Wilson Airport, Nairobi, 15th March 2020

[andyh]

We were luck enough to enjoy a trip to the Masai Mara in early March, just before the roof started falling in on the aviation industry through Coronavirus. Part of the trip included a flight from the Masai back to Nairobi, landing at the smaller, mainly domestic Wilson Airport. I don't recall being at an airport with quite so many aircraft lying around and with such packed aprons! Our time there was brief, with literally the taxi in from the runway and walk to the small terminal to grab a few photos. Most of the aircraft remain unidentified!

5Y-DLA Cessna 208 by Andy Hulme, on Flickr


5Y-FDP Pilatus PC-12AMREF Flying Doctors by Andy Hulme, on Flickr


5Y-VVY DHC-8-400 Bluebird Aviation by Andy Hulme, on Flickr


5Y-VVP DHC-8 Bluebird Aviation by Andy Hulme, on Flickr


5Y-JWZ Fokker 50 Jetways Airlines by Andy Hulme, on Flickr


5Y-JAI Beech B200 King Air Capital Aviation by Andy Hulme, on Flickr


5Y-SLD DHC8-100 Safarilink by Andy Hulme, on Flickr


And a few general images to illustrate the packed aprons

IMG_0304 by Andy Hulme, on Flickr

IMG_0305 by Andy Hulme, on Flickr

IMG_0306 by Andy Hulme, on Flickr

Nairobi Wilson Airport by Andy Hulme, on Flickr

And finally 5Y-SFA, one of three (?) Mil Mi-17s at the airfield operated by the Kenya Police Air Wing.

5Y-SFA Mil Mi-17 by Andy Hulme, on Flickr

[ian531]

Great report, what a packed apron, full of interesting stuff

Ian

[andyh]

Thanks Ian.

You can get an idea of just how many aircraft are at the field from Google Earth.

Andy

[Beemer]

Wow!! I have just looked on Google Earth. There are hundreds. I would love a base tour of that place. Thanks for posting Andy. Beemer.

[Samba]

I tried to get around there just before I retired, turned up with small camera and BA ID , didn't stay long because the security
and their guard dogs weren't very friendly.

[ian531]

I’ve just looked on Google maps, they know how to pack them in!

Ian

[Deleted]

Mar 23, 2020 14:01:26 GMT 1 ian531 said:

I’ve just looked on Google maps, they know how to pack them in!

Ian

...and if yours is at the back, better have some Kenyan shillings handy!

[ronturner]

Yes. Wilson, Its one hell of a great place.
I was there about 1980 when I worked for Philips, for about a month. The local agent WILKEN Electronics was based at Wilson airport. I had been in discussion with them for a while before my trip. They told me to bring my PPL with me. When I got there we popped into the Kenya CAA to have my licence validated and then the boss made available to me a PA-28 for the time I was there. What a great time.

One of my neighbours, here at Atlantic Air Park, in France, learned to fly at Wilson.

My host for my time there was a young English guy and he had a girlfriend. She in turn was a great friend of another young woman called Cynthia Moss. The three of us went out onto the edge of the city, to Cynthia's house just inside the bush and the Nairobi National park, for dinner. It was wonderful there having a meal and drinks with beasts roaring in the background. I discovered that Cynthia, an American was and is, one of the world's experts on Elephants. In fact she was the inspiration and founder of Amboseli game reserve. Coinciding with the end of my work in Nairobi Cynthia was due to go down to Amboseli for a couple of weeks and she invited me to go with her. I sadly declined having decided that Mrs T would not appreciate me having an extended holiday in those circumstances. I always followed Cynthia's work and saw her on TV many times, but never returned to Kenya.

[planemike]

Just felt I had to have my say on this one. Was brought up in Kenya, my Dad emigrated there in 1947 after being demobbed from the RAF. My visits to Nairobi West started in 1952 after we had been home on "home leave" and my life long interest in aviation began. Visit to RAF Calshot ("wall to wall Sunderlands"), Farnborough 52 and a flight back in Airwork Viking G-AIXR ignited my interest in aviation!!

A treat for me was being taken down on a Sunday for a walk round the airfield. "Airside"...what was that? We just walked where we pleased. At the time EAAC were operating Rapides, Lodestars and DC3s. Also remember seeing their Macchi 320s. For two years I was at school in Nyeri and remember seeing the Harvards and Lincolns. Also remember lying in bed hearing the Lincolns bombing the terrorists up in the Aberdare mountains.

My last visit there was in 1983. My Dad died suddenly and I attended his funeral. He is buried in Langata cemetery which is just up the road from Wilson airport. Aircraft in the circuit pass over my Dad's grave. I did manage a full apron tour, not too difficult at the time and I did have a couple of "contacts". Much developed since. The original control tower is still there but dwarfed by it's more modern cousin.

[andyh]

Thanks for sharing your memories of Nairobi