Air Botswana

[Flame Lily FX]

My brother-in-law is mentioned here.

27 July 1980
During a flight from Mongu Airport, Western Province, Zambia to Victoria Falls Airport, Zambia there was a problem with the No.3 starboard inner Rolls-Royce Dart engine during the cruise. Initially there was a low torque warning and the throttle for this engine retarded which can either mean genuine low engine power or a failure within the reduction gearbox. First Officer Roger Beresford decided to slam the throttle open but this resulted in the engine auto-feathering due to zero torque at a high throttle position.

Captain Casey Willford restarted the engine but there was still no torque pressure on the gauge so he feathered the engine and returned on three engines to Mongu.

After landing and unloading of 56 passengers and luggage the engine cowls for the No.3 engine were opened and Casey was amazed that there was a hole in the Reduction Gearbox Casing the size of his fist. He felt that they were lucky that the Gearbox remained attached to the engine as a runaway propeller could have caused a lot of damage to the airframe.

http://www.vickersviscount.net/Index/Vi ... story.aspx

[Flame Lily FX]

My brother-in-law ended up being Training Captain for Air Botties. Training their nationals into the LHS.

My sister also was a hostie for Air Botties, flying around Southern Africa, and Comair/United flying to the Comoros with a plane load of goats, or senior Anglo American mining management to Sishen on Dakotas.

She also had the misfortune to be on a Joshua Nkomo flight.

Her colleagues went down on this flight:

http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/2012/0 ... -hennenman

Let us not ever forget Captain Noel Elliot Wilson.

[MoreAviation]

Rolls-Royce Dart engine

Designed and built by a team under the control of Lionel Haworth who was an engineering graduate from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Still remember the sound of the daily SAA Viscount flight to Salisbury over our house in Johannesburg, the distinctive whine of the Dart engines fading as the aircraft disappeared to the north.

Interesting thread.

MA

[Alisoncc]

My sister also was a hostie for Air Botties, flying around Southern Africa, and Comair/United flying to the Comoros with a plane load of goats, or senior Anglo American mining management to Sishen on Dakotas.

Anglo Danglo operated their own Kingair - ZS AAM, out of Rand Airport in the early/mid seventies. Knew Capt. Errol Battle quite well. He was their senior pilot at the time. Another two Kingairs operating out of Rand at the time were ZS-RTZ, Rio Tinto's airey and ZS-SAM, South African Manganese's. I got to fly SAM from the right hand seat on a few occasions. Also flew in Comairs DC3 as SLF when they operated tourist flights to Skukuza in the Kruger National Park.

Alison

[Flame Lily FX]

My sister also was a hostie for Air Botties, flying around Southern Africa, and Comair/United flying to the Comoros with a plane load of goats, or senior Anglo American mining management to Sishen on Dakotas.

Anglo Danglo operated their own Kingair - ZS AAM, out of Rand Airport in the early/mid seventies. Knew Capt. Errol Battle quite well. He was their senior pilot at the time. Another two Kingairs operating out of Rand at the time were ZS-RTZ, Rio Tinto's airey and ZS-SAM, South African Manganese's. I got to fly SAM from the right hand seat on a few occasions. Also flew in Comairs DC3 as SLF when they operated tourist flights to Skukuza in the Kruger National Park.

Alison

Very interesting, Ali. My sister flew the Comair/United Air charters to Sishen when not on Air Botties. Anglo head office is in Joburg, and Air Botties/United/Comair crew were based in Joburg at that time, flying out from there. My sister used to say the men loved being on her charters to Sishen as she was quite lazy, and she always told them to go help themselves to catering and drinks at the back after take-off. She couldn't be arsed to push the trolley as she said told them she was too tired. The men all gave her one of their front seats to sit in. Haha! Only in Africa. She used to complain how getting up at 4am for a 6am Jan Smuts departure was hell in the winter. They had to stand outside the aircraft in those days and they were issued with leather and rabbit fur lined gloves to help with freezing temperatures. I have to say they are the best gloves ever. Joburg in winter gets seriously cold and bitter.

Both my brothers have worked for Anglo for many years. My one brother is still one of their gold mining managers some 30 years later. He's done contracts for them in Mali and Ghana, but now back to the Transvaal. Both my brothers attended Michaelhouse boarding school in SA as the Oppenheimers, so it's all about old boys' school tie with Anglo. I know these things.

[Alisoncc]

Lily, ZS-SAM, South African Manganese's airey most regular trip was to Hotazell where their main manganese mine was. They had FIFO workers there. The name Hotazell says it all. Also flew up to Northern Zamboon land on more than a few occasions, to the copper mines there. Well they were mines before Kaunda kicked all the ex-pat managers out.

They had to stand outside the aircraft in those days and they were issued with leather and rabbit fur lined gloves to help with freezing temperatures. I have to say they are the best gloves ever. Joburg in winter gets seriously cold and bitter.

Tell me about it. As FO I got to go out and kick the tyres, whilst the boss did the meet and greet bit inside.

[Flame Lily FX]

Lily, ZS-SAM, South African Manganese's airey most regular trip was to Hotazell where their main manganese mine was. They had FIFO workers there. The name Hotazell says it all. Also flew up to Northern Zamboon land on more than a few occasions, to the copper mines there. Well they were mines before Kaunda kicked all the ex-pat managers out.

They had to stand outside the aircraft in those days and they were issued with leather and rabbit fur lined gloves to help with freezing temperatures. I have to say they are the best gloves ever. Joburg in winter gets seriously cold and bitter.

Tell me about it. As FO I got to go out and kick the tyres, whilst the boss did the meet and greet bit inside.

Ah, I'm a Kitwe gal. Did you ever land at South Downs? South Downs (a single Nissan hut) did not have any landing lights, and many a time our late afternoon/sunset flight from Lusaka there ended in us flying over the runway to head for Ndola airport with landing lights. Our families waiting for us on the ground saw the HS748 approach and fly over, jumped in their cars and drove for an hour to Ndola to pick us up. Only in Africa! No flight announcements. You had to see if your aircraft was there on the runway with your eyes first. We used to board the 5pm flight from Lusaka and pray we would make it to Kitwe South Downs before sunset. You also checked if you had a whitey in the cockpit LHS first before you got on an aircraft.