Flight 19's Wild Kingdom

[Willy]

Well, we're in the Canary Islands getting ready to head into Africa. Not sure where we're going in Africa, but it should prove interesting.

[Taco]

Hey there everybody, Off to the dark continent, shucks. no problem Dudley and I brought along plenty of Batteries. The pictures, I believe Mr. Willy was reading the manual about how to land, hehe, me as long as we can walk away. Thought I would try some fomation flying while he was boning up on flying. No bad for some who, I am told, can't see but a little was pass the wind screen. Yall take care!

[Willy]

That manual didn't do much good... No pictures...

[Willy]

Spotted this suspicious looking ship shortly after takeoff....

[Taco]

Nice picture Willy.

[Taco]

Hi everybody,

Just added a picture before our take off to Africa. You know it ain't dark there all the time, I believe someone was pulling my leg. Hehe, have enough batteries to last for the next couple of years. Old Dudley is jumping around kind of worried about that fellow name Achmed, come to think about so am I.

[Willy]

A couple of pics from tonight's flight. Somewhere in Morocco.

Great place to put a tall building



After we got parked, it didn't take long for the local criminal element to make itself known.

[Taco]

Hey there!


Surprise hehe were back. Flew along the coast of this giant sandbox, and I mean there is a lot of sand!
But one thing the weather has stayed in our favor for a change, and no signs of Achmed so far, hopefully, he is out with his smelly camels. If he read this I might be a world of Poop, hehe. Here hopping he can't read, lol. I understand when he hears of anything about the pilots of Flight 19 he goes ballistic! I guess he has no sense of Humor. Hehe we are the good guys.


Need to find a Pep Boys, I think I wore out the brakes on my plane trying to make turns, darn thing just doesn't want to turn. When we have the new brakes will make some adjustment to help

[Taco]

Hey folks,


Sure glad we are having an R&R day, but Dudley and I are busy working on a old DC-3 that we got from local, Swap shop. More than likely should be named “Watch your back side” hehe. Chasing varmints out of the cargo area and we are luckily that most of the cockpit was in good shape. Even need to remove a bird nest from #2 engine. We got some help from local mechanics who jump in and drain the old fuel and oil out and replace it with new fuel and oil. Then came the time of reckoning, We all walked the engine thru for few times, hit the start switch for #2 ran her thru for a few more rev. and then hit the mags. Hehe no start. Make this a short story, eventually we got then both started, and boy did the smoke roll out. Then we gave her a flying lesson, and what great surprise she flew like a grand old lady she is! For a change no problems.

[Willy]

Traded the Lodestar in on a Trader. Here's a couple of pics from tonite's flight to Casablanca.

[Willy]

We went on to GMMX which the local town was named after Mary Kesh.

It seems Western and Santa Fe get around a bit. Talked to the Santa Fe guys and it seems they're needing a pilot for that C-46. Might just take 'em up on it.

[Willy]

We made it to GMAZ after flying over a lot of desert. This much aviation out in the middle of nowhere will probably have the local authorities figure we're up to something!

[Taco]

Hey there just this one picture showing some of the sand piles we flew over. Landing on a mesa with a sand runway was really different, but the winds were down so that help. Now on to Algeria,, see you all later'

[Taco]

Hey there! Hehe, I'll bet you all thought that we flew off into the wilds and got lost! Well almost! The problem was that I blew a jug on the #1 engine, and believe me parts are hard to get when you are in the middle of the biggest sand box in the world, it took a number of days to get the parts here, I thought it was coming by camel as long as it took, and to our grief, it turned out to be a complete engine change. Sure glad we brought along a great big hammer. (hehe, most of you know what I mean) But with the help of some locals we got the bloody engine changed. Back in the air, and hope this will be the last major problems we run into.

[Taco]

Hello all, well, we are back in the air again. Left Hamaquir for Timimoun. Talk about being out in no where, didn't a thing on the flight except small mounds of sand, and I mean plenty of sand. All in all a very nice flight. So, here we will be taking off for Reggane (Daan) more sand! hehe. Question is, do we carry a lot of water and cut back on the fuel, or cut back the water in order to carry our normal fuel load. Neat question or dumb!

[Willy]

Here's a couple of pics I took last night. (I must have been in a different time zone)

[Willy]

Santa Fe decided they'd had enough of Africa for now, so it's back to the other light twin....

[Taco]

Hey there!


Here we are, still flying across the one the biggest sand boxes in the world. Since we are flying vintage WWII aircraft, so I thought since the scenery is mostly the same out here I would listen to the music from that era. Chattanooga Choo Choo,, in The Mood, and of course most of Glenn Miller's recording. Hehe, so me, and Dudley are rocking across this here desert. We are just boogieing along happy as heck, and guess what, we forgot to take any pictures. Oops! Hehe, luckly we remembered to land! Just one of those days flying with Flight 19.

[Taco]

Hey Hot dog! Dudley P. crew from Fudpuckers Airline came thru with a plane that will keep up with Willy's plane. Dudley was telling me they got it from the US Navy, how and when I didn't ask, I maybe crazy, but me ain't no fool. hehe. He said he asked for the plane to be painted in part in a bright color, and orange is bright. Shucks, it barley covered the lettering from the original paint scheme. I guess since we are heading in closer to Achmed country some problems could arise. The man has a memory of an Elephant never forgot what Flight 19 might have screwed him out of, and you all know that the pilots of Flight 19 are above approach concerning honesty LOL. Now it is time for me to learn how to fly this bugger

[Taco]

Hi Folks, here we are again.


Last nights flight I sure pulled a boo-boo forgot to change fuel tank and both engines shut down. The fans stop, and then the pilots sweats. Hehe. Note the one picture you can see the US Navy paint under the Grey paint and of course the Star and bar insignia.


The first time we started the engine I thought the US Navy was saving monies, and didn't put any rings on the piston. Boy, do they smoke, but after a short warn up they stop smoking as all the pistons heated up and swelled up against the cylinder walls. Also, one of these days I need to learn Navy Aviator language had a heck of a time trying to get the wings in position.

[Willy]

Caught up with Taco out in the middle of sandstorm out in the middle of nowhere in the desert and we flew on to DAAT. Nice flight once we got above the sandstorm.

[Moses03]

Ended up in Bordj Badji Mokhtar this segment which is at the southern tip of Algeria.

[Taco]

Here we are again!


It was a very nice flight, but the L10 had some problems and needed to go back the starting airport. I was thinking that that rascal Achmed may have had a hand in the problems, but who knows! Moses got her fixed up and caught up with us, and the remaining part of the flight was problem free for all of us. Still lots of sand here, kind of wonder where they got the gravel for some of the runway must have haul it in from the mountains, but ain't no mountain except these large sand mole hills. A few photos from last nights flight.

[Taco]

Hey there!

We left Algeria (DATM) and landed in Mali (GAKL), No problems except this dipstick stalled his plane and made a new hole along the Airport at GAKL Kidal. One thing, it is nice and green around this airport even with a runway made of sand, nice change. Next, off to GABR, Bourem, Mali. hehe nice surprise a dirt runway at 5085 ft, Going to be interesting, I think. So see you all at Bourem.

[Moses03]

And into Timbuktu, Mali.