Ben Wilhelmi

some Kodachrome pictures in the US parks

 

Kodak, killing the golden goose again, stopped that marvelous film some years ago, that is the Kodachrome 64 (after the 25 and the 200). It was still possible to develop it through 2010, so I used some of my last rolls on a road trip in May 2010, the rest in Tanzania. All with a Leica M6, a 28 and a 90mm lens.

Monument Valley, Arizona. Dust storm coming on the top picture.

 

 

Just leaving Zion, Utah.

 

 

Bryce Canyon, Utah. Karine and I were lucky: snow was still hanging around

 

 

Arches park, Utah

 

 

Near Telluride, Colorado.

Flying Medical Service, operating in the rains

 

Rains in Tanzania are quite interesting. Personally I enjoy flying in these seasons. Since we don’t have the same constraints as commercial operators, flying with Flying Medical service gives me various and challenging opportunities…

Rain showers and storms can show up with hardly no notice, be quite violent for a brief period before the sun shines again, airstrips get flooded and out of use within one hour, clear skies get obscured and dangerous in no time, dramatic lights and changes in vegetation are to be enjoyed…

 

This pond in the northern Serengeti area is usually dry. But filled up as it is here is being enjoyed by everybody, cows and herders of course, women and girls can use the water for cooking and washing everything without walking the usual long miles to the next water point, baths are not a luxury anymore…

 

Not sure these ladies and kids will make it home before the clouds crack open.

 

Flooded areas.

 

Obscured by clouds…

Rare full river…

 

Interesting intersection between 2 rivers bringing their own colored muds.

 

This is Monik not a chick but an airstrip partially flooded in lake Natron area. Yes you’re looking at the airstrip…. Luckily a large strip so the side could be just used. Just…

B/W landscapes on medium format films, USA

 

Monument Valley.

 

On the great scenic route 12 near Bryce Canyon, Utah.

 

the Little Colorado River near Grand Canyon.

 

OK here there is a trick, this is an infrared picture in Zion nat’l park, Utah.

 

 

My beautiful Rolleiflex 3.5F, a medium format twin lens reflex that uses 6x6 cm negatives. This vintage great beast is from 1961, But older models from the 30’s , barely different, are still out there doing great pictures. Not the easiest camera to use but it gives great pleasure.

Monument Valley, Arizona

 

I’ve visited this incredible location twice and I wouldn’t mind to go gain. There were no many visitors which is perfect so one can nearly feel the place is deserted. The absence of tarmacked road also helps a lot. It’s not difficult to imagine this desert was the shooting location of many wild west movies.

Claudia Cardinale was briefly here for “Once upon in the West”. That strikes a cord more than for John Wayne…

 

I can’t help being in awe and surprised when I come across a tree in this harsh environment. Monument Valley post cards don’t help either: seen from far away, it seems the desert aspect is always put forward. So scrubs and small leafed-trees are common in here.

the place is a reserve run by Navajos, so the style is different, more basic than in government-run parks elsewhere. Which is not always a bad thing: except a stall or 2 for souvenirs and a dirt track, the landscapes and vista are left untouched.

horse riding trips are available. That would be awesome, right? My bloody horse and donkey allergies…

at the end of our visit, a dust storm approached, pretty impressive soon.

cruising on US roads, vast landscapes

 

one drives on the long stretches of US roads and never gets bored (well you shouldn’t in my opinion….), specially in the West.

Monument Valley, Arizona

 

a superb national park. Local Indian natives run the place. I was surprised to see so many US flags, even if customized, after what the Indians have been and still go through since white men set foot in and invaded their territories… Some form of resentment wouldn’t be unreasonable…

John Wayne, John Ford…mostly Claudia Cardinale came here for shooting wild west movies.

 

Tanzania under the rains, aerials

 

while flying for Flying Medical Service, I get to see incredible places. Places which have changed a great time lately. Green colors showed up in no time, typical tropical feat after some heavy showers. Waterholes, non perennial lakes, rivers have filled up quickly too.

