Leg 6: Aéroport International de N’Djaména, Chad (FTTJ) TO Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya (HKJK)
The languid African dawn approached and it was time to go.
Continuing my trek towards Kilimanjaro, I plotted a very reasonable 1500 mile(ish) leg to Nairobi. I had initially hoped to use some of city’s more traditional fields but, in the end, the long runways of Jomo Kenyatta lured me in.
Having not yet found the source of my previous long range nav issue, I was sorely tempted to revisit the topic on this flight. A look at the high chart made me feel a little guilty though, and I resolved myself to flying the airways, for this leg at least.
On the plus side however, my planned route was likely going to exceed the total number of waypoints available to the CIVA, requiring me to do a little waypoint swapping. So this would be a good opportunity to try something new.
Thus armed with plan and purpose, I found a good livery for my hard working 72 and began trying to find N’Djaména on the Flight Sim map.
…wait…I’m sorry, what was that?
Hippos?
Did you say frickin’ Hippos?
Leg 6: Frickin’ Hippos
So.
As I think I’ve previously related, my initial enthusiasm for sightseeing my way across Africa had turned to disappointment and frustration as my online forays into what passes for a search engine in this latest age of Humankind (that age apparently being the one most immediately preceding the one in which Charlton Heston is pursued by Dr Zaius into the Forbidden Zone, despite the prohibition by the Great Lawgiver, he being an ape of infinite wisdom and jest) had almost, but not quite completely, entirely failed to produce anything which might be considered a marginally useful map of the POIs in the sim.
However.
In the end, I finally decided that, if I ever wished be around to reveal my inmost self unto the Bomb Almighty, and the Fellowship of the Holy Fallout, I was really going to need to watch my stress levels and recognize futility when I saw it. 
Thus.
I had concluded from the POI map that I did have that there just wasn’t much to be seen along my route of flight, encouraging me to transit said jewel of Africa rather higher and faster than I might have otherwise, had I found something to descend and slow down for.
As a consequence.
You might imagine my surprise then when, panning around in the vicinity of N’Djaména, (being unable to remember the field’s identifier, my memory being so short that I can’t quite tell you how I began this sentence) I should stumble across the telltale pawprint…
[Note to self…look up, “Do Hippos have paws?”]
…of the aforementioned frickin’ Hippos.
Now.
If you’d like to hear my feelings about how not intuitive it was to find said frickin’ Hippos in question when something like frickin’ Hippos was exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to find in the first place, then I’d invite you to view my 200 slide Power Point presentation entitled,
“People Who Indiscriminately Remove Potentially Important Details When Designing Zoomable Interfaces Are Naughty and Should be Ashamed of Themselves.”
Highly Informative Link That You Totally Won’t Get Rick Rolled By Clicking
But I digress…
N’Djaména. Africa. 2025.
And so it was that I found myself, without preamble, admiring my Beaver, in Willow Air colors, courtesy of Crispy136.
Because, if my dog is going to start an air service, who am I not to support her?
OK, I’ve wasted enough of your time…with a short roll and a quick turnout to the south, I went to go find me some frickin’ Hippos.
Navigation was simplicity itself (said I to myself, receiving a knowing look in return). I just needed to follow the Chari River out to Lake Chad. The Hippos (frickin’ and otherwise) should be located on the northern bank.
No sense in going high this time, I camereened down the river between Chad and Cameroon.
Really lovely job on this livery, both inside and out.
Having forgotten to turn off the POI markers, I was surprised by one popping up off my nose.
I began to wonder how many other things I had missed on my previous leg. 
So of course, I had to go take a look!
Huh…
Well, according to the search engine, Mani is supposed to be a town of some sort.
Far be it for me to cast aspersions. But, the Mani Tourism Board might want to zhuzh it up a little. You know, maybe some throw pillows or a building or something. 
Anyway, back to it. I head down south and find the river again. Hmmm, now here’s a good size town.
No POI marker though.
On second thought, maybe Mani’s Tourism Board is just swinging for the fences. You know, “Fake it till you make it”?
Approaching the east edge of Lake Chad, I take an eyeball shot at where I saw the Hippo POI, passing over the town of Guitte along the way.
Lake Chad is pretty impressive.
Crossing the north coast, I set up a search pattern where I remembered the Hippos to be located on the map.
But, I find nothing. No matter how hard I look. Not even in what looks to be a perfect wallowing spot.
I mean I’d wallow here…who wouldn’t?
I continue to find nothing and my gas is getting a little skosh. I had turned off the POI markers after Mani (I mean, how ya’ going to keep 'em down on the farm, after they seen Mani )
But, I turn them back on now.
Nutz.
Eventually, I give in and consult the Interwebz once again (since I had such luck last time) and discover that the frickin’ Hippos are reputedly in an inlet further west.
Somewhere in the vicinity of that small island just off my right float.
Searching…
Searching…
Frickin’ Hippos!!!
Totally worth it.
Now, to get home.
Largely forgetting that I had been dragging these floats around for the last hour (and thus could have stopped literally any place wet), I picked up a heading back to N’Djaména and kept a weather eye on the gas.
Luckily, the VOR came in almost immediately and I had no issue finding the field.
Except for the haze, which was almost certainly reflective of the actual weather at N’Djaména.
But, nothing too scary (beyond my flying 
).
My (second) landing was pretty nice. 
And here we are. Back at the ramp.
So, pretty awesome that I actually got to see some wildlife in MSFS. Not super jazzed that there was probably more that I might have found if I had zoomed in enough previously, but lesson learned.
I still think that there must be some repository out there that shows (from a high level) where all the interesting stuff is in the sim.
Hell, in Falcon 3.0, I found Godzilla.
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I will award one and one badge only, to the value of Silver, to anyone who sends me a PM with a link to an AAR of one or more legs towards the selected goal for the Christmas Flight, before the year is over.
I will also award one and one badge only, to the value of gold, to anyone who sends me a PM with a link to an AAR of the last leg and successful landing at the selected goal for the Christmas Flight, before the year is over.