charged. Terry, in good physical condition, sprinted to the lodge and escaped the mammoth's rage. His son Michael had a similar experience but retreated to his bungalow until camp rangers were able to lure the bull away from camp.

No extra charge for wild animals on your Self-Fly Safari^Ž! Expect the unexpected!

WHAT SORT OF A PILOT FLYS A SELF-FLY SAFARI^Ž?
There are wide variations in the flying experience that Safari pilots have when they come to Africa. At the upper end of the spectrum are the airline captains (retired and active) with logged time ranging upwards from 25,000 hours. Instructors and other professionals who have not gone the airline route usually have fewer total hours -- varying between 4,000 to 12, 000 hours total time. Often these people (male and female) have more experience in small aircraft than their airline counterparts. The rest of us, who've pursued other careers but who love to fly and fly for fun, have logbook(s) showing anything from 400 hours to 3000 hours.

Hanks Aero Adventures has no policy regarding a minimum total time a safari pilot should have before flying in Africa. When low time pilots ask us "should I go or not?" we have no stock answer. We point out that the money spent on a Self-Fly Safari^Ž will buy more flying time in the United States than it would in Africa. The pilot might be better advised to spend the money getting an instrument rating, doing back-country flying at home, or otherwise building flying experience. After all, just the $1200 you're likely to pay for the round trip airfare between the United States and South Africa can buy a lot of flying time in a lot of different aircraft.

The SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) requires that candidates for validated pilots licenses have, at a minimum, a current private pilot's certificate. The insurance companies impose their own experience requirements (total time, time in type) before agreeing to insure to a prospective safari pilot in a particular aircraft.

Timyn Rice, of St. Petersburg, Florida, first inquired about taking a safari in 1998. He wanted to go but bought a motorcycle and notified us he couldn't afford both a bike and a safari in the same year. In 1999 he called again and said he was ready. We asked about his flying background and learned he had a private pilot's license, no instrument rating, and 164 hours total time.

For us, the major issue is being able to think on your feet in a remote environment if things do not go as planned. We take the view that lots of flying time and an instrument rating help in a pinch. However, the flight school had no problem hiring its aircraft to a low time pilot. After all, they deal with low time pilots all the time. All would depend on the handling and cross-country checkrides. Val Humphries, chief flight instructor at the school supplying the C-172, personally conducted the handling checkride. On their first take-off Val pulled the throttle to simulate an engine-out forced landing. She didn't restore power until Timyn was about 200-feet AGL and was assured of making it to the threshold of a good emergency field.

Weather and all other aspects of the Self-Fly Safari^Ž cooperated and Timyn and Jenna returned to base smiling. He reported no particular problems with airstrips or other elements of the flying. He studied the Cockpit trip Kit extensively before flying each leg and "concentrated" on the flying aspects of his Safari.

The Rice's got an extra serving of South African hospitality during their visit. Paul and Rose Deans - proprietors of the Hertford Inn where most safari pilots stay during license validation exercises - took them horseback riding and treated them to the use of their private house for a few days at the conclusion of their Self-Fly Safari^Ž on South Africa's eastern escarpment.

Pat and Dan Groteke flew the last individual Safari of the year. They arrived in South Africa after completing a ground-based east African safari where, because of government aviation rules, self-piloted bush flying is virtually impossible.

Kenya and other East African countries require that pilots wanting to fly locally registered aircraft have to first take several written tests and practical exams. Essentially you have to get a full private pilot license. Some of the required tests are administered infrequently. Practically speaking, the time required to get a Kenyan private license is longer than most people have for a vacation. Compare this with South Africa where the legal requirements to fly are normally accomplished in 24 hours.

Dan, like most people encountering southern African ATC for the first time, had trouble with the radio work. The most demanding radio work is in the Johannesburg area when you depart on your safari. It diminishes quickly but pilots are rarely completely outside areas of radio coverage. Pilots sometimes struggle on the outbound leg but quickly get used to the system and return from their safaris sounding as comfortable on the radios as local pilots.

