Around the World VFR (ish) - now complete!

Leg 61 - Socotra, Yemen (OYSQ Moori Airport) to Entebbe, Uganda (HUEN Entebbe Airport)


This leg: 1,502Nm, 4:39 flying time
Total so far: 68,485Nm, 261:21 flying time

Today we are heading into Africa proper, and taking a pretty straight line from Yemen to Entebbe in Uganda. This is at the edge of our range, so we are going for a pretty straight line for our route. Our approach to Entebbe will be from over Lake Victoria.

On the food side of things, today we are stocking up with the traditional Yemeni dish of Shakshouka, which is a delicious combination of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce.

So time to get going, and just a few clouds about tis morning in Socotra - otherwise looks like nice weather for the flight






Taking off to the North East, we start a gentle 180 degree turn to take us back to heading South West towards Africa


Socotra is a small, barren islands, but still looks beautiful from the air



Out over the Gulf of Aden on our way to Somalia



Somalia looks amazing from the air - barren, rocky desert with incredible patterns and colours









Crossing into Etheopia with the view no less spectacular albeit starting to get into a bit of cloud now






Cloudy over Kenya, so unfortunately can’t see too much



At last the cloud is beginning to break up so we can get a bit of a view as to what’s going on







Nearing Lake Victoria and crossing into Uganda




Turning to the North to circle around and over Kampala to line up with the runway




Lined up on final approach






And down



Next to head further South towards South Africa

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Leg 62 - Entebbe, Uganda (HUEN Entebbe Airport) to Makokola Retreat, Malawi (FWCM Club Makokola Airstrip)


This leg: 1,318Nm, 5:06 flying time
Total so far: 69,803Nm, 266:27 flying time

Today we are flying further South through Africa and into Malawi, but taking a bit of a detour through Kenya. So we are first heading East to Nairobi, then on to the East Coast of Africa to Mombasa and then South to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania before heading back South West and inland again to Karonga (Malawi) on Lake Malawi. We’ll then travel the length of Lake Malawi to the Makokola Retreat in Malawi.

To fuel us all up for the flight, we are having mandazi which is similar to a donut minus the hole and is a fried bread that is sweetened with coconut milk and shaped into circles or triangles. A Ugandan delicacy.

So some good weather this morning in Uganda as we prepare to depart from Entebbe






Lovely views over Lake Victoria as we leave Entebbe - although with thickening cloud as we continue towards Nairobi




Here’s Mfangano Island, at the far side of the Lake - and the Lake here is a beautiful green colour




Heading across Kenya towards Nairobi and passing Mount Suswa Conservancy







Approaching Nairobi we are heading into some thicker cloud - so unfortunately we can’t see much



On our way to the Coast - to Mombasa - and we finally start to emerge from the clouds



Although it looks like more cloud is on the way at the coast


Well, Mombasa is down there somewhere…at the end of the rainbow? Definitely raining down there over Port Reitz and Kilindini Port





Following the coastline South towards Dar Es Salaam - but the clouds ahead looking pretty ominous






Thick cloud all the way to Dar Es Salaam - and so turning to the South West and heading back inland towards Malawi and hopefully some better weather


But still lots of thick cloud - although maybe starting to clear as we approach Lake Malawi



At the edge of Lake Malawi, and some serious hills and slopes here


On the other side of the Lake now, and turning to the South over Karonga Airstrip



Heading South over Lake Malawi



Turning now to line up with the runway at our destination, Makokola Airstrip



Lining up for final approach




And down and parked


Where next? Further South I think, towards the Southern tip of Africa…

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Not done an updated map and lof for a while, so here we are:

And here’s the latest log:

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Leg 63 - Makokola Retreat, Malawi (FWCM Club Makokola Airstrip) to Mauritius (FIMP Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport)


This leg: 1,376Nm, 5:28 flying time
Total so far: 71,179Nm, 271:53 flying time

Well, remember I said we were heading South next? OK, so I lied. I’ve never been to Mauritius, and we are not that far away from it here…so why not? Plus we get a chance to fly over Madagascar in the process. So we are going pretty much straight East today, flying low altitude airways on a straight line to Mauritius with a couple of exceptions. First we are going to fly over Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, and then we will take a little detour to Reunion Island, part of France. Finally we will land at the awesomely named Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Mauritius. Turns out that Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam served as the island’s first Chief Minister, Prime Minister and Governor-General.

