Africa Flying Adventure: Rare Bug Attack on 1970s Built DC-9

I flew on one of the last McDonnell Douglas DC-9 with Astral Cargo from Nairobi, Kenya to Mwanza, Tanzania.
Follow captain George for a walk around the 46 year old DC-9-34 Freighter and later he explains the complicated looking classic analog cockpit.
We had a long roll on the 45 minute flight due to the high altitude in Nairobi. Once airborne, we cruised at 27,000 ft across Lake Victoria with 14 tons of general cargo onboard.
With an uneventful landing, we arrived in Mwanza, Tanzania. I spotted Air Tanzania Dash8-400 takeoff while all the cargo was being offloaded. While we just closed the door and were ready to fly back to Nairobi, suddenly a huge swarm of lake flies (bugs) loom around the airport from Lake Victoria. The flies almost blocked the windscreen and it was hard to look out!
We took off from Mwanza Int’l Airport quickly and climbed to 28,000 ft. Captain George explained the lake flies are usually an evening phenomenon from Lake Victoria so it was unusual during daytime. I am really glad to have flown on another classic airplane; the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 in 2022.

[@grantpatterson2727]

People talk a lot of trash about African aviation, and I am sure they have their reasons. But if I got on a plane Captain George was flying, I'd have 100% confidence. One of the great things about this channel is how Sam seeks out character airplanes and the characters who fly them.

[@longreach207]

And like me, Mr. Patterson, I gather you're a real character. ❤️✈️

[@yeungscs]

if I had the time and money I'd head to Africa to enjoy one or two rugged Soviet-era prop planes like the AN-12

[@9inchpp]

Because for one these relatively well maintained old airliners, there's 10 more flying jalopies in Africa, especially the ones flying in Congo

[@ToyotaNutjob]

Not me

[@dariusrucker7854]

I def would also truck Cap, but not the plane maintenance.

[@jumpseater]

Captain George seems so proud and happy to fly the DC9.

[@mozvidz]

*_Yeah. I like this kind of chatty captains. He seems to be a very experienced and confident Captain. I'd enjoy flying with him anytime._*

[@barnesjohn7657]

You should be proud… this is wonderful

[@hirvinggoodman]

"You don't loose your flying skills", captain is on the point also. 👌 Real aviator,.

[@javiercaselli]

Yeah, you can see by his demeanour in the cockpit that this guy knows and loves his stuff. Would hop into a plane with him any day.

[@goutamraoshab3777]

Chinese guy Sam

[@abcjelly]

@Jani Hirvonen Classic all-manual aircraft✈️. Nowadays aircraft✈️ flown by itself most of the time

[@emdude1784]

Yes sir this captain is legend

[@ALX65]

This DC-9 looks so complicated to fly but like he said you definitely don't loose your flying skills flying this thing😎👍💙

[@kaszkatv3992]

It just looks hard in terms of systems same as MD-82 but the plane itself is simple and easy, with problem being chaos in cockpit. Cockpit looks like it was designed by 5 year old that knows nothing about ergonomy. Also description of buttons may be confusing. Most planes have APU Bleed described as APU Bleed, in MD-82, DC-9, MD-11 and Boeing 717 it's just Air. Air literally means nothing, Air could be literally everything but in that case it's APU Bleed switch.

[@ALX65]

@@kaszkatv3992 lol R.I.P.

[@arturo468]

Lose.

[@nztrip8510]

@@arturo468 I agree, you can have loose bowels, but not lose bowels..

[@peterherth7379]

I think it is an interesting case that learning to fly this plane definitely is a bit of work as you have to deal with so many gauges and buttons. But once you deal with all those, it becomes easy, as nothing goes on behind the szenes like with a modern aircraft, where the computer gives a nice summary, but might hide important detail information.

[@jpfreitas9146]

That IBERIA lettering covered with vinil sticker at 14:35 is just epic vintage aviation.

[@rainscratch]

There's 197 other decals under that!

[@jamesleaty7308]

And a UAE logo, inside the gear door.

[@miccal5443]

Captain George is a very passionate pilot. It shows in his demeanor and love of the aging aircraft. I say kudos to him and his co-pilot who obviously have AV fuel in their bloodstreams.

[@THYB737]

Yes he is so passionate about flying that in this video in both flights he never let his copilot do the Pilot-flying duty.🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jerryuma]

He is amazing pilot. Me love him

[@nunoreis1669]

These are true aviation heroes with the conditions they have to fly.

