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#4024597 - 10/19/14 09:34 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 ***** [Re: corsaire31]  
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19 Oct 22:00 Last evening in Agadir



Before flying to the deep South, we need to immerse ourselves in the ambience of the time. The Rio de Oro ( today Spanish Sahara ) was home for rebel tribes. In case of a breakdown, the planes which had to land were likely to be attacked, and it most of the time ended with a looting and a ransom request, sometimes a lot worse. The planes later were flying in pairs, so that if one had to land, the other one would land nearby and pick up the mail and the crew.

Let's listen to Joseph Kessel ( famous french journalist and writer ) who wrote in his book "Vent de sable" (Sand wind ) the story of the flight to Senegal he made as a journalist in the Aeropostale planes.

" On March 2, 1927, the uruguyan hydroplane of Commander Larre-Borges, who was attempting a transatlantic raid with three men on board, fell in the sea a hundred kilometers away from Cape Juby. This accident created in the whole world a deep anguish. At first the crew's fate remained totally unknown. Then it came out that they were able to rejoin the coast and had been taken as prisoners by the Moors.
On March 5, Mermoz discovers what is left of the hydroplane and signals its position. Pilots Riguelle and Guillaumet land by the wreck and find out by the Moors what happened. On the 8th, pilots Reine and Antoine land to drop the spanish government emissaries by the kidnappers of the Uruguyans, and take off under a hail of bullets. On the 10th, the same pilots come back to pick up the bought back uruguyan crew and fly them to Cape Juby. This happened three months after the murder of Gourp, Erable and Pintado, in the same region, with the same fanatics.

There have been more breakdowns, more captivities. They were all relatively benign. Until this dawn of June 1928 when the plane carrying pilot Marcel Reine, engineer Edouard Serre and the moroccan translator Abdallah hit in the fog a high sand dune of the Rio de Oro, the spanish Sahara.
Coming out unscathed from the unusable plane, the three men were almost immediately captured by some R'Guibat. These moorish nomads and warriors belonged to a specially wild and greedy tribe. The messengers who came on their behalf to the nearest fort asked for an unbelievably high ransom. Negociations lasted for four months.
During this time, Reine and Serre lived as slaves of the blue skin camel riders. Hunger, thirst, extreme heat,vermin, blows, exhausting walking, hands and legs full of wounds, they got to know all the torments that could inflict a land, a climate, and masters all equally merciless.
In France their names had become famous. People were following their adventure day by day with anguish and passion. When they were endly set free, they were welcome, they were celebrated as victors.
Then everyone started thinking about something else."

Last edited by corsaire31; 10/20/14 08:31 AM.

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#4025029 - 10/20/14 10:47 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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20 Oct 14:00 To the desert !

The planes and the men are ready... Time to fly towards the heat !
Today's flight will take us from Agadir-Inezgane where we spent the weekend to Plage Blanche Airport in Tan-Tan. The flight plan will take us over Sid Ifni which will be our safety airfield in case of a problem on the way.



It is almost 14:30 when I leave the runway towards the coast.



A few low clouds hanging around make me stay at 2500 ft while I follow the rather flat beaches of the Souss-Massa National Park.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souss-Massa_National_Park )



Then as I fly further south, the dunes get higher, the coast is mostly a desert, and the only landmarks are the marks of wadis going to the sea.



Around 15:15, on time with the flight plan, I fly over Sidi Ifni airfield. As the clouds are gone, I climbed to 4500 ft to have a better view on the landscape.



I fly straight on heading 232° towards Tan-Tan, and while I start to descend back to 2500 ft, a few low clouds force me to fly around them.



While approaching Plage Blanche airport ( White Beach, although it is well inland ) I fly over the National Road n°1 going south.



Coming to my parking spot, I can see a Beechcraft taking off to Tenerife in the Canary Islands.



And here we are, parked at 16:10. A short flight without problem, only the monotony of the landscape has sometimes made the pilot close his eyes for a few seconds !



I'll just have now to go by the road to Tan-Tan town, which entrance is guarded by a couple of stone dromedaries.



Tan-Tan is a city in Tan-Tan Province in the region of Guelmim-Es Semara in south-western Morocco. It is a desert town with a population (2004 census) of 60,560. It is the largest city in the province and second largest city in the region after the capital Guelmim. It is located on the banks of the wadi Oued Ben Jelil, which flows into the Draa River 15 km north of the town. The Draa River, at 1,100 km is the longest in Morocco and flows into the Atlantic Ocean soon after the confluence with the wadi.

Last edited by corsaire31; 10/20/14 10:48 PM.

