News and updates from Paul and Cathy Middleton, serving in southern Africa.

21 November 2006

A weekend in the sky

We would of written back last week but as often happens, we got really busy.

Paul spent most of this last weekend in the sky - well 18 hours of it anyway. He and another pilot flew up to Mozambique at dawn on Saturday to collect the body of a lady who had died in a car accident. Her husband and children also accompanied the coffin. We all spent the night at back at Mercy Air before setting off early again on Sunday for a place only a stone's throw from Cape Town. Some of the weather on the trip was a bit grim and on the way back they had to divert to a place south of Swaziland for the night. He eventually got back Monday morning.

The whole trip was about 3000 miles (5000k) which would get you over the North Pole from London to or almost to Boston. It's the sort of thing proper planes would do before breakfast but in a Beech 18 at only 10000ft, things happen somewhat more slowly.


Matthew's back for C'mas in a couple of weeks en route to an Elephant safari in Zambia with his girlfriend and her parents. Paul has some other flights up until the 23rd Dec, but generally we'll be looking to stay at home within jumping distance of the pool.

There will be a Mercy Air newsletter out just before Christmas.

Cheers

pc(m)