One of our Cessna C206’s on clinics.

this airstrip is normally the driest of all we use. Grass got the upper hand once more, though it won’t last much past December…

Nairobi Arusha on the road, photography

 

from the coach window, just observing road side life.

sugar cane stall. No juice machine, the cane is just for chewing.

 

That’s a new type of contraption on these taxi motorbikes. Not the best way to ride with the pole straight in the face….

 

street sellers at an unofficial bus stands. 

these little stalls are to be seen everywhere alongside roads, selling a bit of everything but mostly food.

 

A venerable Peugeot 104, still in reasonable shape I’d say, though she is having a bad day apparently. Peugeot managed to lose its grip on the African market. Toyota took over….

 

Mishkaki, aka shish kebab in swahili, whatever the spelling is, that’s the nickname given to such a travelling party. Mind you, it could be 4 adults on the same little motorbike.

 

wildlife in the rain season, Tanzania

 

Katavi nat’l park, S.W. Tanzania. At some the camps have to closed down because the grass grows high, like 3 meter high. So animal viewing is seriously hampered, and dangerous. Once, though driving slowly across the bush, we nearly touched  an elephant’s bum.

 

all shot on films and Nikon cameras, F3 or FM2 and usually a 300mm 4.5 AIS lens (yes old gear)

Monument Valley, Arizona, photography

one park, not that big but such a variety of colors and shapes. Not to mention the Hollywood historical past in those plains. Many wild west movies were shot here.

rain season in Tanzania, aerial photography

 

recent shots, taken this December.

really isolated homesteads located  in the Gol mountains. Misanthropists living there?

 

 

a place I quite fancy out there, the Sonjo valley west of lake Natron. Some villages like this one are located alongside a river that stays wet most time of the year, the fields give interesting and irregular patterns like on this pictures. Various tribes live together (sometimes things get rough though) so the clinic there is more photographic subjects out there. All of this in the middle of some beautiful savannah and hills.

By the way, I’m planning a little bicycle trip soon. To reach Loliondo by bus or preferably a Flying Medical Service airplane with bicycle and all gear and bags, and cycle back to Arusha off the beaten tracks. That would include this very area you’re seeing right now, then towards Pininyi on the shore of lake Natron… it would also be nice to stay a night or 2 in the villages I normally only see as medical clinic places. Just an idea so far but working hard on it.

aerial photography in Tanzania, rain season.

 

November-December, the short rain season in Tanzania. Not sure what the various farmers and herders have to say about this one in comparison to the previous bad years…but seen from the air it doesn’t look bad. Green fat grass is mostly spread all around, water holes are filled up as rivers and often gullies. We, Flying Medical Service pilots, experience problems on some airstrips with mud and fast growing plants…

people in Tanzania

 

while operating a Cessna 206 for Flying Medical Service in the bush, like here in Monik on lake Natron, an unusual ‘highway’ type bush strip, I’ve got time to walk around, meet people and get a few snapshots.

 

Another common way to carry a cumbersome burden is to place the strap on top of the head.

 

McMinus visiting the Tanzanian bush, here on lake Natron with volcano Lengai far back.

lake Natron, aerial photography within 4 minutes

 

to continue the yesterday post. 11h34 for the picture below, I passed the red salted zone. Now the lake towards the north looks normal but is still heavily salted and acid, Ph close to 10!

notice the dust devil on the horizon, a small column of dust looking like a tiny tornado.

 

extinct volcano Shombole.

 

near vertical views.

looking back at Pininyi the airstrip we had just left which is here visible on the right side of the forest. The salts start here very close to the shoreline.

western cliffs with the peak Oldonyo Sambu, 4500 ft higher than the lake surface. 11h38, last shot for this selection.

lake Natron, aerials in 3 minutes

 

I just can’t have enough of this wonderful lake. Always a new set of colors or patterns to offer. Mother Nature on LSD.

 

2 weeks ago, I had just taken off from Pininyi, western part. 1st shot at 11h32. This is Shombole on the Kenyan border, quite often to be seen in a mirror effect in this rainy season with clear visibility. I normally don’t put my horizon straight in the middle of my composures but here I like it.