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Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4025790 - 10/22/14 08:33 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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21 Oct 15:00 Fog over the sand

Today we enter the contested western Sahara. The flight should take us from Tan-Tan to El Aayun, with a hook over Tarfaya, where is the famous Cape Juby of the Aeropostale time.



I take off from Tan-Tan around 15:00 under some low clouds.



Then comes the sand as far as you can see, along a lonely coast. I fly at 4500 ft in a clear sky.



Just when I closing on Tarfaya, after an hour of flight, the fog comes in from the sea and I need to quickly go down to 1500 ft to keep the coast in sight.



I am very disappointed that I will overfly Tarfaya with a bad visibility, but I am surprised to see that Tarfaya has totally disappeared from FSX. Nothing, nichts, nada ... In reality it looks like this :



To fly to El Aayun I need to leave the coast, and in the meantime the fog is getting thicker. I decide to go on IFR flight ( I Follow the Road )!
And here I am 1000 ft above the ground, head outside keeping my eyes on National Road N° 1. I feel lucky to have it, and I can imagine how it was in the time of the Line when there was no landmark.





Calling El Aayun tower from 20 nm away, I have the bad surprise to find out the runway in use is 02. As I come from the north, I will have to fly around.
Thanks to some guiding information from the tower, I finally find the runways (there are two runways at the Hassan I airport in El Aayun ) and land on runway 02.



I am also surprised to have to give way during my taxi to a Cessna going to take off with that weather !



All is fine in the end, I take the plane to the parking. What a relief ! The last part of the flight from Tarfaya was hard on the nerves. I suddenly understand more sharply the stories often told by the Line pilots about the fog.



* El Aayun is the most important town in the western Sahara.

More info : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Aaiun




Last edited by corsaire31; 10/22/14 08:36 PM.

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Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4026349 - 10/24/14 12:11 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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I am away from the cockpit for a few days, flights will resume on Monday 27 Oct.

Last edited by corsaire31; 10/24/14 12:12 AM.

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Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4028054 - 10/28/14 12:37 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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27 Oct - Flashback on last events

Friday it was planned that the assistance plane would join me coming down from Agadir. A simple flight with a waypoint over Tan-Tan VOR.



They took off from Agadir Inezgane around 14:30 with a beautiful hot weather (95° F), no wind and a good visibility.





Like me they flew quite some time along the desert coast.



Then after Tan-Tan it was straight over the sand dunes following the El Aaiun VOR.



And in the end they parked in El Aaiun after landing with ILS guiding on runway 02.



This is when we discovered that the damper of the nose landing gear was leaking, and that the assistance needed to be assisted...

No way I would go alone for a long flight (around 2 hours 45 mns from El Aaiun to Dakhla) if the assistance plane is not able to fly. As it was Friday, we had to wait until next day to go in town find a garage where we could weld the damper. It took some time to put it back on and at the same time make a complete check on both aircrafts, which explains why we are still here on Monday...

Tomorrow we fly to Villa Cisneros !

Last edited by corsaire31; 10/28/14 10:42 AM.

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Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4028472 - 10/28/14 08:18 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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I really enjoy reading these, the background pics of the places are a cool touch..

#4028491 - 10/28/14 08:57 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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28 Oct - No desert today!

Next leg is one of the longest... Two hours forty minimum from El Aayun to Dakhla (Villa Cisneros) and nothing but sand in between !



Although visibility is slightly reduced (around 3 nautical miles), I decide at 14:00 to give it a try. My goal is to fly to the coast and see if it is better there. If not I will fly back to El Aayun.



Once in the cockpit, I start warming up the engine and get everything ready.



A call to the tower to get take off clearance and the reply comes straight away : "Due to weather conditions, the airport is only opened to IFR traffic. Clearance denied."

Well, that's it for today, may be it is safer so...

I will try again tomorrow, with an earlier take off if possible to see if conditions are better !

Last edited by corsaire31; 10/28/14 11:24 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4029080 - 10/29/14 11:44 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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29 Oct - Stranded in El Aayun !

This time it is real life circumstances that didn't leave me today the necessary free time for this long flight !

In the meantime, for those interested in history of aviation, I found during my research this great document about the Aeropostale. Once you enter any of the three chapters, there is an english version inside.

http://www.airfrance-80ansaeropostale.com/


Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4029619 - 10/30/14 11:10 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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30 Oct - Dakhla, here we come !

The right conditions of time and weather finally come together ! At 14:45 we leave (endly !) El Aayun airport...
With almost full tanks and 200 pounds of mail on board, we are close to the MTOW.



