PRESS RELEASES

During this morning, TAA09 emited a press release about the humanitarian expedition with attached photo CD's to the following portuguese news agency, magazines and newspapers: LUSA, VISÃO, SÁBADO, PUBLICO, Jornal de Noticias, Diário de Noticias, SOL and Correio da Manhã.
TAA09 on the media track!!!

LAST DAY

After the Okavango Delta stop, the team headed to Johannesburg Brakpan airfield on the final stage of the humanitarian expedition. This was the day in which we flew most as we departed very early from xarakai to Maun to refuel and the we flew to Francistown to refuel and clear customs. This last leg between these two cities in Botswana, was all over the Kalahari Desert and we all overflew it at low level flight. Even the pilot Eduardo Maya made a touch and go in the middle of the desert!!!Amazing the magic of this african desert...
From Francistown, we headed to Pilansberg in South Africa to clear customs. Suprisingly we delayed a lot on this airport due to the lack of professionalism of the airport staff, the worst of all our stops during 2 weeks!!! Even with this delay, we all took off to Brakpan via GAV VOR where we landed safely. We were welcomed at Brakpan with beer and pizzas provided by Karl Finatzer and we all felt that the mission was accomplished and we were happy but at the same time we were all sad because this was the end of the humanitarian expedition.
New plans are about to come...

FINALLY TIME TO REST...WITH 2 SAFARIS!!!

On this day all the TAA09 woke up very early to go on a morning safari which took around 5 hours. During the morning, the two Land Rovers made an intermediate stop to offer us some Rooibos tea and coffee, which is a luxury in the middle of the jungle. The highlight of this memorable morning was the time when we spotted 3 lions. We proceed after them and we stopped the car with engine off just a few meters from them...it was an incredible sound of silence...On our way to the lodge we spotted some lioness footprints and we discovered her in the middle of the bush trying to hunt springboks and baboons... it was amazing!!

After a light lunch and a nap, we all again went back to the cars to join a night safari. During this one we spotted hippos and in a small river, one of the cars got stucked in a hole. With the help of all the TAA09 team, we got the situation solved and we all comemorate with tonic gin!!

This was one of the most fantastic days of our lives...!! The TAA09 team would like to thanks Ren, Mrs, Kerwele and all the Mapula Lodge staff for all the cooperation, kindness and sympathy.

WATCH OUT!!! HIENAS IN THE HOUSE...

In order to protect the tyres of the aircrafts, before leaving to the lodge, the pilots grabbed a several amount of bush and they covered all the tyres and the horizontal stabilizers. Like this the hienas and the baby lions were not able to chew these parts of the aircrafts during the two nights of parking.

TAA09 IN THE HEART OF THE AFRICAN WILDLIFE

Taking off from Livingstone airport around 2pm, the four aircrafts overflew the Zambezi river at low level all the way down to Kasane airport in Botswana, as a curiosity this airport lies on the 750m lenght of border between Zambia and Botswana. Customs cleared in Kasane and the TAA09 team took off inbound the Okavango Delta to Xarakai, the closest airstrip of Mapula Lodge. Just after take off we overflew the Chobe National Park followed the Moremi National Park and for a few moments we overflew the airspace of Namibia. A huge amount of wild animals were spotted on both parks, as lions, zebras, girafes, hippos, elephants, kudus, crocodiles, rhinos, etc. As we approached the strip in the middle of nowhere at sunset time and due to communication problems with Mapula Lodge, we were not able to advise the Lodge that we would arrive at that time, and as soon as we approached the strip we noticed that nobody was there waiting for the TAA09 entourage. As soon as two aircrafts were landed, we advised the pilots Eduardo Maya and Carlos Fernandes, still in the air, to look out for the lodge near the strip. They saw something that seemed a lodge and they overflew it for 5 minutes performing 360's overhead. During our approach we noticed around 60 elephants just side by side with the airstrip...

With all the aircrafts on the ground and the night coming, we applied all our bush pilots course knowledge and we started grab bush in order to make a circle with a fire in the middle to proctect ourselves of the wild animals, as we didn't know if someone will picked us up there. Suddenly, we saw two Land Rovers from Mapula Lodge coming in and all of the team smiled!!! An adventure of two fantastic nights were about to start...

LIVINGSTONE...MAGIC LOCATION!!

As usual all the TAA09 team woke up very early to go on a water safari in one of the Waterberry Zambezi River Lodge boats. At Waterberry Lodge we were very confortable not only because how beautiful this lodge is but also because of the kindness, hospitality and sympathy of the managers Gail and Connor. During this safari, the TAA09 team spotted several hippos and a lot of wild animals in the borders of the river. The Zambezi is a state of the art of the nature!!