 

 

vertical viewing.

looking back at Pininyi, blissfully located in a forest near a stream.

 

western cliffs, this shot at 11h35. Just a selection of  some of the many pictures I shot within those 3 minutes. More soon. I realise I’m quite privileged…

Flamingoes, lake Ndutu, Tanzania

 

lake Ndutu on the edge of Ngorongoro conservation area is a wonderful place. A Serengeti touch with the Ngorongoro in the background.

 

early morning, warm light on feeding flamingoes.

 

low approach for landing.

fluffy feathers.

Maasai people, Tanzania

 

shot on various locations in Northern Tanzania.

that goat was just born the boy, still wet and greasy indeed but already so big I thought?

 

Masai warriors just love to jump and sing or hum.

 

Masai school kids.

 

lake Natron, Tanzania, aerial photography

 

I’ve said again and again but this lake is just a marvel. All, yes all, pictures below taken on 2 legs of 5 min flights only, same day. Last week, the visibility was just exceptional thanks to some rains.

extinct volcano Shombole on the Kenyan border.

and just right of it, one Flying Medical Service airstrip, Olorbelin.

 

lake Natron is one those numerous lakes located in the Rift valley. Here is the lake western cliff with its highest peak, Oldonyo Sambu at more than 6000 ft. The lake bed lies at 2000 ft.

vertical and classic view of the salt and artistic pattern.

 

have you seen the great movie '” Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain”? Simply called “Amelie” for the US market I heard. The troll is being brought all over the world by Amélie’s friends and proof pictures are sent to her puzzled father (and troll’s owner). Brilliant idea which became fashionable since: a lot tourists seem to do the same while travelling with various fluffed toys and stage pictures. Meet Karine’s McMinus flying with me. She misses so much our real hedgehog Muffin that her Mom (Karine’s not Muffin’s) had sent her that replica as a sweet allusion.

 

wildebeests ( en fr. des gnous) on a river delta near Shombole.

 

to the south/south west lie Mt Gelai and volcano Lengai (on the right, the triangle a bit hidden by the haze and dust)

Sonjo portraits, Tanzania

 

another quick series of portraits in Habere, Sonjo Valley, in the remote bush. Not the perfect time of day for good light but then I would hardly shoot anything if I were to wait for it. And clinic schedules can’t be avoided. As said before, I’ve developed a good relationship with some villagers where Flying Medical Service operates. Every model will receive for free at least one print. But no money is give to them. Funny enough I had a first this time, one shy lady was willing to pose but asked first how much would a print cost, she thought I was doing business! Those prints have been circulating for more than a year now, not to mention the ones between 1999 and 2002. In turn I have more and more women, few men, coming to pose. I have to say yes to everyone even if I don’t fancy the model. It would be to difficult to explain photogenic reasons, and it would hurt feelings I guess. Of course it costs me more in printing and it’s time consuming.

I hate those ugly woolen hats, usually I have them removed. Poor kids it’s so hot out there but every single mother seems convinced the baby’s life is at stake. This mom wouldn’t remove it.

 

things change, 10 years ago in this Sonjo valley, these kinds of haircut didn’t exist.

 

this woman insisted to pose with her vegetables she was selling nearby.

this is a typical Sonjo haircut, with razor finish to define the hairline.

an exception to the formal kind of bush studio shooting: this woman came running and yelling, took this unusual pose for a second and disappeared the way she arrived. The crowd was just laughing.

 

the printing will be handed out in colors, they wouldn’t happily receive b/w copies.

wildlife, Aberdares, Kenya

this was the last bit of our walking visit in our hotel sanctuary, the Aberdare Country Club. It started to rain and we had to walk back. Rain was the main feat during our week…

These are Cape elands, the largest antelopes. Brown tone shows a female, grey with a fluffy mop of hair shows a male. En français: un éland du Cap.

 

a few meters away from the restaurant or the cottages, some peacocks are roaming free.

