INto-Africa tour

[Maybe]

Hi All,

I've watched various dvd's of guys who've done Coast to coast, 7 nations, read the book of freedom flight....etc.
Me...and I know of MANY other....who would love to go on such an adventure.

But there are 4 main problems:
Most of us don't
1.) have 4 - 40 weeks leave available
2.) have fast trikes with 912's or even 582's
3.) have A lot of money to fund the fuel etc of such a looong trip
4.) have the right experience (Weather wise & international flying wise) to tackle it.

How about getting some knowledge from the guys who've done it, and maybe want to do it again as a tour leader.....setting up a trip with the following qualities:
a.) Suitable and structured primarily for 503 ("slower") trikes
b.) Flight legs of no more than 3 hours (to accommodate the typical 50L fuel tanks)
b.) Not more than 9 days (take off Saturday morning......arrive back the following Sunday afternoon) - Thus you will only need 5 days of leave
c.) Somewhere at the end of May or 1st week in August. (any other time in winter....that is not 2010 soccer)

The route is debatable:
We can stay within SA....but going across the border makes it so much more fun.

Example 1:
Clear customs at Pilansberg Intl > Gaborone > Orapa > Maun > North of Okavango delta> Etosha > Windhoek > Pof adder > Vryburg > Pilansburg / Home

Example 2:
Clear customs at Nelspruit > Maputo > XAi Xai > Inhambane > Vilanculos > Beira > Chimoio > Harare > Bulawayo > Magadigadi Pans> Gabarone > Pilansburg> home

Maybe the guys who have don't it knows of better places to go or routes to follow.....lets get in ALL the ideas!

Or maybe there are a couple of guys who have already planned a similar trip and wouldn't mind a couple of 503' trikes tagging along.

Lets hear it!!

Happy flying

[Trikenut]

This sounds like a great idea!
Looking forward to feedback!
A great guy to contact is Mark Becker. He has done 3 flying adventures so far and has filmed all of them. He did two of his adventures with a Windlass 503 trike. The third used a different trike.
See:http://www.flyingthefish.com, http://www.flyingthefalls.com and http://www.freetoadventure.com
You can contact him via email: mark at freetoadventure . co . za (remove spaces and change at to @)
Regards,

[Ranger]

HI maybe
The 503 is very capable of doing the long trips. The big difference between the engines is the climb rate and how heavy you load the trike. Have done a trip from Cape Town to Upington into Namibia north into Botswana to the Okavango delta and back. Two 503's and a 582. Baviaanskloof is also a nice weekend trip. Planning is straight forward and the trick is not to over plan but leave some enroute planning to keep it interesting. Most importantly is to get a lot of flying experience and by that i don't mean building hours around the patch. Do day trips but fly the whole day to learn how to use thermals etc. Do a lot of outlandings, precautionary landings and engine off landings. It's a lot of fun and you and the trike become one.( An incident i once had made me one with my trike and mother earth. One BIG bundle of aluminium, dacron. flesh,rock and vegetation.) It's how we learn. Trikes have come far from the days when a few pipes were bolted together and a weedeater engine was fitted. They are safe and very reliable. Maybe we can ask a moderator to start a new heading in the destinations section for cross country trips.

[JCH]

Great Idea to have a dedicated area for these type of trips.

I want to go to Northern Cape + Southern Namibia somewhere between May and August.
Augrabies, Fish and Luderitz - also visiting family in Bethanie on a 24,000 hect farm.

Due to the limited time you have mentioned, I was considering to trailer and then spend more time flying at the destination???

Example 2:
Clear customs at Nelspruit > Maputo > XAi Xai > Inhambane > Vilanculos > Beira > Chimoio > Harare > Bulawayo > Magadigadi Pans> Gabarone > Pilansburg> home

I spoke to Mark Becker and he indicated that out of all his trips the "Into the Blue" in Mozam was not very pleasant.
Lots of hassles with people stealing things, officials!! and other safety.
I would definitely avoid Zimbabwe at this stage. Fuel shortages just one of the reasons.
Botswana & Namibia - lots to see but huge distances. Not easily done without ground support vehicle(s).

[Blue Max]

The Desert Run is a event on the quad calender..It is a quad tour from Red Sands at Kuruman to Swakopmund in Namibie..
It is organized for somewhere in April during the easter and it stretces over 7 to 8 or 9 days..I am told that Microlighters are welcome to join..(I think they might even be of help.)
I am on my way the coming week to organize my passport!!!
My son is go-ing by quad and I am going by Microlight..!!! I will try and copy and paste the link..Pa lees bietjie hier oor die desert run wat ons wil doen…: http://www.bikesa.biz/index.php?option= ... &Itemid=59

It worked..!!

