Self-Fly Safaris®
Season Four, Second Helpings…
After only four seasons of Self-Fly Safaris® clients who
have done one trip are back for another run. We’re gratified, but not
surprised. After all, a Self-Fly Safari® is good stuff!
The idea is as simple as it is attractive: Jet to South Africa and pickup a Cessna
182. Spend a few days planning, getting kitted up and thoroughly prepared for a
self-piloted expedition into the African bush. Fully planned, and fully comfortable, you
and your party take off for the African interior. You’ll spend a couple of
weeks flying to various remote camps and be welcomed warmly at each for two and
three-night stays. You land deep in the wilderness using a hard sand strip here and
a calcrete strip at another Lodge. With a personal guide and 4x4 – and
sometimes on foot deep in the bush – you track “Big Five” game and plains
antelope. Your tents are comfortable and plumbed with hot showers. The food is
superb and appetites are keen. First class service at every turn. Fall asleep
to the sounds of the African bush. The next morning: a game drive, a good breakfast,
and take off for the next destination.
HAPPY PILOTS! Our previous clients are our biggest
supporters. Here are some of their experiences…
A BIRTHDAY PRESENT –
What’s more spectacular than Fourth of July fireworks over Long
Beach Harbor from the hotel’s most comfortable harbor-view suite?
The Answer: Getting a small plane and cruising around southern Africa! That’s what!
Los Angeles attorney Gail Kass, who owns a Piper Archer based at Santa Monica airport,
decided to celebrate her birthday with a piloted Self-Fly Safari® for a week
in southern Africa. Gail had neither the time nor the inclination to go through the
license validation process. Hanks Aero secured an aircraft and an instructor for
Gail on the weeklong safari. “The whole experience was relaxing and put
me in a great mood!” Gail flew the airplane and logged the time.
They flew through the South African Lowveld, the Drakensburg Escarpment, and into
Botswana. And a “roaring” good birthday it was, too!
“There were a couple of lions roaring all night long,” she reported -- a
birthday salute from African royalty.
“We flew a low pass to inspect the runway at Phinda Lodge
to chase away a few warthogs hanging out there,” Gail recalled. Warthog,
antelope and other animals are often found on runways – and next to them -- because
of good grazing on the short grass. The open landing area also gives them a better chance
to spot predators that would otherwise be a lurking, hidden threat.
“The warthogs ran off and we went around once again for a landing. On rollout
we noticed two cheetahs lying in the shade of a tree on the edge of the clearing.
They turned their heads and watched us as we taxied by. They were gone by the time
we shut down and got out. Maybe they went looking for the warthogs!”
While at Phinda Lodge, Gail flew to a strip along the Indian Ocean coast and spent a day
snorkeling in the tropical water. “Flying along the coast was beautiful!”
It was interesting in the water, too. “I saw octopus tendrils coming out from
under a ledge of coral.” She did not investigate closer. [Good
call!]
At another stop (Mashatu Lodge, Botswana) Gail encountered
Africa’s version of the 50-foot obstacle. “A giraffe walked across the
runway as we were on downwind.”
By spending more time at fewer places along her itinerary (three and four night
stops), Gail had a chance to fly locally. She explored the dramatic green cliffs and
buttes along the range. “It’s a very pretty part of South Africa. It
looks like parts of Arizona and New Mexico.”
CAPT. HARDEN: “A beautiful day like today? Why,
It’d be criminal not to go flying!” That
spirit carried Harry Harden through a life of flying that began with the US Air Force
flying everything from F-86’s to Stratocruisers, through years with Mohawk and
Allegany Airlines flying Martins and Convairs in the northeast, and years as a 737 Captain
with US Air. Now retired, he keeps his C-180 floatplane moored in the lake behind
his house in New Hampshire.
Three years ago Captain Harry Harden and his daughter Heather came to southern
Africa for the first time and flew a Self-Fly Safari®. This year, the
lure of Africa called again and Harry returned with three guests for another African
expedition. Harry and his longtime friend George Morris, a forester, flew in a
C-182. Harry’s other daughter, Autumn, a newly-minted CFI based at John Wayne
Airport, and her husband Fred Murdock, living in the Los Angeles area, flew in a C-172.
This year’s trip was good even before it got underway!
Hertford Hotel proprietor Paul Deans, who owns several riding horses, invited Autumn
to ride with him around the expanse of the country inn’s property. In
Autumn’s own words…
Riding off to the sunset…
“It was lovely from horseback – cool and full of late
afternoon light. My only regret was that my husband Fred (who was taking a nap
recovering from jet lag) couldn’t ride with me.
“Paul and I cantered over hills and dry streambeds. It was a rigorous ride and
I was having a blast. After an hour or so we crested a small hill and started down a road
that led to a low graceful house.” They’d come to “Annie’s”
house -- an 82-year-old native of the Island of Mauritius. “She is
lovely.” Just then Paul’s wife, Rosie, drove up with Fred in the car. The
party was complete. “We all shared drinks and stories on her patio”.
“The African sun was setting and cast a vivid light on the wisteria hanging
above us. The horses grazed nearby and I was feeling the romance of the place when Annie
looked into my eyes and said ‘Welcome to Africa’. It was a magical
evening.”
Once the Self-Fly Safari®got underway, Fred, an engineer
with the Huntington Beach-based TMT Labs, took care of navigation duties. He also kept a
close eye on Harry in the C-182 that seemed constantly to be appearing over his shoulder
close in on the right side of the C-172.