 

The next day we went to visit another sanctuary a few km off Nyeri, the excellent Solio Game Ranch. The whole area is fenced and patrolled but big enough to feel you’re roaming in the wild. Some many rhinos are protected here from poaching. The myth of virility provided by its horn is still going on within many men who are poorly equipped in their pants in some parts of the world.

rhinos up close. Our best sighting in Africa so far. And quite a lot too: 13 at that moment. More than in Tanzania altogether I bet.

reticulated giraffes, Aberdares, Kenya

 

Next night stop after Nairobi was in a small town, Nyeri, wedged between Mount Kenya and the Aberdares nat’l park. We’ve noticed a different spelling, Aberdare… we stayed in the Aberdare Country Club, quite a posh and ancient countryside hotel which managed to keep a  very colonial architecture and style. Golf, some peacocks, a large beautiful garden, a swimming pool…but the main thing to visit is a large animal sanctuary. Too bad the rain was a daily annoyance but we took a walking trip and didn’t regret since we saw a type of giraffe we don’t see in Tanzania, the reticulated giraffe.

they look just curious at other walkers, not really concerned.

 

And below is the common giraffe we get in Tanzania, the Masai giraffe. The pattern is quite different.

Cessna 206 at work in the bush, Tanzania

 just  a quick break from the Kenyan road trip...I just came back from some clinics in the beautiful tanzanian bush, and I'm gone again for 2 days. I just can't have enough of that bush and the interesting job I help being performed. I'm just an 'ambulance' flying so to speak, don't call me a saint. Just in case one had the idea...  ;-)

 

above and below, taking off at Pininyi, western shore of lake Natron, Rift valley.

Olorbelin, northern lake natron.

 

Engoveroni, Rift valley. Kerimasi in the background is one of the numerous extinct volcanoes in the area.

a dust devil is a thing to avoid on take off or landing. Trust me. OK to cross when you get speed though, just like having a huge kick in the ass.

 

Sengerema, near Mwanza. Somebody with some sense of humor put an airstrip in the middle of a village. People are not always aware of the dangers of an aircraft. But somebody with common sense had an hospital built just on the edge of the airstrip. So all is well.

 

Olbalbal airstrip  in the rain season, Ngorongoro area.

Nairobi nat’l park, part 2

 

maybe I forgot to mention that to the south the park is open to the outside. So one visitor is never guaranteed to spot the same animals all year long.

a Cape eland (en fr.: un éland du Cap), probably a male according to the greyish color.

and more likely a female for the brown tone. And a bit of  Nairobi skyline on the horizon.

 

Nairobi skyline. Impalas and zebras.

this kind of castle overlooks the park, I think there was a fence in the middle of the ravine. How cool is that, a mansion on the edge of a little valley and a park??

broader view.

Nairobi nat’l park

Yes Nairobi nat’l park as in a park sneaking into Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. It’s probably a unique feat in the world. Let’s bow for once to politicians who didn’t sell that precious land (117 sq km) to real estate companies and other investors.

Sneaking in the city, here is a proof. That impala enjoys the Nairobi  skyline. I’ve been overflying that park many times over the years, Wilson airport lies on the northern fence, and never had a chance or will to visit it. Well, if one gets trapped in Nairobi for half day or a full day, it’s worth visiting.

Some dear friends were getting married in Nanyuki so Karine and I took a week off and decided to discover some bits of Kenya. Before heading north we spared a few days in Nairobi for decent shopping, great food, visiting this park and an animal orphanage.

 

giraffes on a slope.

 

cape elands, giraffes, zebras…

Thomson gazelles.

 

 

Hartebeests.

billboards on route 66, shot while driving

 

being a keen amateur photographer while driving on any US roads requires some iron-discipline otherwise the temptation to stop every mile or so will hit big time. Still nothing prevents some shooting while the car is moving. Karine and I did that a lot, like below on route 66, Arizona section.

graphic pictures, it’s about time the same kind of warnings are set on cigarette packs… fucking lobbyists and greedy coward politicians!

 

then we left the route 66 at Bullhead on the Californian border towards Las Vegas.

a Cessna 206 flying the Tanzanian bush

 

Flying Medical Service 206 over the years in various places in Tanzania

a Barabaig woman patting the soft metal of the wing strut.

 

 

Yes this is the airstrip/cow track. Women sheltering from the rain.

