NationStates Jolt Archive

Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines; or How I Flew From London to Port Imperial in 283 Hours, 11 Minutes, and 42 Seconds

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Royce I has announced that, in an effort to promote Air Travel to and within Africa, that the Imperial Roycelandian Government shall be hosting a Great Air Race, with competitors flying between London, England and Port Imperial, Roycelandian East Africa. The winner will receive the princely sum of $100 Million Imperial Wibbles, as well as the possibility of the winning aircraft type being introduced into the Imperial Air Force in some capacity. There will be several smaller divisions for different types of aircraft- Light, Commuter, Transport, Warbirds (1930-1950), and Flying Machines (1903-1929), and so on. More importantly, it is a Round The World Air Race, not a London-Cairo-Port Imperial Race. His Majesty has stipulated that the Race should pass through as many Countries as Applicable, to ensure everyone gets equal exposure and the chance to enjoy the spectacle of the Great Air Race.

The Small Print

Entry is open to all MW members

Aircraft must be propeller-driven ONLY. No Jet Aircraft, Rocketplanes, etc.

This is an RP, not a technical numberwank. It won't be a case of simply flying from London to Port Imperial- expect technical difficulties, and, of course, each person can RP the various hassles the entrants encounter in each of their countries (Taxes, sabotage, etc)

Post your Entry in this thread here- I'm mainly interested in the type of aircraft (with some rough stats if it's a fictional plane), and anything special about the plane that we should know (ie if it's a Flying Boat, STOL, etc)

Once I know who's entering, we can work out the route... Any ideas or suggestions, post them here or TG me!

The Jordaxian Empire would like to enter for this race, using the Westland Lysander, a reliable aircraft which we believe would stand us in good stead for this event. the Westland Lysander is capable of travelling at a maximum speed of two hundred and twelve miles per hour, over a range of six hundred miles, and weighs 6,318lbs fully loaded, for classification purposes.

The pilot we have nominated is the son of Jordaxian aircraft Pioneer Harold Kingsly, William Kingsly.

edit, reminded by UE. William Kingsly is very much an independent in this race, but his effort is sponsored by the Empire.

(OOC: I'm not really sure what else to put in this...)

We enquire as to whether two entries are possible, since the Elias Air Force Historical Flight is interested in entering an Avro Shackleton, whilst an eccentric billionaire is prepared to finance a Vickers Vimy. If not, then we ask which would be more appropriate as although the Shackleton is likely to win overall, the Vickers Vimy would be of more interest and stands a chance in the flying machines category.

OOC: i take it that the more outlandish the entry the better?

Strathdonia will defiantly be involved in some manner probably with a national entry (most likely one of our PC-9s and maybe one of the sunderlands) and soem sort of bizzare private entry (think the fast and the furious but on a plane... would NO2 injection work on a turbine engine?).


Other issues:
Fixed length legs or one single race? mainly with refference to people entering teams and air to air refeuling aircraft etc, personally i would go with fixed stoppign palce kind of like the gumball rally

I don't think fixed stopping places are a great idea because of the massive variations in range and whatever from plane to plane. For example in a Vimy, its rather like plotting a balloon flight, it depends how the winds are where your land and how often.

I think it should be organised in a series of checkpoints. There would be checkpoints in each of the cities that must be stopped at, for example, the final Checkpoint, Port Royal, would be somewhere that all aircraft are required to stop at. However, the aircraft may also stop wherever it has permission to land, in case of fuel, food etc. That way, each of the pilots has to fly for the same distance, but is not unduly hampered by fuel concerns beyond the aircrafts natural limitations.

That, I thought, was the way it would run anyway.

Well you could always have designated refeuling points for smaller craft with a main end point at the end of each section. Mainly to address the issue of using tanker aircraft to avoid having to land at all. OF course you could ban tanker aircraft but open up the possibility of sneaky tanking.

The fixed stage points would make the race more a social envent for the nations involved

I think it should be organised in a series of checkpoints. There would be checkpoints in each of the cities that must be stopped at, for example, the final Checkpoint, Port Royal, would be somewhere that all aircraft are required to stop at. However, the aircraft may also stop wherever it has permission to land, in case of fuel, food etc. That way, each of the pilots has to fly for the same distance, but is not unduly hampered by fuel concerns beyond the aircrafts natural limitations.