Fred’s specialty is scuba diving. Before the party returned to the United
States, Fred led the group to Gansbaai, near Cape Town, on a diving expedition in search
of Great White sharks. “The seas were rough and the boat was smelly,” Fred
recalled. “But we spotted 12 sharks in the two days we were out!” They have the
videotapes to prove their close encounters with the sharks.
Harry and Autumn flew much of the trip (30 hours) in close
formation. (They’ve done it before. They know their procedures.
They’re practiced and competent). In practical terms it meant Harry
powered-down the C-182 to 15” Hg the whole time for the two aircraft to stay
together. Autumn flew the C-172 and did all the radio work for both aircraft.
The controllers at some towered airports along the Harden route allowed the two
aircraft to land and take off in formation – something we’ve not seen
before. The controllers probably hadn’t seen it either.
“I’d speak for both aircraft and ask for the clearances,” Autumn
explained. “ They’d clear both aircraft to go and we’d take off
together!” When possible they’d keep the formation going all the way
through touch down. “He’d land short and I’d land long.”
Their safari departure from Lanseria was in hazy conditions –
typical of September and later in the year when bush fires burn across the dry grassy
Highveld plains. Initially, in the Johannesburg “Special Rules” area
– where traffic separation is done by position reporting among all the pilots in the
area – we overheard Autumn call blind saying “Dad, are you out
there?” On the first leg they couldn’t find each other for the first 70
miles. But then Harry, ever the veteran, spotted the C-172 and came up to fly on her
wing. It was formation flying that indirectly led to one of Harry’s highlights.
Beit Bridge, Zimbabwe, is an unmanned sloped, dirt and gravel strip on the northern side
of the Limpopo River. It was a mandatory stop for Immigration and Customs processing
out of Zimbabwe. Harry and Autumn circled the Custom’s House twice -- in
formation -- and landed at the airstrip.
Autumn landed (first) with no trouble. But, immediately on
touchdown, Harry realized that his left main tire was flat. He kept weight off the
tire as long as possible and rolled to a stop. They pushed the plane to the edge of the
strip and began to consider their predicament. There is neither a telephone nor a
maintenance facility on the field, (nor on any airfield in Zimbabwe within 200
miles). Just then, an elderly gentleman drove onto the airstrip and up to the
aircraft.
“Hello” he said. “I’m Peter Dahl. I noticed you flying in
formation and thought I’d come to say hello. I used to fly airplanes.
I’m retired now and I run a motel here in Beit Bridge.”
Harry introduced himself and the group and continued on to say “I’m glad
you’ve got a motel. We may need to stay a while. My plane’s got a flat
tire.”
As it turns out, Peter Dahl is one of southern Africa’s great
aeronautical craftsmen. He is a licensed aircraft engineer (mechanic) and has restored
several aircraft including a Tigermoth and a Beech Staggerwing. “Maybe we can
fix your tire,” Peter offered.
“That’s when I knew I was living right!” Harry recalled.
They removed the wheel, took it to Peter’s shop, and patched it. Peter served
tea. They talked about flying and the Harley Davidson that he was restoring in his
Beit Bridge shop. Harry was back in the air in two-and-a-half hours.
therwise, says Harry: “Chikwenya (a small camp on the Zambezi River) was a
great place. The flying and the runway were both outstanding not to mention the
river. We all caught Tigerfish! That was exciting! Not to mention the hippos
off both sides of our boat. Then there were the lions and elephants in camp. And we
could watch the fires burning at night over in Zambia (other side of the river).
Autumn commented: “Flying low over the Zambezi River is a
pilot’s dream. I won’t say our altitude (but did you know that hippos have long
eyelashes?)! From the air you see pods of them underwater walking on the bottom of
the river or lying together in the shallows. They rest their chins on each other and
on sandbars.”
What else happened? “Well, there was the time I got stung by a scorpion in
Victoria Falls. Not a highlight,” Harry concedes, “but it was
memorable!”
We can’t guarantee a glitch-free Self-Fly Safari®. What we do
promise is that if problems arise we are there to try to solve them.
Hanks Aero Adventures,
Inc
Lindell Loveless, an Illinois farmer, and his wife Jean, came to
southern Africa to fly on the tail end of a ground-based mega-safari through north and
east Africa. Lindell had recently undergone eye-surgery and elected to fly with a
pilot on a course to Durban, South Africa and the Indian Ocean Coast.
It was early October and, although afternoon thunderstorms were increasingly common in the
Johannesburg area, coastal weather held nicely.
“Flying over the Indian Ocean was a great experience,” Lindell
reported. “We got a good view of the Durban harbor area and landed on a small
oceanside runway (Virginia Airport, Durban). The ocean-front hotel we stayed at
(Oyster Box Hotel) was a great old place”. They toured the tropical South
African city by taxi.
On the way back to Jo’burg, Lindell and Jean flew low over the
coast (500 feet MSL) for about 100 miles before turning northwest.
“We turned inland and flew past mountains and through valleys, low over native
villages,” Lindell said.
While in Johannesburg, they took an escorted tour of the City Center and Soweto, the
massive African suburb where most of the city’s estimated 5-million people live. They
visited the South African Airforce Museum at Swartkops Airbase where they looked over
South African Airways Historic Flight’s DC-4 and their old Junkers 52 tri-motor. In
Pretoria, where the Jacaranda trees were in full bloom (October), they toured
DeBeers’ Cullinan Mine diamond operation.
