Ben Wilhelmi

Floods in Tanzania these days, aerial shots

 

Katasunga plain in Katavi NP but that is a normal recurrence in the rainy seasons, except we are not really in a rainy season. The weathermen blame a dipole in the Indian ocean for the last weeks or months. At least the buffaloes are happy and safe.

 

More seriously farmers are losing their harvests and people have died, 44 in the last months, life must be hell down there.

 

Some rivers disappear.

 

 

An airstrip that nearly becomes an island could be of no use...Mbuyu airstrip, Selous reserve.

 

The biggest river in Tanzania, the Rufiji, has overflowed too, Selous.

 

 

 

Tanzania, wildlife aerials

 

As usual, no drone was used! Just me and the aircraft. And no passengers. this was just before landing in Msembe, Ruaha NP.

 

Whereas in the Katavi NP, I got those buffalos splashing in the flooded Katasunga plain.

 

 

and further these zebras and topis (damalisques en français)

 

Finally some hippos in a colorful pond.

 

In the Mikumi NP, a giraffe was unfazed by my take off.

 

Elephants and hippos in the Great Ruaha river, Ruaha NP. When that river is fully flowing, the sand banks will disappear.

 

Msembe airstrip again, some visitors….

 

Wildebeest (gnous en français) somewhere in the Serengeti one early morning.

Aerial photography, Tanzania

 

Salt pans, lake Balangida, southern tip of the Rift valley.

 

Monik airtrip, lake Natron. That mountain is the active volcano Lengai.

 

 

Sunrise on the Indian ocean.

 

Luwegu river, southern Selous.

 

Drying Katasunga river, Katavi NP.

 

A dust devil on the burnt Katasunga plain.

 

A reef in the Indian ocean is  by fishermen and their nets.

 

In the Selous reserve, some floods from 40 years ago haven’t totally disappeared. The dead white trees are numerous to tell the tale.

 

Tanzania, aerial photography

 

Footprints on a salt lake bed, lake Balangida. Of humans, cows and goats I presume.

 

Hippos are having a hard time in the Katavi. They squeeze in the last remnants of muddy pools.

 

Last week a massive bush fire started on Katasunga plain, Katavi park. 80% of that vast plain was black at the time of the picture. The rangers were clueless or lying about the origin of the fire.

 

Mahale, lake Tanganyika, life on the beach. I guess the fishermen have laid out that massive net for fixing the damages.

 

A detail of the Indian ocean near mafia island. It looks like a channel at the shallow bottom.

 

A bit of the shoreline in Pemba island, my favorite island to overfly so far.

 

Siwandu, Selous reserve.

 

Near Mufindi, patchwork of fields.

 

Near Kipili bay, southern part of lake Tanganyika.

Aerials in Tanzania

 

Our company flies in the remote bush and also performs island hoping in the Indian Ocean. 2 pictures of Pemba Island.

I should remind my great boss that I have a seaplane license… I’d love a seaplane in those lagoons and reefs.

 

The Rufiji river in the Selous.

 

The active volcano Lengai last month. Active but quite for some years.

 

Some mornings near Dar es Salaam.

 

 

A herd of buffalos in Katavi. 500 heads is common…

 

And these elies a bit further. After South Sudan I feel I’m flying in paradise.

bush flying, Tanzania

 

Flying Medical Service has definitely some of the best bush airstrips! Whether for the challenge or the sceneries. Here a flooded strip at Monik.

 

a volcano, Lengai and an active one that is.

 

a bit of low flying in Olduvai gorge.

 

downhill airstrip, one way in, one way out, no discussion. Wind is not a factor really.

 

our new recruit.

 

the advantage of this place is that the strip can be set anywhere, just throw a few rocks (which won’t stay white very long) et voilà.

 

I don’t fly this Herc’, though this is one of the very few big bush beasts I’d love to get a job onto, and watching a C 130 bush take off is always impressive.

 

Rift Valley, just a few small villages, a coupla airstrips down there…

 

time to kick some butts before I can take off from one of the Katavi park airstrips. Animals are common on strips of course, but such a variety, not so much. Zebras, Cape elands and waterbucks all together, what a treat. Even if it meant I had to run and yell like an idiot to chase them away. The other idiots were busy nose-picking somewhere. I won’t give names here but my fellow pilots know which green men I'm referring to.

random pictures in Tanzania and around

 

 

Me having a haircut in South Africa while on a long bicycle trip from Arusha to Cape Town.

 

Tanzania below:

An old weekend bike trip around mount Meru near Arusha.

some difficult passage.

 

My longest flying job in Tanzania, with Flying Medical Service.

Taking a short cut through a 600m high gorge. Watch rocking videos on my Vimeo account.

 

Amazing  encounters with chimpanzees in Mahale.

 

Walking safaris in Katavi.

 

Infrared picture in the Rift valley. Volcano Lengai.

 

Colleague landing in bad weather, Serengeti.

 

Aerial view of the mythical Kilimanjaro at about 20.000 feet high.

flying the bush, Tanzania

 

Meeting a colleague in the air.

 

Landing after a large bush fire, the airstrip had been spare.

 

Fixing a flat wheel nose.

 

Our special airstrip in the Rift Valley, the picture is straight, not the airstrip.

 

 

Rock damages.

 

Uneven airstrip.

 

U.N. helicopter, a Mil 8, landing in the dust.

 

A Beaver ready for spraying locust in Katavi. Notice the elephant far away.

 

I had suddenly gotten big vibrations in the engine while flying. After landing I noticed the propeller back plate was torn out and twisted. Notice the cone tip which is not aligned.

 

So bet was to remove a few of these things and see what worked best. I did also removed the back plate, the yellowish disc, and vibrations stopped.

Notice the friction damage on the nose, the black circle. And of course I also remove that rubber ring.

wildlife, Tanzania

 

Scars, hippos are so stroppy and aggressive, always fighting and biting each others.

 

Old pictures, all shot on film cameras, usually Nikon F3 or FM2 or Leica M6.

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)