Bots Airshow

[ian16th]

[Alisoncc]

Been a long time since I've flown into Gabarones Ian. Will Ex-A being demonstrating his VC-10 ?

Alison

[Ex-Ascot]

If only there was one still just flying Alison.

[MoreAviation]

What wouldn't I do to be able to fly in for a show like this later next month! Sitting here, temperature hovering around freezing, ice pellets falling incontinently from a decaying, depressed looking Cb... and it is meant to be spring!

2714/2724 30015G25KT 4500 +SHRAGS SHRASN BKN014 BKN035CB TEMPO 2801/2807 4000 BR BKN004 PROB30 2802/2806 0300 FG BKN001 BECMG 2815/2818 25010KT

Looks like a lively program for the show...

http://www.botswana-airshow.com/index.p ... ogram-2016

MA

[Ex-Ascot]

Thanks MA I was trying to find the programme. We were seriously thinking of going down there. Flight costs and hotac would be expensive. Think we have just saved some money! Note not even one of our own military aircraft unless I missed something. I thought that they would have least brought something punchy in from the SAAF. We had an exercise down here end of last year with a few SA Gripens based here. One of the squadron jockeys was a display pilot. He did his full sequence over the airport at the end of the detachment. Extremely impressed.

MA, where is that TAF for?

[MoreAviation]

Ex-Ascot, the TAF is for EGSS Stansted but covers EGSG Stapleford as well...

Next show I am off to see will be Farnborough in July, having managed to snaffle two tickets for a trade day. Hope you and your good lady make it to the Botswana show.

MA

PS - Sitting here reading an article in last month's SA Flyer (Edition 245) by Jim Davis recounting his experiences as a commercial pilot in Kimberley and his tales about one of the lunatics that used to fly there (Alberto and the Six) and am feeling very homesick indeed.

[Ex-Ascot]

MA I don't think somehow that we are going given the programme.

Farnbourgh trade days are a completely different matter especially with no riff raff and all the complimentary champers.

SA Flyer is a very good publication. Must try to get the May edition tomorrow when in town.

[ian16th]

Farnbourgh trade days are a completely different matter especially with no riff raff and all the complimentary champers.

Not my experience.

Only went the once, a mate well connected in the world of gliding got the tickets. I thought I was onto something special, but lots of riff raff and I saw no champers.

The best bit was the Antonov 225, it blew a donk, on its t/o run, right opposite me!

This was a trip from Joburg to Boston. Ma for 3 weeks & return. In an effort to minimise my luggage I decided not to take all my Pentax kit and just took SM's compact Instamatic type camera.

I spent a weekend in Poughkeepsie with a Sunday at Old Rhinebeck and a day at Farnborough on the way back, all without a proper camera.

[Alisoncc]

Nothing wrong with the riff raff at Farnborough. Late sixties, my boss had ordered 200 ultra glossy sales brochures to distribute on trade day. Stateside had misinterpreted order as being for 200 packs of 20. ie. 4,000. No value in returning them to the States, so boss says take 3,000 and give them away to anyone who wants one. At one point I had a queue 20 long for my free brochures. Those who were collecting them were the types who would have pinned them up in their bedrooms. What me care. It was fun.

Alison

[MoreAviation]

Those who were collecting them were the types who would have pinned them up in their bedrooms.

And those were just the pilots...

MA