I decide, even if it's a little longer, to follow the coast. I have bad memories of sea fog and I feel better to keep in sight both the coast and the National Road n° 1. In case of a big problem, I can always choose to land on a beach or even on the road, looking at the density of traffic in this corner of the planet ! The clouds ceiling allows me to fly at 2500 ft.



Sand, sand and more sand... My plane is so small and the desert is so wide !



After one hour, with some turbulences from time to time to keep me awake, I fly over the only oasis that I will see today.



Then the clouds disappear and I continue flying under the hot sun.



Around fifty nautical miles from destination, some low clouds force me to go down to 1500 ft to fly under. Then thirty nautical miles away, I can catch the Dakhla airport tower on the radio. They give me an approach on runway 03, which means I will arrive on a backwind leg.



Dakhla and its airport are situated at the end of a peninsula with some high dunes. The airport itself is on a flat surface some 400 ft high.



At 17:40 my plane is stopped on the Dakhla parking. Really happy that this long desert flight is finally behind me ...



The assitance will rejoin tomorrow and we will stay here for the week end. We will take the opportunity to come back on the history of these spanish forts ( Cap Juby in Tarfaya and Villa Cisneros in Dakhla ) which were used as stops for the Latécoère airlines.

Real picture of Dakhla ( the town, like others, has disappeared from FSX ...)


Last edited by corsaire31; 10/30/14 11:23 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4029755 - 10/31/14 06:49 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Nice AAR, I'm enjoying it! In the past I have considered doing the same as you and planning a number of Aeropostale flights. I lived in Toulouse for about 5 years back in the days when Toulouse Montaudran was still active and used by Air France maintenance. It was a really unique airfield with a road crossing the runway and gates stopping the road traffic much in the same way as at a railway crossing! It was sad to see this piece of aviation history go away and I wish the site could have been used as an aviation museum honoring Latecoere and the Aeropostale. From what I can see it now looks like the location will be used to build an new aeronautical engineering campus, so maybe the memory and the spirit of this place will be preserved after all.

Anyway, I've recently discovered how amazing it is to play Prepar3d v2 using an Oculus Rift DK2 and thought it would be perfect to fly vintage aircrafts. Perhaps I will follow your idea and recreate some of the Aeropostale flights this way!

#4031492 - 11/04/14 11:27 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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While we spend the weekend in Dakhla, let's have a look back at Tarfaya and some history about Cape Juby.

The place was first occupied by the British who built until 1882 a trading post for the Northwest African Imperial Company, la Casa del Mar. On this picture we see what is left today :



Sultan Hassan 1 negociated their departure in 1885 by buying back the outpost and giving it to the local people.

In July 1916, after an agreement between Spain and France, the Cape Juby territory was attached to the Spanish Sahara. A fort was built which would become a military penitenciary. This fort lost in the desert later becomes one of the most famous stops for the Aeropostale. Antoine de Saint Exupéry will be appointed as manager there in 1927. He stays there 18 months, negociating with the moorish tribes and rescuing some of his pilots. It is where he will write his first book, "Courrier Sud".

Picture of the time : :



To have an idea, here is what Joseph Kessel wrote when he got there on board of an Aeropostale plane flown by "Mimile" Lécrivain :

"When Mimile gently banked the plane to show it to me from as far as he could, I shivered : Was it possible ?
Built on the shore, surrounded from all sides by the enemies I wanted to avoid, the dunes and the water, was only a tiny white rectangle.

I had heard about the desolation of this outpost, but I had imagined that around the fort were at least a few shacks, some shops, some kind of miserable traffic. But I could see nothing, and as we came closer, as we came lower, this tragic solitude became more precise, except that opposite from the fort, built on a reef surrounded and beaten by the waves stood, like a grim replica, a crude and dark tower.

Right at the feet of the forts' walls began the desert, the Rio de Oro.
Like a stage manager looking after his show, and knowing that once on the ground the impression would be less striking, Mimile flew a couple of circles around Fort Juby. He only landed when he was sure this vision would be printed forever in my mind."

Tarfaya and the Cape Juby zone became part of Morocco in 1958 after the Ifni war.

What is left today, besides the Casa del Mar in a very bad state, are the fort ruins :



and a small monument in memory of Saint Exupéry and the Aeropostale :




Last edited by corsaire31; 11/05/14 11:11 AM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4031912 - 11/05/14 05:36 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Fantastic RAR. A very entertaining lesson in aviation history !
Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Slug


"Major Burns isn't saying much of anything, Sir. I think he's formulating the answer..." - Radar - M*A*S*H
#4031983 - 11/05/14 11:35 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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Thanks for reading, I also enjoy a lot telling this story which started in my home town. I also refresh my knowledge about this part of aviation history, often learn new things, and read again the books with a much better understanding, having "virtually" flown myself in real time and in the same conditions. For instance, I understand much better what they say about flying over the desert in the fog ! ( And until now I have only flown by day, these guys were also doing it at night... )


Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4032315 - 11/05/14 10:51 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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04 Nov - Down to Port Etienne !