Right away with all our bags and prepared to fly, we went with Gail and Morrisson to Livingstone to see in loco the Victoria Falls. We were there for around 1 hour and we got some beautiful handcraft pieces...

We would like to thaks to Tessa Prior, Gail Kleinschmidt and Connor all the attention and support to the humanitarian expedition.

LOW LEVEL FLIGHT ALONG ZAMBEZI RIVER

Finally, with the zambian overflying clearances in our hands and with lower cumulus around Songo, we departed early in the morning to Livingstone,Zambia via Lusaka,Zambia for a technical stop. On the first leg of this day, the TAA09 team flew at low level along the Zambezi river. It was a fantastic scenic flight and all the team saw hippos, crocodiles,elephants,etc. This river is mythical!!! The wildlife is amazing and the river is very crowded of wild animals. After a delayed stop in Lusaka for refuel and clear customs, we headed to Livingstone where we landed at sunset...

With all the problems in Songo, the expedition was not able to reach Kayila in sothern Zambia and we had to cut one night in Livingstone as well.

LUCK IN SONGO

During this last day in Songo, the TAA09 team had luck as they were all invited by Eng. Humberto Oliveira and his wife, Mrs. Lurdes for a lunch and for a dinner served in the garden of their beautiful house. The chef cooked white codfish and T-Bones, all accomplished with indian spicy Achar.

As a surprise of the evening, Mrs. Lurdes cooked the tasty Pastel de Nata, a traditional portuguese small cakes.

The Songo hospitality was so huge that the TAA09 members have no words to describe it...

THUNDERSTORM DELAYS TAA09

When all the team made an early wake up at 6 am to start one more flying day, a cold front came into Songo skies and the weather conditions suddenly became a big issue for the expedition. The pilots Pedro Venancio, Pedro Gaivão and Carlos Fernandes went by car with Eng. Humberto Oliveira and Eng. Manuel Ribeiro to Estima village to observe the weather conditions on the lower base of the hills to judge wether they could take off or not. Unfortunatelly, the weather was so poor that they decided to pend one more day in Songo... After all these issues, the team moral was high!!!

TAA09 STRANTED AT SONGO, TETE

During today, the TAA09 were stranded at Songo airport waiting for the overflying clearances emited by the Zambian Air Force. After a lot of promises by the zambian air force officials, the clearances only came at 4pm, which was too late to depart for Lusaka. With a new situation, the team decided to night stop in Songo.

Tomorrow the humanitarian expedition will fly from Songo to Livingstone, Zambia with a technical stop in Lusaka, Zambia.

SET LININGS INT SA WITH TAA09

From Saudi Arabia the CEO of SET LININGS INT SA, Mr. José Teixeira Ribeiro, sent a message to all the team of motivation and support...

TAA09 OVERFLIES MALAWI ON ITS WAY TO CAHORA BASSA!!!

After a delayed departure from Likoma Island due to customs, all the TAA09 team overflew again the borders of the Lake Niassa until a position north of Monkey Bay where the distance between the borders is shorter, and climbed to 6000ft heading to Lilongwe, Malawi. After a quick stop in Lilongwe to refuelling and clear customs, the team went direct to Songo, Mozambique. Before the arrival, the pilots performed a formation low level pass.

AFRICAN ROOTS...

Yesterday by the sunset, the team was surprised by a concert on the NKWICHI LODGE beach by the choir of the catholic Cobué church. Around 15 children and youngsters leadered by Mr. André were at the beach where they sung for almost 1 hour.

After the beach dinner, the pilot Carlos Fernandes performed a song for all the team members and lodge workers.

LAKE NIASSA...THE PARADISE

With a technical stop in Tete, Mozambique followed by another one in Blantyre, Malawi for refuel and clear customs, the four aircrafts of TAA09 flew all over the lake heading to Likoma Island, a malawian island in Mozambique territory.This flight will be recorded on the pilots memory forever as it was one of those flights where the outside landscapes and the lake were astonishing and beautiful. All the trip was performed at low level flight with a low pass at Metangula, an old portuguese marines base. After the landing at Likoma Island, the team was transfered to two fisherman boats and they were conducted direct to the customs and passport control at Cobué, Mozambique. After all of this accomplished, the TAA09 team was transfered on the boats on a 1 hour boat trip to NKWICHI LODGE, a luxury state of the art lodge managed by MANDA WILDERNESS which support and organize all the Cobué community. The team would like to thanks to Mr. Devon Concar and Mrs. Tatu for all the support and simpathy.