 

on take off, Pininyi, lake Natron, western shore.

 

above Olbalbal on the outside slope of Ngorongoro crater. A non go-around airstrip. I did once and it was one of my scariest moment in my flying time. Altitude and slope are not pilot friendly.

 

another such airstrip is Engoveroni at 6500. Here is a glimpse of the slope.

and, same place, if heavy passengers sit in the back, you’ve got to be careful on how you load or unload the plane since it can easily drop on its tail, leaving the nose wheel free.

and here is an aerial of Engoveroni, seen from Empakai crater. All ravines and rough terrain and bad winds. Volcano Lengai on the left, and Kerimasi quite close.

 

fixing a flat nose tyre.

Harley Davidson motorcycles, US roads

We had just left Bullhead City, Arizona, on route 66 going north towards Las Vegas. The road follows the California state line for a bit, overlooking on the Californian landscape, here Mojave nat’l reserve. Karine was driving, I was shooting. The American Way, the myth... still kept alive by many.

another woman really in love of her biker. Her saddle look like postal stamp size type, there is nothing to support her back, and she has to beware the guy’s helmet spikes!! I really wonder what are his secrets….

 

 

campers? I was quite disappointed to realise most of the riders had no luggage showing camping activities. Sleeping bags were extremely rare…. the myth of the wild riders is taking the flak? We had even spotted a group of European riders with a broom van!!

 

 

 

WW II Wehrmacht’s helmets are still fashionable.

 

this guy I had just met while we were refuelling was in fact really friendly, he absolutely wanted us to show up at a big Harley gathering (though we were driving a regular Sedan and my motorbike here in Arusha is Japanese make). The myth of the aggressive Hell’s Angels is dwindling….

 

that big gathering was happening in Oatman, a few miles away on route 66. For hours we saw Harleys on the road, 1000’s, every kind of them, and mostly every kind of riders.

on a road trip, Arizona

 

We had left Sante Fe, New Mexico early morning, driving west. I don’t know why these 2 bikers chose the exact state line limit to stop, under a no parking sign…whichever way cops would come, the bikers could cross the other side under a different jurisdiction?

Each US state have a nickname, here Grand Canyon state of course. Land of Enchantment applies to New Mexico.

 

the scenery changed quite drastically from flat desert to this mountainous landscape. No wonder people like to drive on this kind of roads for hours. Just after entering Arizona, we took a north road towards Monument Valley. Rocks are getting redder and more dramatic. Once in a while a homestead lied at the foot of a rock crop. Spectacular scenery but a closer look usually revealed some junk in the yard, and derelict houses or trailers.

 

this area is under Indian jurisdiction. Here people have been given some autonomy after years of claiming their land back. Poverty seems the rule as it is wildly known and things don’t seem to change much over the years, seen from a tourist point of view that is. Poverty and alcohol were the most striking feats I encountered in a previous trip in the area in 1997. I had just got my flying license in Missouri in a shorter time than planned so a lot of free time and spare cash were available, I had bought an old Dodge to cruise around with no specific plans for a while so I had given a few rides to hitch hikers. Curious to meet people and hear stories.

Monument Valley showing on the horizon! Many films have been shot here. The fabulous Claudia Cardinale was here for Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon in the West”, one example out of many…

I had my stories…quite sad in this area. One hiker, quite drunk at 8am explained a legend about the origin of the beautiful turquoise stones. Some Indian women had preferred to die with their children instead of facing awful treatment under the white man’s rules. So they cried a lot while taking the decision, the tears fell down a river and transformed into turquoise. He was surprised that Custer, Wounded Knee, Little Big Horn, Sitting Bull…were not totally unknown names in Europe.

The man also complained heavily that the government had plundered the country, kicked the native people out, prevented them from living their ancestral way of life, even nowadays that Indians in theory could do it again it became an impossible mission…always 2 sides to a story but sure alcohol doesn’t help.

aerial photography, 2 minutes flying over lake Natron, Tanzania

 

this is the usual wonderful, never disappointing lake Natron. I had just taken off from Pininyi on the western shore, going north to the next Flying Medical Service airstrip, Njurlan, near volcano Shombole on the Kenyan border. The pictures below were all shot within 2 minutes of flying! Yes 2 minutes. The picture metadata prove that. Even if you don’t like my style, you’ll have to bow to the incredible show below my wings.

