Imperial Airways

South Africa Route, Cairo to Cape Town

 

            Cairo is the hub for the Imperial Airways service to Singapore, West Africa and South Africa routes as well as the transfer of passengers from land or sea aircraft.  Cairo Airport(HECA) was not there in the ‘30’s; the airport we are using is Embaba (HEEM). In addition the airport for Johannesburg at that time was Rand Airport. (FAGM).

 

IMPERIAL AIRWAYS

Station      Khartoum

Arrangements for………….Northbound Aircraft

You will be called at……….04:50 hours. ………………………and your baggage should be outside

Your room at ………………04:50 hours………………………………………………………………..

…………………Breakfast…. will be served…at 5:00 hours…………………………………………….

Currency Coupons will be cashed at…the current rate…………………………………………………

The car will leave………..this hotel……………………….at…05:30 hours……………………………

The airliner will leave the airport at…05:45…………………………….hours to-morrow and stops

Will be made at…Kareima…Wadi Halfa…and Luxor…(Night Stop)…………………………….

Meals on to-morrows journey will be served as shown.

Breakfast………….Khartoum………………..Tea………Luxor……………………………………….

Lunch………………Wadi-Halfa………………Dinner……do.……………………………………………

Mr.…W.H.Whelan………………………the company’s representative will give to you any further

Information or assistance you may need during your stay at this station.

 

 

*Above is a sample of what was given to the passengers as they debark the aircraft at a station, containing information for the next day’s flight.

 

NOTES FOR BLUEGRASS PILOTS

  • Some times, routes and stops along the way are altered to obtain a compromise between History and Flight Simulator.

·         If FltSim does not do it, you may have to alter your time-zones manually. Kenya. Uganda and Tanzania are GMT +3 (East African Time), all the others en-route are GMT +2. (Central African Time).

  • Print pages 3 and 4, start engines, remove the chocks and Bon Voyage!!!

 

SOME HISTORICAL INFO

  • The original Wadi Halfa is now under the waters of the Aswan Dam.
  • When landing at Nairobi, taxi to the buildings on the North Side of the runway. That was Embakasi, later Sir Evelyn Baring  terminal until 1978/9, when Jomo Kenyatta terminal was built on the opposite side of the runway.
  • Salisbury’s Belvedere, Bulawayo’s Kumalo and Cape Town’s Wingfield Airports are no longer there.

 

 

 

 

 


                                   

 

IMPERIAL AIRWAYS TIMETABLE

CAIRO TO CAPE TOWN 1932

 

CAIRO-ASSIUT-ASSUAN-WADI  HALFA

ATBARA-KHARTOUM

Your Captain Speaking: Ladies and gentlemen, after take off from Cairo, we will fly a heading of 205° to give you a view of the Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx. Our journey then takes us south along the Nile River and we shall cruise at an altitude of 3,500 ft stopping at Assiut, Assuan, and Wadi Halfa where we will spend the night. Tomorrow, we fly on to Atbara, and Khartoum which is located at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile Rivers.                                          

ICAO  Airport

 Arr.      Dep

NOTES: Aircraft HP42

HEEM Cairo

            07.30

Depart Sundays.

HEAT Assiut (Asyut)

09.30    09.45

 

HESN Assuan (Aswan)

11.55    14.35

Lunch at Airport

HSSW Wadi Halfa

16.15    08.00

Overnight stop at Hotel.  Depart Mondays

HEAT Atbara

11.00    14.00  

 

HSSS Khartoum

15.45

Overnight stop at Hotel. Depart Tuesdays for Cape Town. Connects with flight to West Africa.

 

KHARTOUM-KOSTI-MALAKAL-JUBA

Your Captain Speaking: After take off from Khartoum, We will be flying at an altitude of 4,500ft to Kosti, Malakal and Juba where we will spend the night. We will again be following the Nile, which after Malakal, wanders off to our right where it passes through the Sudd, a large swamp area covering 12,000 sq miles, before we see it again on our way to Juba where we spend the night.                                      

ICAO  Airport

 Arr.      Dep

NOTES: Aircraft HP42

HSSS Khartoum

            05.00  

Depart Tuesday

HSRN Kosti (Renk)

07.45   08.05

Fuel stop

HSSM Malakal

09.50   12.20

Lunch at Airport

HSSJ Juba

15.30  

Overnight stop at Hotel. Depart Wednesday

 

JUBA-ENTEBBE-KISUMU-NAIROBI

Your Captain Speaking: After we leave Juba, we will be climbing to an altitude of 7,500 ft as the landmass of Africa from here southwards rises between 4,000 to 6,000ft above sea level.  We follow the Nile for a short while then across land to Entebbe and Kisumu on the Northern shores of Lake Victoria. We then climb to 9,500ft for a short while to cross the mountains on your left, and across the smaller Rift Valley to Nairobi.