“Lindell got 7 hours flying time with two landings” Jean noted.
DAVID AND MARY OVENDEN: Trailblazing in Namibia…
David and Mary Ovenden, who regularly trot around the globe from
their home base in Orinda, California, returned to Africa in 2000 for their second
Self-Fly Safari®. This time they were out for 28 days – the longest
Self-Fly Safari® to date by anyone. The focus of the 2000 trip was
Namibia, where they made several stops over a couple of weeks. The Ovenden’s
flew Hanks Aero Adventures’ C-182 (ZS-IWP) with a 4.5-hour range (plus reserve).
NAMIBIA is large (the size of Texas and Louisiana combined) with a
population just over a million people. As a safari destination the country is known
more for its spectacular geography than for game viewing. However, the grassy
savanna areas (in north and northeastern sections of Namibia including Etosha
National Park area and the Caprivi Strip) are excellent game viewing areas.
Elsewhere the land is vast, rugged, and remote: volcanic lava fields, jagged hills,
isolated coastline, sandy desert, tall dunes, and very few roads, telephones, or other
infrastructure. An aircraft is the ideal (in some places the only) means of
transport throughout the area. Accurate flight planning is important since fuel stops are
few and far between. Aircraft often operate at the limit of their useful
ranges. Where necessary Hanks Aero Adventures positions avgas (in drums) along the
route since no established refueling stops exist in northwestern Namibia. A full
safari encompassing Namibia requires at least three weeks to do it justice.
The Ovenden safari began in Johannesburg, South Africa. They spent
the first nights at Tswalu Lodge – perhaps the most luxurious and spectacular desert
camp in the South African portion of the Kalahari Desert. As well as seeing large
game animals in the desert, their Guide led them to a site of a new discovery of bushman
rock paintings. From there they continued west and entered Namibia at Keetmanshoop. They flew
southwest at low level along the spectacular Fish River Canyon to Hobas Lodge – a
country inn near Namibia’s southern coastal diamond-mining area.
In the weeks that followed David and Mary threaded their way north along the coast through
the town of Luderitz (The Nest), over magnificent sand dunes at Sossusvlei (Wilderness
Lodge), inland to the capital city Windhoek (Hotel Heinitzburg), and on to Damaraland Camp
on the rocky hills inland north of the Huab River.
The Ovendens spent three nights at the spectacularly remote Skeleton
Coast Camp – a newly developed camp accessible only by aircraft. This section
of coastline was so named because of the skeletons (whales, shipwrecks, and humans) that
littered the area in earlier days. The climate was so severe that survivors of
shipwrecks had virtually no chance of rescue. Visitors to this unique camp spend a
day on the Atlantic coast beach, visit a local village, and discover how life adapts to
the harsh environment.
They continued east to Etosha National Park (Ongava Lodge) and then over a 300-nm section
of land virtually devoid of human presence to Maun, Botswana (Riley’s Motel).
From Maun it was a straight run northeast to Victoria Falls. They spent four nights there
but split their time between a riverside bush camp (Matetsi Water Lodge) and the town
itself (Victoria Falls Hotel) – the classic colonial-era venue overlooking the river
and the famous railroad bridge.
Next stop: Masvingo, site of the Zimbabwe Ruins – the second
oldest archeological site in Africa (after the Pyramids of Giza). They spent two nights at
the Lodge of the Ancient City – a romantic, fantasy palace built of stone with a
distant view over the ruins themselves. Readers of African Flyer may recall that the
Ovenden’s failed to reach Masvingo on their first safari due to inclement
weather. (see “Two excellent diversions” available on our website
www.selfflysafari.com.
They got there this time. However, David tells us there were low clouds in the area
during this visit, too. Masvingo, in southeastern Zimbabwe, is a highland
destination but it sits near the edge of the plateau. Weather coming in from the
Indian Ocean coast can affect the area. He suggests that low time pilots,
particularly anyone without an instrument rating, should consider alternatives before
selecting Masvingo as a destination. The Ovendens cleared Zimbabwe Immigration and Customs (outbound) at Chiredzi and then
landed at Pietersburg (Port Of Entry) returning to South Africa. They flew down the
Drakensburg Escarpment to their final destination, Makalali Lodge. Mary called the
lodge “romantic and idyllic” with “fabulous food” served in their
private cabana overlooking the river. When they weren’t relaxing on the riverside
deck they tracked rhino on foot. Not bad.
Final note: David Ovenden took (and passed) his ATP checkride in
California this autumn, 2000. A classy way to avoid a BFR. Unfortunately he’s
passed age 60 so the airlines are not beating a path to his door. Their loss.
‘”I call it Flying Paradise. For instance, look here. This is
my dining room table. I can sit here now and see the giraffe walking over
there… There’s an elephant walking by now. “
An African-based freelance pilot
ANNE HOPKINS AND HOWARD RICHMOND, from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, made landfall in Africa at Cape Town to
begin a two-week Self-Fly Safari® in a Cessna 172XP. June weather in the
Cape Area is predictably unsettled. Their plan called for resting from the long-haul
747 flight for one night in Cape Town (Villa Via / Radisson Hotel on the waterfront) and
then traveling to Johannesburg onboard the five-star Blue Train. Anne and Howard are
both pilots but only Anne planned to get her license validated. Howard’s job,
as First Officer, was to deal with airport officials, and Customs and Immigration
authorities along the way.