Radio phraseology, the order of information transmitted, the pace of delivery and accents, can be bewildering. Many rental aircraft are equipped with older radios. Transmissions may originate at distant sources with resulting weak reception. These factors can add up to problems. Hanks Aero plans development of an audio tape of ATC transmissions that should help pilots to acclimatize themselves to the new ATC environment.

After an extra hour in the tower at Lanseria, listening to the controllers, Dan felt comfortable to begin his Self-Fly Safari^Ž. Their route was essentially the same one flown by our first group tour, the Aviator's Tour and Self-Fly Safari^Ž.

THREE WAYS TO GET LOST USING A GPS…
We are continually impressed at the capability of the Global Positioning System to accurately lead us around the African wilderness. Nonetheless, things can and do go wrong. No Self-Fly Safari^Ž client was affected by last August's "End-of-week Rollover" but everyone was advised to keep track of position, time and distance particulars.

GPS means the end of navigation problems? Think again. Human error plays big. Three cases…

Faulty Coordinates: Episode 1
Dr. Alison topped-off the tanks at Maun and, using our GPS (Garmin 95XL), activated the course to Vumbura airstrip. The 40-minute flight took her and Reggie - a surgical nurse -- over the Delta's featureless terrain of papyrus, reeds, and crocodile-infested wetlands. Seventy nautical miles later, with the "distance to go" function reading zero, Dr. Alison and Reggie circled over a scrubby wetland. There was no sign of an airstrip below them, and nothing resembling one on the flat terrain that stretched around them to the horizon. What to do?

We know from childhood TV (Marcus Welby, MD and ER) that doctors encounter three serious crises' a minute and deal with them simultaneously, and successfully, within 60 minutes or less. ZS-LON was piloted by Doctor Alison Clarey (General Surgeon) so everything could only have worked out as it did -- just fine. Kidding aside, doctors -- and experienced pilots - know how to think on their feet when required to do so.

Alison had plenty of fuel. They'd topped off their tanks 40 minutes earlier in Maun and always had the option of going back. Though not finding the airstrip is worrisome and disconcerting it was not life threatening. Her immediate response was to climb a little bit (better visibility) and fly an ever-wider circular course in the expectation that Vumbura airstrip was nearby -- a variant on the "square search" pattern.

Within a few minutes they spotted an airstrip. They pulled out the color photo that we'd supplied of Vumbura airstrip and compared it with what they saw below them. It did not match up. It was not Vumbura. Though many bush airstrips have the name marked on the ground in large whitewashed letters, this airstrip was not identified in this way. In fact, plotting their present position GPS coordinates showed a spot on the chart with no marked airstrip. Not all airstrips appear on the charts. They continued flying their search pattern over the Delta flatlands.

Meanwhile, back in the airplane, Alison and Reggie were scouring the Delta's featureless terrain for the Vumbura airstrip. Suddenly, in their headphones they heard their call sign. "Zulu Sierra Lima Oscar November (ZS-LON), how do you read?" Alison responded. "Aircraft calling ZS-LON. We read you. Go ahead."

"Lima Oscar November: we understand you are going to Vumbura. You may have the wrong coordinates. We have coordinates for the new Vumbura airstrip. Would you like them?" Without further prompting or hesitation, Alison responded in the affirmative. She copied the new coordinates, plugged them into the GPS, flew to the airstrip, and landed. End of drama.

What happened?
In this case the mistake was ours. The GPS worked fine. We gave Alison and Reggie the wrong coordinates. There were two Vumbura airstrips - an old one and the new one. The coordinates in the Cockpit Trip Kit were for the old strip. In our final review of the TripKit we discovered the discrepancy with the GPS, which had the new strip's coordinates in it. We changed the GPS coordinates to agree with the Tripkit. It should have been the other way around.

