Pat Patten of Flying Medical Service Talks to IFR Magazine About Flying the Gauges in the Wilds of Africa

Pat Patten of Flying Medical Service Talks to <i>IFR</i> Magazine About Flying the Gauges in the Wilds of Africa

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

IFR flying in Tanzania significantly differs from the U.S., relying on self-reported positions in uncontrolled airspace rather than radar and ATC.
Flying Medical Service pilot Pat Patten operates in this challenging environment, navigating hundreds of miles using dead reckoning.
His flights require navigating around severe thunderstorms.
A unique hazard he faces is avoiding wildlife, specifically elephants, on runways in the dark of night.

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In the U.S., IFR flying may be all about radar vectors and ATC. But in Tanzania, it’s mostly self-reporting your position in uncontrolled airspace. Come hear how Flying Medical Service pilot Pat Patten flies hundreds of miles on dead reckoning, stays out of the worst of the thunderstorms, and avoids running into elephants on the runway in the dark of the African night.

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