Their routing included Tuli Block (Mashatu Lodge), Okavango Delta (Kwetsani Lodge) in
Botswana. Then through Zimbabwe to Victoria Falls, Lake Kariba (Matusadona Water
Lodge), the Lower Zambezi Valley (Chikwenya), and the game farm at Sondelani. In
South Africa they stopped at the lush, highland town of Tzaneen (Coach House Inn) and then
to the famous Londolozi Lodge (Tree Camp) in South Africa’s game-viewing Mpumalanga
Province before returning to Johannesburg.
Anne, whose flair for flying is matched by her skill in writing,
described their trip in a 10-page write-up. We include excerpts…
“The lodge at Kwetsani became the favorite camp complex, a series of tree
houses on 10-25’ poles with catwalks in between. Baboons, warthogs, lions and
all the rest roamed freely beneath us at all times. Our private tree house was open
air with only screens and mosquito nets and completely energy self-sufficient from two
solar panels. Because it was winter [June] and cold at night, the staff tucked hot
water bottles to our beds.”
Sondelani Lodge, a game farm, offered “…more of a resort ambiance than a bush
experience. Everything was pretty well controlled, lots of quasi tame animals,
including a mated pair of lions, which the owners took hunting. Arriving for a
customary late dinner, we nearly tripped on Pombe, the pet warthog, sprawled in front of
the fire, waiting for us to rub her belly. By the next day we were best buddies.
On take-off, “…I kept my eye on the Cape buffalo on the
port side of the runway. Malcolm [Sondelani Lodge Manager] pointed out the elephant
midway off in the bush, the giraffe at the far end of the runway, probably no factor, and
then he raced down the strip to clear the herd of wart hogs that showed up out of
nowhere.”
On Air Traffic Control: “Understand, flying in Africa has special challenges.
First, there is the language and lingo of aviation. Just when I was getting accustomed to
Afrikaans-accented English, I’d need to talk to a controller with the Setswana accent
or an Indian accent. At one point on the trip, after three or four exchanges where I
kept asking the controller to ‘Say again, slowly’ a fellow pilot came over the
frequency with ‘He wants to know if you are level at flight level zero six
five.” I suspect there was more than one pilot out there wondering what the
heck a lady in a small, single-engine Cessna was doing roaming about up there.”
On Position reporting: “Whereas in the States, radar coverage
blankets the whole country and controllers can see where you are all the time, this is not
the case in Africa. So, I needed to give radio reports every so often to let
‘Gaborone Information’ or some other air traffic authority know where I was,
what I was flying, how many souls on board, etc. This would have worked out great,
language problems aside, if the radio coverage extended everywhere, which it didn’t.
So, after a few failed attempts to reach someone, another pilot might hear Gaborone
Information and me at the same time and act as a relay. But, sometimes there was not
another pilot, so I just broadcast into thin air where I was and what I was planning to do
and just did it. What the heck!”
“My images of Africa will last a lifetime without prompting from 20 rolls of
film. My lasting impressions from the trip have yet to gel. But I will go
back. It does get in your blood.”
“The adventure of it is that you’re in such unpredictable circumstances and in
many cases, unknown, remote areas that change all the time. You just don’t know
what’s going to happen next. Learn to expect the unexpected and ride it out.
It’s Africa! It’s great sport!”
An American pilot formerly based in Africa
ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY…
HEINZ AND BARBARA HOENECKE, the husband and wife team of MD’s
from La Jolla, California, got a call from tower at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, as they
prepared to depart. A message to “call tower” is normally about as welcome
as a midnight call-out for an emergency house visit.
Heinz and Barbara were past the halfway point of their Self-Fly Safari® and
stopped in the Briefing Office at Victoria Falls in advance of their flight south through
Zimbabwe to Sondelani Lodge with a refueling stop at Bulawayo. The phone rang, the
Briefing Officer picked it up, listened briefly and handed it to Heinz. “It’s
the Tower. They want to speak to you.”
“Are you flying today?” the voice said. “Where are
you going?” Heinz, aware that Victoria Falls airport authorities had a
reputation for being officious, advised Tower of their plans. “When are you
leaving?” Tower asked. “In 10 minutes” Heinz replied. Then came the punch
line: “Can you take a passenger?”
This highly unusual request put the Hoenecke’s in an awkward position. In the
past, camp management has occasionally asked Self-Fly Safariä pilots to fly a sick or
injured staff member to a nearby town. Pilots have also offered to transport people
who, for other reasons, needed a lift to somewhere. We’ve also declined
requests to carry passengers. But the whole situation is different when an official
makes the request and offers no compelling reason.
The Hoenecke’s were flying a C-182. They had the
room and load capacity for a rider. Heinz and Barbara conferred together quickly and
agreed to take the passenger. They could have declined to take a passenger but, if
someone needed a ride they’d help.
The passenger (“a woman… a touch on the heavy side”) arrived after some
delay carrying a couple of small bags. The day was hot and the ride was bumpy.
They pointed out the barf bags but shortly after take-off the woman fell asleep and never
said a word. She got off at Bulawayo and was never heard from again.
She never introduced herself.
Another unusual aspect of the Hoenecke’s Self-Fly Safari® stems from the
fact that in 1949 Heinz’ grandfather, Lutheran Pastor Edgar H. Hoenecke, led an
“exploratory expedition” to southern Africa to see if the church might establish
missions there. Heinz planned his itinerary (to the extent possible) to coincide with that
route of his grandfather.
