Farmlands and fences

 

So the day after I returned from Ndola we were rained out, but the day after that the weather was great and we loaded up, fuelled and fired up to take off. In my attempt to avoid the tall trees to my left and with the loop lifting into them, I was directed to the right and forward. The loop was half off the ground and it rotated around the back end still on the ground and swung into the fence along the edge of our LZ, causing the loop to fold up. Dammit…

Crops cut into the natural bush throughout the area. All subsistence farming of cassava and sometimes, interestingly, pineapples	Large farm areas close to small villages. So much larger than the tiny maize fields next to rural huts in SA
Open grassland identifies a river, and with the rain the rivers are starting to flow	Water is starting to meander and spread out through the grass strips in the bush

The rest of the day was spent taking the whole string system apart, moving the generator and loop structure into a more open area and reassembling it all, ensuring that every rope was attached to the right bolt and not twisted around any other rope. Then there was the issue of the broken section of pipe, and an incident report which dragged on for days after the event. I had to draw diagrams, give a statement, and have an assessment from the Chief Pilot when he flew out to check on me a few days later. Clearly I don’t want to do that again…

Eish… sorry	An example of a small village
Low clouds far away but gotta watch them because…	… in 30mins they can become this

Since then, however, things have worked pretty well. We have flown a fair amount, and by driving fuel out into the middle of the survey area we have increased the number of flights we can do per day with the high temperatures. As I mentioned above, Martin has come out to help me fly until the end of the month while he waits for his new job to be set up in Ivory Coast. Its been cool to fly with him and get a really good sense of how the flying is MEANT to be done. He picks the loop up and puts it down so smoothly and so accurately I can see just how much of a rookie I really am!

This is a harmless velvet spider. Looks like a massive tick, but feels like velvet	Colourful frog hitching a ride on the hook. Presume it won’t kill me as long as I don’t lick it!

I had a great three days just before his arrival where I managed to fly 5.5 hours a day, and things were going great until yesterday when the clouds came in just after I’d started flying. It rained all afternoon and is still gloomy and overcast today. Hopefully its better tomorrow, although I am taking my compulsory two days off since the service in Ndola.

Ahh, finally something definitely not out to kill me! Jean is the new loop systems man	The locals gather every day to watch the chopper take off and land at our fuel cache in the survey area

But the best news is that Martin brought up two hammocks at my request!! All of a sudden taking a break during the day doesn’t have to involve lying down in a sauna of a tent and I’m delighted to announce that an afternoon lie-down has become part of my routine.

In love with my new hammock at the fuel cache site	Hmm…. time for a beer methinks…