African Air Adventure TAA 11

Saturday 18 May 2013

Dear followers.

2013 is the year of a new adventure.
The project was renamed to FoH, Flight of Hope.
Wishing to follow the project you can do so on:

WEB
http://www.flightofhope.org

BLOG
http://flightofhope.blogs.sapo.pt

FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Flight-of-HOPE-2013-Expedição-Aérea-Humanitária/188698947942698

Please visit, follow, like this new humanitarian adventure.

We love your support.

The FoH team.

Friday 22 July 2011

West To East

Wake up in a train station.

The comfortable hotel in Swakopmund, was an old train station which was given another use. And a very good one it was, with fatigue settling in I slept for ages missing the dinner.

Hop into the bus, when the Sun was still bathing the other side of this magnificent Continent. Today, specially today we had to hurry, this was the beginning of our return to the East Coast, and this involved particularly long stages, and difficult refueling.

Every one well briefed about todays difficulties, raised the concentration and the testosterone was in the air.

Everyone ready with the Sun one hand above the Horizon, but one Cherokee decided not to cooperate. The starter was not performing his task... start.

Engine cover out, several possibilities advanced but no solution in view. In view was the Sun, two hands above the horizon by now.

A handy, maintenance from Swakopmund approached us and provided help. The aircraft was pushed into a pristine hangar.

The Cherokee exposed his age and use, needed a new starter, but worst was the collector had a crack. This engine was at peril. And so was todays plan.

A few phone calls away to Windoek, where the aircraft could be repaired, decisions were made. The damaged Cherokee and the Flamingo for support fly to Windoek. The rest proceed to Gobabis for the night.

©NunoCoimbra2011

Three Man displayed the best in them, Lourenço flying a crippled Aircraft over desert and Mountain. Deitado, fearless, seated side by side with Lourenço, and Maia who risking losing his head or hand, hand prop it. (The process of starting a propeler driven airplane by hand).

Namibia Capital was reached at 3 in the afternoon. At 5 the aircraft was ready. Impressive, none of us believed it.
The group was now separated, some in Windoek, some in Gobabis.

It was still pitch dark when we reached Eros airport with a temperature of -1ºC. Shivering, we waited inside the airplanes for the first signs of light over the mountain.
Guided by the Sun we rejoined the rest in Gobabis with an objective in mind. Reach the East coast before sunset. That means cross the African Continent in half Earth revolution.

©NunoCoimbra2011

Maputo, eight hours and three landings after, my body recommends rest, my brain refuses. With a huge sense of achievement we parked for the night hearing in a familiar language, welcome. Party we deserve, party we shall have, the rest can wait.

Wednesday 13 July 2011

TAA 11 ON TV

TAA 11 URBANOS SOLIDÁRIO - THE MOVIE - CLICK HERE

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Today the Adventure on RTP1

Today after the News at 20:00 RTP1 will transmit the documentary produced during this humanitarian raid in the program "30 Minutos"

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Skeleton Coast - Swakopmund

The owl was staring at me when I closed my comfortable shelter at the Kepinski. A short walk up the hill and a feast of protein was waiting for me.

As the owl went to sleep, and a bunch of squirrels hopped up and down the table looking suspicious for our charity.

A few steps towards East and my horse with wings was waiting with a surprise. ICE. The last thing I was expecting to see on my wing in Africa. In fact it was chilling cold. Who said Africa is hot?

With the help of the Hotel staff, an African bush de-ice was improvised, and the plane ready again. Skeleton Coast heading 270 than down the coast until Swakopmund

©NunoCoimbra2011

In the year 1486 the first Europeans landed at the coast of Namibia. The Portuguese Diego Cao set up a stone cross at his landing-point, the present-day Cape Cross as a sign of taking possession of the new discovered land through Portugal. Different hiking movements of African people led to the settlement of the Ovambo in the north, of the Himba in the Kaokoveld and the Herero in the middle of the country. Between Nama and Herero it resulted thereby in embittered tribal wars. In the 19th century numerous missionaries began their activity in different areas of the country. Walvis Bay was used by European mariners and in particular by whale catchers as a port and taken in possession through Great Britain in 1878. At the Skeleton Coast numerous ships smashed; who had the luck to escape for the wet element, died of thirst in the desert of Namib, reaching onto the coast.

©NunoCoimbra2011

The Skeleton Coast (German: Skelettküste) is the northern part of the Atlantic coast of Namibia and south of Angola from the Kunene River south to the Swakop River, although the name is sometimes used to describe the entire Namib Desert coast. The Bushmen of the Namibian interior called the region "The Land God Made in Anger", while Portuguese sailors once referred to it as "The Gates of Hell".

On the coast the upwelling of the cold Benguela current gives rise to dense ocean fogs (called "cassimbo" by the Angolans) for much of the year. The winds blow from land to sea, rain fall rarely exceeds 10 millimetres (0.39 in) annually and the climate is inhospitable. There is a constant, heavy surf on the beaches. In the days of human-powered boats it was possible to get ashore through the surf but impossible to launch from the shore. The only way out was by going through a marsh hundreds of miles long and only accessible through a hot and arid desert.

The coast is named for the bleached whale and seal bones which covered the shore when the whaling industry was still active, as well as the skeletal shipwrecks caused by rocks offshore in the fog. More than a thousand vessels of various sizes and areas litter the coast. Notable wrecks in the region include the Eduard Bohlen, the Otavi, the Dunedin Star, and Tong Taw.

The coast is generally soft, occasionally relieved by rocky outcrops. The southern section consists of gravel plains, while north of Terrace Bay the landscape is dominated by high sand dunes.

©NunoCoimbra2011

The fleet parked at Swakopmund. A completed unexpected organized place in the middle of sand dunes washed by the all mighty, but well known to us Atlantic Ocean.

I start to feel a strange desperation. The adventure is close to its end.

Saturday 18 June 2011

Mokuti Lodge Namibia

Breakfast on an airplane wing, a good way to begin our day.

After the thrills of Livingstone we headed to Rundo in Nabimia, where a Portuguese friend, ex Portuguese Air Force was waiting for us. He arranged fuel and emigration at the airport. Then we moved to town for lunch.

We have no words to express our gratitude in the way José Pais Machado and his wife Paula received us. It was truly a gift that we received presented by these fellow Countryman. The lunch was outstanding, followed by local folklore much appreciated by all. Thank you very much.

Happy with the refuel, both crew and airplane, we set course to Kepinski Mokuti Lodge. The entrance to Etosha, and home to the San people.

On the next day we went to the Ombili school.

Tens of thousands of years ago, the SAN went in small groups through the desert, savannah and mountain landscapes of the entire southern Africa, where they left their magnificent works of art on rocks and in small caves. The hunters and gatherers were not a homogenous group, but culturally different.

They lived in geographically separated areas,spoke different languages and had different customs.

Their Culture was gradually destroyed. In 1649 noted a certain Jean-BaptisteTavernier: "When they speak, they fart with their tongues in their mouths". Largely hunters, their way of life changed dramatically when hunting became forbidden.The Ombili Project, helps them with the new lifestyle, teaching them agriculture among other things.

The school, a private German project, tries to provide a better integration in modern society where they usually are discriminated due to their size (usually not more than 1,5m as adult) and their "odd" tongue clicking.

The Ombili choir has voices from heaven, absolutely marvelous.