The elder Hoenecke’s trip began with a sea voyage from New York to Cape Town,
South Africa, and a four-month long overland expedition driving though South Africa, South
West Africa (Namibia), Northern and Southern Rhodesia (Zambia and Zimbabwe). The
expedition resulted in the establishment of several medical missions in the region.
Some remain in service today.
Heinz and Barbara visited some of the places where his grandfather
had visited 50 years earlier. We include excerpts from Pastor Hoenecke’s
account of the expedition as published by the WELS Historical Institute under the title
The WELS Forty-niners. Things haven’t changed all that much in the ensuing
years:
Victoria Falls: “…We drove across the long suspension bridge across the gorge
below the falls. Below us were violently churning waters and all around us the vapor and
thundering noise of great masses of water falling and boiling over the black rocks and
boulders… We parked our caravan near a huge baobab tree and walked into a wooded area
known as “the rainforest”… As we were leaving a family of baboons suddenly
blocked our path, the mother with a baby baboon on her back baring her teeth for the
attack. I fended her off with the sharp points of my camera tripod. We hurried
on…”
Beit Bridge: “The customs and immigration officers here gave us a bad time, charged
us a large duty, and demanded that we obtain a new visa for our travels through the Union
(South Africa).”
HIGHEST OF ALL…
Most people that take a Self-Fly Safari® arrive in
Africa in a 747 and then start the “real flying” once they get there. Not
so for Jim Barrilleaux.
Jim arrived in South Africa flying an ER-2, the civilian version of the U-2.
In 1998 Jim set the world altitude record for level flight (67,188 feet). He flies
for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and is based at Edwards Air
Force Base, California. Jim’s other airplane is an F-18. Oh yes, he used
to own a C-182 and he is happy to fly anything he can get his hands on!
This year NASA contracted to do high altitude research (on pollution and holes in the
ozone layer) in southern Africa. Jim got to fly the ER-2 from Edwards to Brazil and
then trans-Atlantic from Brazil to Petersburg, South Africa, where the NASA operation was
based.
When the job was done, Jim came to Johannesburg and got his license
validated. (Even Super-Pilots have to comply with the South African Civil Aviation
Authority regulations!) He and his wife, Glenda, flew a short (seven days) Self-Fly
Safari™ spending their time between Mashatu Lodge in (Botswana), and Tanda Tula
and Kirkman’s Kamp in the South African Lowveld.
Jim had a chance to get down among the weeds and the baobab trees of terrain that
he’d been viewing from FL600 for the month previous.
Hanks Aero gave us excellent care and the trip was a great experience. First
Class!”
Lindell Loveless, St. Louis
VISITING AFRICA: COMMON CONCERNS…
“You’re going where? to Africa!?”
Most pilots agree that a chance to fly a small plane into the African bush is a great,
not-to-be-missed opportunity. Yet when serious planning starts, spouses and
passengers -- even pilots -- often raise concerns about the safety of such an
expedition. We’d like to address some of the common concerns that are often
raised.
AIDS: AIDS is endemic throughout southern Africa. Medical professionals and facilities
throughout the region take the threat of AIDS transmission very seriously. Medical
personnel are highly trained and professional in western medical practices.
Typically, all possible precautions are taken. Blood supplies in South Africa are
screened and generally regarded as safe. Hospitals and private clinics use
disposable syringes.
Disease: Generally, the entire region is pretty healthy. Water and food supplies
tend to be clean although individuals have varying tolerances for changes in diet.
Check with your local public health office to determine what vaccinations and
immunizations are necessary for the area.
Guns: Guns are neither necessary nor permitted on Self-Fly Safariä aircraft.
Importing personal firearms into southern Africa requires permits that Hanks Aero
Adventures does not handle. Personal weapons are not necessary for safety whether in
the cities or at bush lodges. Game rangers, who lead bush walks and game drives,
carry firearms for protection against wild animals when appropriate.
Language: You’ll be able to communicate in English throughout
your flights and safari. English language is the official language of aviation throughout
Africa (and the world). All ATC and other air-to-air communications are in English.
The accents of ATC personnel are different from what American pilots are accustomed
to hearing. Hanks Aero Adventures has an audio CD (or cassette tape) and a full
program aimed at making radio communications easier for pilots new to southern Africa.
Malaria: Malaria is endemic in most bush areas of southern Africa. At the same time, it
may not be present in specific areas you visit.
The threat of malaria is at its lowest in the months April through September – the
cooler, dryer months when Self-Fly Safarisä operate.
Common sense precautions further reduce the likelihood of getting
malaria. These include taking malaria pills as prescribed by your doctor, wearing
protective clothing such as slacks, socks, and long sleeve shirts during the evening
hours, applying bug spray to exposed skin, and sleeping inside a mosquito net. Heavy doses
of Vitamin B are believed to make the human skin unpalatable to patrolling mosquitoes.
Bush camps supply bug spray and mosquito nets in each tent. Lodges will tell you if
anyone in the camp has been infected recently. This is a good indication whether
the mosquitoes in the area are carrying malaria.
Consult your personal doctor or local public health department before traveling and tell
them you will be visiting malarial areas. They can prescribe malaria pills. (Note:
Pilots should not take Larium because of possible side effects).
