It all started in 1998 when 6 volunteers in Paris,
France, formed Air Solidarite Intemationale. Its purpose was to send
humanitarian aid to several communities in Africa. These projects were
overseen through the years by 30 volunteers in the communities
themselves. Each year since then, a cortege of small planes has flown
south to see that the money is being used wisely. This year ASI
supported 14 programs. This represents a cost of 175,000 dollars which
was supplied by a mandatory contribution from each crew taking part.
My adventure started, when I decided to join this year's flight in
October 2001. As the only Canadian in the group, it meant I had to
somehow join the others in France. My friend Jacqueline, an Air
Traffic Controller in Bordeaux, was able to rent a plane there. We
decided to fly as a team. Our rendez-vous with Air Solidarité was
scheduled to occur in Peripignon, France.
The world had other plans. After September 11th,
Washington was too distracted to return my passport and Maritania
Visa. When they did arrive days late, my commercial flight to Paris by
Air Canada was delayed 10 hours by an electrical failure. Arrival in
Bordeaux was finally completed without baggage; part of which, was
pharmaceuticals donated by two drug companies in Toronto. A day later,
still without baggage, I found the Bordeaux airport closed by police
exploding an unattended bag. I couldn't help wondering "was it mine?".
Meanwhile weather played its part. Air Solidarité was stranded
in Peripignon in fog and rain. Jacqueline and I set out to meet them
but were only able to go halfway to Toulouse. Next day, the same
system had us grounded too. Air Solidarité managed to escape V .f .R.
on top through a hole in the clouds. Now we had to play catch-up.
Dodging through mountain canyons in Spain, we reached Tangier on the
Mediterranean costs. Now we were 2 days late.
En route, Air Traffic Control had been speaking to us in either
Spanish or French. Over Gibraltar, the International Language of
Aviation, English, is strictly adhered to. The runway there was
tempting as it resembles that on an aircraft carrier. Then, wearing
our life jackets, a short hop over the Mediterranean brought us to
Casablanca and Agadir in Morocco.
Now the temperature was starting to escalate as we flew over dry
rivers and grey-red sand. Visibility is a problem in this heat (48° on
the ground). Turbulence is constant but erratic making hand-held
flying a challenge. Constant monitoring of the engine temperature was
a necessity too. Eight hours of flying later, still in Morocco, we
caught up to Air Solidarité at Layonne. Of the 40 pilots, there are 5
who are captains on 747's in France, Switzerland and Luxembourg. To
them, flying a small plane on a humanitarian mission, is quite
different from flying a commercial one by computer. At Layonne, a
large airport, the outside world is evident. Parked on the runway are
3 United Nations turboprop planes, a French Mirage and an Antonou
reconnaissance aircraft. Beneath them, seeking refuge from the heat,
are all the neighborhood stray dogs. On take-off, some military
activity in the area, meant our course had to be diverted several
times.
Nights from then on, were spent as a group, under a simple straw
canopy on the sand. The stars are unbelievably bright. Breakfast,
served by the African host consists of bread and a little cheese. But
everywhere we land there is beer and coke as Castel Beer is one of our
sponsors. During, the night, the only water source had dried up, so
there was no shower or washing facilities. Further on, in Mali, where
mosquitoes were prevalent, we rigged up nets over each sleeping bag.
Proximity of others, meant that anyone who snored was an outcast.
The sand, as we fly over the Sahara, has many faces; variations
in colour, beautiful repetitive swirling patterns or outcroppings of
minerals. One plane, with engine problems, had to land there,
fortunately safely. True to the name, Solidarité another plane from
the group landed at a small airport nearby, commandered a truck and
rescued the pilots. The aircraft, on inspection, had suffered no
serious damage. So with intense shovelling, a runway was cleared and
the plane was again with us. Another plane was not so lucky. Flooding
of the engine on take-off, meant that as the starter was engaged, the
craft caught fire. A few minutes later, there was nothing left on the
wooden Robin but the engine which fell with a thud on the runway. The
crew had managed to leap to safely.
Fuel at these small airports, as in the Arctic, arrives in
barrels which have to be pumped by hand. Refueling is usually done on
landing. One night, the fuel cap on our high wing aircraft was
dislodged and the wind emptied the left tank. Air Solidarité came
through again. Friends from 2 other aircraft helped us siphon
sufficient fuel from theirs for the days flight. A mouthful of gas in
48°C heat is not the best.
In Mali, we saw water at last. On the Niger River, sampan boats
floated by on their way to market, always overloaded. Our inspection
tour that day was by boat to visit two small villages. Here, as
always, the natives greeted us warmly, were poor but colourfully
dressed, the children grasping our hands to walk with us -never
thinking of saying "What-did-you-bring-me?". Delighted, regardless of
the heat, we saw schools that had been built with Air Solidarité
funds. At other places, we had seen hospitals, solar collectors,
teaching of primary grades in French, surgical equipment and aids for
the handicapped.
Our final destination, Bogande in Burkina Paso, proved to be an
unexpected test. We had already found navigation in Africa more than a
little casual; VORs and ADPs not working or short in range most of the
time. Accurate direction could only be maintained using a G.P .s. and
suddenly ours was not receiving enough satellites. An additional
hand-held instrument saved the day. We were no longer navigating by
guess. Our arrival was an event! People, lined the runway, some of
whom had walked 15 hours in the heat with babies on their backs. We
shared their joy, when parked by welcoming them to climb on, around
and through the aircraft. Celebrations continued that evening;
speeches from the Mayor and dignitaries in colourful costumes. Then
came the entertainment of synchronized drum beating and unique folk
dancing.
At Bogandé there is a memorial celebrating the support by Air
Solidarité since 1988. We held a memorial there for our leader who was
lost in an airplane collision last year. Finally, we made a visit to
the hospital, where we met the chief pharmacist, and delivered our
medicine -mission accomplished.
Our return to Paris, was a commercial flight scheduled from a
much larger airport at Ouagadougou. There we met the replacement crews
who were to fly the return journey, visiting other projects en route.
We will never forget, the smiles, celebrations, joie de vivre
and warm welcomes at every stop. Nor will we forget the feeling of
flying in a turbulent atmosphere. It was much like riding a camel.
