On Diego Garcia, there was a heavy thunderstorm. The lightning was sharp and fast. Previously, when there was a ligntning flash closeby, it seemed pixillated and the image lasted a bit too long. Now it is much sharper. The heavy rain as told by ATIS still could be depicted as heavier, but I see it improving.
Copilot seems to behaving better. As I was approaching the runway for takeoff, the copilot initiated takeoff request. She needed a second prompt to connect to Mauritius center, but responded before I could. It’s my understanding that whenever I hear the copilot’s voice, they should have initiated the radio traffic, not the pilot. I’ll see how the rest of the flight goes…
Update>>> flight went well until ATC assigned me an approach to HSSK. I asked for the same runway but a different approach. ATC assigned me the approach, but I never heard back from them, and the only selection I had was to ask for vectors, which I did not need. There always should be a fuller ATC menu. Khartoum also only had the centerline illuminated, which made the final interesting until I could make out the runway.