[@ibrahima1964]

Best polite ever..my dad generation

[@nunoreis1669]

@@ibrahima1964 truth

[@airlinermodelspro1445]

true heroes who land by far outside the touchdown zone...

[@thekkummottilinsurance]

@@airlinermodelspro1445 he knows that the aircraft will stop in time

[@rainscratch]

@@airlinermodelspro1445 And the aircraft knows "You're The Boss, just tell me what to do"!

[@vladimirfromukraine419]

It keeps you on point and you don't loose flying skills. This is a real pilot satisfaction.

[@rrrrr1778]

Yeaa lot of skill, landing after touchdown zone 😂

[@PortuguesePirate99]

Bruh Captain George is a legend man, i aint ever seen a pilot so enthusiastic in a video about showing stuff and explaining things etc. Its amazing

[@wholiveswhere]

For the AvGeeks amongst your viewers, these types of flights are so much more fascinating than commercial passenger flight reviews - amazing access and experience! Wonderful video!

[@u-know-this]

Yes this is real flying

[@LeonelEBD]

also i'd think that cargo dog flying gives much more access to the entire airplane.

[@TWA727]

The DC9 was a workhorse for us, right up until the very end. It's an extremely reliable and solid airplane, that gave us decades of service, with low maintenance issues. It's a great airplane. Great job Sam.

[@susannepawlicki4034]

The DC-9 was my favourite plane! Working for Austrian Airlines in the late 70s/early 80s, the fleet consisted of DC-9-32, -51, -80 and I loved them. They really are working horses! Thanks for this great video!

[@mikemortensen4973]

DC-9-80? You mean MD-80??

[@anthonymurdoch9437]

"It keeps you on point so you don't lose your flying skills." This is so true. I'll bet this pilot has more raw skill than most.

[@anthonykamau5081]

Captain George is a former Kenya Navy-Pilot (K.N) he train in kenya and U.S. flying skills.

[@mervinpowell6284]

Sam, the last time you flew with Captain George was 10 years ago and with all those experiences in between, you must have kept in touch all that time. Great video, great pilot. Thanks, Sam.

[@JuanJimenez-od1ho]

Wow! That plane is so cool. All the gadgets, knobs, compartments, amazing. These pilots are studs flying these old birds.

[@van84agon]

love to see the DC-9 flying! what a super plane. *please keep up the classic content Sam!* very interesting at 12:00 Tanzania People's Defence Force fighters, Captain says they are MiG-21 and the Air Force did have 16 MiG-21's, they also had an unknown number of Chengdu J-7, the licensed Chinese version of the MiG-21. Production of the MiG-21's started in 1959 and the Chengdu J-7 ended production in 2013, a long run! Very little is known about the Tanzania airforce fleet... cool to see

[@brianubal727]

2013? Wowww

[@alanmalan3819]

So... USSR stopped production in 1985 .... And Russian planes there can be old ILs they all are from 70s too. There is IL from 90s but only India, China , Cuba, Venezuela and N.Korea used them

[@XRP747E]

Yes. Estimate in (2014) suggest that Tanzania's air force command operates 32 aircraft in three different types. It is believed they are operating 14 fighters, 11 fixed-wing attack aircraft and 7 transport aircraft. (Wikipedia) I think a lot of their aircraft are grounded for lack of parts etc.

[@russthebiker]

There is a real team spirit between the crew and ground staff, Captain George is so relaxed and calm

[@Flightmann_2]

I used to fly a lot in USA. Then I came to Kenya and Tanzania. The sceneries are second to none

[@JangsuAviation]

Wow! Thank you Sam for sharing this very unique experience of DC-9!

[@bmsk0076]

Your series on these backwater destinations flying on super old jets is so awesome! You've got some guts Sam!

[@Unknown_Ooh]

If they've been flying this long there's a good chance that one flight he takes isn't gonna end in disaster.

[@bmsk0076]

@@Unknown_Ooh Do you know accidents on these types of airlines don't even make it to the news?

[@carolzinhara7658]

@@Unknown_Ooh qqqqqqqqqq

[@monkmodemalik8225]

Typical racist comment, African aviation is VERY safe..

[@bmsk0076]

@@monkmodemalik8225 Unfortunately, air accident statistics doesn't support your bold claim.

