Introduction
During the five years I worked in West and Central Africa (2008-2013) I had ample opportunity to fly across this region: from the Sahara in Mauritania, the Sahel in Niger and Chad, to the jungles and rivers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Air travel in this vast region is not known for its comfort, punctuality, superior service or safety record. However, it can offer other perks for the frequent flier, especially in more remote areas and less busy airports. In many parts of the world, the skies are dominated by Boeing and Airbus and a few smaller aircraft manufacturers, such as Bombardier, Embraer or Fokker. In contrast, countries in Central Africa are not completely dominated by these big corporations and give many old airplanes another lease on life or provide decommissioned or crashed flying engines with a final resting place.Inspired by the Facebook group FlyAfrica, I dug through my old pictures and decided to write up a photo blog. Researching this blog was made easier by each plane’s unique aircraft registration number. Googling this number helped me identify the airplane type, and find out more about an aircraft’s current owner, home base and history. In addition, planespotters have posted pictures and additional information of many of the planes that I had photographed.
Writing this blog made me think back to my childhood travel on vintage airplanes in the Middle East. In this photo from about 1960, I am standing with my father, little brother and sister at the East-Jerusalem airport in front of a Middle East Airlines Vickers Viscount 700. The plane was in production from 1948 to 1963. The Vickers Viscount OD-ACT series 754D was delivered to MEA on 17 July 1957 and destroyed by an Israeli raid on the Beirut International Airport in December 1968. https://utopiaairport.blogspot.com/2015/05/middle-east-airlines-vickers-viscount.html
And in October 2009 I took this phot of two biplanes in Mbuji Mayi in DRC. The planes had been mothballed, waiting for their next assignment.
Writing this blog made me think back to my childhood travel on vintage airplanes in the Middle East. In this photo from about 1960, I am standing with my father, little brother and sister at the East-Jerusalem airport in front of a Middle East Airlines Vickers Viscount 700. The plane was in production from 1948 to 1963. The Vickers Viscount OD-ACT series 754D was delivered to MEA on 17 July 1957 and destroyed by an Israeli raid on the Beirut International Airport in December 1968. https://utopiaairport.blogspot.com/2015/05/middle-east-airlines-vickers-viscount.html
Biplanes
During my visit to Niger in June 2011 I had to travel to Maradi, close to the border with Nigeria. There were no direct flights from Niamey to Maradi, so I took the scenic route, hopping from Niamey to Tahoua, Agadez, Zinder and finally to Maradi. While taxiing at the Agadez airport I spotted two old biplanes parked in the sand. The Bulgarian-registered LZ-1102 is an Antonov 2R agricultural and utility aircraft that had been in production from 1947 to 2001. I found this additional information “The Bask Air Antonov 2R, LZ-1118, sustained substantial damage when it was flipped over by a sand storm at Agadès Airport (AJY), Niger. The aircraft damaged another AN-2, LZ-1102 in the process.” https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20069999-1 The two damaged biplanes can still be seen on Google Maps in satellite view.
In 1988, while I was working in central Sudan, I took this photo of a crop duster that flew over my house in Um Ruwaba. The plane was flown by a Polish pilot whose company had been hired to help with pest control after the area had been badly hit by locusts and other pests.
In 1988, while I was working in central Sudan, I took this photo of a crop duster that flew over my house in Um Ruwaba. The plane was flown by a Polish pilot whose company had been hired to help with pest control after the area had been badly hit by locusts and other pests.
And in October 2009 I took this phot of two biplanes in Mbuji Mayi in DRC. The planes had been mothballed, waiting for their next assignment.
Flying Russian
The Soviet Union had an extensive aviation industry, producing Antonov, Ilyushin and Tupolev aircraft, among others. These planes did not only fly in communist countries in Europe and Asia, but also in many parts of Africa. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, most airlines have replaced their Soviet-era airplanes with Boeing and Airbus machines. But in DRC there is no shortage of Russian aircraft.