As planned, the assistance plane arrived in Dakhla on Friday for the week end. I am glad the guys are here, because a week end alone in Dakhla, nothing much outside windsurf and kitesurf on the lagoon.



Today we leave Marocco for Mauritania, flying down the 178 nm straight from Dakhla to Nouadhibou (which was known as Port Etienne at the time of the Line )



Visibility is average on take off ( around 5 miles ) with very few clouds. I climb over the lagoon before taking a 208° heading, following the coastline.





Around half way, since visibility remains average, I decide to cut straight over the dunes to spare some flying time.



Bad choice ! After twenty minutes I am surrounded by fog getting thicker, low clouds and a very rough idea of how high the dunes can be around there. The story of Marcel Reine and Edouard Serres comes back to my mind ! Without waiting one more minute, I turn west to catch the coastline again.





Then I manage to contact the Nouadhibou airport tower. What a relief to hear a voice on the radio and to know someone can guide you if needed ! I understand better some wrtings of Saint Exupéry, when they are flying in the fog at night and that suddenly a radio station gives them a bearing...

Like Dakhla, Nouadhibou is situated at the end of a long peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the inside lagoon. The tower leads me into the pattern for a landing on runway 02. Not many planes in the air, so there is no waiting and I land with some ten knots crosswind.



After two hours and ten minutes, I stop at the Nouadhibou parking. One more desert stage to Nouakchott and we will finally arrive in Senegal.


Last edited by corsaire31; 11/05/14 10:55 PM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4032861 - 11/07/14 12:33 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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05 Nov 13:20 Z - Water and sand.

Our flight today follows the coastline of Mauritania, after crossing the national reserve of Banc d'Arguin, and will take us to the country capital, Nouakchott.



Weather conditions at start are not ideal. There is a north wind at 18 knots which is going to push me, but the visibility is average, the usual fog is over Nouadhibou.





I need to fly over water for a good hour before rejoining the coast. In these conditions, no visual landmark, so I need to fly with the eyes on the artificial horizon, the compass and the variometer. Not easy to fly a straight line !



I'm glad that after forty minutes of this kind of flying, I come out of the fog right on track, with the Cape Timirist in sight, at the end of the Banc d'Arguin shallow waters.





Bad luck, some 50 nm before Nouakchott, I plunge again into the fog and I end as usual flying 1000 feet over the coastline...



Finally I am guided for the last miles over the desert by the tower and find the runway 23. During the flight the wind has calmed down to 7 knots and turned to the South West. The landing is therefore not difficult.



And the plane is stopped on the parking at 15h30 Z.



The desert is now almost crossed, the next flight will take us to Saint Louis du Sénégal, once the assistance plane which is still in Dakhla has rejoined me.

Last edited by corsaire31; 11/07/14 12:35 AM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4032873 - 11/07/14 01:08 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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This is so cool!
I am really impressed and enjoying your journey.


beercheers

#4034530 - 11/11/14 11:05 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
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10 Nov - The assistance rejoins me in Nouakchott

Around 13:15 Z, the Islander takes off from Dakhla with a fairly good weather, although the visibility is average. They turn to a 206° heading above the lagoon and fly along the coastline.







At 6500 ft you can't see the ground anymore, but they fly directly to the Nouadhibou VOR, before turning to a 168° heading using the Nouakchott VOR/DME.



The fog lifts up halfway between the two main towns of Mauritania.



But they find it again during the descent towards Nouakchott above the sea, for an ILS approach on runway 05.



They land easily and taxi to the general aviation parking.



We can now have a little exploration in town tonight... May be a local dinner with fish and rice ?


Last edited by corsaire31; 11/11/14 11:10 AM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4035637 - 11/14/14 12:28 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
Joined: May 2011
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corsaire31  Offline
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Toulouse, France

After being away from the cockpit for a few days, because of this long Nov 11th weekend, I'm back to business !

12 Nov 12:15 Z - I've eaten all my desert!

I finally leave Nouakchott with no regrets ...



The flight to Saint Louis du Sénégal starts with the usual weather conditions : 88° F and fog from the sea, giving me a 5 miles visibility. To keep old habits, I am once again flying low along the coast, the only available landmark. Well nothing to complain about, because anyway there is only infinite sand to see.





