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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 0827.PDF
5i8 FLIGHT ANGOLA BY AEROVAN Diary of a Not Uneventful Delivery Flight Across Spain and Down the West African Coast ON January 31st, at 0900 hours, we took off in AerovanG-AKKJ from Woodley airport for Gatwick, wherecustoms clearance was to be made. The machine finally cleared and at mid-day we left on the first hop of a6,700-mile flight to Anglo-Portuguese South-West Africa. The first scheduled stop was Bordeaux, which should havebeen reached at 1630 hr, but, like everything else on this trip, the programme changed. The weather was fine as we crossedthe channel but soon after reaching the Cherbourg Penin- sula scattered clouds were encountered and eventually wewere flying under a layer of complete cloud at about 1,000 ft above ground level. The ceiling gradually became lower and 100 miles north of Bordeaux we finally went on to instruments about 200 feet above the ground level. As the radio was not working this sort of thing was not good enough and we returned on the reciprocal course— namely, out into the clear again. One more attempt was made to get through in what looked like a clear patch but the same sort of thing happened, and, after talking with my co-pilot, Sr. Vas Monteiro, we decided that the best alternative was the French Air Force base of Tours. We landed there at approximately 1700 hr. Being the centre of La Touraine, Tours is a very popular holiday area, particularly for English people. I believe there are many fine chateaux to be visited in this area in the good season; but we saw one night club. We were compelled to wait in Tours for one more day, due to fog in the South of France, and on the following day we had to wait zi hours at the airfield for a battery car, even after the French had used all the well-worn phrases of "toute suite," "immediate- ment," "bientot," "ah oui, monsieur"—all of which, as we know, is their way of saying "five minutes." Because of this delay we landed at Bilbao just as darkness fell at 1800 hr. We left the aircraft picketed on Bilbao airfield, which was an attractive little place, but completely lacking in every facility, as will be seen later. It was here that the fun started. At 2000 hr, Crew and helpers pose for a photograph with the Aerovan at one of the little airfields operated by the fisheries company from Bejnguella. EETOWN ERTS FIELD ABIDJAN By MARTIN CHERRY after a very pleasant night at the Hotel Carlton, we heard the telephone ring and a Spanish voice say, "Mr. Cherry, the wing of the plane is broken." That caused panic—until the voice added, "Never mind, it is only a small hole where the picketing rope is." I went to the airfield and looked up at the sun through the small hole, which measured 3in x 2|in. During the night the wind had changed 90 deg, reached 50 miles an hour, and snapped the picketing rope; and the machine had fallen sideways on to a 44-gallon oil drum. Fortunately the only structural damage was to plywood and ribs and the main spar was unaffected. Thanks to the assistance of Sefior Prado—a Bilbao industrialist —and the office staff of Aviacion y Comercio, I was able to get a mechanic from the town to make a temporary repair and was also able to prevail on the commandant to allow me to park the aircraft on the lee side of the terminal building, as the wind was still strong. On Through Spain Bilbao airfield was not yet completed; there was a lovely terminal building with a bar without beer, a restaurant without food, and offices without telephones. There were no hangars and the normal picketing area was exposed to the prevailing wind. Nevertheless, it should be a very pleasant stop for British tourists. Customs facilities now exist in Bilbao. On February 5th the machine was ready and, after a test flight, we received weather reports saying that all was fine. The flight plan told us that an alternative airfield, should we be unable to land at Madrid, was Burgos." Just before mid-day we took oft for Madrid and had a very bumpy passage through the North Spanish mountains. After 1J hours' flying, we passed over Burgos, only to find that the town and airfield were completely covered in heavy snow. I turned the aircraft south towards the plains and what I hoped would be better weather, as the ceiling at Burgos itself was at approximately 400 ft. Gradually the snow on the ground thinned out, but the weather overhead remained poor. There was no question of returning to Bilbao, because of extreme turbulence in the mountains, but as the ground conditions were good, and my map showed another alternative airfield at Arranda de Duero, there was really nothing to worry about. I flew for about one hour more to the Somo mountains which rise to 7,000 ft; and, of course, immediately we reached the foothills it became obvious that we could not pass. So we returned to Aranda de Duero, 15 minutes away. Light rain was starting to fall and this soon became a gentle snowfall. The trouble started when 1 reached Aranda and could not find the airfield, and circled for three-quarters of an hour in an attempt to find a satis- factory place to put down. Every square foot of ground seemed to be ploughed. The snow was coming down faster by this time, but there was still no reason to land immediately as visibility was about a mile, and not deteriorating; the ceiling was 300 ft. Eventually I found a car track through a ploughed field and hoped that, if H was good enough for a car, it would take the Aerovan. I went in and landed. Three very happy people stepped out of the aircraft) the co-pilot's wife putting away the St. Christophers.
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