Leg 10 Part 2 - Wusu (ZBYN) - Lukou (ZSNJ)

[hurricanemk1c 195]

Part 2

 

All the airlines [China Eastern, Shandong and Shenzhen] were booked up for a direct flight, and any option via Beijing was both unappealing and hideously expensive. GA isn’t really my cup of tea, but the military was out (even for the baton), so it was looking increasingly likely that I would have to hire a GA aircraft and face the 500nm leg in something a lot smaller than what I am used to.

 

After about the third day of scratching around looking for a suitable aircraft (and someone who didn’t mind travelling to Nanjing for the day, I was approached by an older gentleman with a gleam in his eye.

 

“You look for plane?”

With most of my options exhausted, I felt I had no choice but to talk to this stranger and see what he had to offer. First I had to buy him a drink, of course, to sweeten the deal.

 

“I offer you plane. Big plane. Old plane.”

Intrigued, I asked him what the aircraft was. I hadn’t noticed anything unusual in Wusu whilst I was finding out a lot of useless information that had no relevance to the challenge, or life in general. I had noticed a few more people arrive in the bar, and they all acknowledge the man with a smile and a curious twitch.

 

“Turn up tomorrow at 0300 and find out”.

What is it about the Chinese and stupidly early starts?! Anyway, that left about 5 hours for sleep. Hopefully no inspectors turn up and find out!

 

It was, naturally, dark by the time I arrived at the airport, having had great difficulty in finding anything in the town.

 

What I found when I arrived at the gate, I wasn’t expecting at all…….

 

A fully functioning (I think) KC-97L. A C-97 freighter with refuelling equipment and added jet engines. Why not?!

 

I was assured everything worked. So when I sat down into the captain’s seat and switched on the cockpit light, I was expecting, erm, light. Luckily the crew that had been assembled knew where everything was. This is starting to seem a little bit suspect….

 

The runway lights did little to illuminate the interior of the cabin as we accelerated down the runway

 

Climbing out

 

One nice thing about flying at night is seeing the stars

 

The first signs of dawn appear on the eastern sky

 

Flying over a large town

 

Dawn over China

 

Ploughing through the sky at 25,000ft. Hardly elegant but it’s doing the job

 

Making the turn towards Nanjing

 

My guide then motioned that I should join him in the rear of the aircraft. To watch the refuelling boom be extended and the light show that goes with it

 

 

All tidied back up again, we carry on to Nanjing, with the descent starting

 

 

Flying past Dajiaochang (Z08T). Nice railway station there

 

My rusty flying skills showed up, with the airport exactly 90 degrees away and about 10nm to run

 

Turning onto finals and a bit high

 

Touchdown was a little bit left of centre, but still on the tarmac!

 

A Beech departed after we vacated the taxiway. Slight difference in ‘personal' aircraft size!

 

And parked up.

 

At this point, my guide thrust a piece of paper in my hand, and ran. Immediately. Sensing that Putinfeld could be behind this bizarre leg, I checked my flight bag. It had been gone through, but nothing stolen, and the baton was still where it should be. The GISA card had moved slightly, but I presumed this was due to landing.

 

I opened up the piece of paper

 

Not knowing much Chinese, I didn’t have a clue what it meant. However, I didn’t like the look of it. I passed on to an airport security guard to explain it to me. Then checked the bank balance

 

Oh dear. I think my pay rise has evaporated. You always wanted a KC-97 didn’t you Joe?

 

Aircraft bought: Manfred Jahn / Team Stratofreighter C-97 Collection (FSX)

 

The text of the above "item"
 

Quote

 

收据

采购：

1架波音KC-97飞机

成本：

百万

交货：

完成

至：

Mutley的机库

Kieran Marshall

 

Edited September 20, 2017 by hurricanemk1c

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

OMG...I hope you bought it with full tanks at least.

They say tourist scams are all over the world... language barriers tend to make chumps of the best of us, but this one takes the cake Kieran!

[brett 2,283]

Nicely done Kieran, great shots and once the cockpit light is fixed I'm sure Joe could get a half a million for it.

[rosariomanzo 545]

Nicely done and great aircraft choice (even if a bit expensive )

[OzWookiee 151]

Hehe nice ilttle ending

[mutley 4,487]

Not again! 

 

Nice round up Kieran, your images have been restored in part 1 as well 

 

Anyone want to buy a tanker for 1M Chinese Yuan?

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

39 minutes ago, mutley said:

Not again! 

 

Nice round up Kieran, your images have been restored in part 1 as well 

 

Anyone want to buy a tanker for 1M Chinese Yuan?

 

Maybe assign Kieran to fly ahead and refuel the rest of the ATWC?

[hurricanemk1c 195]

Don't worry - the tanks were full before departure!

 

Cockpit light is now fixed (replacement bulb), but I fear parking fees will be a little bit high. Time to escape!

[J G 927]

I fear the hand of Putinfeld was in this but not in the aircraft con!  I am more worried about your bag, nothing stolen, but clearly someone had searched it. The question is why was it gone through?**  Mind you, Who knows what a dodgy dealer like your aircraft conman might do. Could it have been him?

 

Great couple of Pireps Kieran!  But I think the game is afoot!

 

At least you got a receipt for Mutley. 

 

** When I was young, back in the mid '80s my newly acquired wife and I went backpacking around Europe.  We dipped behind the Iron Curtain to visit Budapest. We managed to get accommodation very cheaply at the university as the students had all gone for the summer break. We went out to see the sights on our first night and on our return sensed that there was something not right. it wasn't for about five minutes until I realised what it was. Although everything was where it should be, things were too neat and tidy, or rather not haphazard enough.   Some one had been into our room and searched everything we had. Very disconcerting, very unsettling, very communist.

Edited September 23, 2017 by J G