Expedition Day 35 I woke up at 3:30 am, packed quickly and called for a taxi to the airport. After three days at my fortress like hotel, I was ready to continue flying southeast towards my next stop, Mattala, Sri Lanka. My handler met me at the airport entrance and rushed me through customs and security, which was surprisingly easy since I was designated as the "Captain/Aircraft crew”. I purchased drinks and snacks before leaving the departure area of the airport and was shuttled to the plane in the pre-dawn light. I flicked on my headlamp for an inspection of the aircraft and discovered the entire plane was covered with a light brown layer of dust/oil. Since I had only a few clean microfiber cloths left, I decided to clean only the windshield and proceeded with the inspection. Later this residue would be washed clean by the rains over India. Soon the fueling crew arrived with two barrels of Avgas strapped to the back of a trailer. Halfway through fueling the plane from 200 liter barrels, their noisy and dilapidated manual fuel transfer pump broke down. I waited for another 45 minutes while they disassembled and repaired what appeared to be their only AVGAS pump while my departure time slipped. Once again, I was sandwiched between jumbo jets weighing upwards of 500,000 pounds during taxi to the active runway. I could have easily taxied “May” under the 777 aircraft but kept my distance. I was wary of the powerful General Electric GE90’s, which could have flipped my plane if they gunned the engines. The smell of jet exhaust started to fill the cockpit. The take-off from Karachi was sluggish since the aircraft was over gross with fuel for the 10 hour flight to Sri Lanka. Squawk 7700 Two hours after crossing the Pakistan/India border, I started to feel very ill from food eaten the previous night at the hotel in Karachi. I was flying solo at 9000 ft in the monsoon rain clouds and recognized that I could not continue flying for another 8 hours in this condition. With much deliberation and considering all options, I declared a "Mayday" over the VHF radio. I explained my situation and requested a vector to Ahmedabad airport, which has both a published precision approach and AVGAS. The radio traffic immediately fell silent after I declared a mayday. Without hesitation, Indian ATC provided me with priority routing to Ahmedabad airport. Inside the monsoon, intense bands of rain pummeled the canopy and over powered the sound of the engine. Turbulence bounced me around while I was throwing up in to a sick sack and cross checking my instruments. This was the most difficult approach I have ever flown and showcases the risk of single-pilot instrument flying. Upon landing at Ahmedabad, I was directed to park in front of the main terminal of the airport, in full view of hundreds of observers. Crash fire tenders, an ambulance, soldiers and airport police, a doctor, handlers, and numerous ground crew surrounded my aircraft. After answering a few questions from airport operations and a quick consultation with the doctor, I was asked to re-position the aircraft to the general aviation area of the airport. I felt embarrassed, but at least I was alive and safe on the ground. The general aviation parking at Ahmedabad airport. The ground staff patiently waited two hours for me to secure the aircraft. I was extremely weak and further affected by the midday heat and humidity. This was the low point of my trip. After aircraft tie-down, I spent 4 hours waiting to clear customs, probably due to my unorthodox arrival. My customs paperwork contained at least twenty forms, all needing to be signed and stamped with multiple copies distributed to various departments. The Indians love their paperwork and their bureaucracy is formidable. I spent the next 4 days recovering in my hotel room, but managed to take a few walks near the hotel. Strong odors, noise from honking tuk tuks, the crush of humanity, and ever rising levels of humidity as the monsoon intensifies - visiting urban India can be overwhelming. I was lucky up to this point with my health. Whether it was the air, the exotic food, or just the anxiety of being in such an unusual place, I would not feel entirely well for another 3 weeks until passing through Australia. Dare to cross a road in India? I hope that you have a life insurance policy. Local pilots from the Concord, CA EAA branch (chapter 393) tracking my flight progress over breakfast. Ed Neffinger and Maurice Gunderson provided updates to the group.
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