In 2009, on a stop-over in Kisangani on a flight from Goma to Kinshasa, I took this picture of the 9T-TCH Antonov AN-12-BP transport plane owned by the DRC Air force. The plane had been in production from 1957 to 1973. This plane had been delivered to the Soviet Air force in 1965 and switched to Aeroflot in the 1980s. In 2005 it was acquired by the Georgia-based Southern Air Group before being sold in 2008 to Styron Trading Inc in Sao Tome and Principe. The following year the aircraft was acquired by the DRC Air Force in Kinshasa.
However, Russian aircraft are not only used by African air forces, even the UN flies them. In 2009 I took this photo of the Russian Government-registered RA-76457 Ilyushin IL-7GT, flying as a UN civil cargo transport plane. It was built in 1979, delivered to the Soviet Border Guard in 1980, and has been a Russian government plane since 1994.
In October 2009, I had the opportunity to fly the RA-25492 Mil Mi-8MTV-1 helicopter between Kinshasa and Mbuji Mayi. Mi-8 helicopters have been in continuous production since 1961.
“On 18 December 2007, the RA-25492 was involved in a crash that killed one person. The Mi-8 helicopter crash occurred during a forced landing in a mountainous area, due to the failure of the left engine, which the crew mistakenly took as a rejection of the main gearbox.” https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=68133
Cabin for passengers and cargo.
Instructions in English and Russian.
Press the button to open the door.
In 1986, I took this photo of the skeletal remains of an Mi-8 Sudan Air Force helicopter in the dry savannah of Northern Kordofan.
In 2009, on a stop-over in Kisangani on a flight from Goma to Kinshasa, I took this picture of the 9T-TCH Antonov AN-12-BP transport plane owned by the DRC Air force. The plane had been in production from 1957 to 1973. This plane had been delivered to the Soviet Air force in 1965 and switched to Aeroflot in the 1980s. In 2005 it was acquired by the Georgia-based Southern Air Group before being sold in 2008 to Styron Trading Inc in Sao Tome and Principe. The following year the aircraft was acquired by the DRC Air Force in Kinshasa.
However, Russian aircraft are not only used by African air forces, even the UN flies them. In 2009 I took this photo of the Russian Government-registered RA-76457 Ilyushin IL-7GT, flying as a UN civil cargo transport plane. It was built in 1979, delivered to the Soviet Border Guard in 1980, and has been a Russian government plane since 1994.
In October 2009, I had the opportunity to fly the RA-25492 Mil Mi-8MTV-1 helicopter between Kinshasa and Mbuji Mayi. Mi-8 helicopters have been in continuous production since 1961.
“On 18 December 2007, the RA-25492 was involved in a crash that killed one person. The Mi-8 helicopter crash occurred during a forced landing in a mountainous area, due to the failure of the left engine, which the crew mistakenly took as a rejection of the main gearbox.” https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=68133
Cabin for passengers and cargo.
Instructions in English and Russian.
Press the button to open the door.
In 1986, I took this photo of the skeletal remains of an Mi-8 Sudan Air Force helicopter in the dry savannah of Northern Kordofan.
Dead or alive?
Sometimes I was not sure whether the airplanes I saw in Central Africa where still in service or not. At Kinshasa N’Djili International Airport, I took this photo of a jumble of old planes waiting for another chance to take to the air. This flock of fliers is clearly visible on Google Maps satellite view.
On a stop-over at Bujumbura International Airport, Burundi on 7 October 2009, I spotted the 9U-BRZ, an iconic Douglas DC3. “The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing propeller-driven airliner that revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting effect on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever produced.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3. The Douglas DC3 was in production from 1936 to 1942.
Next to it, in front of the air control tower, stood the 9U-BTA of Air Burundi. This Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle III French Jetliner was in production from 1958 to 1972. The plane had been delivered to Air Burundi in 1975 and was offered for sale to preservation groups twenty years later. One planespotter wrote: “This Caravelle has been sitting parked for 19 years after it was withdrawn from use. Except from the accumulation of mold, it otherwise looks to be in a decent condition.” http://www.airpics.net/photo/9U-BTA-Sud-Aviation-SE-210-Caravelle-III-Air-Burundi/34253
In Kisangani I spotted a Boeing 727 that looked to be in no better shape than the Air Burundi Caravelle. However, the Boeing was being readied for take-off with a large group of intrepid travelers crowding the door at the back of the plane. The plane did not have any airline markings and I wasn’t able to identify the aircraft registration code. The Boeing 727 was in production from 1962 to 1984.
