THE ROUTE

THE SORRY STORY

On Wednesday Francois in CDG and myself took off from FAMS with the Carnavon fly-in as our eventual destination. After entering the Langebaanweg airspace, we could not make radio contact and diverted below 1500ft to Sandkloof where I phoned them and asked to be diverted via Moorreesburg to Aurora at 2500ft. As always, Langebaanweg is very accommodating, and once we got closer we could not only hear them but also talk. At Aurora we took a lunch break at Helmut's and walked the wet town (the Bergriver is still breaking it's banks). The next leg to Lambert's Bay allowed some low level flying, and at Lambert's we landed in a crosswind on a strip Riaan prepared some years ago for the Kreef fees on the edge of town. After making arrangements with Christo for the next day, we took off, and flew over the equally wet Olifants, to land in great weather in Nieuwoudville. After a brief break, we decided the day is too great to stop flying, and did a local flight to see a very green area (in March 2005 when I visited it was only the Springbok crowd who could see green in Nieuwoudville). After spending the evening with Kobus and Hester Nel, we took off the next morning after Christo joined us, landed at Calvinia and were properly klapped at 7500ft and higher before we thawed at Williston. Refuelling for the last stretch to Carnavon, which was as bumpy. Rob and Mare were there to welcome us and impress us with their hospitality. Thursday evening saw us in the Blikkies Bar, but not for too long to spoil our prospects of a great day flying on Friday to Vnwyksvlei and the beautifully barren Verneukpan. After a bibbering braai, and more of the Blikkies Bar in town on Friday, we had a couple of hours sleep before breakfast and the trip to Fraserburg. I contacted the weather office who advised that Sunday would be almost unflyable, so we pushed through to Sutherland instead of flying via Merweville. In Sutherland we had arranged to land on the golf course, and circled for a while to allow someone to finish the 9th, and for the radio controlled pilot to grasp our dilemma, before we landed. A friendly nosy local was commandeered to help us with the fuel run, and we took off for Tanqua with a bit of apprehension, after the weather office advised winds of 30knots over the Hottentotsholland Mountains, and Tanqua reported an erect windsock. We contacted Cape Town Information, who allowed us to go to FL085. Over Tanqua we decided to forego coffee and carry on. We climbed to FL095 and were advised to broadcast on 124.8 and subsequently got to an hypoxic 10500 ft over the Skurweberge before gliding down for a welcome break at Porterville, where I refuelled (had 3l left) and defrosted. Did not experience much of a headwind over those mountains, and almost none from Porterville to Morningstar which we did at 1500ft. Christo diverted from Tanqua to Lambertsbay, with a stop in Clanwilliam. His 1 hour trip to Lambert's Bay turned out to be a 3 hour flip due to a strong northwesterly.

A great weekend of flying, doing over 17 hours, and seeing the Karoo as no one else could see.

THE PICTURES

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Vanwyksvlei

Verneukspan

Kasteelberg

SOME ATTITUDE

The Altitude for the last three hours. A chilling wind at Sutherland made me wear a t-shirt, thermal vest, thin sweater, wooly sweater, flightsuit and my Jeep "canvas" jacket.

Temp recorded 3 Celcius, excluding wind chill.

SOME MORE USELESS INFORMATION