Faulty Coordinates 2
No one anticipated the curve-ball that Lauren, Mary Margaret, and the Ward family from San Francisco, California, fielded on the first leg of their 17-day safari. After loading up the "C-206 with attitude" as befitting a plane with a seven-color paint job, they took off and flew north to the VOR at the Hartebeestpoort Reservoir (HBV) - the northern turnstile out of Johannesburg's busy airspace. The day's destination was Mashatu Lodge in Botswana's Tuli Block - 220 nm away on a direct heading of 035*.

"When we left HBV, I punched in FBTL (Tuli Block). The database told us to fly a heading of 304* to Tuli. If we had done so, we would have ended up 288 nm away from the real Tuli", Lauren told us. He noticed the large discrepancy and compared the database coordinates against those listed in the Cockpit Trip Kit. They were different. He further checked the "Airfields of Southern Africa" (airport directory), and also located the airstrip on the chart to confirm its location. Everything corresponded to expectation except the navigation information presented by his own GPS (Garmin 195).

Lauren, who insists on redundant systems on his own C-T210, activated his back up GPS (supplied by Hanks Aero Adventures). He punched in FBTL and "Go To". The indicated course corresponded with expectations and they flew to Tuli Block airstrip without further difficulties.

What happened? Jeppesen checked its master database and "found the (FBTL) coordinates to be correct". Our best guess of the source of the problem is that an incorrect coordinate for FBTL was inadvertently entered during a review of the route and destination.

Playing with the GPS: Episode 3
This time Christina and I did it to ourselves. We had a bad surprise last year while overflying the largely featureless terrain south of the Linyanti Swamp area of northern Botswana. We'd made arrangements to inspect the airstrip and have a look at Lebala Camp. There is no ground-based navaid in the vicinity so, as usual, we were banking heavily on GPS.

As we droned onwards Chris, maybe bored, reviewed the Set up Menu of our Garmin 95XL. Suddenly, with no more than 15 nm to go, the GPS suddenly displayed the message "No GPS position". In the immediate surprise and confusion I neglected the prime directive (Aviate, Navigate and Communicate) and started pushing buttons on the unresponsive GPS. That was (one of) Chris' job and I should have let her do it. As a result, I allowed our course heading to vary, I wasn't sure what our desired track should be, and I made no note of the time, nor our position when we lost GPS. Chris tried re-booting but to no avail. We were without course or guidance information. I had only the vaguest idea where we should be heading. That was the bad news.

The good news was that we had a second GPS on board. Chris hooked it up and turned it on. Very quickly it gave us position and course information to Lebala Camp. I had resumed a northerly course but -- even in the three-minute interval of confusion - the desired track to destination had shifted to easterly.

What happened?
Chris inadvertently changed the hemispheric location of one of the coordinates she was looking at to read West longitude instead of East. It was a simple "either-or" choice on the menu. Instead of skipping the field, she pushed "enter". This information confused the GPS which, given the sudden hemispheric shift, needed time to figure out where it really was. Chris didn't realize it had been her input that caused the problem and, as a result, did not realize how to rectify the error.

GPS has made flying into remote areas much more feasible than ever before. It is hard to imagine successfully locating a small airstrip in the Okavango Delta with just a chart, time, distance, heading and landmarks. Yet, that's how pilots did it up until recently. In the interest of getting where we want to go, let's keep track of position, heading, time, and distance. In short, keep your finger on the map.

ETA'S (ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL)
One of the services that Hanks Aero Adventures provides for Self-Fly Safari^Ž pilots is our own system of "flight following". Any Search and Rescue services required are mounted by the country in which you've gone missing. However, no Search and Rescue starts until an aircraft is reported missing. That's where Hanks Aero Adventures' flight following comes into play.

Our system is simple. You're expected at your day's destination at a specific time. We check to see if you actually got there. If you fail to arrive then, we start looking. Our attention to your Self-Fly SafariŽ flight schedule means that, if necessary, full search and rescue will begin sooner rather than later.

We establish an Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) for each bush lodge and camp you fly to. Everyone is in the loop: you the pilot, the staff at the camp you're going to, and us at Hanks Aero Adventures Johannesburg base.