“8 July 2011 - A Boeing 727 operated by Hewa Bora Airways crashed on landing at Kisangani Airport (FKI), D.R. Congo. The airplane operated on a domestic flight from Kinshasa-N’Djili Airport (FIH) to Kisangani-Bangoka International Airport (FKI). …of the 115 persons on board, there were 77 fatalities, including the three flight crewmembers and two of the four cabin crew. The weather was reported to have been poor at the time of the accident with heavy rain, limited visibility and thunderstorms in the area.” https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20110708-0
”The aircraft involved was a Boeing 727-022 and had entered service with United Airlines on 22 April 1965 and had served with Korean Air, World Airways, and Ladeco before it was acquired by Hewa Bora Airways in April 2010. In 2004, the aircraft was operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo under the Swaziland registration 3D-BOC. That registration was cancelled in 2005 and the aircraft was then operated under the Sao Tome and Principe register as S9-DBM, but without correct documentation and not officially on that register. In 2010, the aircraft was registered to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as 9Q-COP. At the time of the accident, it had flown for 52,613 hours. The Ministry of Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo suspended Hewa Bora Airways Air Operator’s Certificate, citing repeated accidents suffered by the airline, including the accidents suffered by Flight 122 on 15 April 2008 and an accident involving Flight 601 at N’Djili Airport on 21 June 2010. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hewa_Bora_Airways_Flight_952
White board announcing flights.
This wrecked Antonov An-12 will not be leaving Mbuji Mayi.
On 18 October 2009 I photographed the 9Q-CYC, another Douglas DC3, at N’Djili International Airport. “This DC-3 was operated by Air Kasai but is now WFU (withdrawn from use) here in Kinshasa. She looks to be in pretty reasonable condition so who knows, maybe one day she may take to the skies once more. In 1976 the plane was registered to Visionair as N9984Q and ferried to Sweden to be used in the movie "A Bridge Too Far" before registered to InterFret Transport Aerien as 9Q-CYC and later to TAZ (Zaire) for Air Kasai. Now stored at N’Djili Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.” https://www.flickr.com/photos/superspotter/3527526088
On 10 October 2009 I photographed the ZS-SKK Convair CV-340-48 of SKYCONGO in Kinshasa. This type of aircraft was in production from 1947 to 1954. Here is an abbreviated history of the Conair’s history. It started out in 1953 as a KLM airplane in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, then moved to Canada for Lund Aviation in 1960, followed by a stint with Union Oil Company of California starting in 1964. In 1987 the Conair was registered to European Air Transport in Belgium, 1996 to Swiftair in Spain, 2005 to Skyhaul, South Africa and the same year to the South African-registered Skycongo. Since then it has been stored, waiting for another chance.
On 13 October 2009 I photographed the 9Q-CFT Boeing 720-48 in Mbuji Mayi. The Boeing 720 was in production from 1958 to 1967. Here is a snapshot of the aircraft’s history: 1961 Air Lingus, Ireland; 1965 Braniff International Airways, USA; 1966 BWIA International, Trinidad and Tobago; 1970 Transpolar, Norway; 1972 Trans European Airlines, Belgium, Air Cambodge, Tunisair, El Al; and finally in 1988 registered to Fontshi Aviation Services, DRC. The aircraft overran the runway in October 1990 and was withdrawn from service in 1991. It is now derelict. https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/9Q-CFT/490098
Flying over Lake Kivu past the active Mount Nyiragongo volcano in eastern DRC.
On a stop-over at Bujumbura International Airport, Burundi on 7 October 2009, I spotted the 9U-BRZ, an iconic Douglas DC3. “The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing propeller-driven airliner that revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting effect on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever produced.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3. The Douglas DC3 was in production from 1936 to 1942.