Here is volcano Shombole. The lake is normally almost dry at this time of year. But the weather has been funny lately and rains have popped up here and there. So the lake got a refill and a new ‘wardrobe’.

some straight vertical shots…

the western Rift valley cliff towers here at more than 6000ft, that is Oldoinyo Sambu. The lake sits at 2000. Imagine my joy of flying down any gorge there!

I guess by now my regular followers will have understood why I love this place so much. My finger always gets nervous as I close in…

Gear: Cessna 206, Nikon D300s, a 35mm, a polarizer filter and the highest shutter speed available at 400 iso. Though Nikon produces excellent cameras (I’m still not on their payroll), my other cameras have served me perfectly too. Even the Rolleiflex which is not too handy for this kind of maneuvers.

cool America…road trip pictures

 

this one was the most ridiculous contraption we saw on our trip.

 

isn’t that love ? That too tall girl is clinging on her dude like a backpack. But check the seat! There is hardly any seat, it looks she s sitting on the mudguard. Karine had looked at me with that kind of ‘not even in your dream’ look.

 

a pink helmet on a Harley….?

 

 

Look at the jacket…

a Cessna 206 in the Tanzanian bush

Flying Medical Service’s 206 at work in Tanzania.

here landing in Ngaresero near active volcano Oldoinyo Lengai, Rift valley. There was a tad bit of crosswind that day.

 

take off from Olorbelin at the foot of an extinct volcano, Shombole, lake Natron, Rift. Notice how people seem unfazed by the roaring plane… But others will run away or lie down even if the plane is not coming close.

 

Njurlan at the foot of Oldoinyo Sambu, western cliff of the Rift valley, lake Natron.

 

just having fun with ancient pinhole technique.

 

Engoveroni airstrip, volcano Lengai, Rift valley

in August, it’s getting quite dusty and the worst is still to come.

 

making friends…

 

Engoveroni airstrip on the slopes of Empakai crater, my first day of flying in Tanzania in 1999. I knew right there I’d love my time in TZ! This strip lies at 6500 feet, is about 4oom long, slope at 11%, VSI shows 600 ft down on take off, it is badly paved, is bordered by a ravine and the winds are always strong. Our 206’s are not turbo equipped…

Since then a homestead managed to develop just on threshold and 2 trees grew up, which we have just planned to have cut down. This being Maasai country, it might take a long while till they are actually chopped down…

route 66, Arizona, scenes

a healthy vintage Corvette.

 

old Ford Model A, I guess.

 

a motel with interesting murals.

 

Chevrolet Impala…

 

back of a Chevrolet Bel Air, station wagon.

 

huh, this one brand will stay a mystery, not enough parts left over to recognise….

people in the bush, Tanzania

 

one of the Flying medical planes under the African sky, on the Serengeti border.

 

another way of carrying burden instead of on top of the head.

young Masai showing respect to an elder by presenting her head, in turn the man will pat it.

Loliondo, a big village in Tanzania

 

this old tramp, not a beggar, lies on a daily basis on that old dirty mattress with his little belongings scattered around. He seems to suffer from some genital disease: the shiny thing between his legs is indeed one his balls, tennis ball size…

he doesn’t seem to beg or talk to people. Here he is getting ready for the night…

 

mototaxi and Masai passenger.

 

tall boy shop….? Notice the 'effort' put by the owner took to paint his motto…

 

Masai women shopping before heading home in the bush.

 

derelict yard.

 

typical shop front walls painted in bright colors. It had already struck me in 1999.

Lake Natron, Tanzania, aerials

 

on the US roads, cool vehicles

 

well cool to be used as a broad meaning. This kind of car is not for my taste but still funny to watch (and hear coming). We're in Sante Fe and its great adobe houses.

each town or county in the States seem to have its own color scheme for police cars.