Today’s food order is Chambo with Nsima - Chambo is the most popular and best-known fish found in Lake Malawi and here is served grilled with nsima (a stiff porridge). Supposed to be delicious, so we will see!

So let’s get going, and it’s a lovely day with just some light cloud here in Malawi.









Heading East now, crossing into Mozambique as we leave the Eastern shore of Lake Malawi




Some really interesting hills popping up from the plains below us


Getting a little cloudier as we approach the coast of Mozambique





Heading out over the Mozambique Channel and the next stop is Madagascar - and some cloud ahead


Really interesting scenery in Madagascar - I think I expected more apparent jungle, but it looks more like barren scrubland








Some heavier clouds and rain ahead of us maybe




Looks like we’ve managed to keep clear of the weather




Approaching the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo





Flying over Antananarivo




Heading out over the Indian Ocean towards Reunion





Nearing Reunion, and a bit of cloud

At Reunion, we are going to fly over Saint-Denis and Saint-Clotilde, the major urban areas on the island






Turning to head on our final leg towards Mauritius


First site of Mauritius



Turning to line up for final approach


It’s going to be a stunning sunset approach and landing - wow!
















And down






What a stunning sunset landing. Sometimes this sim is jaw dropping

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Updated log and map

Leg 64 - Mauritius (FIMP Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport) to Maputo, Mozambique (FQMA Maputo Airport)


This leg: 1,437Nm, 5:19 flying time
Total so far: 72,616Nm, 277:12 flying time

Today we are getting back on track by heading back to Africa. We’re going to take a straight line, high altitude flight from Mauritius to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. We’ll be flying over the top of Reunion Island again, although that will likely be far below us, and then over Madagascar again, before finally crossing the Mozambique channel, East to West this time, and landing in Maputo.

So what Mauritian delicacy can we find today? How about Bol Renverse? In English this translates to ‘Upside Down Bowl’ and is a rice-based dish, served with a stir-fry sauce, similar to chop suey. The thick sauce is made with soy sauce, oyster sauce and sautéed with a variety of vegetables, usually Bok Choi (Chinese cabbage), mushrooms and carrots. Chicken, shrimp, or thin strips of meat is then added to the chop suey, though chicken is the standard choice and finally an egg over easy tops the dish.

So let’s get going, then and see what the weather has in store for us in Mauritius this morning. Well we didn’t expect heavy rain and thunderstorms!





Turning West and climbing out of the heavy clouds and up over Reunion Island - better view of the vocanic nature of the island from this altitude



Heading to Madagscar at 32,000 feet


Approaching the coast of Madagascar - thick clouds making it hard to see anything from high up here - just some little glimpses through the could of the green lands below





But as we cross the heart of Madagascar, the clouds clear to reveal an amazing landscape below


There ahead is the West coast of Madagascar. The snaking river on the left is the Onilahy River, whilst on the right it looks like a dry gorge, but is actually a deep casm with the Fiherenana River flowing through it. Bteween them, on the coast itself, is the town of Toliara




And back out over the ocean heading towards Mozambique and approaching the East coast of Africa


Descending to start our approach pattern - just a few clouds about - flying past Maputo, so we can circle back around for the airport




Heading right over the top of the city now and past the airport that we are about to turn around and land at


Turning on to final approach






and down



And parked

Cool. Enjoyed that - great views of Madagascar from 32,000 feet.

