Yesterday's flight - another 5-hour sea leg - took Mack from #Madagascar 🇲🇬 to #Mauritius 🇲🇺 with an unforgettable aerial approach via the #monolith of La Morne Brabant.
Both countries' history, and therefore aviation history, is closely tied with that of France 🇫🇷 and the neigbouring islands of Réunion and Rodrigues.
The first airplane to land, almost a century ago, in Madagascar, came from #France. Pilot👮♂️ Jean Dagnaux and his mechanic, Sergent Paul Dufert arrived on the 21st January 1927 having flown from Paris in a Breguet XIX plane. Rather than the 13 initial stops foreseen, they landed at 20 different locations, passing via Alicante, Oran, Fort Lamy, Bangui, Léopoldville, le Mozambique… A journey that took them 55 days! 😅
Well, it seems that 95 years on, Mack still needs 60 days and 16 stops to get to the same destination 😂! Thank you for all those helping to make it happen!
The first plane to land on #Mauritius Island, on the other hand, was 6 years later. On the 10th of September 1933 Jean Hily, a French-Maurician pilot, together with 2 other pilots, flew from Reunion to Mauritius, with 1084 letters. The first postal service between the islands. It took another twelve years before the French national airline started its commercial flight to Isle Maurice, which took 5 days and 14 stops to get there!!! Finely in 1967, upon independence, Air Mauritius was created. It first started as a handling agent - literally helping pilots and aircraft who are landing with practicalities and paperwork. Then, in 1972 they leased an airplane and operated the first flight between Mauritius and Rodrigues Island 🏝 where Mack is flying next in search of his #antipodal. Thank you air mauritius for helping Mack on his around-the-world solo flight🌍 !
Just imagine how far aviation ✈️ has come in a little less than a century. How it made things possible that are often now taken for granted, such as the postal service 💌 📪.
Fingers crossed for Mack everyone🤞! Wish him a safe journey!