That does seem the most logical.

I think tankers should be banned, and also I think turboprops should be as well, lets face it of course a Tu-95 would win without much competition. Pistons are more fun.

thats good point but eprhaps they might be permitted for a special "open" class for weird and wonderful aircraft ie a Sopwith camel with the engine from a PC-12... or whate ver you care to come up with.

With its new leadership and sense of national pride, Russia would like to offer our entry into this race.
NAME: Stalin Super Speedy Spectacular...Thing
DESCRIPTION: Based on the human powered flying machine design created by Leonardo Da Vinci. (Bicycle Power, wings, etc.) It has always been technically flyable, but never used since human beings are not strong enough to power it. That has changed, since we have genetically modified an Austrian body builder to be strong enough to fly it.

The Air Marshall of LRR, Maizcek Walesa, will likely enter an Antonov An-2 biplane into the air race. One advantage to his chosen craft will be the capacity to install fuel bladders in the cargo compartment, increasing the aircraft's potential range and endurance greatly, hopefully to the point where the aircraft's low maximum speed will be negated, and its STOL and unprepared field characteristics allowed to shine.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/images/an-2-66p05.jpg

Marshall Walesa's aircraft.

I like the "Checkpoint" idea- the Air Race is more a social thing, as others have pointed out, so there will be different Checkpoints for Different Classes.

The Different Classes will have different "Checkpoints"

at this stage, the classes are:

OPEN

Any Propeller-driven aircraft not belonging in another category

LIGHT CIVILLIAN

Single-Engine aircraft of the Cessna/Piper Cub/etc Variety, not in military service with the entering Nation.

LIGHT MILITARY

Moderrn Single Engine aircraft in use with the Nation's Military- ie the IAe Spitfire, and the various recon planes still in use with Nations around the world.

COMMUTER

Twin-engined comuter/light passenger aircraft- Beechcraft Barons, Buccanneers, ATR-72s, Fokker Friendships, Hawker-Siddely 748s, and so on.

TRANSPORT

Military and Civillian Transport Aircraft- C-130s, IAe Sunderland Flying Boats, DC-3s, Andovers, and any other Cargo Transport aircraft, civillian or military. They're in the same category, as the two are often closely related.

WARBIRDS

Any Aircraft made from 1930-1950. Fighters, Bombers, Civillian Aircraft, and Transports are all included in this, on the theory that whilst a P-51D is faster than a B-17, the B-17 can carry a lot more fuel...


FLYING MACHINES

Any Aircraft made from 1903-1929- Bleriots, WWI Fighters, even Ford Trimotors and and De Havilland Rapides etc.

You can enter more than one aircraft in a category, if you like.

Bear in mind it's more a social RP than anything, but it will be acceptable to engage in Sabotage and other "Dirty Tricks" along the way, a la "Gumball Rally", "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" and all the other movies you've seen along those lines... ;)

Once I know who's entered, we can all work out the route...

In his Beth Gellert-built Savov Preston diplomatic transport, one Mr.Derek Igomo shall join the Great Air Race. Let’s face it, he’s already in London, he hasn’t seen Africa for some time, and the ol’ transport isn’t getting much action since the anti-SPP coup in Lusaka left Igomo with relatively little diplomatic duty.

Igomo, wheelchair bound, intends to co-pilot the twin-engine aircraft with his official pilot, Daniel Seswe.

The Preston is (so far as I know) the last piston-engine aircraft designed in Beth Gellert, and has a claimed top speed of 585kph (364mph) clean, but this will probably be reduced significantly if Mr.Derek chooses to fly with maximum fuel. The plane is 21m (64ft) long and 26.5m (87ft) in wingspan, and has a 3,860km (2,400mile) range with maximum fuel, at a reduced cruising speed. The plane usually has a crew of 2 and carries up to 12 passengers, 6 fully equipped troops, or up to 3,000kg of cargo. It has low-mounted wings with a straight leading edge. Given its wide variety of uses, the Lusakan-in-exile entry is not yet absolutely sure whether the Preston should be entered as a commuter or transport aircraft.

In the event of an Igomo victory, Mr.Derek says that to avoid conflict, he will share the prize money with Savov, the Savique November Aviation Plant (or presumably the Beddgelen state).