Next to it, in front of the air control tower, stood the 9U-BTA of Air Burundi. This Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle III French Jetliner was in production from 1958 to 1972. The plane had been delivered to Air Burundi in 1975 and was offered for sale to preservation groups twenty years later. One planespotter wrote: “This Caravelle has been sitting parked for 19 years after it was withdrawn from use. Except from the accumulation of mold, it otherwise looks to be in a decent condition.” http://www.airpics.net/photo/9U-BTA-Sud-Aviation-SE-210-Caravelle-III-Air-Burundi/34253
In Kisangani I spotted a Boeing 727 that looked to be in no better shape than the Air Burundi Caravelle. However, the Boeing was being readied for take-off with a large group of intrepid travelers crowding the door at the back of the plane. The plane did not have any airline markings and I wasn’t able to identify the aircraft registration code. The Boeing 727 was in production from 1962 to 1984.
“8 July 2011 - A Boeing 727 operated by Hewa Bora Airways crashed on landing at Kisangani Airport (FKI), D.R. Congo. The airplane operated on a domestic flight from Kinshasa-N’Djili Airport (FIH) to Kisangani-Bangoka International Airport (FKI). …of the 115 persons on board, there were 77 fatalities, including the three flight crewmembers and two of the four cabin crew. The weather was reported to have been poor at the time of the accident with heavy rain, limited visibility and thunderstorms in the area.” https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20110708-0
”The aircraft involved was a Boeing 727-022 and had entered service with United Airlines on 22 April 1965 and had served with Korean Air, World Airways, and Ladeco before it was acquired by Hewa Bora Airways in April 2010. In 2004, the aircraft was operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo under the Swaziland registration 3D-BOC. That registration was cancelled in 2005 and the aircraft was then operated under the Sao Tome and Principe register as S9-DBM, but without correct documentation and not officially on that register. In 2010, the aircraft was registered to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as 9Q-COP. At the time of the accident, it had flown for 52,613 hours. The Ministry of Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo suspended Hewa Bora Airways Air Operator’s Certificate, citing repeated accidents suffered by the airline, including the accidents suffered by Flight 122 on 15 April 2008 and an accident involving Flight 601 at N’Djili Airport on 21 June 2010. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hewa_Bora_Airways_Flight_952
White board announcing flights.
This wrecked Antonov An-12 will not be leaving Mbuji Mayi.
On 18 October 2009 I photographed the 9Q-CYC, another Douglas DC3, at N’Djili International Airport. “This DC-3 was operated by Air Kasai but is now WFU (withdrawn from use) here in Kinshasa. She looks to be in pretty reasonable condition so who knows, maybe one day she may take to the skies once more. In 1976 the plane was registered to Visionair as N9984Q and ferried to Sweden to be used in the movie "A Bridge Too Far" before registered to InterFret Transport Aerien as 9Q-CYC and later to TAZ (Zaire) for Air Kasai. Now stored at N’Djili Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.” https://www.flickr.com/photos/superspotter/3527526088
On 10 October 2009 I photographed the ZS-SKK Convair CV-340-48 of SKYCONGO in Kinshasa. This type of aircraft was in production from 1947 to 1954. Here is an abbreviated history of the Conair’s history. It started out in 1953 as a KLM airplane in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, then moved to Canada for Lund Aviation in 1960, followed by a stint with Union Oil Company of California starting in 1964. In 1987 the Conair was registered to European Air Transport in Belgium, 1996 to Swiftair in Spain, 2005 to Skyhaul, South Africa and the same year to the South African-registered Skycongo. Since then it has been stored, waiting for another chance.
On 13 October 2009 I photographed the 9Q-CFT Boeing 720-48 in Mbuji Mayi. The Boeing 720 was in production from 1958 to 1967. Here is a snapshot of the aircraft’s history: 1961 Air Lingus, Ireland; 1965 Braniff International Airways, USA; 1966 BWIA International, Trinidad and Tobago; 1970 Transpolar, Norway; 1972 Trans European Airlines, Belgium, Air Cambodge, Tunisair, El Al; and finally in 1988 registered to Fontshi Aviation Services, DRC. The aircraft overran the runway in October 1990 and was withdrawn from service in 1991. It is now derelict. https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/9Q-CFT/490098
Flying over Lake Kivu past the active Mount Nyiragongo volcano in eastern DRC.
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