Overland Journal

The Last Mirage 🐫🏜️

In my frustrating post as an under-challenged air force pilot, phrases such as completely uninhabited, no-one ever crosses from one side to the other, and no trace of any water system and not a single tree flamed my abiding love of the great deserts. My 1969 attempts to launch an expedition to cross Africa at its widest point were frustrated by my doctors’ wishes to make adjustments to my right lung. An overseas posting later, I was able to persuade the guardians of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Expedition Training Scheme that the project was worth a try.

The logistic and technical challenge of just the Majâbat was enormous: over 1,000 miles of sand dunes, and rocky or obstructed going without any previous route to follow along the 20th parallel of latitude, with no fuel, water, or supplies available. In this pre-satellite era, the best maps were 1:1m scale. How would we navigate? What vehicle could do the job? Could we communicate if something went wrong?

| Winter 2016 📔 | by Tom Sheppard ✍️