Leaving Africa upon vintage wings

We started this Around the World adventure 4 months ago. We left with the plan to …fly west until it leads us back home. We are closing in on home.

 

 

The idea that humans evolved in southern Africa was popularized in Charles Darwin’s 1871 book ‘The Descent of Man’.

It introduces the reasons Africa is called the “Cradle of Humanity”. It's a topic that will continue to be argued but what cannot be argued, Africa is where our Little Bird evolved.



Little Bird waiting in Livingston

Our OEM Lear45 has had various flight model modifications from fellow sim pilots and Lear drivers. She is a pleasure to fly. Our new girl is a Flysimware Lear35. She is a highly detailed model of a 1993 Gates Lear 35. To say she’s a handful to fly is as much an understatement as saying I’m not surprised that Linda asked how much more …stuff she could carry. Why wouldn’t she, after all …

Luanda Shopping Mall

… We’re flying from Livingston (FLLI) to Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport (FNLU), Luanda, Angola. Luanda is called the “Most Expensive City” on the planet. Linda said “Oh boy, shopping”. I said, “No honey … import tariffs imposed in March 2014 made Luanda expensive. Here’s an example, a half-liter tub of vanilla ice-cream at the supermarket cost $31 USD. Let’s go find some music to listen to instead”.



Wideawake Field

Our plan is to get out of town as soon as possible. We’ll put as much Jet A into Little Bird as she’ll hold (934 gal, 6260 lbs.) then head 1000 miles west out onto the Atlantic Ocean. There's a tip of a giant underwater volcano sticking out above the water out there, somewhere. It’s called Ascension Island. There’s a small chunk of flat dirt on it called Wideawake Field (FHAW). The chart note for FHAW is: “Caution, Livestock on field”.

We’re headed out of Africa into the big blue unknown on the wings of a beautiful vintage bird.

Our adventure is headed home …but first