One should never stop having hopes, as someone said "You are never sheltered from some good news !" As the fog lifts off after one hour flying just above the waves, I can't believe my eyes : water and trees, finally !



For the next miles, I still will get some extra desert.



But there is more and more water to see as we close on Saint Louis. I catch the tower on the radio and they give me a direct approach on runway 18. This is fine as I can land straight away, but I won't fly over the place. We'll do that when leaving.





After a nice landing "by the book", we head to the parking near the tower, and I stop the plane after a one hour and 45 minutes flight.





So, we are now getting close to the end of the african part of the Line. I'm really happy that the desert is finally behind us !
There will be approximately an hour of flight left to take the Waco to Dakar, where the assistance will rejoin me to take it apart and prepare it for the transport across the southern Atlantic Ocean...


Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4036662 - 11/16/14 04:07 PM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,428
corsaire31 Offline
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corsaire31  Offline
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Posts: 1,428
Toulouse, France
14 Nov 14:30 Z - Out of Africa !

First a word about Saint Louis du Sénégal:



Situated near the border with Mauritania, Saint Louis was officially created in 1659 by french sailors from Dieppe on an island in the mouth of the Senegal river.
Saint Louis was the first town built by europeans in Western Africa and has been a very important trade center for gold, arabic gum, ivory and slaves. Its people have been given french citizenship as early as the french Revolution, and specific rights in 1916. It became the political capital of the french colony and of the French Western Africa until 1902, then capital for Senegal and Mauritania. It remained a very important french trade center until 1957.

It is from Saint Louis that Mermoz took off with his hydroplane Late 28 "Comte de la Vaux" on March 12, 1930 to accomplish the first postal transatlantic flight to Natal in Brazil. The success of this first flight enabled the Aeropostale to establish a steady aerial link between Toulouse and Santiago in Chile.

Today my last african stage will be a hundred nautical miles straight flight along the coast.



After taking off against the northern wind, I turn around towards the coast, and fly over Saint Louis. We can clearly see the famous Faidherbe bridge, a metallic bridge between the historical quarters of Saint Louis island and the Sor island, then along the coast the "Langue de Barbarie". (*)





I then fly along a desert coast with some greener inhabited spots.



Dakar and its airport lie at the end of a peninsula and flying towards it we pass by some lakes, among which the famous Pink Lake (or Ratba Lake)





Approaching Dakar, where there is a lot more traffic, the tower gives me clearance for an entry into the runway 36 pattern, which will require a downwind leg.





Once landed at Leopold Sedar Senghor, taxi to the general aviation parking, and a strong feeling of coming back to modern civilization I had left since Agadir.





So here we are, for the Waco and myself it is the end of the african Aeropostale adventure... I only have now to wait for the assistance plane to rejoin tomorrow from Nouakchott.

Luckily, there is still the whole South American branch to explore !

(*) Scenery Saint Louis freeware thks to Benjamin Domergue

Last edited by corsaire31; 11/18/14 01:04 AM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
#4037755 - 11/19/14 12:33 AM Re: Aeropostale 2014 [Re: corsaire31]  
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,428
corsaire31 Offline
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corsaire31  Offline
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Posts: 1,428
Toulouse, France
15 Nov 14:00 Z - Last one for the road ...

To come to an end with Africa, the assistance plane rejoined me as planned in Dakar. They left Nouakchott with the usual fog.



Then after flying along the Senegal river, they flew over Saint Louis, guided by the 355 khz NDB situated near GOSS.







Heading on 226°, tuned on the Dakar VOR (113.10) above the sea.





Like me they get a backwind leg until over Gorée island (of sad memory, this is where the slaves were emprisoned before being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean)



... to come around and land on runway 36, equipped with an ILS on 110.30.



So this time it is the end of the adventure for our brave Islander



Now Thomas is going to fly it back to its base in Rennes (LFRN), then he will rejoin us on a commercial flight in Natal, Brasil, to hold the yoke of our assistance plane for South America, a good old DC3 we rented from a columbian company.

During that time, Francois and myself are going to look after the transport of the Waco on a cargo plane (our sponsors are generous...smile2) to Natal, with a short touristic stop in Fernando de Noronha, where the Aeropostale had a hydroplane base.

This is all going to take some time, so we see you again next week in Brasil !


PS : I bought at Simmarket a soundset by Arezone for the Islander (and for a couple of other planes in my hangar) I can only recommend it, far better for me than the original delivered with the Flight 1 plane.

Last edited by corsaire31; 11/19/14 11:33 AM.

Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker !
Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
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