Magic in the sky, miracles down below

Spira Tlhankane | Friday July 7, 2017 17:25

 

Well not exactly, but it surely looked like the abundant water at Makgadikgadi Pans in Sowa had suddenly transformed into land.

Off course, planes cannot land and takeoff in a sea of water unless there is a man-made surface and in this miraculous case, the aircraft could be seen soaring in the sky before flying terrifyingly low over the Sowa Pan brushing the waves with its landing gear.

The plane stunts were just a teaser because the main feature of the Race For Rhinos was the race itself in which 72 aircrafts took off and landed directly on the tough salt plains next to the Botash Sowa Park.

This year’s version of Race For Rhinos moved from Lekhubu Island to Sowa due to the effects of the heavy rains. In its past two years hosted at Lekhubu, the island was waterless and extremely arid, with its rocky outcrop providing a home for the aviation event. Sowa Pan, along with Ntwetwe and other smaller pans make up one of the largest saltpans in the world.

 With the event this time in Sowa, previous attendees and participants were able to enjoy a new scenery, which included, among others, a large herd of wildebeests and countless smaller animals on the surface of the salty pans. On the other side, in a smaller pan nearer to Botash Mine, the view was a surreal pink sea of water lapping the shore, an image enhanced by the sight of flamingoes enjoying the wetlands.

With the aim of promoting aviation tourism in Botswana, Race For Rhinos also gave visitors a glimpse of what the prehistoric lake of Makgadikgadi once looked like. The event also encouraged locals to be interested in adventure and aviation sporting.

The day of the race arrived, President Ian Khama did his usual flag off and racers were all set for an epic contest in the air. Dangerous flying or any other unsporting behaviour was not allowed and would result in disqualification or the imposing of time penalties.

On Friday during the qualifying leg, the fastest planes took off first and the slowest last. But during the day of the race on Saturday, the slowest aircraft took off first while the fastest were last. With the handicapped system in place, theoretically all aircraft were supposed to arrive at the same time.

Obviously there were planes that got lost and it made the race even more fun and adventurous. There was an aircraft that had engine failure, but the experienced pilot managed to land it safely somewhere in the pan away from the water and wildlife.

Tourists and some of the few members of the public who came to the event had taken out their smart phones to film and photograph as the planes arrived one by one from what had been a fun yet tiring race.

Everyone was eager to watch the low aircraft landings on the runway and they were rarely left disappointed, especially by one of the oldest aircraft there being Antanov. In the evening, everyone had to settle down inside the marquee near the chilly pan water for the closing ceremony. Supersport film crew from South Africa displayed aw-dropping footage capturing every moment from this year’s race, including the funny interviews and the confused pilots who lost their way during the race. It was a clear indicator that the race itself offered a challenge to pilots who are behind the controls of aircraft.

Earlier during the day, when the racing planes had flown off to make a turn in Tutume, the whole area became scary when stunting planes transformed the event in an air show with their twists and turns.

During the ceremony, the race director, Chris Briers said the race went well even though they had a number of problems. “Six planes missed take off points, one team opened the envelope, there was an engine failure but over all, we had a safe race,” he said. Briers said it was stressful but they kept a clean record thanks to a good team that put the event together. He thanked the Botswana government and the BTO for making the country the only place in the world where this kind of event could happen.

However, the race was not just meant for competition and fun, but the main agenda was to raise funds for rhinos, which are an endangered species. It was aligned to Botswana’s rhino population, including the Khama Rhino Sanctuary and Debswana’s Orapa Game Park. The national endangered wildlife trust, Tlhokomela, supports this event and raises funds through an auction at the event. This year’s event attracted participants from as far as Alaska and they will host the winner of the auction.

Earlier during the day, four rhinos transferred from Khama Rhino Sanctuary had to be released into the Sowa Park to join wildebeests and other animals like zebras.  Everyone was at standstill when these endangered animals, which inspired the race joined the Makgadikgadi, their new permanent home.

BTO marketing manager, Jillian Blackbeard told Mmegi in an interview that they hold this event to bring a new type of experience with the combination of aviation, wildlife tourism and entertainment. “People from around the world know about this race because this year we have people from as far as Alaska. Next year, we want to break the Guinness World Book of records for the biggest aviation rally in the world, which means most planes flying in one rally that is 110 planes,” she said.

Blackbeard added that they also bring aviation to the schools with the helicopters they use for search and rescue and managed to take 10 children who won the competition for a flight around Sowa to experience aviation. “This has become a success because we brought rhinos from the Khama Rhinos Sanctuary to Sowa and this will generate a new revenue for the area,” she highlighted. Blackbeard said Botswana is proud to be the only place in the world where rhinos are safe and with an increasing rhino population. 

The BTO brought this year’s event in partnership with Gaing-o Community Trust, The Matsieng Flying Club and Botswana Ash.

The first year attracted 57 planes, 67 planes in the second year, and 72 this year making it one of the busiest airports in the world in terms of planes flying. The place is yet to host Makgadikgadi Epic sky diving event later this year.