Week 3
Day 15
Off to Johannesburg Mi. A short flight only 2 hours. We were advised that our routing would take us across Lake Huron and that perhaps we should fly around the shore. But we routed direct anyway. We are used to water crossing by now!!! The folk of Johannesburg gave us such a warm welcome at Paul’s Pub, which is run by Steve and Holly. I’m still feeling there warm welcome as I type this. Thumb, thumb in my head!!!!!!!!! The restaurant was packed with the folk of Jo’burg Mi, and we all had a wonderful time. New friendship’s have been forged and I look forward our future friendship. We might even see some of them in Egoli!!!!!!!!!
Day 16 - OSHKOSH
THE BIG DAY!!! OSHKOSH! The weather could not have been better! Some high cloud but better than 10nm viz. Off runway 27 to 4500’ on a VFR flight plan in formation with our new found friends Wild Bill and Jarmo in their Cessna 210. Out over lake Michigan and north of Oshkosh to join on the Ripon/Fisk no radio arrival and the Blue approach pattern. The final flight was so quick. Chalkie was routed onto runway 36 right and Francesco and Myself onto runway 36 left. Well what a welcome. All our South African countrymen were there to meet us! With the South African flag held high we were quickly surrounded. We had made it !! We have covered 10580nm in 89 Hours, 17 Minutes and 22 Seconds. What next??? Well we need to service the aircraft before Sunday, when we are scheduled to leave.
Day 17 - 21
Well after our fantastic welcome from everyone, we set up our tents with the rest of the SA contingent at camp Scholar. We flew the Piper and Cessna out over lake Winnebago for a photo shoot with John Miller from SA Flyer. It’s always fun to do some formation flying and I certainly jump at the chance. Over the following days we have all been shopping for that elusive aircraft part that we can’t get back home or the one that simply costs too much. Others have made the plunge and bought their dream, a kit aircraft. We’ve serviced our aircraft under the watchful eye of our engineer Ricky Gonsalves of Midrand Aircraft Maintenance and we are ready for the flight home. I think we are all itching to get going!!!!!!!!! We leave Sunday and fly to First Flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. From there its northward to Maine, and St John’s in Newfoundland Canada. The longest leg is from St John’s across the Atlantic to Santa Marie in the Azores some 1370 nm. Then to Las Palmas in the Canaries, where we’ll have a day off. Then onto Bamako Mali and then onto Accra in Ghana on the same day, another 1700 nm. Another day off and then to Libreville Gabon, Ondangwa Namibia and then home to Lanseria. We should arrive around August 13th or 14th.