Fuel lessons

I learnt something new about filling up with Avgas at Kasane International Airport, Botswana. Usually our Sling takes 95 unleaded car petrol which I get from our local petrol station and fill up the tanks by syphoning the fuel out of containers. Car petrol is not generally available at airports when we travel though so we have to get Avgas (Aviation Gasoline) from the tanker or bowser at the airport. This is a higher grade fuel and is not good for long-term use in our planes and also pumps much quicker with the electric pump.

Half-full

I usually pop the fuel cap on quickly after refueling to stop any dust or impurities getting in while the cap is off. The next morning after filling the tanks at Kasane I checked the fuel level and was shocked to see that the one tank had dropped by nearly a third. The lesson to be learned is that if the tank is filled very quickly, the fuel does not have enough time to drain through the buffer compartments in the tank so it looks like the tank is full, but if you wait a bit for it to drain through the level drops significantly. Fortunately I had enough fuel for the next leg and James drained an extra 40l out of his tank at Victoria Falls for me.. but I will remember to wait in future and recheck the level before assuming the tank showing full is actually full. No one wants to run out of fuel on a long 4 1/2 hour flight with not many alternative airfields around.

Refueling with Avgas at Kasane taught me a new lesson

Sling Africa Tour day 5 - we arrive and fly over Vic Falls

Nothing can describe the excitement as we caught sight of Victoria Falls almost from the border with Botswana only 70kms away. It was a short flight and no sooner were we in the air than the spray and mist from the Falls could be seen from the cockpit. A special rules area operates over the Falls and you need permission to fly over either just prior to landing at Victoria Falls International Airport or on departure.

It was a clear morning and James suggested that the six planes fly in formation with me in the lead and then doing a complete circuit passing to the right of the Falls on the Zimbabwe side and crossing anti-clockwise into Zambian airspace to complete the circuit with the other 5 Slings in tow and then over the town to the airport about 10 nautical miles out of town for landing.

James, Marc and I pay landing fees in Kasane before departing for Vic Falls

The Namibian, Zambian and Zimbabwe border posts were all within 5kms of the Botswana border here in Kasane

We couldn't decide what to call our "gaggle" of Slings all parked together at Kasane Airprt as we refuelled for our flight to Victoria Falls.

James briefs us on the formation flying to Vic Falls in a rare moment in which he had a pen to hand ha ha. 

The mighty Zambezi River came into sight and we followed it to the Falls. The spray and mist went up over 1 500 ft AGL (4 500ft) and could be seen almost from the Botswana border 70 nm away as we cruised in at 6000 ft, although I managed to get down below 5 000 ft as we flew over them.

Flying over the town of Victoria Falls keeping the Falls to our left

The Zambezi River flows from the Zambian side over the Falls into Zimbabwe, then flows under the bridge which links Zimbabwe (left above) with Zambia on the right.

The Zambian city of Livingstone has grown exponentially and is considerably larger than Vic Falls and appears on the left of the river slightly upsteam from the Falls.

Lee's great photo of the Falls and Bridge from their plane

We parked at the Airport in the same order we flew in

What an incredible flight and view. It's hard for me to describe. 

Canopy covers on.. immigration and passport control next

Marc and Llew ready for the paperwork.. General Declarations in duplicate, health declarations, crew/passenger information...

Air Zimbabwe plane landed just after us

Waiting for everyone to complete the documentation process

As soon as we had checked in to the Cresta Sprayview Hotel (which had no view of the spray), we caught a cab down to the visitor centre and entrance to the Falls trail

The Falls stretch 1,7km across the width of the Zambezi River and in the wetter season we were in some 500 cubic metres of water flow over the edge per minute and up to 3 000 cubic metres at its highest. Entry to the Falls trail cost USD$ 20 and extends from the Devil's Cataract on the left, with viewpoints all along until you reach the bridge on the right which spans the river from the Zimbabwe side to the Zambian side.

Our first sight of the Falls on foot with rainbows everywhere in the early afternoon sun - the glory of the Falls deserves a separate posting with the incredible views and pics I was so privileged to be able to take at this UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sling Africa Tour day 4 - Kasane

The plan was to stay 2 nights at each of our destinations. This worked well and allowed us to catch our breath after arriving on our flight from the previous destination, check in and orientate ourselves at our new temporary home and drink as much as possible the first night..ha ha, and then hold back and prepare the next day for the following leg of the journey filing flight plans and getting sorted.

Day 4 of the tour the weather was blistering hot and we did a bit of shopping in the 2-donkey, 5 elephant and 3 warthog town of Kasane alongside the famous Chobe River. I bought some clean socks as I had stupidly only brought one pair of shoes on the trip and these got saturated in the rainstorm and swamps on our first day in Nguma, so my shoes and socks were all slushy.

There was time after shopping for a dip in the Lodge pool and we all then went on a sunset cruise down the Chobe River in search of elephants, hippos, birds and crocodiles...

This is the first time I have seen a Baobab tree and it was huge

There really were elephants crossing the road

Lee had to push really hard

Warthogs eating bits alongside the roadside traders, like stray dogs

We found some beautiful lodges on the walk from our place - Thebe River Safari lodge - to the town of Kasane about 3 kms away, and we went in search of the best ccktails..

Monitor lizzard lying in the sun

Our sunset cruise along the Chobe River in search of game

James and Blane

Abundant birdlife - these Commorant need to dry their wings after catching fish or insects in the water

Buffalo alongside the river

Elephants were everywhere frolicking in the mud and crossing to the island in the middle of the river

A rainbow in the distance and I was the first one to spot a giraffe somewhere in the far bushes

This hippo was munching grass furiously

Our shadows on the river bank looked like people on a travellator as the boat cruise gently along

Blane, Willie and Pierre

Dave and Sandy on the top deck

The ardent photographers in the group were each vying to get the best sunset shot

Sandy taking her sunset photo

Cobus's stunning sunset photo

That was the end of day 4 in Botswana. In the morning we leave Kasane in Botswana and cross into Zimbabwe for Victoria Falls.