During your pre-departure briefings we discuss the importance of meeting an ETA and, if your actual time of arrival is going to change, the importance of telling the camp of the new ETA. Part of the challenge of flying in Africa is establishing communications when you need it. This, too, forms a part of Hanks Aero Adventures Pre-departure briefing.

Say, for example, that on a given day you're scheduled to fly from Jedibe Camp to Selinda camp. Your ETA at Selinda is 1:00PM. At about 1:30 PM we telephone the Selinda Office in Maun and ask if you have landed safely. The situation, however, is that there is no telephone connection with most camps. So, while we wait on the line, the Maun Office radios the camp and asks them if you've arrived.

SO FAR SO GOOD…So far, everyone has arrived safely. However, there have been instances of late arrivals giving rise to anxiety at the camps and at the Hanks Aero base office.

Go back to the case of Dr. Alison and Reggie. About 30 minutes after their ETA we at Hanks Aero Adventures' base in Johannesburg, called the Vumbura office in Maun to ask if they had safely landed. It's the routine question and it usually elicits the routine answer: 'yes, they're on the ground here.' In this instance, the girl on the telephone sounded nervous. "No, they haven't landed. They're late. They circled   Jedibe (another camp) but flew off. We think they're lost."

For us in Johannesburg, this was bad news. We called Maun ATC and determined their take-off time and their intended route. We determined they had refueled before departure and we knew the endurance of the aircraft. We made another call to the Vumbura office. This time the telephone girl said they had radioed an "all-points bulletin" to other Delta area camps to watch for Alison and Reggie's aircraft. They had also notified Sefafane Air Charter Company -- a well-organized Maun-based charter company -- of the situation. On company radio, Sefafane notified all its pilots in the air to look and listen for Alison and Reggie and to offer any assistance required. It was a Sefafane pilot who, in a blind call over the remote expanses of the Okavango Delta, got the right coordinates to Alison. Very shortly, the girl on the telephone at the Wilderness Safaris office in Maun, interrupted the conversation to say she'd just got a report from camp that Alison and Reggie had safely landed.

In this case, we were able to monitor the situation as it developed. The ETA and a simple system of flight following is an important service included in the Self-Fly Safari^Ž .

PS: When Alison and Reggie got on the ground at their camp (Wilderness Safaris' Little Vumbura Camp) they discovered that the only other people in camp at the time were a certain "Mr. & Mrs. Cadbury". It turned out they were the senior members of the Cadbury Chocolate company. "We're chocolate lovers" Reggie told us afterwards. "From the moment we met them and told them our adventure finding the place, we got on well. We laughed together for two days!"

UP TO THE MINUTE FLIGHT ADVISORIES WARN OF CAPRIVI UPRISING…
We awoke one morning in early August with news reports of political unrest in Namibia's eastern Caprivi town of Katima Mulilo.

At the time, Lauren Ward and the family had just arrived for a three-day stay at Wilderness Safari's Selinda Camp in the flood plains north of Botswana's Okavango Delta. The location is less than 10 nm south of the Namibian border. The course to their next destination, Kasane, Botswana, would take them directly along the border on a northeasterly course for about 100 nm. In fact the straight-line direct course from Selinda to Kasane shifts between Botswanan and Namibian airspace depending on the turns of the Chobe River that defines the border.

The Caprivi Strip was formed by agreement between the German and British governments in the late 1800's when the European Colonial powers divvied up the continent among themselves. The oddity of the boundary compares with that of the Oklahoma Panhandle. In the Namibian case it is a 250 nm appendage of land shaped like the head and neck of an electric guitar.

Historically, the area from which Caprivi was carved was home to the Lozi tribe. This group, neither then nor now, had any bonds to other ethnic groups that comprise the bulk of the Namibian population. Some Caprivians want independence from the Windhoek government. In July a group of these Caprivians attacked a Namibian government military post situated at the airport in the town of Katima Mulilo. We consulted with United Nations sources who reported the situation was tense but peaceful after a day of shooting that left more than a dozen people dead. However, the Namibian government had closed the border crossings.