Updated map and logbook

Leg 65 - Maputo, Mozambique (FQMA Maputo Airport) to Langebaanweg, South Africa (FALW Langebaanweg Airport)


This leg: 1,064Nm, 4:24 flying time
Total so far: 73,680Nm, 281:36 flying time

Today we are flying from Mozambique to Langebaaweg, a town just West of Cape Town in South Africa. On the way we are detouring over Pretoria and Johannesburg before flying straight across the middle of South Africa to Cape Town. There we will fly over the Cape of Good Hope itself where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean. We’ll then head a few miles West to Langebaanweg.

So let’s get going - a bit cloudy and overcast here in Maputo this morning




Heading South West on the departure track before we’ll turn West towards Pretoria and straight into thick cloud



Finally, a little break in the cloud as we skim low over the higher ground to the West of Maputo on our way tp Pretoria - still lots of cloud and rain about





The weather has really cleared up a bit as we approach Pretoria




And on to the nearby Johannesburg






A long straight run now right across the heart of South Africa to Cape Town

Following alongside the Vaal River


Enormous areas of cultivated land here and then vast areas of scrub land




Approaching Cape Town over the mountains and rugged terrain to the North






Cape Town ahead with Table Mountain visible in the distance







Heading out over False Bay to the Cape of Good Hope with the Cape Peninsula on our left







Heading further West now towards Langebaaweg



Seems that Langebaaweg is quite a small place!

So circling around now to line up for runway 20L




And down




Nice flight. Next, we start our journey up the West coast of Africa.

Update map and log

Leg 66 - South Africa (FALW Langebaanweg Airport) to Benguela, Angola (FNBG 17th of November Airport)


This leg: 1,314Nm, 5:10 flying time
Total so far: 74,994Nm, 286:46 flying time

Today we are heading up the West Coast of Africa, and I’ve decided to try to follow the coastline as much as possible using local airports as waypoints. So we’ve got a lot of waypoints! Our itinerary is then:

  1. Langebaanweg (FALW)
  2. Doringbaai Airstrip (FAVJ)
  3. Papendotp Airport (FAVQ)
  4. Hondeeklip Bay Airstrip (FAGE)
  5. Kleinsee (FAKZ)
  6. Port Nolloth Airport (FAQJ)
  7. Oranjemund (FYOG)
  8. Luderitz (FYLZ)
  9. Meod Bay Landing Site (FYMB)
  10. Walvis Bay (FYWB
  11. Swakopmund (FYSM)
  12. Terrace Bay Airport (FYTE)
  13. Opuwo Airport (FYPM)
  14. Opuwo Airport (FYPN)
  15. Namibe Airport (FNNM)
  16. Namibe (FNMO)
  17. Benguela (FNBG)

Lots to see hopefully on the way. We’ll keep it nice and low - about 4500 feet - and see how it goes. It’s interesting that there are some lengthy coastal areas without any kind of runway or even navigation aid, but our route is going to stay pretty close to the coast all the way. The furthest inland we will be is on our way to Namibe Aiport.

So let’s see what the weather has in store for us today in South Africa. Well it’s a beautiful sunny day here.






Heading North now, out over the Atlantic towards Doringbaai Airstrip and Papendotp Airport that are very close together and the mouth of the Olifants River







On to Hondeeklip Bay Airstrip - looks like a mining area




Kleinsee is just a little further up the coast, and still in pretty barren countryside and pretty flat really




Port Nolloth Airport is next up





On to our next wyapoint, Oranjemund - the mouth of the Orange River








Luderitz is next up, with some amazing sand dunes here





Meob Bay Landing Site is our next waypoint further along the coast with more stunning sand dunes on the way





Heading a little bit away from the coast and onwards to Walvis Bay…and more sand dunes!






