Between a war and a volcano - Africa Spring 2002 #1

Dearly beloved splendid people, greetings from Entebbe, Uganda. I arrived in Abidjan, Ivory Coast with Mark Vanonen at the beginning of the month. Our assigned aircraft, a King Air 200, was awaiting us there. We had flown this aircraft together from Georgetown, Texas to Conakry, Guinea, a year ago and then flown it around West Africa together for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees for a while. So he and I and the airplane are proverbial peas in the pod. Our assignment was to ferry it to Entebbe, Uganda for some maintenance work at the AirServ facility and then continue with it to Djibouti, Muscat, Karachi, and Islamabad, Pakistan, where it is to be based for relief flights into and around Afghanistan for the World Food Program. What an exciting privilege.We had an uneventful flight to Entebbe, with an overnight in Yaounde, Cameroon.
The first thing I noticed in Entebbe right next to our hangar was a shot up old control tower and terminal building. It came to grief on July 4, 1976 during a battle in which the Israelis recovered a hijacked airliner from the PFLP and Idi Amin's soldiers. I can't get away from that particular quarrel. After settling in I was informed that the US Federal Aviation Administration had decided that no Americans should be flying airplanes in Afghanistan unless they were part of the process of blowing things up. Other nationalities are allowed to fly relief aircraft there and so my co-pilot, who is Canadian, will be allowed to continue on to Islamabad. Another Canadian, working here, has been selected to replace me. What a crushing disappointment. It would be nice if a few Afghans found out that there are some Americans who can deliver something other than death. AirServ is trying to get a waiver and I'm hoping that it will come through in the next few days before the ferry flight continues, but the chances appear to be slim.As an alternative, I was told that AirServ could use me for the next two months on a project based in Goma, in a rebel-controlled part of Congo flying the staff of relief and development organizations around that area, which was actually quite calm and starting to thrive, as there had been no major combat for a while. The aircraft I'd be flying would be a Twin Otter, designed by Canadians for work in the bush. With high wings and huge wheels that do not retract (to avoid having to use delicate retraction systems) it's a great bird for landing on rough strips. (Paved runways have started to bore me anyway). This particular one is also very special as it had its right main gear blown off by a landmine in Sudan several years ago. After repairs it was put on a project in Liberia where it was severely shot up during their civil war and flown out with all sorts of interesting jerry-rigged repair work. The fuel system had been destroyed so barrels filled with fuel were loaded aboard and connected with hoses to just the right places in the engines and a mechanic pumped fuel for the duration of the flight out. Equally interesting things were done with the electric system. After a complete repair in South Africa the plane was sent to Burundi for another project where it was shot up by some disgruntled Hutus. On the current project in Congo it has been hit by three bullets, but just on one occasion. It weighs a little more than it normally would due to all the patches on it. So I was quite intrigued by the chance to fly this airplane, and also to be in Goma where I could learn Swahili and French, two projects I had in mind for my second half century. I accepted this and walked out of the office to find out that within minutes of my consent, a nearby volcano had blown, spewing rivers of lava all over town, through the streets and across the runway. The heat set off explosions wherever fuel was stored. The lava streams were quite high and would present an obstacle even to the Otter. Fortunately this airplane was here in Entebbe at the time. The other aircraft and pilots were out on missions and spent the night elsewhere and have not returned since. Their material possessions, including logbooks, laptops, and so on are either cooked and buried by lava or collected by scavengers. The office is scattered and confusion reigns though the team is regrouping.So as I write, I have no idea what I will be doing next, having been diverted from a war to a volcano. I am doing my best to be patient awaiting the call to do something useful. Meanwhile I'm living a very calm and unexciting life in Entebbe. It's a quiet and pretty little town with beautifully colored birds, fragrant plumerias, perfect weather, lovely polite people, and motorcycle taxis that drive carefully. As soon as I get word I'll send another note out. I do look forward to hearing from everyone to whom I have sent this note. Good news from a far country is as cold water to a thirsty soul.