Saturday 19 February 2011

Post 15: THE TRAILER: Cessna N154DJ retires hurt; the British Ambassador makes amends;Fox Formation is scattered to the four winds but plans to regroup and push on



David, 'Wing Commander material if ever was, a man of authority, gravitas and exerience is forced to retire from the TransAfrica Rally after the nosewheel of his Cessna 303 collapses at the end of his take-off run at Ad Damazin's pot-holed runway in southern Sudan, capital of the Blue Nile state. He takes it stoically. But it is a big loss- not just to him and to Angela- but to the entire Fox formation. Fox 1 had become the group's doyen, Master Jedi. Obi Wan Kanobi to Sam's Luke Skywalker in his formative years. The part of Hans Solo ( Harrison Ford) goes to Uberpiloten Hemut, first off chocks, first to take off and probably first on the sun-loungers in Mozambique ( Eine scherz Helmut), David's aircraft is a probably a write-off. A gift to the Sudanese people and its sparts parts industry. Thankfully everyone walked away unharmed, if a little shaken. undoubtedly saved by David's calm professionalism under fire. The British Ambassador, who happened to be in Ad Damazin at the time, comes to the rescue and makes amends for the dozy behaviour of his staff in Khartoum yesterday,

Read the full story on Sunday

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