ICAO  Airport

 Arr.      Dep

NOTES: Aircraft HP42

HSSJ Juba

            06.00

Depart Wednesday

HUEN Entebbe

09.15   11.15  

 

HKKI Kisumu

12.45   14.15

Lunch at Airport. Change to AW15 Aircraft

HKJK Nairobi

16.00

Overnight stop at Hotel.  Depart Thursday

 

 

NAIROBI-MOSHI-DODOMA-MBEYA

Your Captain Speaking: Today we fly most of the way at 8,500ft. Our route to Moshi takes us between Mt Kilimanjaro (19,500ft) on your left and Mt Meru (14,800ft) on your right. Then across the Serengeti Plains to Dodoma and finally to Mbeya where will spend the night.

                                                                                                               

ICAO  Airport

 Arr.      Dep

NOTES: Aircraft AW15 Atalanta

HKJK Nairobi

            06.30

Depart Thursday

HTMS Moshi

08.10    09.50

 

HTDO Dodoma

11.50    13.35

Lunch at Airport

HTMB Mbeya

16.15   

Overnight stop at Hotel.  Depart Friday

 

MBEYA-MPIKA-BROKEN HILL(KABWE)

SALISBURY (HARARE).

Your Captain Speaking: Leaving here, we climb to 8,500ft and on a clear day one can see Lake Niassa on the left. In the event of overcast weather, we may have to detour west to Kasama, then to Mpika to avoid the Mountains south of Mbeya. Our route to Broken Hill is over relatively flat country, and from there we cross over the Zambezi River to Salisbury where we will spend the night.                    

ICAO  Airport

 Arr.      Dep

NOTES: Aircraft AW15 Atalanta

HTMB Mbeya

           07.00

Depart Friday

FLMP Mpika

09.25  09.55  

Refuel stop

FLKW Broken Hill/Kabwe

12.25  14.00

Lunch at Milliken Airport.

FVHA Salisbury/Harare

16.45

Overnight at Hotel.  Depart Saturday

 

SALISBURY (HARARE)-BULAWAYO

PIETERSBURG-JOHANNESBURG.

Your Captain Speaking: Our route today takes us across the ancient Kingdom of Monomatapa to Bulawayo and we will be flying at 8,500ft. From there we fly to Pietersburg, and then to Johannesburg where we will spend the night.                               

ICAO  Airport

 Arr.      Dep

NOTES: Aircraft AW15 Atalanta

FVHA Salisbury/Harare

           06.00

Depart Saturday

FVBU Bulawayo

08.10  09.55  

 

FAPI Pietersburg

12.25  14.10

Lunch at Airport.

FAGM Rand Airport

15.55

Overnight at Johannesburg Hotel.  Depart Sunday

 

JOHANNESBURG-KIMBERLEY-VICTORIA WEST-CAPE TOWN.

Your Captain Speaking: We will be flying at 8,500ft and our route today takes us to Kimberley, then across the Great Karoo to Victoria West. We then fly over the Southern Cape mountains and after passing over Wolseley, commence our descent to Cape Town.  

ICAO  Airport

 Arr.      Dep

NOTES: Aircraft AW15 Atalanta

FAGM Rand Airport

           06.00

Depart Sunday

FAKM Kimberley

09.25  10.05  

Refuel stop

FAVW Victoria West

12.25  13.30

Lunch at Airport.

FACT Cape Town

17.40

Termination of Flight

We trust that you have enjoyed your journey with Imperial Airways and look forward to seeing you again.

Captains, Bill Odell, Norm Holman and Alan Lowson

 

Return to Chapter One – the Main Page                             Chapter Three – West Africa Route