Mr. Derek's plane would be in the "Commuter" class if it is fitted to carry passengers. If the seats are removed to make way for more fuel etc, then it's the "Transport" class

I think we'll wait on the competition before making a final decision on which way to configure the plane ;)

Fair enough... so, who's in?

Strathdonia is defiantly in and offers full airport and hotel facilities to the event.

A national team will enter one of our Andovers in the transport catagory and a PC-9M in the light military catagory.


We have received word from Blantyre university that they are interested in entring thier own home biult aircraft (has already passed SAA certification), a small twin engine amphibian (looks remarkably similar the beriev Be-103 (http://www.beriev-usa.com/main/photos16.html) )

A local warbird collector is interested in entering his race prepared hurricane.

Excellent! Strathdonia and Lusaka's entries have been accepted, along with LRR. Still waiting on people like TBF and a few others, though...

I'd still like to enter with the Lysander, as well.

OOC>>

Armandian Cheese>> Please let his name be Arnold!

IC>>

Foreign minister of the African Commonwealth Ngolo Marshall, long a fan of propeller airplanes; is entering the competition in his own emerald green Cessna 172 Skyhawk. "Mary" is the plane is affectionally known, is a quite battered and worn specimen of the class, but Mr. Marshall insists that "she is world champion material".

"So, you know how everything goes?"
"Yes, sir."
"Ok. Remember, the phone line needs to be insulated before you make a call."
"Yes, sir."

Air Marshall Maizcek Walesa reaches for his cotton hat on the coat hanger by the door to his office. The vice air marshall sits behind his desk in an adjacent room, going through a stack of papers left on Walesa's desk. But the Air Marshall elects to take his vacation. After all, he had saved up a lot of it, almost a whole year of vacationing, just to go on some kind of adventure.

"I'll see you later."
"Have a nice trip."

The office staff wave as Walesa closes the screen door to the office and walks out of the building. He has little trouble catching a taxi, and, along with a flight engineer and navigator, is driven to the harbor aboard a three-wheeled lorry, along with the combined luggage.

At the harbor, they arrive to find the An-2, with wings removed, being packed into a shipping crate and loaded aboard a container ship, registered in Calcutta.

Imperial Palace, Port Royal, Roycelandia

"So, Bigglesworth, what are we entering in the Great Air Race?"

"Well, Your Majesty, we have a Sunderland, a Kookaburra, a Spitfire, and a C-47 entered at this stage."

"I see. Look, Bigglesworth, it's VERY important that we look good in this little Air Race. I don't necessarily expect us to win, but I want to make sure we have a little edge over the competition, if you get my meaning."

"Indeed I do" said the Air Marshal, James Bigglesworth.

"Good. Now then, have we worked out a route yet?"

"Not exactly... We might have to switch the start from London to Port Imperial and fly in reverse, however- our attemtps to raise TBF have been unsuccessful thus far..."

(Argh, sorry, I meant to post here days ago, but you know how it is, this time of year. I really must get some sleep, now, and may not have chance to be back tomorrow or even shortly there after, but if I'm not around, you have permission to RP a start from London if you so desire. It is possible that a British entry may follow late, after everyone else is already gone, and though even that is not certain, it would be quite British for our entry to be horribly under-funded, made by a few college professors on their lunch break, and desperately striving to make up ground lost of red-tape, I think :) If only I could remember those quotes about nuclear fission and masking tape.)

OOC: Excellent... We'll get underway in another day or so RL time, since I've got a heap of RL stuff to do for the next few days and I want to make a proper go of this. As TBF says, it's that time of year...

Eboneeza Air Force Base

A crowd gathered around velvet cordons as hangar doors swung open, slow and theatrically as light started to shine in, revealing its contents. Inch by Inch a great flying machine rolled forward, each wing being pushed forward by ground mechanics, as three crew in leather flying hats and goggles waved from the exposed cockpits.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Elias Air Force contestant in the Great Race, this Vickers Vimy, fully restored is capable of a max speed in excess of 100mph, and a range of over 2,000 miles."

The canvass and wood behemoth was now on open concrete apron, sun shimmering on its silver mettalic surface. The ground crew suddenly ceased pushing it.

