Post by Bernard on Sept 15, 2024 20:49:58 GMT
Already a decade ago, my first contribution here was a post showing a DC-4 Balair at the famous Biafran airfield of Uli. Meanwhile I lost that screenschot, so I intended to recreate a part of the Biafra Airlift. Even it's rather out of classic era.
Without going too deep into the circumstances and reasons of the airlift, I just will recall following remarks:
This operation was an international humanitarian relief effort that transported food and medicine to Biafra during the 1967–1970 secession war from Nigeria. It was the largest civilian airlift and, after the Berlin airlift of 1948–49, the largest non-combatant airlift of any kind ever carried out.
Relief flights landed at Uli, codenamed "Airstrip Annabelle", the only operational "airport" in Biafra. At the height of the airlift it became the second busiest airport in Africa after Johannesburg. The bush landing strip was a widened road and had no instruments or navigation gear. The flights originated primarily from: the island of Sao Tome; the island of Fernando Po (then a Spanish colony and now known as Bioko, Republic of Equatorial Guinea); and Coutonou, Dahomey (now Benin). The humanitarian airlift was undertaken almost exclusively by civilian cargo aircraft and without any escorting military or defensive aircraft. Flights were also made from Libreville, Gabon by the French who were supplying both relief aid and military supplies.
The flights were undertaken under cover of darkness and without lights to avoid attacking Nigerian aircraft who maintained air superiority during the day, supported by Soviet fishing trawlers offshore monitoring the flights. Each aircraft made as many as four round-trips each night into Uli.(Source Wikipedia)
Now, how the airlift could look like in FS9, while tracking the flight of a DC-6B Balair doing flights on behalf of the International Red Cross.
Taking of at Malabo / San Isabel
Reaching the Cameroun coast near the Akwa-Ibom River delta
A Nigerian Mig-17 patrol already on duty
Approaching Uli airstrip in vincinity of the Niger River in the background
Landing at Uli all lights out
DC-6 Flughjalp Aid by Air taking of at Uli
These barrel fires marking the runway might be a purly fictious idea of me- But I had them ten years ago too!
Three Boeing B377 Stratocruiser chartered by Balair an carrying relief supplies of IRC
BTW, an absolute accurate and real situation seen in the web.
The most important base for the involved aircraft was Sao Tomé. Here what it could be during the flightless hours:
The Boeing B707 Transavia in the background wasn't a direct and active part of the airlift. It ensured the supplies from Europe to Sao Tomé.
An improvised maintenance facility!
Most of Balair aircraft and some others where based at Cotonou
The flights where done during total darkness with all lights out in order to not be seen by the Nigerian Migs. Therefore I tried to get the AI traffic without lights too.
Meanwhile I found some more Airlift 'contributors':
L1094G Nordair
DC-4 Air Trans Africa
L-1049G F-BRAD (ex Air France F-BNGJ and later Catair) operating from Libreville
This model resp. repaint is insofar interesting as it has been released by a french association called 'Amicale du Super Constellation', promoting the restored F-BGNJ exposed at Nantes Airport. Here the link.
In fact it was a real shame. Obvisouly the humanity has never been and still isn't able to solve ethnic problems. It seems that something went extremely wrong during its creation!
That said, I looked at it from the aeronautical point of view, like the airlifts during the Congo crisis. Initially I have installed Dane's Annabelle version.it corresponded what I had imagined too. Very little informations are available about this airstrip. Only after an intensive search I found this graphic and therefore adapted my scenery.
Normaly no aircraft during day
I had to lengthen the runway allowing to be used with AI traffic.
Bernard
Without going too deep into the circumstances and reasons of the airlift, I just will recall following remarks:
This operation was an international humanitarian relief effort that transported food and medicine to Biafra during the 1967–1970 secession war from Nigeria. It was the largest civilian airlift and, after the Berlin airlift of 1948–49, the largest non-combatant airlift of any kind ever carried out.
Relief flights landed at Uli, codenamed "Airstrip Annabelle", the only operational "airport" in Biafra. At the height of the airlift it became the second busiest airport in Africa after Johannesburg. The bush landing strip was a widened road and had no instruments or navigation gear. The flights originated primarily from: the island of Sao Tome; the island of Fernando Po (then a Spanish colony and now known as Bioko, Republic of Equatorial Guinea); and Coutonou, Dahomey (now Benin). The humanitarian airlift was undertaken almost exclusively by civilian cargo aircraft and without any escorting military or defensive aircraft. Flights were also made from Libreville, Gabon by the French who were supplying both relief aid and military supplies.
The flights were undertaken under cover of darkness and without lights to avoid attacking Nigerian aircraft who maintained air superiority during the day, supported by Soviet fishing trawlers offshore monitoring the flights. Each aircraft made as many as four round-trips each night into Uli.(Source Wikipedia)
Now, how the airlift could look like in FS9, while tracking the flight of a DC-6B Balair doing flights on behalf of the International Red Cross.
Taking of at Malabo / San Isabel
Reaching the Cameroun coast near the Akwa-Ibom River delta
A Nigerian Mig-17 patrol already on duty
Approaching Uli airstrip in vincinity of the Niger River in the background
Landing at Uli all lights out
DC-6 Flughjalp Aid by Air taking of at Uli
These barrel fires marking the runway might be a purly fictious idea of me- But I had them ten years ago too!
Three Boeing B377 Stratocruiser chartered by Balair an carrying relief supplies of IRC
BTW, an absolute accurate and real situation seen in the web.
The most important base for the involved aircraft was Sao Tomé. Here what it could be during the flightless hours:
The Boeing B707 Transavia in the background wasn't a direct and active part of the airlift. It ensured the supplies from Europe to Sao Tomé.
An improvised maintenance facility!
Most of Balair aircraft and some others where based at Cotonou
The flights where done during total darkness with all lights out in order to not be seen by the Nigerian Migs. Therefore I tried to get the AI traffic without lights too.
Meanwhile I found some more Airlift 'contributors':
L1094G Nordair
DC-4 Air Trans Africa
L-1049G F-BRAD (ex Air France F-BNGJ and later Catair) operating from Libreville
This model resp. repaint is insofar interesting as it has been released by a french association called 'Amicale du Super Constellation', promoting the restored F-BGNJ exposed at Nantes Airport. Here the link.
In fact it was a real shame. Obvisouly the humanity has never been and still isn't able to solve ethnic problems. It seems that something went extremely wrong during its creation!
That said, I looked at it from the aeronautical point of view, like the airlifts during the Congo crisis. Initially I have installed Dane's Annabelle version.it corresponded what I had imagined too. Very little informations are available about this airstrip. Only after an intensive search I found this graphic and therefore adapted my scenery.
Normaly no aircraft during day
I had to lengthen the runway allowing to be used with AI traffic.
Bernard