Aware of the potential for problems, Hanks Aero Adventures set about to alert Lauren to the situation. The camp, located in a remote savanna grassland, has no telephone but it does have a radio link with an office in the town of Kasane.

We faxed a message to Kasane to be relayed (by radio or hand carried in another aircraft) to the Wards at camp. We followed up with a telephone call to emphasize the importance to flight safety of the message. The message was delivered and Lauren put plenty of space between him and the Namibian border.

Two other Safari pilots also routed past Caprivi. We discussed the situation with both of them in the "Pre-departure" briefing and advised them to keep clear. There were no incidents. Since then the situation at Caprivi has been calm but there is no long-term resolution to the issues that sparked the flare-up.

TWO EXCELLENT DIVERSIONS…
The sky ahead looked ominous and David and Mary Ovenden, flying about 30 miles ahead, radioed back to Gary and Patricia Simmonds saying the broken clouds had turned into a solid layer. David, a Commercial and Instrument rated pilot from Orinda, California , decided to keep on going towards Masvingo, Zimbabwe, their destination, and see if it was open. If the cloud cover hadn't improved they would fly on an additional 70 nm to Chiredzi, Zimbabwe, and land there.

At Chiredzi it was cloudy (but VMC), cool, Sunday afternoon and very little was going on. Stanley the Controller was on duty in the tower. Albert the Fireman was polishing a fire extinguisher. Monica who operates the airport "coffee shop", had no customers. The exercise yard at the Masvingo jail, (on the field just next to the tower) was empty. The Ovendens landed.

The pace of activity at the field quickened with the unexpected arrival of the Californians. Everyone got acquainted during the hours of waiting for an improvement in Masvingo weather. But, the weather was not cooperative. David and Mary concluded they would overnight there. Chiredzi, a small, working town in Zimbabwe's southeastern sugarcane area, is not well equipped for visitors. The Ovendens needed a place to stay and transport. The airport staff enjoyed the Ovenden's company and spooled up to help.

In the tower Stanley, who had the best communications on the field, made a few phone calls. There was no room for anyone in Chiredzi. Closest place that could accommodate them was in "Hippo Valley", a few miles east, at the "Hippo Valley Country Club". Albert (the fireman) got word to his Cousin who owned a bakkie (small pickup truck) to come out and give Mary and David a ride to the Country Club.

The tiny truck arrived and Cousin insisted Mary and David ride in the cab with him even though it is really big enough only for two. They brought with them only the most basic items of an overnight kit along with their GPS and items they couldn't afford to lose. Amidst smiles and laughter they drove away with the pickup as full as a rush-hour bus. Other airport staff carrying assorted cargo adjusted their late weekend plans to take full advantage of the unexpected ride to the town of Hippo Valley.

At the country club a few of the staff greeted the Ovendens and checked them in for the night. They immediately placed a telephone call to Hanks Aero Adventures in South Africa to alert them they had diverted and were safe on the ground. The "Country Club" showed the signs of wear and fading paint that comes with years of stagnation and slow decline. But it was clean and adequate. With little else to do in the waning hours of Sunday afternoon, Mary and David made their way to the bar. Red-vinyl chairs around low tables. Buzzing fluorescent lights. A cricket match on TV and a few locals playing snooker. "All very mellow", the Ovendens reported. No one, except the barkeep, paid them any attention at all.

When the cricket match was over ("five Gin & Tonic's and one Cinzano Bianco later") they were staggered to learn that the afternoon's bar bill came to Z$32- about 80 US cents. They signed for it. "A GOOD deal!" David and Mary recalled. In fact, when they checked out the entire bill including dinner for two and accommodations (a "very plain" two-room suite, wake-up coffee and full breakfasts the next morning) -- came to US$27. In the world of African safaris where food and lodging costs upwards from $200 per person per day, this was a VERY GOOD deal, indeed.

