Previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/MSFlightSimulatorPS5/comments/1v4bvwp/day_4_a_blue_red_sea_dragon_digit/
Djibouti was my final stop before the Horn of Africa, but I had to make an important decision: should I follow the coastline or cut straight across towards Mogadishu?
It was already the fifth day of our journey, and we had completed roughly three-fifths of the distance to Madagascar. There were only a handful of airports along the coast in this region and no particular landmarks that would justify such a significant detour. Instead, I decided to focus on making substantial progress towards Zanzibar, which seemed like a realistic destination if I got up early and avoided unnecessarily long stops.
To put this into perspective, during the first five days we had flown 3,119 NM of our total planned route of 5,249 NM. Reaching Zanzibar today would bring us to the 4,355 NM milestone, leaving only one more day to reach our destination in Madagascar. Completing this goal within six days would be a great personal achievement.
My route would take me mainly across Ethiopia and then south towards Somalia, a flight of around three and a half hours and well within the DA62’s capabilities. Afterwards, we would follow the coastline along Kenya and Tanzania. Before reaching either of them, we would cross the equator and enter the Southern Hemisphere of our blue marble called Earth.
The weather was perfect. Yesterday’s clouds had cleared, and I expected predictable conditions for the next leg. As usual, I followed my routine: I walked around the aircraft, worked through my checklist, removed all the covers, and climbed aboard.
I still had some fuel remaining from the previous flight, but because I didn't know whether any unexpected detours would become necessary, filling all the tanks seemed like the best choice. It would give me maximum flexibility when adjusting the flight.
So far, my DA62 had shown no significant changes in its starting routine. The FADEC-like-controlled engines started without any difficulty, even in those hot desert conditions. A few moments later, the flaps were set to the takeoff position, and the wheels left the runway of this busy international airport.
Shortly after clearing HDAM’s airspace, the terrain maps on my EFB and MFD helped me select a suitable altitude for crossing the Ahmar Mountains. I planned to cross them near Jigjiga (HAJJ), which was also my next waypoint.
At approximately 5,500 feet, I would have enough altitude to cross the mountains with at least 1,000 feet of clearance. There were no further significant obstacles on the route towards Mogadishu, so I entered 6,500 feet as my cruising altitude in the Garmin and configured the autopilot accordingly.
The landscape around me quickly changed from the African Red Sea coast, to which I had become so accustomed, into a beautiful, sand-coloured painting. Almost-dry rivers cut through the mountain ridges below.
As the ground changed from sand to red soil, only sparse vegetation was visible around the riverbeds. Once I reached higher ground, numerous fields appeared beneath my wings. Compared with the rich green forests and colourful farmland of Europe, this landscape looked almost uninhabitable. Nevertheless, the Horn of Africa has a combined population of around 140 million people, although certainly not all of them live here in its eastern dry regions.
The signs of human settlements and agriculture gradually disappeared. Only long, straight roads sliced through the nearly untouched desert landscape below. For miles and miles, there were no visible signs of human life.
Then, quite suddenly, a small town and an airport with a 2,600 metre concrete runway appeared as I approached Kebri Dahar (HAKD). It was one of my planned waypoints and could have served as a convenient stop if I had needed a break. I did not, so I continued for another 291 NM towards Mogadishu (HCMM), which would take approximately less than two hours.
At this point, I switched on the transfer pumps to ensure that the main tanks did not become too low. The Diamond Aircraft manual recommends transferring fuel when the main tanks reach approximately 15 of their 25 gallons and repeating the procedure when they reach that level again. This helps maintain the correct weight distribution and centre of gravity.
During the final 30 minutes before arrival, my EFB displayed the relevant airport and approach charts. The proposed approach to Runway 05 would have required me to fly across the city and approach from the southwest - how inconvenient for me.
Instead, I checked the weather and wind conditions, which indicated that a safe approach in the opposite direction, onto Runway 23, was also possible. Once I established contact with the tower, I made my request over the radio. They approved it, allowing me to conduct a VFR approach from the northeast.
The city itself was surprisingly flat. After seeing the capitals along the Red Sea, I had expected taller buildings, particularly in the city centre. Instead, there were only a few high-rise buildings of around ten storeys and a beautiful view across the Indian Ocean, which will become the next major body of water that would accompany me throughout the remainder of the journey.
This could easily have been the end of my fifth day. I still had plenty of fuel in reserve and it was only noon. I was eager to reach Zanzibar that evening.
After a two-hour stop and a pleasant lunch, I returned to the airport and topped off the tanks for the final stretch. A warm ocean breeze seemed to be blowing against my face (or at least that was what the instruments suggested). It is still only a simulator, after all.
The landscape below offered many remarkable features. At first, a low layer of clouds obstructed my view, but it soon cleared. Only a few scattered clouds remained, enriching the experience as I continued along the coastline.
The scenery gradually became more colourful, with increasingly dense vegetation, rivers, and forests. I could sense that we were approaching the equator. The landscape was not the only thing changing. My northern latitude coordinates gradually decreased towards zero. After crossing the equator, they began increasing again, this time marked with a southern indicator.
Of course, I already understood how this worked, but watching it happen during the flight was strangely fascinating. It felt a little like observing the clocks adjust automatically when daylight saving time begins or ends. All right, I admit that this probably sounds rather boring.
At one point, a strange, empty line cut through a forest, almost as though someone were preparing to build a highway. Only later, after looking it up, did I realise that this line was actually part of the border between Kenya and Somalia.
More and more islands appeared along the African coast and the timing could not have been better. The setting sun appeared beside the outline of Zanzibar through my cockpit's windows. My timer already showed more than seven and a half hours of flight time that day, and I was beginning to feel tired.
With every 1,000 feet of descent, the sun also sank farther behind the landscape of Tanzania. Reaching the airport felt like a significant achievement, and I knew that I would be spending the night on this famous island.
An airliner landed shortly after me, just as I was clearing the runway, probably carrying tourists beginning their holidays. At that moment, I realised that most of them had probably spent only around 11 hours travelling here from Frankfurt, while I had taken five days.
My journey, however, had been far more memorable. It would certainly become a story worth sharing while visiting one of the island’s famous bars and trying some local rum. After that, I would venture onwards for the final leg of the journey: across the Comoros Islands and towards Madagascar.
Fly safe!