Page 14 - October 2022

200, we stayed clear of buildups. The Air Serv team knew the Wichita assembly plant’s pride in producing one of aviation’s strongest wings but none of us felt inclined to test their claims. In turbulence, we disconnected autopilot, but interconnected elevators and ailerons eased the workload.
In spite of drab desert and poverty, we sometimes encountered colorful events. At Abéché, a Chadian soldier demanded we move because an inbound aircraft carried the president of Chad, Idriss Deby. We started engines but stayed vigilant enough not to exceed the maximum as AK47-armed soldiers paralleled the runway and trucks disembarked troupes of women dancers in pink and green ankle-length traditional dresses.
Suddenly, a Russian-built Il-76 jet roared to a stop in clouds of dust. From the rear doors, more soldiers double-timed onto the asphalt. Some climbed into trucks with roof-mounted guns almost as long as the vehicle and deployed around the parking area. Plain clothes guards inspected N22071’s wheel wells while the women kept up a cacophony of clapping, drumming and high- pitched trilling. As our Air Serv group watched from among the troop transports and business jets, we felt quite insignificant. It helped that our white shirts and gold stripes brought on snappy salutes and clicked heels at many airports and airstrips.
We seemed out of place when the president stepped from his jet but the happenings in Chad were far from insignificant. The Janjaweed, according to World Health Organization data, were responsible for at least 450,000 deaths from disease, murder and starvation through genocidal ethnic cleansing. Across the twisting border, corrupt Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir recently stepped down after decades of slaughter and will be tried for crimes against humanity. Whether he spends his remaining life pensioned in a cozy jail cell or a palace in Khartoum, nothing will erase the horrors seared upon the innocents of Sudan.
As for Beechcraft King Air N22071, my logbook showed 265 additional trouble-free hours. Whether packed with temperature-sensitive vaccines or aid workers splashed in blood or urine, Beechcraft N22071 saved lives. KA
Robert S. Grant has published over 2,500 articles featured in magazines, journals and newspapers within six countries, as well as producing five books. He flies contract aircraft from his home near Ottawa, Canada, when possible and his logbook shows over 22,200 total flying hours which include 500 hours in the Beechcraft King Air 100A and King Air 200 models. Having worked worldwide in various aircraft types, Grant prefers flying in African countries in addition to Canada and sees the King Air 200 as well suited for humanitarian organizations.
12 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
OCTOBER 2022