Air Ambulance

No plan survives contact with the enemy. Or something like that. Originally the flight was scheduled for Nairobi to Gatab (lower), and back to Nairobi. It got changed later to add a trip to Wamba to drop a man who'd been shot at the Catholic hospital there for surgery. The plan was to overnight at Gatab, since we'd be leaving Nairobi in the afternoon...the people going to Gatab were coming into Jomo Kenyatta airport (the big international airport in Nairobi) from Mombasa at 1130, so a bit of time to get luggage, and get a cab over to Wilson airport. Then we found out the surgeon was leaving Wamba today, so if he was going to do the surgery, the patient would have to be at Wamba on the 26th.

But where to stay at Wamba? (Single engine airplanes aren't allowed to fly at night in Kenya).

Plus there was confusion over which airstrip at Gatab, upper or lower. The people meeting us at Gatab somehow didn't get the word we'd be using the lower airstrip. So we had to wait on them for about an hour while they organized transport for the patient to the lower airstrip, and so on and so on.

Up shot? I stayed in Wamba last night. The Catholic mission there was very very hospitable, and the guest house the nicest I've stayed in. Wamba was great! Many thanks to the people there at Wamba . Also, the man from Gatab got his surgery, probably saving his life.

I sweated over details. God had it all under control and everything worked out fine.

The GPS is possibly the most important piece of kit in the airplane. Certainly it's the piece of gear most simplifies the flight.













We had some visitors at Gatab while we were waiting for the truck to come with my passenger, and the patient for the Wamba hospital, and to pick up the 2 people I'd brought to Gatab.











Unloading the patient at Wamba. I removed the middle and rear seats on one side of the plane so he could lay down, and then rigged a safety harness for him using the cargo tie downs on the floor. Not very comfortable, but given his injuries better than trying to sit in a seat.

Bad roads

We've all complained about bad roads, but .... The photos are of the Juba - Yei road in south Sudan. It's the best road in south Sudan. One of the AIM Air pilots took the pictures lat week, and they're worth 1000 words, easily. They show better than words can tell why AIM Air exists. Anyway...















I don't think I'll be so quick to complain about bad roads again. Or at least not as loudly.

Wednesday I get to help some people dodge some not quite so bad roads...at least the roads to Gatab are passable (though it takes 2 days to go about 275 miles).

J

Weather

The big bug-a-boo of flying here. I took off to take 2 short term missionaries to Mfangano Island this morning. About 150 feet above the ground things started to turn white. Not good. A low layer of clouds had rolled in on the airport while we were loading the airplane. So I turned back to the airport, buzzed an apartment block on downwind, and landed. Whew.

We tried again about an hour and a half later. I thought I'd go out the south side of the Ngong hills as the terrain is lower that way. Nope. About 6 miles south the clouds were pushing me lower. So I made a U-turn. "Let's try going out the north," I told my passengers. Just 2 miles north of the airport the clouds began to lift, and break up. Another 2 miles and we were in the clear.

The passengers were short-term missionaries from North Carolina, doing evangelism and discipling work on the island. Among their other baggage were three cartons of Bibles in Luo. Alot of the local pastors don't have a Bible. Those three boxes of Bibles ... you can imagine how important they are.

There and Back Again

Extra points if you can identify the quote in the title.

Wednesday it was up early to fly to Logologo, and return late Friday. Saturday it was up early to fly to Rusinga Island, back to Wilson, then on to Mombasa and then back to Wilson.

Logologo went as planned. I have to say, though, that Logologo is rather dull. It's hot, it's dusty, it's hot. Not a great vacation spot, despite what your travel agent may tell you. While I was there the dispensary treated 2 people for snake bites and one boy for scorpion stings.

Saturday turned into a Saturday and Sunday flight. I took 4 people to Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria for a meeting, then 2 of them on to Mombasa (stopping in Nairobi on the way through for fuel). They were late getting back from their meeting and so I'd have been late getting off Mombasa, late enough I'd have run out of daylight on the way home. They were pretty keen to do the flight then, though, so they agreed to the extra cost of putting two pilots up for the night in a hotel in Mombasa. Our chief pilot was along on the Mombasa leg to give me a route check.

So...all my route checks are done! Yay! The flight with the chief pilot was good, and generally went well. He had a few pointers for me, which I took careful note of. Anyway, a good flight if not quite according to the plan.