Medical facilities: All Self-Fly Safari®clients who have
had reason to use medical facilities while in southern Africa have been pleasantly
surprised about the quality of medical advice and attention they have received. A
full spectrum of first-class medical facilities exists throughout southern Africa. Medical
personnel are highly trained and professional in western medical practices. Major public
hospitals and private clinics suitable for major surgery exist in the main cities. Smaller
clinics capable of dealing with lesser problems exist in small towns throughout southern
Africa. In the bush at Self-Fly Safari® destinations camp personnel are
trained in first aid. Several airborne medical evacuation services (medevac) operate
in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. These services are set up to move
patients from the bush to a medical facility appropriate to the injury involved. Any minor
medical problems can be treated enroute without having to return to the major cities.
Credit cards are welcome for payment at most facilities.
Prescription drugs: Visitors to southern Africa are advised to bring with them any
essential prescription drugs they are using. However, modern pharmacies exist in the
region’s major cities. They are usually able to supply all but the rarest of
medicines – often more cheaply than in the United States. Credit cards are
welcome at most pharmacies throughout the region.
Bugs: Insects, such as mosquitoes, biting gnats, flies, and bees,
are not a major problem. Occasionally the open safari vehicle you are using will
drive through a “buggy” area. You are just as likely to soon drive out of
the area within a matter of minutes. Bug spray is usually available on all safari
vehicles. The absence of bugs is due in part to the cool, dry season in which Self-Fly
Safarisä take place. We find more mosquitoes and biting insects during the summer
at our home in upstate New York.
Snakes: Snakes exist in Africa but most are non-venomous. The venomous ones
include cobras, black mamba, green mamba, and others. Most snakes will flee when
they sense people approaching so encounters with snakes are rare. Only one or two
Self-Fly Safariä expeditions have ever reported seeing a snake along the way. Game
rangers, who accompany all walks and drives into the bush, know what to do should snakes
be encountered.
Violence: In the bush, violence is not an issue at all.
There are no civil wars, no banditry, and no guerrilla activity in the areas where
Self-Fly Safaris® go. The main concerns in wilderness areas are lions, hyena
and other predators.
Crime and violence does occur in cities including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Harare, and
other population centers. The same can be said of most cities in the world (including the
United States). Observe normal common sense precautions on the streets whether on
foot or in a motor vehicle. We recommend people avoid certain areas of these cities
and towns. Clients are briefed about normal precautions and advised to avoid certain areas
of cities.
Overall, we believe clients can expect to visit southern Africa on a Self-Fly Safari®
and return home with good tales of animals and flying adventures. Problems can occur
with the best-arranged plans. Christina and I are there to help resolve all problems
that arise. Our previous clients can attest to this. We have lived in Africa
for many years without any serious problems whether issues of crime, medical attention,
political unrest, wild animals, or aviation safety. It is in no one’s interest
that visitors get into trouble. There is little reason that anyone would.
SAFARI CONSIDERATIONS…
How many nights to spend at camp?
When Hanks Aero Adventures sets up an itinerary for your Self-Fly Safariä we’ll put
you in most camps for a stay of two nights. A two-night stay is really the least
amount of time you can visit a place, get a sense of what the camp, the area, and the
staff have to offer visitors. Often, you’ll regret having to leave camp on the
third day because it has been a very pleasant sojourn.
In some instances we’ll have you at a camp for one night
only. Normally, the reason for this is to position you for an easier flight the
following day. The most common instance of this is flying south from Victoria Falls
or the Lower Zambezi Valley in northern Zimbabwe. The distance is relatively long
and necessary, intermediate stops for fuel or Customs and Immigration (or both) take
time. In this situation the lodge where you’ll spend the one night is suited
for a brief, one-night stopover. You’ll continue on the next day on what will
be an easily manageable series of legs.
However, for all but the shortest Self-Fly Safari®, we recommend that you make
a three-night stop in at least one of the destinations on your itinerary. Clients
who have done so comment that the extra night at camp allows them a respite from flying
considerations, which otherwise can seem relentless. Every day, they point out, you are
either flying or planning for a flight the following day.
A third night at camp gives you a chance to relax and let Africa
sink into your soul. Clients who have done more than one Self-Fly Safariä have invariably
scheduled at least one three-night stop along their itinerary. After all, this is not an
endurance test.
Let us know how you would like to organize your safari.
ABOUT PILOT LICENSE VALIDATION EXERCISES…
South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) requires that foreign
pilots operating South African-registered aircraft demonstrate flying proficiency
equivalent to South African private pilot standards. Several steps are
involved. It is actually a simple process and takes little time to accomplish.
The combined handling and cross-country checkride usually lasts less than three
hours. However, planning and preparations are required and the more advance
preparation you do, the easier it will seem.
The flight checkride will be over when the instructor has done what is legally required of
him and as soon as he is comfortable with your flying. Before leaving the United
States spend as much time flying that specific type of aircraft as you can.
Particularly if the aircraft you normally fly is different than the one you will use on
your safari. Preferably with an instructor. Have the instructor endorse the
logbook entries for all dual.
1) Aircraft checkride: You’ll set out with a flight school instructor (not a
government examiner) and fly a round-robin cross country flight. Though you’ll
be able to use all the navigational equipment available to you, be prepared to navigate
using pilotage techniques: map, landmarks, heading, time, position awareness. Along
the way the instructor will ask you to do simple air work including slow flight, simulated
engine out procedures, simulated precautionary landings, stalls, etc.
Another aspect of the validation process is knowing the South
African flight rules:
2) Air Law exercise: This is an open book written exercise designed to familiarize
you with South African flight rules. You’ll be given a small book summarizing
the South African rules of the air and multiple-choice questionnaire to complete.
