Ben Wilhelmi

South Sudan, random pictures

Reading the news, It seems not much has changed. Peace treaties that are not respected, ghosts raping women (yes ghosts, "Horny evil spirit rapes 6 women in Juba" says the paper), million people still displaced, child soldiers, torture, rape and murder...

Here are some pictures from 4 years ago. 4 years already...

 

My old plane back then. Here the Indian peace keepers in Pibor.

Some areas look so peaceful...one would never guess there is a civil war and atrocities raging on. Somewhere along the White Nile.

Eastern European pilots at work, maybe the Russian usual suspects, landing in the middle of the parking lot instead of on the runway. Ah well they make life interesting. I wish I had been closer to avoid the heat distortion. Over 40C...

 

 

Coming home after a shopping spree in Juba.

 

Mi 8 helicopter. Ukrainian registered I think. It was fun to "intercept" it and snap a coupla pictures. 

 

 

 

 

Aviation in South Sudan

 

Overtaking a Mi 8

 

Wrecked HS 748. One of the pilots was beaten by the crowd. The reason remains nebulous. The other pilot was about unconscious and spared more beating.

 

A bunch of Iliyushin 76’s.

 

C 130

 

A Mig 19.

 

And its neighbour, a Boeing 707

 

Some Mi 8’s

Aerial photography in South Sudan

 

South Sudan is not as exciting to overfly as Tanzania, far from it. But it has its beautiful spots alongside the Nile usually.

A double rainbow, not that rare.

 

The Nile, called White Nile on this South Sudanese portion.

 

Approaching Juba.

 

 

The dry season, like in Tanzania, doesn’t bring anything positive in term of photography. The visibility is lousy, contrasts are dead flat.

 

The rainy seasons are always more interesting for flyers or photographers.

 

A swamp in the rainy season near Pibor.

 

Shot on Leica M8

Brussels, street photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 2014, experimenting with my then newly acquired Leica M8.

Aviation pictures, South Sudan

 

A slow Mi 8 is so easy to overtake.

 

A huge Mi 26 on take off.

 

A Il 76 taking off on a wet runway.

 

A An 12 getting loaded. The truck won’t board.

 

View from my hotel. Some planes like the Il 76 just fill up the frame, they are so big…and so low!

This picture hasn’t been cropped. The lens is a 28mm…

 

The Il 76 which can carry 34 tons, legally…I've heard of 41 tons.

Random pictures in South Sudan

 

The classic scam about witchcraft to recover lost love, job promotion, penis enlargement…

 

Indian contingent in Pibor. They are always fully geared up with weapons and bulletproof jackets to welcome aircraft and their supplies….

 

A mechanic working on a Mi 26 main rotor. One could build a nice little house in such a helicopter, like on a Boeing 727.

 

Surprise a Russian Mi 8 poorly parked on Yirol airstrip.

 

 

Juba, a Mi 8 hovering, faffing around before finally landing between parked Mi 8’s. Why not use the runway and taxi as usual…?

 

 

Swampy area alongside the Nile.

 

Tiny rapids on the Nile, Ugandan border.

 

Bush fire, Congolese border towards Yambio.

South Sudan, random pictures

 

 

A Mi 8 over the Nile, slow beasts, they are so easy to overtake.

 

A Belgian project in Bor. Some spelling mistakes on top of “Delgique”…Belgique would have looked nicer.

 

This kid and friends wait for passengers and carry their luggage.

 

A wheelbarrow will do too.

 

 

 

 

Middle of nowhere, Pibor. And nice manners have arrived here I have no clue how. Pilots? UN peacekeepers?

 

I always feel safer whenever I see a weapon to honor my arrival.

 

Juba, an Antonov 26 taking off after the rain.

South Sudan, people

 

Fashion style varies greatly amongst South Sudanese women (and men)

 

 

 

 

 

 

random pictures, South Sudan

 

I had a general and his posse for passengers. Security at the airfield was beefed up. Look at the ammo charger, the size of a shoe box!

 

Though the country is mostly christian, many women show off beautiful henna patterns on legs and arms.

 

Various cargo, from quad to 1 ton of biscuits to 600kg of explosives and a drum of fuel (no pictures and I was not too pleased to carry that)

 

 

The airplane I fly these days, a Cessna Grand Caravan 208.

 

We had removed most of the seats for cargo transport to a hot zone where combat is still rampant. Some people wanted to fly to Juba and happily just sat on the floor. I was told 4 passengers. And I wound up with 15 because children don’t count in Sudanese business.