And North again towards Swakopmund




Next stop Terrace Bay Airport





And on to the “first” Opuwo Airport




And the “second” Opuwo Airport




Our second last waypoint is Namibe Airport






And our last stop, Namibe




And finally on to Benguela, flying over the airport before making our left turns to approach from the West over the ocean









On our final approach, landing and parked up







Our next trip will continue our journey North through Africa

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Updtaed map and log

Leg 67 - Benguela, Angola (FNBG 17th of November Airport) to Bangui, Central African Republic (FEFF M’Poko Airport)


This leg: 1,094Nm, 4:17 flying time
Total so far: 76,088Nm, 291:03 flying time

Today we are heading North into central Africa - literally as we are going to Bangui in Central African Republic. On the way, we are flying over Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, and then we are flying roughly along the path of the River Congo, passing over Mbandaka in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then on to Impfondo, right on the border between the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo and finally on to Bangui in Central African Republic.

So let’s get going. Nice day in Angola today, with a few clouds about and not much wind






Heading North now, out over the Atlantic


Back over dry land and it’s time to head inland now all the way from here





The lush green around the Longa River as it snakes towards the coast




Coming up to Kinshasa







And across the Congo River to Brazzaville







Miles and miles of rainforest below us, with the Congo River meandering inbetween



Approaching Mbandaka and the cloud is thickening and there are flashes of lightning in the air and a lot of low cloud and rain








North towards Impfondo, and the Congo is vast here…and so many trees!




Impfondo is on the Ubangi River - still a big river, but just a small tributory of the Congo - can just about see Impfondo through the cloud - just






Heading North now to out destination, Bangui, following the Ubangi for a short way



And back into thick cloud - hoping this clears before we get to Bangui




Approaching Bangui through the cloud and on to final approach








And down and parked


So, next stage? North to the Sahara, or West to the Coast? Let’s see how we feel.

Updated map and log

Countries landed in

|1|Scotland|
|2|Iceland|
|3|Greenland|
|4|Canada|
|5|USA|
|6|Jamaica|
|7|Greneda|
|8|Colombia|
|9|Peru|
|10|Brazil|
|11|Uruguay|
|12|Argentina|
|13|Falkland Islands|
|14|Chile|
|15|Bolivia|
|16|Ecuador|
|17|Honduras|
|18|Mexico|
|19|Russia|
|20|Japan|
|21|Philippines|
|22|Micronesia|
|23|Fiji|
|24|New Zealand|
|25|Australia|
|26|Indonesia|
|27|Singapore|
|28|Thailand|
|29|Hong Kong|
|30|China|
|31|Nepal|
|32|Sri Lanka|
|33|India|
|34|Azerbaijan|
|35|Russia|
|36|Turkey|
|37|Kuwait|
|38|Yemen|
|39|Uganda|
|40|Malawi|
|41|Mauritius|
|42|Mozambique|
|43|South Africa|
|44|Angola|
|45|Central African Republic|

Countries flown over

|1|Scotland
|2|Faroe Islands|
|3|Iceland|
|4|Greenland|
|5|Canada|
|6|USA|
|7| Cuba|
|8|The Bahamas|
|9|Turks and Caicos|
|10|Haiti|
|11|Jamaica|
|12|Dominican Republic|
|13|St Kitts & Nevis|
|14|Antigua & Barbuda|
|15|Dominica|
|16|St Lucia|
|17|Barbados|
|18|St Vincent and the Grenadines|
|19|Grenda|
|20|Venezuela|
|21|Colombia|
|22|Peru|
|23|Brazil|
|24|Uruguay|
|25|Argentina|
|26|Falkland Islands|
|27|Antartica|
|28|Chile|
|29|Bolivia|
|30|Ecuador|
|31|Panama|
|32|Costa Rica|
|33|Nicaragua|
|34|Honduras|
|35|El Salvador|
|36|Guatemala|
|37|Mexico|
|38|Russia|
|39| Japan|
|40| Taiwan|
|41|Philippines|
|42|Federated States of Micronesia|
|43|Nauru|
|44| Fiji|
|45|New Zealand|
|46|Australia|
|47| Indonesia|
|48|Malaysia|
|49|Cambodia|
|50|Thailand|
|51|Laos|
|52|Vietnam|
|53|Hong Kong|
|54|China|
|55| Bhutan|
|56|Nepal|
|57|India|
|58|Sri Lanka|
|59| Pakistan|
|60|Afghanistan|
|61|Iran|
|62| Azerbaijan|
|63| Latvia|
|64|Lithuania|
|65|Belarus|
|66|Ukraine|
|67|Moldova|
|68|Romania|
|69|Turkey|
|70|Syria|
|71|Iraq|
|72|Kuwait|
|73|Bahrain|
|74|Qatar|
|75|United Arab Emirates|
|76|Oman|
|77|Yemen|
|78|Somalia|
|79|Etheopia|
|80|Kenya|
|81|Uganda|
|82|Tanzania|
|83|Malawi|
|84|Mozambique|
|85|Madagascar|
|86|Reunion Island|
|87|Mauritius|
|88|South Africa|
|89|Namibia|
|90|Angola|
|91|Democratic Republic of Congo|
|92|Republic of Congo|
|93|Central African Republic|

