It was "start your engines!" time, and we then discovered our battery was dead. With Colin's help, prop was hand-cranked and our engine started up nicely. The problem now was that our radio and the intercom didn't work. Our iPads worked so we still had our nav aids. Nick and I agreed on hand signals and his patting me on the shoulder for communication between us. Nick would rely on the hand-held radio for communication with air traffic control services.
We took off and once again (and for the last time) with donned life vests, headed back out over the water to mainland Tanzania. Over open water in an old airplane powered by a single radial engine is always cause for caution so on these occasions we always made sure to pick the shortest distance between land masses, stay close and within sight of our rally mates, and make sure our emergency locator beacon - the "Yellow Brick" - was on. That checklist complete, we just had a ball enjoying the scenery, especially the advancing shoreline, and soaring, climbing, and diving. Pedro was particularly enthralled with climbing and arcing over us and down the other side. Sometimes we got close enough to each other to wave and take pictures of our friends. The GoPro cameras mounted on our aircraft filmed everything we did and edited-down video of the fun flying can be seen on some of the VintageAirRally Facebook posts.
Our first stop was Dodoma for refueling. The day was hot, and milling around on the ramp waiting for our turn to get fuel was a very hot way to spend time. Some nice locals came out to see us and an airport official brought his adorable toddler whom I just had to pick up and play with for a bit. Across the street in what looked like a private residence was a "cafe". There were very few items on "the menu" --a type of 'tortilla' made from a grain I was not familiar with - (looked something like Norwegian leftse), cooked beans, hard boiled eggs, and soda pop. I opted for the flat bread/tortilla. Rolled up with some butter, it was pretty good. The cafe was very sparse and only a few locals were there socializing. I remember thinking to myself that where I come from if an eating establishment is sparse and not well patronized, you probably don't want to eat there. I took my chances and am glad to report it all set just fine.
Back at the ramp, we were once again the last to get fuel. By now, other planes that usually flew way ahead of us did not wait for us. They took off and headed towards Songwe. The other two Travel Airs and the Stampe, however, waited for us and we flew close inasmuch as our radio situation was down to one hand=held. If the iPads had problems, navigating to our next stop could be challenging so we always made sure to see and be seen by others in our loose formation. With our rare group, we essentially had the sky to ourselves!
As we got closer to Songwe, our iPads did develop problems maintaining connectivity to a separate GPS device that we had. This meant we had to rely on Cedric to keep reporting to Nick the DME (distance to Songwe) and ground speed reports. The visibility got a little hazy and ridges were ahead. Thank you, Cedric, for being our extra eyes and keeping us on track! The approach into Songwe was a little tricky as hills and mountains were all around but all went well and it was nice to be on the ground heading for our hotel and hot dinner. It was December 2, my birthday, and I was feeling like milestones were happening all around me!
At dinner, the kitchen staff and Prepare2Go staff surprised me with a wonderful, large birthday cake which I gladly cut up and shared with every person in the dining room who wanted a piece.
Our briefing for morning covered our usual rising and wheels up times as well as flying into Zambia - the 6th African country on our trip so far. We realized we were more than half way through this amazing trip. We were becoming old hands at this flying around in vintage planes but each day brought the promise of new sights and adventures.
Our early morning departure from the hotel meant we got boxed breakfasts to eat in the bus to the airport. Colin, dutiful son who when growing up always listened to his mother's tutelage on dental hygiene (!) is brushing his teeth while sleepy eyes are at half mast. Like all of us, he would have preferred to be back in bed for another hour's sleep. Well, there's nothing like the throaty conversation of a radial engine and lots of fresh air in the face to perk us all up!
Enroute to Dodoma. We saw many interesting land "eruptions" like this one.
This photo shows Cedric and Alexandra in the Stampe flying in formation with us. You get an idea of the vastness of the wilderness we were flying over. This shows my point of view from the forward cockpit.
Village life along the way.
At Dodoma for a refueling stop and some fun Kiddo time. Colin and Nick are conferring over battery problem.
When conditions were good, we enjoyed flying low. Here we're about 150'. The remoteness of the area was compounded by the horizon to horizon vista where we saw no obvious signs of human activity.
Weather systems like this one would appear on the horizon and I enjoyed watching their movement until they disappeared again over the horizon. We naturally avoided getting too close to them.
A couple of good views of the colors, patterns, and shapes in this beautiful country.
We stayed close to Team Barnstormers and Team Frog and Kiwi. Flying like this, we all kept our eyes peeled for wildlife and ...other aircraft, of course!
The Antonov to our right. It's entry door is open as camera crew onboard were sitting at the opening, harnessed for safety, taking photos and videos of us.
Before arriving in Songwe, we caught sight of this herd of elephants. You can see a few of them near the right edge of the photo. They blend in a bit with their surroundings.
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