I'm off to explore the coastal airports of Africa, the second largest continent, in the SF-50 jet, for a late Summer 2021 flying adventure. Leaving from Londonderry, Ireland, where I had completed my circuit around Ireland, and now heading to Africa via Madrid, Casablanca, and Tenerife. I'll be updating this itinerary as I go, adding the date after a leg is flown, and hopefully adding a short paragraph for each flight, as I find the time. Total planned trip distance is 16,047 Nautical Miles (NM) covered by 31 flights, for an average of 517NM per flight. With the SF-50's range of around 1,000NM, I'll generally be trying to keep my flight leg distances below 850NM, with the occasional longer flight, when tailwinds support it. You'll see shorter flights, when I want to stop someplace that has a special interest for me. As I'm flying, I'll be watching the Garmin G1000's predicted fuel on board at landing, and looking for an alternate, if that drops below 400 pounds. At a 6.8 lbs/gallon, that works out to about 58 gallons, and with the typical fuel burn of 54 gallons per hour at altitude, that gives me about an hour of reserve, if I make an early decision to divert to an alternate.
The planned itinerary:8/24/2021 EGAE-LEMD
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Intl Airport, Madrid, Spain, 232NM
8/26 LEMD-GMMN
Mohammed V Intl Airport, Casablanca, Morocco, 468NM
8/28 GMMN-GCXO
Tenerife Norte Intl Airport, Canary Is., Spain, 538NM
8/29 GCXO-GVAC
Amilcar Cabral Intl Airport, Sal Is., Cabo Verde, 792NM
8/30 GVAC-GLRB
Roberts Intl Airport, Monrovia, Libera, 970NM
9/1 GLRB-DNMM
Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Nigera, 818NM
9/5 DNMM-FOOL
Leon-Mba Intl Airport, Libreville, Gabon, 517NM
9/6 FOOL-FNLU
Quatro de Fevereiro Intl Airport, Luanda, Angola, 601NM
9/18 FNLU-FYWB
Walvis Bay Intl Airport, Erongo, Namibia, 848NM
9/21 FYWB-FACT
Cape Town Intl Airport, South Africa, 690NM
9/30 FACT-FABE
Bhisho Airport, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 440NM
10/4 FABE-FALE
King Shaka Intl Airport, Durban, South Africa, 278NM
10/5 FALE-FAOR
O.R. Tambo Intl Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa, 258NM
10/6 FAOR-FQBR
Biera Airport, Mozambique, 529NM
10/10 FQBR-FMMI
Ivato Intl Airport, Madagascar, 716NM
10/16 FMMI-FQNC
Nacala Airport, Mozambique, 467NM
10/26 FQNC-FMCH
Prince Said Airport, Moroni, Cormoros, 232NM
11/1 FMCH-HTZA
Abeid Amani Karume Airport, Zanzibar, 398NM
11/1 HTZA-HKMO
Moi Intl Airport, Mombasa, Kenya, 133NM
11/4 HKMO-HTKJ
Kilimanjaro Intl, Tanzania, 156NM
11/4 HTKJ-HUEN
Entebbe Intl Airport, Uganda, 347NM
11/4 HUEN-HKNW
Wilson field, Nairobi, Kenya, 275NM
11/11 HKNW-HCMM
Aden Adde Intl Airport, Mogadishu, Somalia, 548NM
11/13 HCMM-HDAM
Djibouti-Ambouli Intl Airport, Djibouti, 583NM
11/17 HDAM-HSSK(HSSS)
Khartoum Intl Airport, Sudan, 665NM
12/1 HSSK-HECA
Cairo Intl Airport, Heliopolis, Egypt, 871NM
12/2 HECA-HLLB
Benina Intl Airport, Benghazi, Libya, 586NM
12/4 HLLB-HLLT
Tripoli Intl Airport, Tripoli, Libya, 363NM
12/6 HLLT-DTTA
Tunis-Carthage Intl Airport, Tunisia, 290NM
12/9 DTTA-DAAG
Houarri Boumediene Intl Airport, Algiers, Algeria, 338NM
12/10 DAAG-GMTT
Tangier Ibn-Battouta Intl Airport, Morocco, 447NM
The adventure begins! My first two flights during this around-Africa adventure are for positioning -- to get from Ireland to Africa's north coast.