"....And Now Lieutenant Eshkol Levi and his intrepid crew will depart for Port Said, where they and the Spirit of Arabia will be placed aboard a ship to London. Our nation sends its luck with them!"

Mahogany propellers started to turn, hand cranked, until 'contact' was yelled and Rolls Royce piston engines tookover. As the crowd parted to make room, the bomber taxied out onto to the runway. After lumbering forward for several minutes it rose slowly, yet gracefully into the desert air.

RAF Biggin Hill, Outside London

The massive 4-engined Sunderland Flying Boat was not the sort of thing you'd usually see parked on the runway at an RAF base c.2005, especially when it had Roycelandian Maritime Air Service markings and was in an amphibious configuration.

The Maritime Air Service Sunderlands differed from the Imperial Airways and Imperial Air Force versions in several ways, but mainlyrelated to the massive fuel tanks that allowed the MAS Sunderland to fly from Port Royal (Roycelandia) to Port Imperial (Roycelandian East Africa) non-stop.

Also parked there was a genuine 1932 vintage Ford Tri-Motor (in Imperial Airways markings), and, in the Light Commuter Class, a Fokker F-1 Friendship.

It was decided to rally everyone at Biggin Hill, rather than negotiating the chaos of London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton, or City airports...

the People's Republic has decided to enter a pilot in the race, one Ghunakir Jalal, a famous pilot in the former Royal Air Force who defected to the Communist Party as the People's War reached his apex. He will be flying a slightly-modified British Spitfier propeller driven aircraft, of WWII vintage. Scoring a win or even placing would be a major propaganda victory for a country whose existance may not even be widely acknowledged outside of Asia.

President "Mr.Derek" Igomo and his official pilot, Daniel Seswe, still in theory on the payrole of the Lusakan public despite the coup lead by General Tendyala, turned-up at the airfield in the President's Savov Preston configured with maximum fuel for a 2,400 mile range and a transport class entry to the Great Air Race. "Well, we could make... Cairo." Mumbled Igomo, thick finger prodding the map layed out across his crippled legs as the Beddgelen aircraft idled in, the President speaking of his findings as if they were new to his experienced pilot, who politely voiced his surprise. "Or Beirut... Moscow easily!" The President went on, his voice lacking its boom of old as he quietly pondered the course that the journey may take, and the vital excitement he intended for its end.

OOC: I'm assuming we start from our countries of origin, eh?

OOC:
Nope we start from the UK at the RAF Biggin Hill airbase.

I would assume that the royclandians are offerign reasonable terms on sea freighing your aircraft over, or UE could rent you an AN124 or 225 (or i coudl lend you a shorts belfast).

IC:
The Departure of the Strathdonian entries was a mix of the utmost efficency and down right mismanaged chaos.

The Villers' Wine and Pump entry was despatched with much pomp and circumstance with it's play boy pilot, Mr Ronald Villers holding a press conference on the tarmack of Blantyre airport while the well oiled machine of Villers' employees manhandled his brightly painted Hurricane into the cargo bay belonging to one of the company's 747 freighters (no idea if that woudl be posisble, but no matter how big a concern Viller's might be they are not goign to have thier own An124s...).

On the military side of the airport things went less well, the SADF Andover got away on time and made good progress despite carrying an advance party of technicians and the odd VIP but the the PC-9 was held up quite considerable as it was due to share the inside of a Shorts belfast with the university's own aircraft (now christened the Kingfisher), which appeared late, was very difficult to dismantle, the military crews havign no idea how the thign was put together and the young student crews ahvign forgotten the manual and ended up argueing wither bolt no 5 was better speced than bolt no19 (both were identical). Eventually after much shouting by SADF officers and univeristy lecutrers the craft was laoded and the belfast began lumbering down the runway while the remaining Strathdonian personel amde thier way on baord a strathdonian airways VC-10.

OOC: Yes, I should have mentioned the Race will start from RAF Biggin Hill, just outside London. If you need assistance getting your aircraft there, CargoAir Roycelandia has some C-5Bs and Antonov Cargo Planes that can transport most smaller aircraft (once disassembled), or, failing that, the Imperial Trading Company has various large freighters that can be made available.