[@sarin10000]

a gem of a captain ! The first officer as well. The true fun of aviation , You can see the passion in both their actions and words ! good Content here @Sam

[@abelsumanas]

DC-9 is always a memory for me. One of my first onboard experiences was on a stationary DC-9 in a local transportation museum in my city, a defunct DC-9 registered as PK-GNT of Garuda Indonesia, nose name was "Bebai". Running around the "spacious" cabin--for all of the seats were taken out but 3 foremost rows of 2-2 business class seats--and taking the captain's seat, examining all of the broken, inactive mechanical flight instruments. This is why 3:56 is strangely familiar for me; looking at the very familiar throttle quadrant pedestal. I still remember vividly that the weather radar panel (or what's left of it) is still a mechanical one (not the glass one like what Astral Cargo uses). Sadly, the airline now had repainted her with an anachronistical present-day GIA livery. It's a shame since the aircraft was sent to the museum still in her Landor livery and was kept that way till the early 2010s. It would be better if the airline repainted PK-GNT in her original Van Diaz (red-orange "hockey stick") livery. Not just that, all of the missing cockpit gauges were replaced with nondescript faux gauges displaying inaccurate instruments.

[@adedamola8761]

This is an awesome watch. When you see people with aviation flowing in their blood, you can't but love them. It speaks loudly....Capt George is just a delightful person.

[@roberttudor455]

Mr Chui was smiling from ear to ear. Great video, love the old classic planes..."Built to last". !!!

[@philip4193]

Warmed my heart to see that row of 727's at 17.34. Just great to see all these old classics not only still in the air but also still doing what they were built to do; flying regular revenue flights and making money for the operators. Thanks Sam!

[@XRP747E]

...and using a lot of fuel as though we don't have a climate emergency.

[@amc3]

Cant think of any commercial airline pilot who would manually fly their aircraft above 8,000 feet, unless there was a tech issue. These guys are true flying hero`s, proper pilots who don`t fly on a lap top.

[@surajgurung5280]

Thank You Sam Chui. You have educated a lot about plane and flights. Pilot knows what he is doing. He is very confident

[@desmonddecker8030]

Delightful! Thank you, Sam. Did anyone else notice the Iberia branding on the inside of the L1 door at 06:43? This aircraft was EC-CTU 'Pedro de Alvarado' (NOT Alvaredo, Planespotters!) and was with IB until 2001.

[@javic3458]

Before Iberia was from Aviaco, wich later was absorved by Iberia, but I Joined Iberia in 2001 and dc9 was not flying for iberia many years before!

[@SimpleAviation]

That's a really good spot!

[@kennethrono7853]

Great captain

[@lunges62]

Fantastic video. Nuno is correct. Captain George is an aviation hero.

[@longreach207]

Sam, It is with heartfelt gratitude that you included external takeoff footage. Some of us need this validation and can't get enough! ❤️✈️

[@tahmid773]

Thank you for covering this Sam! Shout out to the captain and the crew!

[@sanjeevgadhia6371]

Thanks Sam for the coverage of our DC9F which we are truly proud of....

[@ea4bl]

You can see the "Iberia" logo inside the passengers door. My father used to work on these and on the B727 too as an electrical technician for Iberia at Madrid Barajas airport around 1972. Maybe he even worked on this one!

[@monster21]

Wow!!!! This is real aviation. Excellent video

[@Chessaccount-fv3qj]

a DC-9-10 recently came to my local airport. It was so loud and sounded so cool and I'm glad I was able to seen such a classic and vintage aircraft!

[@northmaineguy5896]

Thanks guys for the great tour! I've been a pilot for over 50 years and no longer fly but I have the DC-9 on my X-Plane simulator and I love flying with the old steam gauges as well as this old bird!

[@Eyeofabird7]

Fantastic video ! Happy to see that those majestic planes are still flying ❤

[@muddyboots1881]

Loving the 'autothrottle'! These guys are so professional and they manage to keep these old birds in the air with a smile!

[@paulm2861]

Love the smile on the Captain's face after landing. What a pro.

[@emdude1784]

What a great captain and a well built old bird, some serious hand flying skills.

[@JKS62B50]

Oldies goldies thanks Sam for tracking down these legendary birds. You're a true aviation enthusiast...

[@Grandpa_Boxer]

Love Captain George!! Great to see a man loving what he's doing! Relaxed but 100% professional!!

[@javic3458]

My father flew this exact dc9 at iberia and airlines, good to know is still flying!!

[@mmeduplechin1577]

Great flight! Sam, your videos are interesting, informative and well-edited. Today's flight on the DC-9 was such a trip down memory lane. Now, they're being used for cargo. Such a strong plane that was the backbone of so many airlines is still in the air is marvelous. Those pilots are tremendous. Switches, lights, gauges and a pad w/pen to make notes are truly old-school. Well-done!