Your Cockpit Trip Kit™ also contains information you’ll be able to use for this
written exercise. Read the questions and leaf through the source material to find
the answers. It should take no longer than an hour.
Even though most of your Self-Fly Safari® flight planning is done for
you (Cockpit Trip Kit™) you’ll be required to work up a sample navigation log.
3) Navigation log: You will be given end points for the round-robin cross country
flight you’ll fly with an instructor as part of your check ride. You’ll need to
prepare a written navigation log showing, headings, distances, visual landmarks, radio
frequencies you’ll use along the route, etc. The flight instructor will review the
navigation log you’ve prepared. Design it so it is neat and legible, makes
sense to the instructor, and is useful to you in actually flying the designated route.
PILOT DOCUMENTATION…
You’ll need your logbook; pilot license, FCC pilot radio
license, current medical certificate, and passport. Fax us photocopies of all of
them as soon as you have booked your Self-Fly Safari™. Bring all the originals
with you to South Africa. Without them, license validation is not possible.
- RADIO LICENSE: You’ll need to have an FCC Restricted Radio
Telephone Operator’s Permit. Though US-licensed pilots no longer need this
license within the USA it is a requirement in South Africa. Your FCC license has to
be validated by South African authorities. If you don’t have one you can obtain an
application and license by fax through the Federal Communications Commission. The
application contains the Temporary Restricted Radio Telephone Operator’s license.
Once the US license is issued it is valid for life. If you plan to do any overseas flying
in the future, you may as well get the permanent license.
- PILOT LICENSE: Bring with you your FAA pilot license.
- Current FAA MEDICAL CERTIFICATE: Be certain your FAA medical
certificate is current. Any class (I, II, or III) certificate will do so long as it is
valid for private flying privileges.
- LOG BOOK: Bring with you your current pilot logbook. If the required
information is in more than one logbook, then bring all of the pertinent ones. They
serve two purposes: 1) as evidence to the SA CAA that you have PIC time in the type of
aircraft that you intend to fly on your validated license. 2) It shows the owner of
the aircraft that is being brokered for your use (and the insurance company) your
experience, total time, that you are current, and recent experience in the aircraft.
Important to Remember: South Africa has a type-specific
system. To qualify to rent and fly an aircraft, you need logged time in the specific
type of aircraft you will be flying before you arrive in South Africa. If you are
going to fly a C-182, be certain you have PIC time and are current in a C-182.
Logged time in a C-182 does not qualify you to fly a C-172! Time in a Bonanza does not
qualify you to fly a C-210, 182, 172RG, PA-28-180, PA-28-181, ER-2 or any other aircraft.
You need actual time in the specific type aircraft.
PASSPORT: We’ll also need a photocopy of the face page of your passport.
VALIDATION EXERCISES: EXPANDED OPTIONS…
Self-Fly Safari® clients comment about the validation
exercises they go through in Johannesburg before setting out on their route. They say: 1)
The allotted time is too long, and the three-day pre-departure program should be
compressed; 2) the allotted time is too short and a more relaxed program would be
better. 3) Some people say it’s just right.
Consider a typical situation on arrival in Johannesburg: you’ve spent 10 to 14 hours
on a 747. You’ve shifted six to nine time zones. Normal fatigue and jet lag are
both realities. Most people manage to remain alert through Immigration and Customs
at Johannesburg International but after that staying awake can be a challenge. We
meet you at the airport and drive you to your Johannesburg area hotel. Once you’ve
checked in we conduct a short (one hour) initial briefing. This whole process takes
about three hours after getting off the 747. We find clients at this point are ready
for a drink, dinner, and a good night’s sleep.
Under the four-day validation plan you can go to sleep right then and the preparations
begin the next day. Under the three-day validation scenario you’ll get your homework
assignments and be asked to complete the Airlaw exercise and plan a cross-country flight
before the next day.
So, consider what will work best for you. Let us know when you’re working up
your itinerary how you’d like to handle it.
FOUR-DAY SCENARIO…
Day 1 – Arrive Johannesburg International Airport. Met by Chris
and Nick Hanks. You are transferred to the Hertford Inn, Lanseria, on the outskirts of
Johannesburg for four nights while completing pilot validations. One- hour briefing after
we’ve brought you to your hotel.
Day 2 – ATC briefing and tower visit; Instructor’s briefing; cross country
flight planning; airlaw written exercise; introductory flight in the Johannesburg
area. You’ll have time to complete two “homework” assignments: plan
out your checkride cross country flight and produce a written navlog; then do a written
exercise on South African flight rules. You’ll get a chance to focus on some of
the differences between flying in the USA and Africa. Professionals do all the
briefings. Then, go up for a ride with an instructor for an aerial tour of
Johannesburg, the “City of Gold”. You’ll get the lay of the land and
a taste of how ATC works (and sounds) in Africa’s busiest airspace. Normally
you’ll use the same aircraft you’ll take on safari and get a chance to see how
it handles before your validation checkride.
Day 3 -- Cross country and handling check ride. We’ll schedule it for the
morning.
Day 4 – Paperwork and Pre-Departure briefing. Optional tours
can be arranged for various activities such as visit the Lesedi Cultural Village, Museum
Africa, Soweto, Sterkfontein Caves, go horseback riding, etc. Lunch with us followed by an
extensive afternoon briefing.
Day 5 – Load the aircraft; Fly the African Bush!
THREE-DAY SCENARIO…
The introductory flight around Johannesburg is eliminated.