One of the few vintage cars we saw that looked restored as the original.

 

 

long road across Utah near Arches nat’l park.

 

Austrian travellers on their long range modified VW Combi, Arches NP.

 

Telluride Colorado, a pretty sky resort but quite sleepy at this time of the year, April. Most shops were closed for the low season.

this Toyota Land Cruiser BJ is quite a rarity. Quite common on the Tanzanian roads though.

 

Quite a rarity in such a macho group: a purple truck… a snowy landscape in Colorado.

 

“my” Land Rover Defender. Equally rare, I hardly spotted any in the States…Silverton and its colorful houses, Utah.

Lake Natron, Tanzania, aerial shooting

 

A Flying Medical Service clinic tour, Tanzania

and this time, Karine came along. It was high time to share this wonderful experience with her. So last Tuesday we took off from Arusha to Endulen where we picked the medical staff. We then flew to remote locations in the Rift valley, near lake Natron, Ngorongoro crater and volcano Lengai, bearing exotic names like Oleparkashi, Engoveroni and Olbalbal.

here in Engoveroni with the village leader who insisted to pose with this royal guest.

 

Here is the Flying Medical Service Cessna 206 on top of that crazy airstrip. This time of the year tends to be on the dry side and the dust gets everywhere.

 

I hardly took pictures preferring to show and explain a few things about the medical aspects, and let her shoot. See her blog these days (and anytime too by the way) for her experience to share. Below are some older pictures of my FMS time.

 

polio drops, such an easy and effective vaccination. Too bad some idiots with big powers decided to fight against it some years ago, in Nigeria for instance, allowing the polio strain to spread again. So the disease eradication took a serious delay.

 

weight decrease is usually a serious indication of health problem. A cheap and reasonably easy check.

 

Under the wing, dr Ole treats a Maasai woman.

 

a Maasai village, typical to the ones we fly to.

 

not so convenient as polio vaccine to administer.

dust storm, Monument Valley, Arizona

 

Monument Valley, always admired under a bright blue sky, showing off bright ochre colours…

…like this. The clouds seem never to burst into rain.

 

then the sky got obscured, the visibility dropped quite suddenly.

luckily we had finished our visit by the end of the afternoon.

outside the valley, dust kept on spreading for miles.

isn’t the same very old model, without modifications, of the Fall Guy?

a small Indian homestead.

 

nothing compared with the serious dust storms Arizona experienced a few weeks ago but for a European couple, even though living in Tanzania, this was a bit of a novelty.

why flying …partVI

 

when I get a puncture, it is always about a nail or an acacia thorn. Except for that example….pretty worn out right? Well I had asked to change our tyres because they were worn out. The maintenance company, Tanzanair, was short of spares so it gave us this one on a friendly loan. I still fail to understand why they gave us tyres that were in worse conditions than the ones to replace…. With ’friends’ like this, you don’t need enemies anymore.

 

Flying Medical Service, the secret for nice airstrips…

the day of the miracle: an airstrip being cleared up! Engoveroni THE airstrip. A touch of bad weather around.

 

up and below, a dusty airstrip, Kiba in the Selous game reserve.

bush fixing…rocks in tyres to be dragged to smoothen the surface

 

 

quite an oil leak but manageable. It became expensive to run at some point though: 3 lt of oil every hour. Not to mention the concerned passengers.

 

variation on the same theme: another leak but not as bad.

 

Ikuu, Katavi nat’l park, refuelling in the bush. Though we were careful with extra fuel filters, I experienced once an engine failure. Luckily there was an airstrip not too far so I could glide down there without damage. The 3 built-in fuel filters were clogged with dirt.

 

Ikuu, planes ready for the night. The branches are from acacia trees. The thorns should prevent bloody hyenas to come close and chew the tyre, which they love to do!

 

I knew something was wrong in the air: the vibrations were really shaking the airplane. A quick inspection revealed this cracked bit on the propeller section. The white spinner or cone had been rotating out of balance and even damaged the blue bit on the nose.

so I removed that spinner and flew like this for a while, not a big deal. The black arc is where the spinner has been rubbing the nose.