By arrangement, Monica, the Chiredzi airport "coffee shop" operator, collected the Ovendens early Monday and drove them back to the airport. The ride included a drive through the sugar cane fields -- the basis of the local economy. Cane workers, Monica said, earn about Z$300 ($7.50) a month.

They refueled. The Zimbabwe Immigration and Customs officers arrived for the planned 8:00 AM international departure to South Africa. The front had passed, the sun was shining, and the Ovenden's flew on.

Meanwhile, Trisha and Gary Simmonds, had also diverted but landed elsewhere - at a strip called Zisco in the small town of Red Bluff…

As the Simmonds' C-182 rolled to a stop on the well-maintained asphalt strip, a lone security guard - surprised and buttoning up his shirt -- emerged from a solitary hangar located on the field. They shut down, got out, greeted the guard and told they had diverted due to bad weather. Gary explained that they needed a place to stay with a working telephone -- and a ride. The guard had a walkie-talkie link with Zisco (Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Corporation).

After some back and forth among the guard, the Simmonds, and headquarters, the guard announced they should go to the "Golden Mile Motel" in KweKwe - about 10 miles away. He summoned a taxi.

They brought a light, overnight kit with them to the Motel and left the bulk of their luggage in the aircraft. The single hangar on the field was empty and the Simmonds' asked if it was all right to park the aircraft inside for the night? The cargo would be more secure if the plane was out of sight.

Well, stammered the guard (who was not authorized to make such decisions) the hangar is for Zisco company planes. The dust on the hangar floor showed no signs of tire tread and, the guard conceded no company plane had been on the field for months. Further, none was expected. After first checking with HQ, the guard opened the hangar doors and helped push ZS-JCP into the hangar.

The Simmonds checked into the Golden Mile Motel and called Hanks Aero Adventures to advise them of their whereabouts. They found a reasonably priced Sunday dinner carvery in the dining room. Gary asked for the roast beef but before his plate was handed to him it was also piled high with lamb, chicken, an array of vegetables, and everything else being served. There may be hungry Africans, but none were at this restaurant.

While the Simmonds were having Sunday dinner, back at the airstrip the security guard's report of an unexpected aircraft landing at Zisco was relayed to the local Police.

Red Bluff is a quiet town, particularly on a winter's Sunday afternoon. The Constable on duty broke away from the cricket game on TV and scanned the information. "South African aircraft…unscheduled landing… cargo? out of sight … two whites… possibly Americans… lost…demanding a telephone… need shelter… one night only… cash US dollars? Hmmmm." The Constable called his supervisor at home.

Meanwhile, at the Golden Mile Motel, the Simmonds had a few drinks and retired early anticipating an early morning departure. Lights out. Then the phone rings. Trisha answers. The Motel receptionist announces an incoming call and patches it through to the room. The caller has a deep male African voice and says he is from the police. The caller, however, is talking to the receptionist and doesn't know that Trisha is on the line, too. Trisha doesn't say anything. "We are looking for two white people who flew a plane into Zisco airstrip". When the receptionist suddenly goes quiet Trisha says: "This is Mrs. Simmonds. How can I help you?" She tries to elicit what the caller wants.

"If you're the police, please give me your phone number and I'll call you back." The voice won't cooperate. She tells them "Well, we're here in Room 39 if you want us". "We'll get back to you", the peeved voice says. The line goes dead. In the middle of the night in a strange town in Africa lots of things can go through a person's mind. If the voice won't give the police station number, he must not be a policeman. Maybe the guy is a bandit intent on robbing them! Images of "Bonnie and Clyde" hiding out in a motel run through Gary's mind. And now they've got the room number!