[@roberttorres809]

Wow, what a wonderful experience! Thanks for sharing these videos; I love them……

[@georgefranklin3222]

Great camera coverage and story. Thank you for showing that in all countries there are folks that are very skilled, professional aviators.

[@nscalewunderland]

Captain George is awesome! I’d let him fly me anywhere on anything. Great video Sam!

[@FabulousFab-lb5rq]

Aviation at it best, thank for this great type of videos Sam, allowing us to see the unknown airliner of the world 🌎 ✌️

[@ambrusnemes4847]

Manual flying till FL250? These gentlemans probably know what they are doing!

[@dc-travel]

great video, great crew, what an amazing experience this must have been for you!

[@toton1967]

Real deal...Amazing duo at the cockpit....Hats off !

[@bernhardcdavid4062]

Sam, You really make Flighing and Flyers Interested in the Different aeroplanes destinations, Thanks and Keep Up The Great Work

[@TheRareVideosXL]

What a great experience it must be to fly a 46 year old aeroplane. Well done Sam. Keep it up.

[@viewers87]

damn i always love to see a classic cockpit.. the modern aircraft may have the most advance cockpit today but this cockpit it's a relic and i love to see it..

[@LucaZ283]

Wow, no fly-by-wire, no digital cockpit, these truly are real pilots! Thanks for this jump in the past

[@fubinaca]

Love these cargo adventures Sam, hope to see you fly more with other freight companies :)

[@longreach207]

Yes please. ❤️✈️

[@uwetreitz5278]

Nice classic Aircraft, These pilots live their jobs, Thanks for the ride.

[@Calebs_Aviation]

Love these African aviation videos! As an Avgeek I’m so excited to see these classic aircraft like the 727, 737, 75/767 & DC-9s still safely flying!

[@ebrahimalbrmaki9863]

Sam you're amazing, we are always waiting for you

[@jayjohnson8353]

I love your videos, it's awesome how you meet so many great people all over the earth!

[@raoultak]

Very beautiful and interesting footage. Love your work Sam. Thanks and greetz from an ex DC9 pilot in Holland.

[@Potomacstud]

i love Sam's aviation uploads , the best

[@Mets747]

Another gorgeous classic aircraft! Great crew and great video as always!

[@lawrencedavidson6195]

Lovely airplane, great pilot Capn. George. Many thanks for the video. Greetings from Montego Bay airport Jamaica.

[@erickagochimwaura230]

Captain "George" must be an ex-airforce , his cool demeanor, humour and witty responses say it all

[@nostalgio697]

The pilot (captain George) is really nice and intelligent person..

[@kellyjohnson9394]

Were you expecting something else other than the captain being intelligent? ALL pilots are highly EDUCATED and excessively trained. Why would you say something like that? I’m waiting for your response - but not surprised at all if you did not respond to my question. Hmmm.

[@odin5188]

@@kellyjohnson9394 Don't bite his head off, most of us in this world are ignorant of people from other parts of the world. I would have included myself in this (UK born Nigerian) Until i started working in Nigeria. People in the west are mostly shown of Africa, people living in mud huts and flies coming out of their mouths.

[@kellyjohnson9394]

@@odin5188 The FACT that you don’t treat ANY person with respect, tells me more about you than them. Respect is NOT conditional or contingent on what continent they come from. They fact that you are ignorant and racist is not anyone’s problem but yours. I’m praying for you.Smh.

[@odin5188]

@@kellyjohnson9394 There is a difference between cordial/polite and respect. You are conflating the two. Respect is what a son will have for his father or a husband would have for his wife after she's earnt it. I treat everyone politely, but respect comes over time after i see how you act. No-one can demand that from the start. Not that difficult to distinguish the two

[@odin5188]

@@kellyjohnson9394 I don't know why you're banding about racist. That makes no sense. I'm sure a lot of what I'm trying to convey gets lost in what I'm typing

[@sharonleong7120]

I like your videos. It was always great and interesting. Thanks Sam.👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️

[@hunkhk]

Sam I really love your channel - you set the bar so high for all other wannabe vloggers and they pale in comparison. Keep up the awesome work man.

[@pcguy619]

Wow, I am very glad that Astral let you fly along. They must know that they fly very rare aircraft!