8/24 This first flight leaves Londonderry, Ireland, destined for
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas International Airport in Madrid, Spain, a short hop of 232NM. I have a friend who recently spent some time in Spain, and it's just about the right distance for a fuel stop while enroute to Africa, so it seemed like a fun choice. This is a snapshot when crossing the Spanish north coast. Here are
some things to do in Madrid.
8/26 Flying from Madrid to
Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, Morocco, a flight of 468NM. Because, well, Casablanca! Since I'm using real world time and weather, I have a narrow window of opportunity in the morning, to make these flights in the daytime, while sitting at the simulator in Denver, and in this case, I did get started in time, but then I saved my flight and left to have breakfast, and by the time I got back, it was 8pm in Africa. This snapshot is from the final approach to runway 35R at Casablanca airport. Here are
some things to do in Casablanca.
8/28 Flying from Casablanca to
Tenerife Norte International Airport, Canary Islands, Spain, a flight of 538NM. The only thing I really know about Tenerife, is about the
infamous fog-induced runway collision between KLM flight 4805, a 747 with a captain that was too anxious to take off, and Pan Am flight 1736, a 747 that had just landed. This accident occurred the year before I earned my pilot's license, so it made an even bigger impression on me. Because of this, and some other accidents that happened during my formative flying years, I've had a lifelong fascination with the intimate details of aircraft accidents. Coincidentally, as I was flying into Tenerife today, I found myself in the clouds, during my approach to the airport. Another case of zero visibility, but it feels a lot safer up in the clouds, than wandering blindly around on the ground in the soup. Other than the simulator thinking I could successfully execute the visual approach they assigned me, everything went fine for my approach and landing on this day. Here are
some things to do in Tenerife.
8/29 Flying from Tenerife to
Amilcar Cabral International Airport, Sal Island, Cabo Verde, a flight of 792NM. Here are
some things to do on Sal Island.
8/30 Flying from Sal Island to
Roberts International Airport, in Monrovia, Liberia, my longest flight of 970NM. This flight deserved special consideration, as it was pushing the limit of the SF-50's estimated range. After I settled in at my cruising altitude of 31,000 feet, the fuel burn was 53.7 GPH, and the flight computer predicted my fuel at destination to be 600+ pounds, so I pressed on with the plan, always ready to choose a closer alternate, if headwinds were to develop. As it turned out, I landed with about 85 gallons of fuel in the tanks. Here are
some things to do in Monrovia.
9/1 Flying from Monrovia to
Murtala Muhammed Airport, in Lagos, Nigeria. My dad's friends lived and ran a business in Lagos for years, when they were younger. Here are
some things to do in Lagos.
9/5 Flying from Lagos to
Leon-Mba International Airport, Libreville, Gabon, a flight of 517NM. Here are
some things to do in Libreville.
9/6 Flying from Libreville to
Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport, Luanda, Angola. In this snapshot, I'm being vectored from the North, to a right base leg to the airport, which is ahead and to my right. Here are
some things to do in Luanda.
9/18 Flying from Luanda to
Walvis Bay International Airport, Erongo, Namibia, a flight of 848NM. In this snapshot, I'm on final approach, following a 737-800 to runway 27. Here are
some things to do in Walvis Bay.
9/21 Flying from Erongo to
Cape Town International Airport, South Africa a flight of 690NM. Here are
some things to do in Cape Town.
9/30 Flying from Cape Town to
Bhisho Airport, Eastern Cape, South Africa, a flight of 440NM. Here are
some things to do in Eastern Cape.
10/4 Flying from Eastern Cape to
King Shaka Internationa Airport, Durban, South Africa, a flight of 278NM. Here are
some things to do in Durban.
10/5 Flying from Durban to
O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa, a flight of 258NM. I started the approach at sunset, and ended up landing in the dark. Here are
some things to do in Johannesburg.
10/6 Flying from Johannesburg to
Biera Airport, Biera, Mozambique, a flight of 529NM. I had gotten myself boxed in by the terminal gate jetways in Johannesburg when parking yesterday, and couldn't get out without help. So... I called for a pushback service, which worked beautifully. Here are
some things to do in Biera.
10/10 Flying from Mozambique to
Ivato International Airport, Antananarivo, Madagascar, a flight of 716NM. In this snapshot, I'm on final approach to runway 11, with a few low clouds in the area. Here are
some things to do in Antananarivo.