Every time a car drives past the motel, Gary peers out the window to see if it stops. All traffic keeps moving. Back to bed. Lights out, again. Forty-five minutes later the phone rings, again. Again, it is the receptionist. "There are three policemen here and they want to see you." At least it is the police. He and Trisha relax -- a bit. "Tell them to wait there," says Gary. "We'll meet them in reception." He and Trisha suit up in full airline pilot regalia -- white shirt, neck tie, three- and four-bar epaulets, pressed blue trousers -- and add a quick shine to their shoes. The more gold braid the better. They've never been "Wanted" before and still don't know why the police need to speak with them in the middle of the night.

Three policemen - two men in uniforms and one in plain clothes (the detective) - are sitting in the reception lobby as the Simmonds enter. Their faces are solemn. Gary, smiling and looking like the archetypal friendly airline pilot greets the police as if they were first class passengers boarding his 747.

The ranking policeman opens with a straight forward 'What are you doing here'. Gary answers that they are pilots, tourists, on vacation, on a Self-Fly Safari^Ž with Hanks Aero Adventures in South Africa. They ran into bad weather and had to land.

"Why did you leave all your baggage in the plane?" the policeman asked.

Gary told them they expected to depart again in the morning (if they could get some sleep and didn't keep getting awakened by phone calls and visits by the police). They needed only an overnight bag and, in any case, the taxi that brought them to the motel didn't have enough space to carry all their luggage, anyway.

"And why did you hide the plane in the hangar?" he asked. The questions and answers went on. They thought the plane and the luggage would be more secure inside the hangar than outside. They'd paid the Zisco guard US dollars because that's what they had in suitable denominations.

The story made sense, apparently, because the police started to loosen up and the conversation took a more jovial tone. The officers were interested in the two visiting Americans - wanted to know more about Texas - wanted to know about Hanks Aero Adventures - wanted to know how their vacation was going, etc. Before too long, everybody shook hands, and the police left.

Gary and Trisha went back to bed and slept without further interruption. By the next morning the weather had cleared and the Simmonds flew on.

VALIDATIONS EVEN EASIER…
Pilots returning for more flying within a year of getting their pilot licenses validated need not go through the full exercise again. But if you flew a C-206 the first time and returned planning to fly a C-182, you should still expect to take an aircraft handling checkride in the new airplane. You should also expect to do a handling checkride if you took a C-206 again - if it was sourced from a different operator.

However, after the validity of your South African pilot license expires (it's good for a maximum of one year), you must do the validation exercises again. The main steps are 1) the Airlaw written 2) get a new South African radio license and 3) take the aircraft handling and cross country checkride.

While the validated pilot license is a legal requirement to fly South African-registered aircraft, our greater objective is to get you comfortable flying in the African environment before you take-off into the wilderness. This is purpose of the series of briefings Hanks Aero lays on before your departure.

We've taken steps to make the validation exercises even easier than before. New this year, Hanks Aero Adventures wrote and administered it's own "Airlaw" test. In previous years we relied on individual flight schools to administer their own tests. We found them to be confusing, poorly worded, sometimes contained trick questions, and generally, had no bearing on the needs of a visiting American pilot. It was principally designed for South African student working on their Private Pilot license. One question asked about the requirements to renew a private license after the first year - an issue of little significance to FAA-certified pilots.

Our version of the written is designed to be instructive and seeks to highlight differences between US and South African rules and practices. Each test question includes a reference to the section of the rulebook where the answer is found. The object of the exercise is for pilots to look through the book and become familiar with South African flight rules.

Noted:
E-mail and Telecommunications with South Africa are pretty good but snail mail, whether by air or sea, is expensive, slow and unreliable. Hence it was not until we returned to the United States this fall and had a chance to review the back log of monthly subscriptions that we noticed Field Morey's article "High Country IFR" in the July 1999 issue of IFR.

Field led a group of six to South Africa in 1998. The three couples took two aircraft (C-206, C-182) around southern Africa for two weeks. Field operates "Morey's West Coast Flying Adventures" - a 40-hour advanced IFR training course that takes students from base at Madison, Wisconsin, to the West coast and back. We always knew Field could fly but we hadn't seen his byline until now. We hope a book is forthcoming.