GORONGOSA NATIONAL PARK

It was with a great joy that the TAA09 arrived on the past 3rd of May, at GORONGOSA NATIONAL PARK. Once again, all the entourage was very much welcomed by the communication director of the park, Mr. Vasco Galante who had on this day his wife and his daughter with him. All the 4 aircrafts arrived at Chitengo runway by sunset and with the beginning of the dry season, the Chitengo airstrip is in a very good state. On the following day, the TAA09 team performed an early morning safari and it was with pleasure that all the team noticed a huge evolution on the animal wild life of the park since our last park visit in March 2007. At this time, the GORONGOSA NATIONAL PARK has a huge number of wild animals as we saw crocodiles, elephants, baboons, springboks, waterbucks, warthogs, nyalas, kudus and lions which is result of all the efforts and dedication of all the GORONGOSA staff who's the leader is Mr. Greg Carr. The new chalets for guests are awesome and in our opinion, among the best of the best in Africa wild parks.

During the afternoon, the pilots Carlos Fernandes and Pedro Venancio flew 2 aircrafts to make some aerial filming of the GORONGOSA elephants for the german television channel ARD. On the Pedro Venancio's aircraft, Mr. Carlos Lopes Pereira, chief of the GORONGOSA rangers team, gave the clues and paths to the pilot in order to reach the group of elephants to be filmed. All the other members of the TAA09 team were occupied on this afternoon with a visit to the VINHO village, near the park where we checked all the work and development made by the GORONGOSA park and all the community assistance.

With a very early morning departure, the TAA09 team headed to Tete, then Blantyre, Malawi and finally Likoma Island in Malawi.

Once again, the TAA09 would like to thanks to the GORONGOSA directorate, all the hospitallity and support to our humanitarian expedition.

FLIGHT PLAN CHANGE....

As the TAA09 team faced some logistic problems in Vilanculos, the organizers had to change the initial planned route. In order to face this problem, on this first day the humanitarian expedition flew from Maputo to Inhambane, land of the good people. After a 02h40m flight, at the arrival of the team at Inhambane airport, Mr. Pradipe and Mr. José Cunha from the Aeroclub of Inhambane were there giving the welcome drink to all the humanitarian entourage. Right away, all the TAA09 team went direct to the União Desportiva de Inhambane where a delicious lunch of " Matapa "was served on the beach with a local band playing " Marrabenta " tunes. The lodging was at Praia do Tofo...

The TAA09 team would like to thanks to all the hospitality provided by the Inhambane people and by the local aviation community.

MEDICINES DELIVERY TO MOZAMBIQUE

On the past 30th of April, the Doctor Carlos Cyrne representing all the TAA09 team, made the official delivery of the 3 tonnes of medicines to the Mozambican Ministry of Health. At the event, Dra. Noémia Muissa represented the ministry and all the media from Mozambique and SIC television and EXPRESSO were present.

CHILDREN SPONSORSHIP IN MOZAMBIQUE WITH " PADRINHOS DE PORTUGAL "

Upon the arrival at Maputo, Mozambique, the pilot Pedro Venancio had a big surprise, when Mrs. Franscisca Paulo, manager for PADRINHOS DE PORTUGAL, brought to him his sponsored young child, Arnaldo Francisco Palate of 3 years old and his mother. The kid came with his mother from Marracuene where PADRINHOS DE PORTUGAL has one of its bases. With a sponsor of 85 Euros each 3 months, to the kid is guaranteed all the diary meals and studies at school with all the books. At the end of each day, the children return to their homes where their parents wait for them. PADRINHOS DE PORTUGAL received some medicines and some school material, as pens, pencils,etc. With photos of Nuno Coimbra, the doctor Carlos Cyrne assisted all the delivery. Accordding to Pedro Venancio, this is the beginning of a long and deep cooperation that TAA09 wants to establish with PADRINHOS DE PORTUGAL.

AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FAILURE

Before take off from Brakpan, the ZS-OHK piloted by Pedro Venancio had a problem on one of its radios and for that reason all the departures were delayed 1 hour. After the problem solved, they departed from there to Mpumalanga International Airport in Kruger Park to clear customs and refuel and then they headed to Maputo direct with a smooth flight where they all saw the beautiful magic of the african landscapes.

TAA09 STARTS OPERATIONS

During this morning, the 4 aircrafts of TAA09 departed from Brakpan Airfield in Johannesburg to Maputo, Mozambique in order to start from there the humanitarian expedition. Before take off, the CEO from SKY AFRICA, Mr. Karl Finatzer and the flight instructor Glen, joined all the team for a nice shot...

FIRST RIOT ON TAA09...

It was with surprise this morning ,when the pilot Carlos Fernandes came to join the others at the breakfast with a TShirt from " Dragões da TAP ", a FC Porto association composed by TAP employers and FC Porto supporters...several TAA09 members refused to go out with him dressed like that!!!