The evening you arrive and the next day (Days 1 and 2) become very tightly packed.
You’ll fly the cross-country and handling checkride with the instructor without
having had a chance to familiarize yourself with the airspace or the aircraft.
Some people can do this easily while others want the extra time for familiarization and
rest.
Day 1 – Arrive Johannesburg International Airport. Met by Chris and Nick Hanks. You
are transferred to the Hertford Inn, Lanseria, on the outskirts of Johannesburg for three
nights while completing pilot validations. Evening briefing. You’ll be given
your homework assignments: the open-book air-law written exercise; you’ll be
given the routing for your cross-country checkride and be asked to complete a written
navigation log in time to use it during the checkride the next day.
Day 2 – ATC briefing; turn in Airlaw written test; turn in navigation-log to
instructor; Instructor’s briefing; cross country and handling checkride.
Day 3 – Morning on your own for final pre-departure
preparations or for flying if necessary to complete validation requirements. Lunch with us
followed by an extensive afternoon briefing.
Day 4 -- Load the aircraft; Fly the African Bush! (If the validation paperwork was not
completed on Day 3, it will be hand carried to the CAA in Pretoria for processing. In most
cases the certified South African CAA pilot license will be returned in time for a late
morning departure.
DIFFICULTIES WITH VALIDATION…
The process of getting your license validated is really a simple
matter. Describing the process in detail often makes it sound more difficult than it
really is. There are some specific elements you’ll be asked to do but,
essentially, your job is to make the instructor in the aircraft feel comfortable with your
ability to handle the aircraft.
We’ve had cases where the instructor decided within minutes of take off that the
candidate was a fully capable and competent pilot. They stayed out for an hour
flying around the area just having fun.
Proficiency: At the other end of the spectrum, one candidate failed
completely. The pilot, an elderly woman with current FAA Third Class medical, had
about 5000 hours total time, owned a Bonanza, and was planning to fly a C-182 on
safari. Her logbook showed recent logged time in a C-182 including dual in a C-182
with an instructor. In South Africa she flew four times with different
instructors. Each found that she was unable to competently control the Cessna, each
for a different reason.
Though she was unable to pilot an aircraft around the route as planned, she completed the
itinerary using commercial carriers and charter flights.
It is important that pilots take time before coming to South Africa
to become thoroughly familiar with the handling characteristics of the aircraft they plan
to fly. Do not assume that because you regularly fly a Cessna 210 or a KingAir, that
you can fly a Cessna 182. Rather, spend a few hours with an instructor at home in the
specific type of aircraft. Get a feel for the engine controls, the instrument
layout, and the feel of the flight controls. Do some soft or shortfield work; practice
navigating by pilotage; see what the aircraft will do as it approaches stall speed; fly to
unfamiliar airstrips. In short, go out and work the airplane as much as you can
before arriving in South Africa.
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS PROBLEMS…
One of the most common difficulties American pilots experience in
South Africa is radio communications work.
Johannesburg, South Africa, has a complex airspace environment. Dozens of air
carriers from all over the world fly into the area. There are controlled and
uncontrolled sections of the airspace and clear radio communications is the primary means
of separation in all of them.
Though the language used on aircraft radio throughout southern Africa is English, pilots
often struggle to understand transmissions from ATC facilities and other pilots. The
reasons for this may include:
1) The English is heavily accented;
2) The order of information transmitted by ATC is different from US ATC facilities;
3) ATC phraseology is different than in the USA;
4) ATC communications may include references to landmarks unfamiliar to the pilot;
5) Radio transmissions may be over long distances with weak and old transmitters and
receivers;
6) Pilots may be hearing impaired.
RADIO PROCEDURES CD…
Hanks Aero Adventures has produced a CD aimed at making radio
communications easier for the visiting pilot.
The CD is a recording of radio transmissions in three different situations that Self-Fly
Safari® pilots will encounter. 1) Communications between tower and
aircraft at controlled airports; 2) pilot-to-pilot communications in uncontrolled,
congested airspace around Johannesburg (Special Rules Area); 3) Enroute communications
with advisory services (sectors).
Accompanying the CD is a transcript of the voices. The idea is to listen to the CD
in order to get familiar with the accents, pace, and content of communications. We
also include a terminal chart of the Johannesburg area that shows airports, airspace
boundaries, and landmarks in the Johannesburg area. The material covers the basics of
position reporting, which is the basis for ATC services throughout southern Africa.
Listening to the tape and identifying the landmarks that are
referred to will give pilots a useful head start for operating in the Johannesburg area.
Price of the CD and accompanying material is included with all Self-Fly Safari®
packages. It is made available for use and study at home before coming to South
Africa.
GROUPS: into the sunset…
Hanks Aero Adventures hosted three successful escorted group tours
during 1999-2000. The people we met were great. The trips were unforgettable.
Everybody had fun. However, the work detracted from our core business –
Self-Fly Safaris®. We no longer offers escorted group tours.
Of course, if you and other pilots want to fly southern Africa using multiple aircraft,
Hanks Aero Adventures Inc will organize the trip and make all arrangements. The only
aspect we no longer do is to personally escort you around the circuit.
Anyone wanting to tour southern Africa as part of an escorted group should contact Dave
VanderSpuy by email at explore@global.co.za or by fax at (27) 11-807-3393.
African Aero Safari cc has been disbanded and no longer exists. We are not
associated with the new company that is doing business under the same name.