The Roycelandian Government is generously offering these services at cost, and there are provisions for waiving the charges for particularly small or impoverished Nations...

OOC>> Am I accepted in the race? I didn't see the Commonwealth mentioned. If not it's cool, just need to know.

Marshall Walesa stands on the tarmac at RAF Biggin Hill, the famous Battle of Britain airfield, next to his An-2. Although painted in an aesthetic light blue with orange stripes here and there, a Polish AF insignia has been painted onto the tail, along with two kill markings, BF-109s that the marshall was credited with in the second world war flying with the RAF.

The names of charities and sponsors cover the airframe, and the old Antonov sports advertisements for Medecins Sans Frontiers, Oxfam, the International Red Cross, and various medical associations.

The Marshall holds a world map in his hands, and his flight technician points to the various destinations. Meteorological notation covers the otherwise normal map, and the Jet Stream is outlined in a bright red. The other three crew members are busy with the ASh-62 radial engine, checking its insides with the utmost care. The cowling sits on the ground several feet away.

OOC: Of course the AC's Entry has been accepted, as has Lusaka's, and everyone elses... It's a MW thread, so anyone who's in the MW thing is more than welcome to compete.

IC: With the official start only a few days away, Biggin Hill is abuzz with activity. It has also been announced that the first leg will be, unsurprisingly, London to Paris, with the next four legs of the race being:

Paris-Bern
Bern-Rome
Rome-Athens
Athens-Istanbul

The rest of the legs will be posted as they are finalised...

((Ahh, Paris eh? Well well well. Of course Im going to allow it! However, the reprsentitives of United Elias, Marimaia (if there is a plane from there), Hudecia (if there is a plane from there) and Quintonnia (if there is a plane from there) will be met at the airport by Louis XX's second son, Le Comte de Provence, who will throw them a lunch. The rest of the delegates will have the run of Paris, but no special tea. Sorry France did not put up an entry, but as you can imagine they have too much on their plate. Good luck to all!))

Biggin Hill

In a corner of the airfield, an army of ground technicians guarded the Vikcers Vimy jealously, inspecting every bit of canvass and string, with a mix of envy and pity for those destined to fly it.

The flight crew itself, all three of them, had just arrived in an official car having enjoyed a formal lunch at the Elias Embassy in Kensington, central London. They stepped out one by one, shaking hands with an embassy attache as he and the car departed.

The chief engineer turned to the flight captain, "Not bad eh? I here we're getting lunch in Paris to, special treatment."

"If we get there."

"Pessimistic, I reckon we'll get to the med, and half way across it."

"Least the water will be warm, this country is so bloody cold."

The co-pilot joined in, "Look I've got 500 dinars on that we're not going to get there, 2:1 odds. I tried to bet on the possibility of us all dieing, but they would only give me 4:1."

"Chances are higher than that I tell you, and we seem to be the only plane here that has an outside cockpit, going to get chilly up there"

They walked up and down examining their competitors.


_________________________________________________

In other news, the Egypt Special Administrative Council has said that marquees will be setup in the grounds of the pyramids at Giza for a special lunch for all competitors in the great air race. The Minister of Tourism and the Vizier of Egypt will host the event which will include traditional local shows and music. Several Cairo airports are being made available for use by competitors, and as long as military exclusion areas are avoided, airspace will be open as well.

After arrival in the Uk the preperations for the race got seriously underway, every aspect of each aircraft was checked (although the bolt debate was still raging despite the hangovers from the last nights reception at the local student union).
Ronald Viller was much the media darling as he mingled with the great and the good within the swanky parts of london. This merrry making did little to imporve the opinion of the somewhat dour military personel who took comfort in the amount of pain they could ensure the students suffered when they went for thier basic serive term.

The skies somewhere between Kinshasa and London

Determined not to look at a loss in the midst of an increasingly complex Angolan operation, Ngolo Marshall flew in style. If the VIP room of the hulking AV-124 "Eagle" transport could be called style, anyway. Surrounded by a modest ACAF escort and a closing tanker, his entourage looked dashing. Well, cutting, at least.

"Mary" fit well inside the crew compartment, and some of the better ACAF mechanics who were not deployed in Africa were just now tinkering to make the old, nay, gracefully aging Cessna dependable and powerful.

