Ibadan to Nimba

DAY 3, LEG 12 - Ibadan to Nimba

This leg is to be one of the more unusual legs during the trip in that it takes me deep into Liberia into one of the more remote airfields in West Africa.  Nimba is located in the far northern part of Liberia and is home to one of the largest iron ore mining companies in the area, LAMCO.  Nimba Airport has served their industry since the 1950s and, after a period of decline, the mines are being regenerated by a company based in Luxembourg.  They have invited me to see their work en route to Bamako, Mali which will mean some careful fuel planning as no fuel is available at Nimba.

I plan to take full tanks for the 3 hour trip to Liberia, leaving enough to safely take off from the grass airstrip at Nimba and reach Bamako with reserves.  In order to keep the best fuel economy I am planning the flight at FL260.  The service ceiling of the aircraft is FL250, but since I am operating as a general aviation flight with no passengers, I am able to operate the aircraft up to it's maximum ceiling of FL330.  In reality, there is no real benefit in operating as high as this but it allows pilots to climb slightly higher in order to extend range for long ferry flights.

It is a warm day in Nigeria, with temperatures already at 32 degrees C before midday.  The planned route will take me over Lagos towards the southern coast of Nigeria, then westbound along the coastlines of Benin, Togo, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast, before heading back inland towards Nimba.  The airstrip itself is located very close to the Nimba nature reserve (a UNESCO world heritage site) on the border with Guinea.  Mining takes place at Mount Nimba, which straddles the borders of Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Liberia.

Climbing over Lagos.

Passing overhead Lake Nokoue in Benin, very close to the border with Nigeria.  The international airport of Porto-Novo is located in the city on the strip of land between Lake Nokoue and the Atlantic Ocean.

Overhead the international airport at Lome, Togo.  In the distance is the Keta Lagoon in Ghana, with the Volta River beyond.

Flying south of Lake Volta, the largest reservoir in the world.

Kakum National Park, Ghana.

Looking out to the right towards Lake Kossou on the horizon.  Lake Kossou is the largest lake in the Ivory Coast and is located in the centre of the country.

Descending past Mount Nimba on downwind to Nimba Airstrip.  The rest of the mountain range can be seen in the background.  Probably the only shot I will get on the trip showing three different countries in one go!

Very difficult to pick out the airstrip in the haze of the afternoon but it is there!  We are on a 2 mile final to Rwy 16.

Parked at Nimba.  The Liberian flag at the airfield shows just how far we have flown since we left Tanzania.  There is 888kg of fuel left in the tanks which should be more than sufficient for the next leg to Bamako, 350nm away.

DNIB - GLNA stats

Take off time:    1155

Landing time:     1443

Flight time:        02:48

Fuel used:          1146kg / 2521lbs