[@SteveH-TN]

Greatly appreciated thanks for sharing another wonderful experience

[@aviationjunkie1]

this is awesome. the dc-9 is a great aircraft and its nice to see them still flying all over the globe.

[@christopheravila9597]

Sam You are always kind and You always inspired me

[@syrrusklartey2777]

THE DC9 AIRCRAFT IS ONE OF THE CLASSIC AIRCRAFTS THAT I ALWAYS FALL IN LOVE WITH AND JUST HAPPY THEY ARE STILL IN OPERATIONS KUDOS TO BOEING

[@channelforhunks]

That last landing, she floated right in!! I was waiting for the stall horn! Exactly how we are trained nice work!

[@corkcamden9878]

Capt. George's walkaround is the way it should be done! What a guy!

[@virtualaviator21156]

fun fact sam: In a mcdonnel douglas aeroplane( Dc-9 Md-80 and md-11) it is always recommended to handfly until u reach a stable configuration after takeoff where the flaps and slats are up and ur on LNAV heading , autopilot early engagement can cause the plane to do nosedive etc etc.

[@zeynepozturkakazayna9735]

sammmm!!! i absolutely luv ur videos, ive always luved planes and i love how you take us on these journeys with you, i rlly luv ur videos and your channel, i hope to meet you some day!!! xx

[@lesliejones1706]

Great to see out-of-the-way places Sam!

[@Davis1369]

Sending some aviation love from Tanzania❤️

[@EMAPlanes]

Must be very lucky to fly on a DC-9! Love your videos Sam👍

[@vstromxt3799]

Lovely plane. Congrats Captain...not switching on the AP after one minute.

[@stevecarlson7281]

Oh that 9! My favorite bird to ride on. Went DTW to IAD on NW late on a Sunday, and we deplaned direct to the mobile lounge. Coolest trip. Thanks for this video!

[@fimfengius]

This was really great! Having grown up flying DC-9:s from Sweden to destinations all over Europe in the sunshine heat, in foggy rain, in snowy blizzards and in arctic cold I have to agree. The DC-9 is truly a very rugged airplane able to take a lot of punishment and still fly on. Just give it a bit of loving care and you´ll fly safe.

[@rmd4209]

Amazing aircraft and amazing video Sam. Well done!!

[@hairsiluet]

I like so much the DC9 series! 👏🏻👏🏻🤩 What a times…! 🛩💪🏻 👋🏻 Greetings from Spain 🇪🇸.

[@andy1285]

Great pilot captain George liked his sense of humour when he gets hold of throttles then says engage auto throttles

[@wmtrader]

I flew on several Hawaiian Airlines DC-9s as a kid in the 1970s and early 1980s, I even had a toy Hawaiian Airlines DC-9.

[@MegaSukhoy]

amazing!! thanks for share the wonderfull experience of flying this kind of planes

[@energybengt]

So cool to see a plane that isn't all fly-by-wire. Really cool to see all the dials and switches and hardware. :)

[@javiercaselli]

At @6:45 you can see the Iberia logo still on the door. This plane's (5E-UAE) first registration was EC-CTU in 1976 and belonged to the Spanish extinct airline Aviaco, which was merged into Iberia in 1999. When it was retired in Spain it flew for several other airlines and converted to a freighter somewhere along the way. It's very likely that I flew in this airplane back when I was a kid, because of my old man's job we traveled quite a bit. So glad to see these old workhorses still soaring the skies! Great video!

[@adrianlara442]

Yo tambien volé en este aparato de niño. En el transportín. Que recuerdos... Ahora seria impensable.

[@franciskt4171]

It is always a surprise how those two small rear engines give power for this plane to fly high and fast !

[@francescodalessandro9241]

Awesome, thank you Sam from Italy!!

[@ChevyBM]

I love the DC-9 it is my favorite airplane , I have so many memories from flying on Finnair, SAS and Iberia DC-9's back in the days. Great video Sam!

[@Lamishto]

This is from Iberia look at the door when they close it :)

[@jackson0816]

What a lovely Captain 👌

[@os4908]

Smooth landing

[@mdotto8707]

Thank you Sam! Such a great video!

[@emmanuelortiz8293]

Incredible video, I love this aircraft, approximately in Venezuela the DC-9 stopped operating in 2014.

[@wmasasabi]

Brilliant video and airmanship from the crew! Helps to have experienced heads when ATC does not respond 😀 You can’t make that stuff up

[@Glen.Danielsen]

Captain George is extremely articulate with english! 💛🙏🏾