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This thread is amazing and was exactly what I’ve been looking for! You’ve inspired me to retrace your journey since it’s so well documented here. Thank you for sharing this with the community!

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Leg 68 - Bangui, Central African Republic (FEFF M’Poko Airport) to Tombouctou, Mali (GATB Tombouctou Airport)


This leg: 1,470Nm, 5:41 flying time
Total so far: 77,558Nm, 296:44 flying time

For today’s flight, we are literally heading to Timbuktu - better known in the modern day as Tombouctou. This is in Mali in the Southern Sahara Desert. Why there? Well, we are close by, it’s on our rough direction and, well, you just have to go to Timbuktu don’t you?

Straight flight today, heading North West over central Africa and into the desert. Should be fun.Let’s see what the weather in Bangui has in store for us today - quite a nice morning!





Lots of trees and jungle and greenery here as we still head North


Crossing into Cameroon




Some mountains in Migeria to break up the terrain a bit


Starting to see more desert looking landscape now





Finally we reach the border and move into Niger and some serious desert



Entering Mali, on our final stage towards Tombouctou and proper desert here




Tracking along the River Niger as we start our approach to Tombouctou








Lined up for approach now




And landed - welcoem to Timbuktu!



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Leg 69 - Tombouctou, Mali (GATB Tombouctou Airport) to Mosteiros, Cape Verde (GVMT mosteiros Airport)


This leg: 1,243Nm, 4:43 flying time
Total so far: 78,801Nm, 301:27 flying time

Well, we are about to reach 300 hours flying time on this tour, which feels like we need a celebration. So to celebrate, we are going to pop over to Cape Verde islands in the Atlantic Ocean, just West of Africa. On the way we will fly over Dakar in Senegal. Other than that, a pretty straight route. In Cape Verde, we are going to land at Mosteiros on Ilha do Fogo, one of the smaller islands, and an airport which is just a grass trip. Should be fun.

We are going for an early morning start today, and will be taking off with the sunrise behind us.








The sun beginning to light up the sky properly behind us now and some spectacular views over the desert as we cross into Mauritania






Still heading across miles of barren desert




Crossing into Sengal, actually literally crossing the Sengal River



And approaching the West coast of Africa and the city of Dakar - right on the very point of the furthest West point of the African mainland







And heading out over the Atlantic towards Cape Verde - with our first site of the islands through some low cloud - this is the island of Santiago






Approach Ilha do Fogo


We’re approaching dead in line with the runway, so should be good to land straight in - but windy though!






And down, but it’s tricky to keep the plane straight as we land and we get a little too lose to the water for comfort - but manage to swing around and park on the grass



Nice flight and Cape Verde looks amazing. I think before we head North on our next leg, we’ll take a spin around this island and have a look at the volcanic crator we could see on approach

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Leg 70 - Mosteiros, Cape Verde (GVMT mosteiros Airport) to Lanzarote, Spain (GCRR Lanzarote Airport)


This leg: 1,166Nm, 4:46 flying time
Total so far: 79,967Nm, 306:13 flying time

Today we are flying North from Cape Verde, parallel to the West Coast of Africa up to the Canary Islands. We’ll do a little bit of a detour via La Palma, Tenerife (and via Mount Teide) and Gran Canaria before landing at Lanzarote. We are going to start with a little tour of Ilha do Fogo first to see what the volcanic crater looks like from the air.

