After being arrested in Cairo for over suspicion of being a Swedish spy, pilot Johan Wiklund continued his journey and will soon be landing in the Cape of Good Hope. The adventure, titled Cape to Cape, began in Norway’s North Cape and Johan is expected to land at the Stellenbosch Flying Club on 24 October.
But what makes this journey special? He is retracing a heroic flight from 1929 made by his hero, Gosta Andree who flew a similar route. The SAA airline pilot is flying with minimal navaids, no support aircraft and on his own limited budget. Even better? He has taken up the challenge in a 1935 De Havilland Moth biplane. Johan is even wearing Andrée’s flying garb: a brown suit jacket and pants.
Andrée’s flight was unprecedented. He didn’t have GPS or other high-tech equipment. With only maps and a compass to rely on, he flew thousands of miles an open-cockpit biplane, over relatively unknown territory. Andrée overcame challenges, made new friends, learned new things, and seems to have had great fun too. I plan to do the same.
Johan’s flight has taken him through various countries as he makes his way down south. Through Europe, he stopped in Crete, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and now Botswana, and stopped in Jozi this past weekend before he makes his last mission to reach Cape Town.
The proceeds from the adventure will be donated to the “Make Reading Cool” initiative for schoolchildren in Red Hill, South Africa.
What an amazing feat.
[source: avcom]