10/16 Flying from Madagascar to
Nacala Airport, Mozambique, a flight of 467NM. In this snapshot, I'm being vectored through misty conditions over the Mozambique Channel, for the final approach to runway 19. With no published instrument approach here, it's strictly visual, with a little help from air traffic control vectors, and the visibility near the airport was plenty good enough, to successfully complete the approach and landing. Here are
some things to do in Nacala.
10/26 Flying from Mozambique to
Prince Said Airport, Moroni, Cormoros, a short flight of 232NM. In this snapshot, I'm on a short final approach to runway 02, although I forgot to tell ATC I had the airport in sight, so they're trying to vector me around for another approach. Here are
some things to do in Moroni.
11/1 Flying from Moroni to
Abeid Amani Karume Airport, Zanzibar, a flight of 398NM. Here are
some things to do in Zanzibar.
11/1 Flying from Zanzibar to
Moi International Airport, in Mombasa, Kenya. I enjoyed hearing Ladysmith Black Mombazo at a concert near Ashland, Washington one summer, so of course I had to plan Mombasa as a fuel stop. Here are
some things to do in Mombasa.
11/4 Flying from Mombasa to
Kilimanjaro International, Tanzania. This pic shows me on a wide downwind to Kilimanjaro airport, with the famous mountain in the background. Here are
some things to do near Kilimanjaro airport or in
the Kilimanjaro general area.
11/4 Flying from Kilimanjaro to
Entebbe International Airport, Uganda. In this snapshot, I'm approaching Entebbe airport over
Lake Victoria, which is the largest tropical lake in the world. Here are
some things to do in Entebbe.
11/4 Flying from Entebbe to
Wilson field, Nairobi, Kenya. It's a small airport, but there are lots of airplanes on the ramp here. Must be a very active flying club! Here are
some things to do near Wilson airport.
11/11 Flying from Nairobi to
Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu, Somalia.
11/13 Flying from Mogadishu to
Djibouti-Ambouli Intl Airport, Djibouti. Here are
some things to do in Djibouti.
11/17 Flying from Djibouti to Khartoum International Airport, in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, a flight of 665NM. Here are some things to do in Khartoum.
12/1 Flying from Khartoum to
Cairo International Airport, Heliopolis, Egypt, a flight of 871NM. Here are
some things to do in Cairo. Of course, the pyramids!
12/2 Flying from Cairo to
Benina International Airport, in Benghazi, Libya, a flight of 586NM. I had thought I'd make it a little farther on this leg, possibly all the way to Tripoli (949 NM), but the 100 kt headwinds at altitude ate up all my reserve, so that I'd have been landing with fumes in the tanks. Thanks to the range prediction onboard the SF-50, I was able to quickly determine, after reaching my cruise altitude of 31,000 feet, that I needed a fuel stop along the way, and Benghazi, with the shorter trip length of 586 NM, seemed like a good alternate. I'm glad I'm doing all this in the simulator, as entry to Benghazi is prohibited right now. Here are
some things to do in Benghazi.
12/4 Flying from Benghazi to
Tripoli International Airport in Tripoli, Libya, 363NM. I left later in the morning than usual, so I found myself making a late afternoon flight and landing, and taxiing to my parking spot in the dark. Here are
some things to do in Tripoli.
12/6 Flying from Tripoli to
Tunis-Carthage Intl Airport, Tunisia, a flight of 290NM. I got started late again, and found myself departing at night, with scattered to broken clouds along the way, and a short time in the clouds while being vectored for the approach. The simulator's Air Traffic Control doesn't seem to like giving me a simple straight-in approach to the airport, so they often vector me way off the desired final approach, as I get closer to the airport. The penalty for ignoring them, is having my flight plan canceled, and then I have to find my own way around air and ground traffic, and figure out where to park by myself, which is less fun, at all these international airports I've never visited before, and is especially difficult at night. Here I am, trying to get aligned with the runway, on short final approach, after following some pretty wild ATC vectors. Here are
some things to do in Carthage.
12/9 Flying from Carthage to
Houarri Boumediene Intl Airport in Algiers, Algeria, a flight of 338NM. I took off at sunrise, and had a beautiful view behind me, of the sun rising between the clouds. Here are
some things to do in Algiers.
12/10 Flying from Algiers to Tangier Ibn-Battouta Intl Airport, Tangier, Tanger, Morocco, a flight of 447NM. Here are some things to do in Tangier.
This flight completes my circumnavigation of Africa!
After this, I think I might go exploring some of the airports around the Mediterranean Sea! Next stop, Gibraltar!
