bafanguy said:
Turbo,
What aspects of the African ATC exposure struck you as the most bothersome/tricky ?
Hi Baf, Turbo, Mar:
I like going to Africa, it's a bit of an adventure since we don't get to do it very often on the 777. The company lets those little Euro trash airplanes fly there most of the year. Last summer I had a great 48 hour layover in Kenya. The F.O. and I went on a day and a half safari to a couple of National Parks north of the city. Simply awesome experience.
We fly that particular trip as Dubai-Nairobi-Dar Es Salaam-Nairobi. Spend the night or two and then Nairobi-Dubai. Sometimes they substitute Entebbe for Dar. I've only done the Dar version. The flight from Nairobi down to Dar is quite cool as you go right past Mt. Kilimanjaro and then I work out a self position for landing on runway 23 which takes us offshore and fairly close to Zanzibar. It's a picturesque flight when the weather is good. Dar is quite busy with a lot of Caravan, King Air, and other traffic heading into the bush. Since it's non-radar it can get a little interesting, but I haven't had any trouble getting it or out of there. Entebbe is supposed to be a very picturesque flight as well.
We also fly to Johannesburg a couple of times a day. Hoping that comes back on the 777 soon. The airport is at 5000 feet above sea level so it's a bit like Denver. It's a great place to go for a good steak dinner with some very good local red wine.
The thing about flying in Africa is that there is virtually no radar and the level of ATC competence is suspect. IATA has worked out an inflight broadcast procedure so all traffic self reports position on a common frequency. You broadcast 5 minutes prior to crossing a reporting point, 5 minutes prior to crossing or joining an ATS route, at 20 minutes intervals between reporting points, 2 to 5 minutes before changing level, and any other time you deem appropriate. It is necessary as I've gone through an entire FIR without being able to get in contact with the controlling authority. Nairobi are okay, but Addis and Mogadishu can be difficult to contact. With everyone self reporting you can get an idea of where your traffic is and coordinate amongst yourselves if necessary.
My airline has a lot of trouble going in and out of Khartoum. I've read quite a few reports where ATC caused a loss of separation. Cairo tried to put us in the path of someone else once, but we questioned them and they changed the clearance. Lagos tower convinced a cargo 747 to land on a closed runway with a ditch cut across the middle a year or two ago. Forget which airline, but it didn't turn out real good for the airplane. Power outages can be common which might cause the runway lights to go out right when you need them. There aren't a lot of viable alternate airports along most routes. In short it's the kind of flying that keeps you on your toes. I wouldn't want to do it everyday but once in awhile it's fun.
Typhoonpilot
