We're seeing a lot of unique charter flights nowadays, and I've been writing about many of them, as I find them to be interesting. One flight currently enroute to Saint Helena caught my eye. Saint Helena is a remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 1,200 miles off the coast of Africa. The island…
Continue reading: Isolated Saint Helena Gets Swanky Rescue Plane
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Sounds like St. Helena might be the best place to be during this global pandemic. Hope someone catches the inbound arrival and puts it up on YouTube.
How does one spot these flights? Just mentions in the news/social media, a lot of monitoring planes and flights, or something else?
@Lucky - this one flew overhead right as the Happy Hour this afternoon was starting. I'll try and get a photo of it on its way back tomorrow.
I wouldn't let the crew off the plane if I was in charge of that airport. Drop supplies and leave with anyone who wanted to get on plus mail, etc. Then disinfect every item that came off the plane in full hazmat suits. I'm not even paranoid about Covid19 but I would be if I lived on St. Helena.
Thanks for the interesting article.
This flight landed at Wideawake Airfield on Ascension Island around 20:00. The night stop will allow for refuelling and crew rest before departing for St Helena on Monday.
Time to return the RMS St Helena to service between Cape Town and St Helena. That's a very rare sailing experience.
(RMS == Royal Mail Ship for those curious)
Maybe someday Ben you could fly to Saint Helena and do a full trip report of the flight and the island. I would sure look forward to reading that.
AmaZulu king Dinuzulu ka Cetshwayo was also exiled to Saint Helena for seven years. Would be nice to visit the Island someday.
This is possibly the perfect airplane for St Helena. Maximum range, and size yet still able to land at the tiny airport with the wind behind you (rather than the usual land into the wind) . An airbus A220-100 could also land at St Helena but it seems to have 10-20% less range. I think planes are supposed to land with enough fuel to get to another airport if conditions at St Helena are too windy.
I should have been in St Helena right now! Glad to hear they're getting supplies.
I think there were returning Saints on this flight too
My understanding is that once the plane arrives on St Helena the passengers and crew will be isolating for 14 days.
Great article. I highly recommend this documentary on Saint Helena's airport, I found myself reading more into the island after having checked it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-QejUTDCWw
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Five ventilators for 4500 people and no cases while I've read that many other African countries have less for millions seems like some odd priorities. Understood that five ventilators is a drop in any bucket and not trying to start some kind of troll war, but still feels off all the same.
Here is the link of Air Titan landing
Interestingly:
The crew also performed six landings for crew training, says Titan, in anticipation of future flights to the island. “St Helena is category-C airport requiring specific crew training and regulatory approval due to known wind shear issues encountered on final approach,” it adds.