He sighed. A lot of nations in this gig. He considered himself a capable flyer, but he was probably the only one with any faith in her. Still, if he did pull it off it'd mean good PR.

On the ground at Jordaxian International Airport, Market Isle

The crowd had gathered to wish William Kingsly a farewell. It was an unseasonably hot day, with very few clouds in bright blue sky. At one end of the runway, there was a large hanger, with its doors lying open. The small shape of the Lysander could be made out in the haze of the heat. Several journalists stood at the front of the crowd, waiting to take photographs of the pilot and his aircraft, "Desert Feather" before they took off to Biggin Hill, the start of the race. From the road that led onto the runway, a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow pulled in. As it slowly cruised up to the crowd, darkened windows obscuring the occupants, the crowd made an collective guess and started cheering for William Kingsly. Journalists took tentative photographs, each one really waiting to see who was in the car. As it stopped in front of the crowd, the door opened, and out stepped William Kingsly. The crowd began to cheer in earnest at the pilot, dressed in old pilot uniform, with flight goggles and tan coloured flak jacket. A moderately sized man, standing at about 6 foot, with short brown hair and green eyes, he could almost feel the excitement of the crowd, and his own, mingling and feeding off each other. He was almost completely blinded by the journalists now frenzied photography, and raised his hand to shield against the barrage of lights.

The people slowly quietened their enthusiastic response, and the journalists photographs slowed to a steady stream. After it was suitably quiet, William Kingsly began to speak.

"My dear Countrymen. I thank you all for your support in this race, a race which brings back the golden age of air travel for everyone to enjoy once more, and, I can see from some of the faces, to enjoy once again." He gave a slight smile at this, and the crowd gave a polite laugh back. "This race is an important event in many ways, though. In this world, where leaders sometimes have no other goal than the expansion of Empire, we show that nations can live and compete side by side with only the passive urge to shoot each other down." Another polite laugh followed. "But I am not a man for making long-winded and profound speeches. So I will leave you now, and I hope you all wish me luck." With that, he stepped off of the podium, and back into the Silver Shadow, which moved off towards the hanger in quite some hurry. A few minutes later, the distant buzz of propellor could be heard, and the Lysander began its take off. Slowly building up speed, it began to hurtle down the runway, photographs now being taken by most people, wanting to save a bit of history for themselves. Most of the light show going on in the crowd was lost on William Kingsly, who was deep in concentration making sure the take off went to perfection. The aircraft began to rise off of the ground, gingerly at first, building in confidence before it began to surge up into the air. With a woop of joy, William began to turn the aircraft around, and pointed it towards the British Isles. When the aircraft was a point in the sky, the people began to dispand, heading back to their cars, or even back into the airport, to wait their flight back to their own corner of the Jordaxian Isles.


Up in the Lysander, William looked back at the isles, a vast archipelago of blue and green which extended off into the horizon. The sea below seemed tranquil, and he settled into the Lysander firmly, allowing himself to relax into his position. His first stop was a four Jordaxian aircraft carriers, which had been refitted to conform to a far larger area for the Lysander to land on, without risking it crashing into the ocean before it even reached the start of the race. Such an incident would never be lived down.

The Day Before Race Day

"There are A LOT of planes here" remarked the Roycelandian Foreign Minister, Jeff Lebowski, as he watched the entrants taxiing up and down the runway in preparation for tomorrow's race.

"Yes... I daresay we'll have to draw lots to decide who goes first, of course" remarked his aide.

"Indeed. I think we'll send our chaps off last, mind you... just to be sporting and all that."

"I say, that's jolly decent of you."

"Indeed... still, a lot can happen before the finish line."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked his aide.

"Mmm? Oh, nothing... err, go and make sure that all the grandstands are set up, will you? There's a good chap..."

Marshall Walesa climbs aboard the An-2, as the two mechanics throw the last tools and a tent into the aircraft.

The ASh-62 roars to life, and the old biplane transport taxis out into the flight line. The mechanics, one a brother-in-law of Walesa's from Gdansk, the other a shipyard worker in Calcutta, close the double cargo doors and sit down in a pair of fabric folding seats. The card table remains stowed for the time being, behind the pile of baggage, to be used while cruising at altitude, although when it comes to the An-2, at altitude isn't very high.