So a nice day in Cape Verde





And starting the steep climb to the top of the island mountain


Too steep to go straight up, so we need to circle around to be able to climb up


Great lava flows in evidence


Cresting the crater and diving down for a closer look




And now climbing the secondary summit





Zooming back out maybe gives a better sense of the scale of the mountain and volcano


And an amazing view of the island as we head North on our flight plan

After a long stretch over the open ocean, we are approaching the Canaries. First up is El Hierro - which looks pretty uninhabited, but still spectacular




On to La Palma and flying right over La Palma Airport before turning East towards Tenerife





Approaching Tenerife, and we are going to divert inland to have a closer look at Mount Teide and the crater and high peak (Spain’s highest mountain)






Heading back to the flight plan and over Tenerife Airport


Gran Canaria is up next and we’ll overfly Gran Canaria Airport








So on to Lanzarote and our final destination wth the island of Fuerteventura to our right





Entering the approach pattern to Lanzarote




And lined up on approach now, but a strong crosswind from the left





And we’re down

I wonder where next? Gibralter seems like a nice idea if we can reach.

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Updated map and log

Leg 71 - Lanzarote, Spain (GCRR Lanzarote Airport) to Tunis, Tunisia (DTTA Tunis Carthage International Airport)


This leg: 1,352Nm, 4:58 flyng time
Total so far: 81,319Nm, 311:11 flying time

Today we are heading first to Gibralter, and then East along the Mediterranean Sea to Tunis in Tunisia. Flying quite a lot over water, but we should be able to see the African Coast most of the way and also, near Gibralter, we’ll fly right over Tanger in Morocco. We will do a short stop in Gibralter as well - just because, and we’ll probably do a little fly around the rock etc. Should be fun.

Here we are ready to go







Heading onto the flight plan now, and turning North to cross Lanzarote itself after our South facing take off. By day, Lanzarote seems much flatter than the other Canary Islands



And North East now out over the Atlantic on our way to Gibraltar

Morocco and El Jadida and Sari to our right


Gotta love the Global Shipping mod - that’s us way up in the sky there in the distance behind the container ship off the coast of Morocco

About 80Nm South of Gibraltar and the Moroccon Coast is in sight on our right with Tanger up ahead

Passing over Tanger




A great view here of the Straights of Gibraltar - Europe on the left, Africa on the right

Approaching Gibraltar - we’re going to refuel here. I’m finding the latest SU4 has reduced the range of the TBM slightly from the old performance mod I was using. So we are struggling, flying at only 7,500ft to get 1,300Nm range. Flying over Gibraltar first, then looping back to approach visually from the other side









Here we are, ready to take off again and continue our journey, but first, let’s take a little spin around the rock and see how it looks











Straight West now across the Mediterranean towards Tunis - we’ll hit the North Coast of Africa right around Algiers, so we can have a look at that before heading on to Tunis. Here is Algiers and the Bay of Algiers




Onward and along the North Coast of Algeria - with some Spectacular mountains to the South





The city of Bejaia to our right on the coast and the Bay of Bejaia


Crossing over the city of Annaba





And cross country from here to Tunis - and a bit cloudy and rainy here as we near Tunis - with some flashes of lightning - and heavy rain. Circling over the city to get lined up for final approach








And down and parked


Next time - North into Europe I think!

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Updated map and log book

Rather interestingly Leg 71 has ended up setting a few milestones:

  • I’ve now landed in exactly 50 different countries so far
  • I’ve now flown over more than 100 countries (Cape Verde was the 100th) - 105 in all now I;ve flown over Tunisia
  • More than 80,000Nm flown so far

Still pretty much the whole of Europe to go!

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