Page 8 - October 2022
P. 8
Most trips entailed a 356-mile journey east to the city of Abéché (FTTC) near the Chad-Sudan border. From this area of sun- cracked stones, we branched out to smaller airstrips. With 7,994 pounds basic weight and 12,324 pounds gross, aircrew selected high airspace where passengers appreciated cool air from nose- mounted condensers, coil valves and miscellaneous air conditioning parts. Surface temperatures reached 107oF and once we noted 140oF in our cockpit when parked in the afternoon sun. Perspiring visitors exiting the King Air stared at the minaret skylines where few locals spoke French or English and Arabic dominated.
Approaches beyond FTTC’s 9,186 feet x 98 feet paved runway were airstrips rutted by wandering camels
or garbage-eating goats which required full flaps. Rocky ledges, grass hut villages with stone-walled ›
Camels form much of eastern Chad’s transportation system but donkeys carry a large share of workload and are favored by young native children.
6 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
OCTOBER 2022
