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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2023 17:00:09 GMT -5
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, That was the reason of my question, how to delete strobes and cabin lights. Bernard
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Post by aharon on Feb 23, 2023 17:11:51 GMT -5
Thanks for great history lesson
Regards,
Aharon
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Post by jwh on Feb 23, 2023 17:53:01 GMT -5
Excellent presentation. Remember it well.
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Dan
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Post by Dan on Feb 23, 2023 18:34:04 GMT -5
Bernard, thank you for this historical presentation! Looks outstanding! Several years ago I made AFCAD for Annabelle airstrip, but it was a complete disaster of course. Since then I don't even found a time to make it more looking alike the real. Therefore shame on me.
Regards, Dan
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Post by nmlw on Feb 23, 2023 18:48:14 GMT -5
A good visual reenactment of an important humanitarian event with an informative narrative Bernard.
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Post by Al on Feb 24, 2023 8:04:11 GMT -5
Thanks Bernard, another interesting post.
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Feb 24, 2023 10:22:07 GMT -5
One of the last big contributions by Propliners to the world, thanks.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2023 13:46:26 GMT -5
Thanks for your interest. 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
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Feb 24, 2023 14:45:30 GMT -5
Yeah, you'd have to have separate folders for "short runway" aircraft with altered flight dynamics.
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Post by Erik on Feb 24, 2023 14:52:08 GMT -5
Bernard, I find this rather incredible. You keep lifting the bar for historic representations. Very impressed by the formation flights among other feats. And of course nice to see so many aircraft from my home country in action. ;-)
Thanks for sharing this work. Erik
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2023 17:48:13 GMT -5
Thanks Tom. I didn't remembered anymore to modify the weights. Although I had already the same problem here on March 9, 2013 (!) with an Ilyushin Il-18 to let it taking off from the very short runway of Moscow Central Airport. I tried several settings and finally I opted to set empty weight and maximum gross weight at 25000 lbs. Less, the aircraft would be unstable at landing approach. On the other hand, the AI needs a longer runway. But the final lenght of 2'000 feets its quite acceptable, even if the real Uli runway was 1'148 ft. short. Thererore I adapted my Uli airtrip accordingly. 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: superconstellation-nantes.fr/en/super-constellation-on-flight-simulator/Bernard
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Post by Tom/CalClassic on Feb 25, 2023 18:50:44 GMT -5
Glad to help. That’s probably close to the minimum. Wow, quite a large operation.
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Post by cobar on Feb 26, 2023 10:00:14 GMT -5
One of the best books on the Biafra airlift and air war is, Shadows: Airlift and Airwar in Biafra and Nigeria 1967-1970 by Ian Draper first published in 2000. Its well illustrated with maps, lots of photos (color and b+w) and original artwork showing the color schemes of various aircraft employed during the war.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2023 14:37:42 GMT -5
Thanks for your prosposal. It certainly would be interesting to get more detailed informations about the airlift. Even for a used book the prices are rarther expensive. With regard to the involved aircraft, I have to deal with what is availablle. I think that I got more ore less the most of them.
Bernard
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Post by cobar on Feb 26, 2023 16:18:28 GMT -5
Hi Bernard, I have a copy of this book so if you need any specific info about the Biafra Airlift just let me know.
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