Crete 2 Cape

Those magnificent men — and women — in their vintage flying machines tackle a 7,000 mile trip across Africa: what could possibly go wrong?

- Insider

The Vintage Air Rally, held over five weeks in November and December last year, aimed high. Mixing together more than ten vintage biplanes with modern aircraft on a challenging 7,000nm trip across Africa, from Crete to Cape Town, was always going to be a stern test of pilots, machines and organisers. Ambitious events were planned along the way, including black-tie functions with diplomats and air shows entertaining thousands of spectators, and the schedule required clearances to fly through ten different countries, each of which presented its own idiosyncrasies.

Brussels-based organiser Prepare2Go had spent two years on the fine planning detail, making preparations and gaining permissions to fly through each country, some of them less stable than others. Two turbine aircraft would be in the group, a Cessna Caravan and an R66 helicopter, so both avgas and jet fuel had to be available at the stops.

The participants included three Travel Air 4000s (out of only forty that survive), the oldest a sprightly 88 years; four Tiger Moths; a Stampe SV.4B; a Bücker 131 Jungmann; a Stearman; and a wartime era Piper L-4 Cub. It was possible just getting to the start line in Crete would be too much for some of them, never mind the onward journey. Daily mileages were planned up to about 475 nautical miles, but the biplanes’ limitations meant many legs were much closer to 200.

The crews were all experienced, but how would a bunch of people adventurous enough to fly open-cockpit biplanes the length of a continent take to being shepherded around as a tour group?