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‘Operation Wild Flight' – one woman's daring flight for TanzaniaBy Colleen Hogg
British Pilot extraordinaire, Eve Jackson took to the skies last year to complete a flying marathon in her Pink (yes PINK) Microlight aircraft called Gertie, from the United Kingdom to Mkomazi, Tanzania in aid of wildlife conservation. She did it because it was a unique way to raise funds to purchase micro light aircraft for wildlife projects in Tanzania (including Mkomazi Game Reserve). The project aptly called "Wild Flight," under the wing of The Tusk Trust is best portrayed by Eve’s own words, " there was a time when the whole world was wilderness with small pockets of humans struggling to survive. Now the world is full of humans and it is the wilderness that is struggling to survive." The truth be known Eve also fell passionately in love with Tanzania and saw this as a unique opportunity to combine this with her love of flying as well as contributing towards the continual survival of our natural heritage. High winged, her kind of Shadow Microlight aircraft is perfect for ground studies from the air (including anti poaching efforts, wildlife counts and movement studies). This is not the first occasion Eve has taken to the skies big time. In 1986-7 Eve flew from the U.K to Australia in "Gertie," her 447 powered Shadow micro-light. Empty weight 170 kgs, Gertie’s cruise speed is 60 knots. This time Gertie was painted bright PINK (yes Pink), which proved to be a blessing in disguise when flying in Sudan (read on to find out why!). She carried a lucky mascot in the form of a blow-up, plastic pink and silver dog called "whoof," and was equipped with little extra than an additional fuel tank and a small tool kit (5 T-shirts, 2 shorts, 1 Puffer jacket, gloves, 1 pair of trousers and an Aero Club of East Africa cap)! Eight countries, 36 take-offs and landings lay in front of her when she took off on the first leg of her global flight, from the U.K over the channel to France. This first leg was over water, which Eve openly admitted is her least favorite type of flying, but from that moment on there was no turning back. Her diary, extensive and a great read plots her journey through France, Italy, Greece, the Crete Islands, Egypt, Sudan, Kenya and finally Tanzania. France it seems was a joy to fly in - described by Eve as "wonderful flying freedom". If Eve was to make it to Tanzania all ‘ports of call’ were strictly on a budget basis and there seemed to be an awful lot of walking between airfields, B & B’s and fuel depots. Gertie flies on Avgas (petrol) rather than Jet A1 or other aircraft fuel; which meant she often had to venture off airfields with jerry cans in tow! In lieu of this Eve tried to keep a clear day between flights as she also conducted all aircraft maintenance and checks personally throughout the venture. The entire adventure was full of surprises, meeting a diverse selection of people, and the flying took on a whole new perspective in every country she flew into. Some moments were tense and though nearly always greeted by enthusiasm she was repeatedly asked, "are you really flying all the way to Tanzania in that small plane." There were times she was very much alone. Maintenance included replacing propeller bolts, using Araldite (yes Araldite glue) to seal cracks and abrasions to the propeller (to the rear of Gertie), modifying a melted and leaking extra fuel tank, and purchasing a transponder (a gadget that allows radar to detect aircraft’s flight paths). Italy wasn’t easy. At first Eve had to leave Gertie back in France whilst she hopped over by train and bus to gain permission to fly in Gertie minus a transponder. The transponder issue was eventually resolved when Eve agreed to maintain 1000ft above ground level and circle between mountains and through steep valleys. "I saw more aircraft in low level corridors in Italy than anywhere else on the trip," says Eve. In Greece and the Crete islands people were a friendly bunch. Eve was however stuck between a rock and a hard point; she could not progress to Egypt as the authorities categorically refused her entry without a transponder on board. Frantic e-mails to the U.K ensued, and after deciding against putting Gertie on a container ship to Dar es Salaam Eve took the bull by the horns, applied for a second mortgage on her house back home and arranged friends to fly her out a transponder. Flying over the pyramids on finally reaching Egypt "sure beats the tourist route," says Eve! "Sudan was bureaucratic hell, but the people were wonderful," adds Eve. As soon as she landed at Dongola, Eve checked her propeller having sworn she’d heard something come loose during flight. The damage resulted in further maintenance work, and fuel, once again was a problem but finally Eve flew down to Juba in Southern Sudan. On the 26th of March Eve took off for Lokijogia in Northern Kenya (close to the Sudanese border). Heading for Kenya she says, "I felt I was on the home run and could almost taste the cold beer that was waiting for me!" Then as fate would have it "Wild Flight" suddenly came to a resounding halt. 1-½ hours from Kenya a loud popping sound filled the safety of her cockpit. Applying full throttle did little to help her regain speed and Eve had to make an emergency landing after announcing on the radio a ‘Mayday’. Below the desert was a sea of green, after recent rains – the first in almost a year, but her Guardian Angel was with her and she successfully made the forced landing. Above several aircraft, who heard her mayday dropped emergency supplies. After retrieving these precious water and food supplies Eve checked Gertie. A spark plug had vibrated loose from its thread and dangled lifelessly from its lead. Darkness crept over the horizon and Eve abandoned trying to cut an airstrip and got a small fire going. One of the aircraft that had previously flown over returned to circle with members of the SPLA (Sudanese People’s Liberation Army) on board and they promised that help was just 5 hours away. Sleep was impossible as thousands of mosquitoes attacked her but daybreak carried the distant noise of people talking and suddenly her SPLA escorts had arrived. Consisting of armed soldiers and a guide who weren’t’ sure whether Eve was a guest or a prisoner, what followed was a grueling 18-kilometer walk through the bush. In open sandals the thorns and grass attacked Eve’s feet. More painful than anything, it was the relentless sun, dehydration leading to a state of deliria and semi consciousness that nearly killed her. Eve swung between reality and another world. On interviewing Eve later, she was quick to add that she did not feel directly in danger at the hands of the SPLA. Inaccurate reports about her landing in a minefield spread like wildfire, and rescue attempts from the British High Commission in Kampala were thankfully dropped in favour of flying Eve straight to Loki (only 1 ½ hours away in Kenya rather than 3 hours in the wrong direction to Uganda!) From the safety of Loki Eve couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever see Gertie again? On satisfactorily recovering from her ordeal in Southern Sudan, Eve and some new found friends planned a rescue mission to recover Gertie. With the SPLA’s permission, and all papers in place, Eve re-entered Sudan. After a tiring journey fraught with vehicle problems due to extreme conditions, Eve was reunited with Gertie. "Surprisingly," says Eve, "half of Gertie was not missing and made into bracelets as I had predicted!" After a tricky take off on a make shift airstrip Gertie reached for the skies, and air born once more pointed towards Loki. The rest is history. Late September 2003, Eve, Gertie (along with "whoof" their lucky mascot) touched down at Mkomazai, Tanzania. Those interested in Eve’s amazing flight half
way across the world in aid of Tanzania’s conservation efforts can meet and hear
her captivating story first hand. Eve will be giving several talks on Operation
‘Wild Flight’ (with video accompanied by fantastic digital photographic
coverage) at key places across East Africa. Her first location will be at JAMBO
CAFÉ on March the 6th. It promises to be a super evening…of that you
can be sure with Linda Smales (owner of Jambo Café) as host. There is no
entrance fee but all donations gratefully accepted will go towards purchasing
micro-lights to assist wildlife conservation efforts in Tanzania.
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