We are now in Alexandria after landing at Borg Al Arab airport which is the local military airport. We mistakenly thought that the airport at Alexandria was closed for repairs. Luckily we are not in trouble – actually everyone is very hospitable and helpful. Now we have to mission through to get out of here early enough to cross the Mediterranian sea in daylight. The sea crossing is our scariest flight because we do not have a life raft – just a life jacket each! We are both a bit nervous of the flight today. We are waiting for our agent – Mahmoud – to collect us and take us to the airport. We will then split the duties – I will do the checking of the engine and James will do the fuel run (there is no Avgas so we have taken the 4 fuel cans out and will use them to fill up from a local fuel station)
The flight from Khartoum to Alexandria was a great experience – we took off in the pitch dark and then flew straight out across the eastern edge of the Sahara. What a great experience to be flying at night again. This time we were able to dim the Voyager for night flight and also for the first time we were able to use the little night light we fit into our Slings. Although the wind was a howling headwind at ground level, once we were up to flight level 085 the headwind had dissapeared which we needed in order to make it. Once we were in Egyptian airspace we were routed along airways which took us over Luxor and Cairo. It was pretty easy going but we did sweat a bit to make it with the fuel because of the headwind we encountered towards the end of the flight. After 10.7 hours we landed with an hour and halfs fuel left.
Oh yes – something I am not sure you want to know about – although urinating in the plane is easy because we have a “piss tube” which consists of a funnel with a tube attached to it – which we push through a hole in the floor … but doing a number 2 is a little more complicated. For the first time yesterday one of us absolutely had to do a number 2. Without a convenient “shit tube” it required a bit of planning – a plastic bag is placed on the seat and then you take your pants off and squat. James had bits of toilet paper stuffed up his nostrils but he still moaned a lot and insisted the bag get thrown out. The greenies will have a hernia but I am here now to confess and say 10 Hail Mary’s and swear never to do that again. Over!
OK, Mahmoud is here.
Bye for now. Hold thumbs.Mike and James
