(Video to be edited)
7th Feb
A full day of relaxation prior to the BA074 back to LHR at 04:50 on Sunday 8th.
6th Feb
Today we take wheels before daybreak at 06:30 looking to load the containers in the cool of the morning. Yes the temp was cooler but the humidity was high! so it was just as hot 🙂
Arriving on site as it got light, we immediately started work. 3 hours later with the sun now shining directly on us we completed. Sealing the door to next see these aircraft back at Gransden some time in April.
5th Feb
Today’s task is disassembling 3 aircraft and make ready for packing. By 18:00 we had accomplished the task. The plan was simple. It worked.
4th Feb
We have 3 displays today, Ogbomosho, Iseyin, Ibarapa. The first 2 venues are done on one mission making a 1:20 flight. The last mission, 50 mins and back at base.
Flight plan back to Lagos and we depart at 16:00 for the return trip. Aircraft back in the military hangar and we depart for a well earned beer.
3rd Feb.
Today we have 3 shows to fly, Oyo town, Ibadan and the twilight display at government house.
We are given a google maps screenshots of the venue which we have to then get a lat and long and then program sky demon with. After a little practice this becomes easy. I must say sky demon has made itself future proof with its format. A base map of the world and then you can add your own waypoints.
After the pyro show we rush to the hotel with our driver who drives like he stole it 15 mins to show and change. The 3 pilots have traditional Naija tunics from our previous visit here 3 years ago.
The evening is very pleasant surrounded by smart well-dressed persons mostly all in traditional dress of some sort. Sitting on our table was a very well connected lady from Botswana. A very good conversation was had regarding a team visit, a seed was planted 😉
2nd Feb
Today is an easy day all we have to do is position to Ibadan, our base for the next 2 days.
This flight is just 30 mins. The countryside is mostly green, some areas with dense trees others a bit sparce.
Roads in the countryside are orange un paved surfaces looking like the veins and arteries of the country.
1st Feb
The Nigeria team arrives at 14:00. It takes about 1.5 hrs to clear formalities. Out hotel is the Marriot. The normal taxi touts, money changers greet us however our armed guard soon moves these out of the way.
Our driver is certainly in the “advanced driving” skill class weaving in and out of the traffic with not a care in the world horn blazing.
On one occasion we were slightly T boned, the guard immediately jumped from the van waving the AK47 and the situation was calmed. Nothing to see here !
31st Jan
The final day of Wings India at Begumpet airport.
We are all well practiced and in the groove now. The walk to aircraft, start, taxi, line up and Takeoff are all fine tuned leaving very little spare time to “heat up” in the cockpit.
All aircraft start, no missed or late displays. Its all gone very well.
Tonight at 23:30 3 pilots and 1 engineer depart to Nigeria. I manage 1 hrs sleep before our wheels take us to Hyderabad international for a 3am flight.
The remaining 3 engineers disassemble aircraft and pack for shipping.
30th Jan
Today is the first public day. Extra fencing has been erected giving a double fence. The crowds are massive. Demographic is mainly young couples and maybe 20% families.
Every loop, roll or figures brings massive cheering. We taxi in and stop engines in unison and stand in the seat or on the wing to cheers and waves.
Each evening pyro show has our trademark slalom between the roman candles. This is good fun but take some skill.
29th Jan
A routine has formed. Same as yesterday please.
28th Jan.
Opening day, the site is spotless, business guests appear and the show is open to trade. We takeoff at 10:55 to plan our overhead flag flypast precisely 11:00am.
The smokes have been made by Rohit Vikhe of firecraft, there are the very best smokes we have used. Nice and dense colours.
We do the flypast at 80 kts giving a good effect. The wing tip vortex keeps the smoke nice and tight.
We are tasked with 3 displays a day, morning, afternoon and twilight.
This evening, we are invited to the British High Commission for drinks and a bite to eat. A very pleasant evening was had with various business leaders.
27th Jan
We elect to fly just once as a team. Leading I’m carrying the green, white, orange smokes for a test firing. For all days we open the days program at 11:00 am with the national flag colours flypast.
Twilight comes and I fly solo to test the sparkling pyros.
26th Jan.
Same routine, up the tower, flt pln, NOTAM and fly. Our first ‘defect” did show up, a puncture. We carry considerable amount of spares just in case so this was not an issue at all. Scavenge a few blocks of wood, wheel of and support the a/c on its axel while a new tube was fitted. All done in 30 mins.
25th Jan.
We set our own daily schedule, firstly with a visit to the tower to find what is a suitable gap in the days scheduled arrivals/ departures. A flight plan is then filed. A NOTAM is then issued.
We opt for 2 flights on this occasion. Myself leading, Chris Burkett right wing, Vhris Heames in box and Jon Ravenscroft left wing. The sequence is well practiced and memorised, all we have to do is get familiar with the key references around the airport.
No problems or defects.
24th Jan.
4 aircraft on the flight line, inspected and certified just waiting for fuel. Meanwhile the general show build around us happens, the exhibitor chalets are good quality, getting the last lick of paint and the rubbish being tidied away.
The trade hall is massive and well air conditioned. The teams air conditioning is a gentle daily breeze from about 120’ of the apron!
Fuel arrives and we get a take-off slot between the military arrivals and departures.
21st Jan.
We take the evening flight to end up in Hyderabad early evening of the 22nd. The rest of the Wings India team have arrived in the morning of 22nd and start work on 2 aircraft assembly.
The other 2 aircraft are “lost” with the lorry broken down somewhere. These do turn up on the 23rd and we commence build after a good nights sleep at the Taj Deccan.
20th Jan.
Finally, we take delivery of the aircraft. This makes for a very hectic next 2 days. The temperature is 35’c, the humidity is off the scale. Drinking 3 lts water a day the sweat almost runs at times.
We manage to remove all aircraft from there ovens in 30 mins.
Today is a long day, we must build the planes as we are departing on the night of the 21st.
With 5 persons in 2 days we build the aircraft. Just water, biscuits and mars bars for lunch !
19th Jan
We wait for the call, they are on the way well not quite, they were….. right at the last moment the customs officer “detains” the containers again after the crane arrives to load, another crane to offload, the lorries arrive at port to load.
He’s made a mistake asking for a “end use” certificate for a temporary import. The delay caused means the port will close for today.
18th Jan
Our containers are customs cleared but waiting on CMA CGM shipping line to issue the “delivery order” but they don’t work weekends!
The pickup was 12th November for a 23rd December delivery to Lagos allowing plenty of time, however for whatever reason the delivery date kept getting put back along with splitting up the two containers adding to the logistics frustration of the agents on both sides.
So, all we had to do today was chill at the hotel pool.
17th Jan
Another Global Stars adventure begins!
Today at 05:15am, taxi’s to LHR Terminal 5 for departure to Nigeria and then to India for air displays.
British Airways Customer Experience Representative Simone Maingot from the Premium Team in First Wing met us and kindly took us to the recently upgraded first class check-in and provided a first class customer experience service to our Global Stars team.
It was a wonderful start to our travels with British Airways as well as flying in their Boeing B787-10 aircraft.
5 team members travel to Nigeria to assemble 3 aircraft, we then depart to India to assemble 4 more aircraft, fly Wings India at Begumpet after which travels back to Nigeria to fly for the Governor of Oyo state at the 50 anniversary of the state. Busy & fun times indeed.
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