This update will serve as the update for day three and four as our journey continues into Africa. Day three began in Niamey, Niger (DRRN) under clear skies. The decision was made to push on to the coastal city of Douala, Cameroon (FKKD) which is a three hour journey from Niamey.
The weather was clear and warm (actually hot) in Niamey. We fueled and prepared to taxi to the active runway.
Taxi from the fuel station to the active runway at DRRN.
Our departure clearance was granted quickly and we were airborne and turning towards the south enroute to Douala.
As our route carried us closer to the coast, thick dark clouds began to develop with reports of strong turbulence between 15,000 and 18,000. I descended below 12,000 and continued to make my way towards Douala.
At about 10 miles out, we had one more storm cell to route ourselves around. This extended our flight time by about 15 minutes, but would ensure a safe arrival.
As we crossed the river we were instructed to follow the King Air ahead of us. We resumed our position as number two and made it safely to the ground.
On Friday morning I double-checked weather conditions and discovered we would need to carefully plot our departure out of Douala much the way we approached. The coastal storms were back. We departed Douala for Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (FZAB).
Departing runway 30 in Douala, Cameroon.
Note the addition of the winglets for the Carenado B200 King Air.
Circling the Douala airport for a patch of clear sky.
Headed for smooth air and clear skies as we fly in-land from the Gulf of Guinea. Our journey today will carry us south of the Equator for the first time on our long journey.
Just managed to land and taxi off the active before the clouds opened up.
I did experience a CTD (Crash to Desktop) on this flight, but thankfully FSUIPC and the “save” feature helped me get back on track. I did in fact learn something about a resolution to this CTD and will write about the solution soon.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
JT