[nicow]

Great plan!
First,come fly in the Limpopo,you don't need a passport,and we have nice runways,and a lot of game farms to see.Our meat is the best in the country,and our wood make the best coals for braaivleis!

[AndyG]

Why cross borders when there is so much to see in our country. Years ago I did lots of long trips around the beautiful SA all on my Windlass with skinny wheels and single ignition 503. The hospitality was amazing. On one trip I was about an hour past Colesburg and sunset was imminent. I knew that I would not make my destination to a private airstrip where I was planning on spending the evening. I landed on a dirt track in the veld and resigned myself to spending the night under my wing. About 20 minutes later a bakkie arrives with the driver being the owner of the farm I have landed on. He does not speak a word of english but fortunately my afrikaans is fairly good. I tell him why I have landed and ask his permission to spend the night on his land. He will hear nothing of it and insists that I come and spend the evening at his farmhouse. He even sent a labourer back to my trike to look after it for the evening. The hospitality and food was amazing. I ended up spending 2 days there and took him for a flip. It was the first time he had ever been in the air and he was astounded. He could not believe how quickly we could cover his farm from the air. It took him 2 days to do a full inspection of his boundary fences by bakkie!!

It cut 2 days out of my trip but was well worth it. We still stay in touch. The point I am trying to make is that there is much to be had by touring our own country without crossing borders.

Enjoy your trip wherever you guys choose to go. Wish I could join you.

PS All of the above was done without GPS.
Map and compass, that was it.

[Alpha]

Hi All,

Well all this sounds like a lot of fun. Firstly I am based in the northern Cape at a place called Kathu and I fly from an awesome airport called Sishen(FASS). We have a 1800m tar runway and some awesome scenery. We are 25 miles west of FAKU(Kuruman) and approximately 150miles south of the botswana border. If you looking for some great experience with regard to thermals then this is where to fly as in summer we have major thermal activity. About 3 weeks ago I flew at 12 midday from Hotazel to Sishen and let me tell you it was one hairy flight, but the experience that comes with that you cannot beat. As for the desert run, it is quite a huge happening and draws a good crowd. Will be good to do it in a trike. By the way I fly a Cosmos trike witha raptor wing and powered by a Rotax 503....more than enought power and rate of accent with 50 litres of fuel plus 2 up of about 90Kg's each.

So if there are plans to fly the northern cape...please let me know...maybe I can help and join in the festivities...

Safe Flying.

[Thatchman]

Dave Daniels I think organises trips as well for non 912 trikes. aybe get hold of him.

[Stephan van Tonder]

Great idea.

[Splinter]

Sounds like great fun! Keeping my eyes on this one! Would like to join, doesnt matter if you fly 1 or 8 hours a day or how far. As long as it doesnt start end Oct I will consider it very very strongly!

ZU-RED

[flintstone]

My opinion....
Stay within SA. Its still reasonably civilised.
A group of us have circumnavigated the coastline of SA a few years back and it was an amazing trip. Only flew a few hours per day. All 503's. Mostly windlass. Nice and slow. One was even a single ignition 503.
The scenary was spectacular and varied. Hospitality warm and typical South African. Beers always cold.

You can look up www.skytribe.co.za and follow the link "Circumnavigating SA by microlight".

I'd love to do something similar again.

[caneco]

i agree with flintstone..South Africa Is Beatifull..my vote for yo flintstone

[RV4ker (RIP)]

Why not publish a route, and who ever can join whenever.....

Something like the round SA done by the woer woer's some time ago....
Jhb to FAMM to West coast, down the coast to CT, garden route, transkei, Natal, Limpopo and back to Jhb. Those along the route can join and those who can't get leave can return from wherever or join for a day or 2?

Just a thought...

[Splinter]

Why not publish a route, and who ever can join whenever.....

Something like the round SA done by the woer woer's some time ago....
Jhb to FAMM to West coast, down the coast to CT, garden route, transkei, Natal, Limpopo and back to Jhb. Those along the route can join and those who can't get leave can return from wherever or join for a day or 2?

Just a thought...

Almost the same as the Smart-ass tour last year. Great flying, I would however suggest that jou start on the eastern side at Limpopo past natal and transkei towards CT as the sun rises in the east and can be pain in the backside if you have to fly into the sun bouncing of the water during the morning flights (assuming most flights will take place in the early hours of the day)! Otherwise perfect!

ZU-RED