The usual row of small circular windows had been replaced with one large bubble window on either side of the fuselage, plus the door window, and one bubble over the cargo compartment. Auxillary fuel tanks hang from the wings, and this, coupled with powerplant modifications and longer wings should extend the An-2's range to something approaching 3,000 kilometers.

Walesa and his co-pilot, an Afghani An-26 pilot himself, make sure everything is in order, all the indicator lights work, all the switches are in their proper position, and then Walesa opens the throttle.

The An-2 barrels down the runway and into the air, and heads towards the English Channel.

"Where to, first?" Boomed Mr.Derek from the open window of his Savov Preston transport aircraft. Igomo sounded a lot more hearty than he had of late, and to hear him one would not have imagined that he had to be helped aboard in a wheelchair after two exhausting strokes had so weakened the big ex-semi-pro wrestler. "Hey! Hey! The Hindustanis are going!" He bellowed.

Daniel Seswe, the pilot, engaged the aircraft's two 1,750hp engines while the Presidential co-pilot waved his big paws at some people standing about in his intended path.

(Do we even know where we're going in the first leg, yet? Heh.)

OOC:
it paris as far as i'm aware


IC: Things were going from bad to worse for the university team.
neither of the student pilots had turned up and were presumed AWOL (both being members of a University Flying Squadron they do sort of have military disicpline) thus forcing the university team to withdraw, both pilots were latter found to ahev tied to lamp posts in picadilly circus, naked but for a strategically palced soft toy aeroplane, Neither had any recolection about the previosu nights events but fingers are beign pointed at both British and visiting Roycelandian students.

For Ronald Viller's thigns were much more pleasant, after an interesting night relaxign with one of Londons premierre escorts he enjoyed a hearty full scottish breakfast in his rooms at the Dorchester before jumping into his MAclaren F1 and racing off to Biggen Hill for a quick press conference and photo shoot shortly before his take off slot.

AS Viller's was holding court for the paparatzi the SADF team pulled the chocks away from the wheels of thier PC-9 as the pilot completed the final checklist and began starting up the engine. With a rising whine the rugged turbo prop began to spin up and the aircraft taxied out to the runway. On receiving authorisation from the tower the pilot becan easing the throttle forward as the light trainer began racing down the runway and up into the morning sky.

Pilot and aircraft Captain Eshkol Levi was the last to climb aboard the Vimy, having completed a last walk-around. His co-pliot, already suited up in leather flying jacket, cap and goggles checked over instruments and the Chief Engineer/navigator, sitting slightly forward in the bombardier's cupola thumbed the hand held GPS device, their only modern appliance.

Rolls Royce pistons roared to life as ground crew shouted 'contact' after hand cranking the mahogany props, and minutes later the silver antique rolled toward the runway, and after seeing the PC-9 race off into the distance, the beast lumebered down the tarmac, eventually rising lethargically into cold English greyness. Immediately they turned Southward towards Paris, a little unsure of their reception in that city given recent developments, but it could not possibly be colder than at 6,000ft in an open cockpit over the English Channel.

The Roycelandian Entries graciously took off last, heading for Paris, over the English Channel.

The Forecast for the weather, however, had taken a turn for the worse, with a severe storm expected just off the coast of Calais.

"I do hope they all have a pleasant flight" His Majesty remarked absent-mindedy as he watched the last of the planes take off...

Mr.Derek chuckled from his belly as the plane took-off and headed south. Within minutes he was closer to home than he had been since he arrived in London all those months ago. He was initially quite enthused about the prospect of hitting Paris in first place, since the first leg seemed like the second most significant of the entire race (the last being first, obviously and yet somehow confusingly enough). The Lusakan plane was one of the first into the air, and it was possibly amongst the fastest, too, being a relatively modern monoplane design.

Still, it was rather weighted by extra fuel in the cargo compartment, along with crates full of, "work I need to get done while we're away" as Igomo told the British press before his departure, blinking eight or nine times as he did.

("They're diplomatic pouches, you can't look! 'S-HVM' is a very important form of which there are many, and 'Milan' identifies everything that must be done, according to his work-plan, by the time they reach Italy, obviously! Sheesh!" He told the inquisitive BBC.)