Team Melrose and the Spirit of Adventure

[Milton Shupe]

I left one hour after Buzzbee started giving a reasonable time to delay start. That means I will be looking for my destination airport in the dark. Fortunately the NDB and city lights will be some help ... and hopefully no fog.

[Milton Shupe]

Down and safe in the dark at VERC ... nice night flight ... no mountains

[Milton Shupe]

Ah, a new day, a new scenery index, a fresh morning, and I am bound for Calcutta.

I have the baton, VERC to VECC.

[Milton Shupe]

Down and safe at Ole Calcutta VECC. The baton is free.

[buzzbee]

My apologies. Real life forced me to abandon the leg.

Not sure what happened to my Post putting the baton back at VIAL.

[Milton Shupe]

Not a problem ... we were on it. :-) Hope all is well.

[Great Ozzie]

Taking the Melrose Baton from (Nejaji Subhas Chandra Bose Intl ) Calcutta to Mazin (VECC-VYTD)

On Dangerous Dave's RTPT (btw Dave thanks and thanks for the panel light info).

Set time at Calcutta to approx 4am.

[Great Ozzie]

Well... somewhere over the Bay of Bengal almost 2 hrs into the flight, I see a few panels of the water flicker to lighter color, then the comp locks up.

All that Comet flying must have worn out the graphics card.

And it's a nice & cool 14°C in the house.

Ok... Baton back at VECC

[Great Ozzie]

Trying this again... Taking the Melrose Baton from (Nejaji Subhas Chandra Bose Intl) Calcutta to Mazin (VECC-VYTD) 4am Calcutta time.

Video driver / nhancer re-install has worked so far (crash at 1hr 30min according to post times, now 1hr 50min into the flight) and graphics actually look better.

[Great Ozzie]

Safely Released the Melrose Baton at Mazin (VYTD) 8:45am Local Time

[MM]

Will move Jimmy along to Mawlamyine (VYMM) if time permits...

Starting a new day on the VH-UQO clock.

[MM]

Safely across to VYMM.

Mawlamyine is Burma's third largest city and known for its cuisine. The Bumese expression goes "Mandaly for the speaking, Yangon for the bragging, and Mawlamyine for the eating."

This was the first capital of British Burma. Here are a couple of English writers in their characteristic voices. From Wikipedia. First, Rudyard Kipling:

By the old Moulmein pagoda
Lookin' lazy at the sea
There's a Burma girl a-settin'
and I know she thinks o' me.

And then George Orwell's 1936 memoir of his years serving as a colonial police officer:

In Moulmein, in Lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people--the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me.

For the Puss Moth, a largely uneventful flight--other than having to climb to a breath-taking 7,000 ft to avoid headwinds, a pleasant day at the office.

• Another Dawn wake up call.
• Heading into the sunrise.
• Crossing the Irrawaddy, Burma's "Big Muddy."
• Heading over the Gulf of Martaban and the Adaman Sea.

[srgalahad]

I can't stand it any more!!!!

3 days in bed in this wretched "hotel", down with the beri-beri or influenza or some such ailment.
Found a doc who had some quinine and a few other potions and I'm off to the airport at 5 am..

Going to sneak along the coast to Ye (VYYE) or if I'm still conscious, maybe I'll try for Dawei (VYDW) where there are reports of a radio beacon.

Gotta find a real colonial doctor somewhere with proper medications and a flask of Brandy

[srgalahad]

Quartering headwind estimated at 12 kts at 2000 ft but I dare not fly lower as I can see hills dimly in the pre-dawn light.
Thankfully I brought that flask of Canada Dry and I may only last the bare 40 minutes to Ye.

[srgalahad]

Lights below as the towns come away nearing dawn. I fear it may be still to dark to attempt the landing at Ye as I've been told there are no lights or flare-pots. 15 minutes more.