ZS-OVM
ZS-OVM WAS PURCHASED IN FRANCE SOMEWHERE AND WAS FLOWN TO SOUTH AFRICA IN ABOUT 2004 AND BEGAN OPPERATIONS IN TANZANIA AND WAS PAINTED BLUEWITH WHITE STRIPES UGLY AS HELL .
I FLEW ZS-OVM FROM 2005 UP TO 2010 ON AND OFF FOR DIFFERENT COMPANIES . STARTING IN CAMEROON IN 2005 WHERE IT WAS OWNED BY PETER ANNEAR OF VSA AVIATION , IT WAS OPPERATED IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLICK OF CONGO CARRYING PASSENGERS AND FREIGHT INTO LOGGING COMPANYS AND ALSO TOURISTS ON HUNTING TRIPS IN AND AROUND CAMEROON AND GABON AND THE DRC .
IT ALSO FLEW CHARTERS TO TCHAD DURING THE TIME . IN 2005 IT THEN MOVED TO BURUNDI WERE IT STAYED FOR ABOUT 2YEARS CARRYING PASSENGERS FOR TH UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAM , MOSTLY UN OFFICIALS TRYING TO END THE BLOODSHED OF RACIAL VIOLENCE BETWEEN HUTU AND TUSI TRIBES , JUST LIKE THE GENOCIDE IN RWANDA. WHICH BORDERS BURUNDI.
DURING THIS TIME THERE WERE 3 DORNIERS IN THE STABLE .ZS-OVM,ZS-NRN AND ZS NGW THE LATTER TWO WERE 228-100 SERIES WITH SHORTER FUSELAGES ZS-NRN NEVER FLEW DURING THAT TIME AND WA USED FOR SPARE PARTS ON OVM AN NGW WHICH WAS WORKING IN DRC CARRYING DRILLING RODS FOR GOLD PROSPECTORS FROM ASHANTI GOLD .
NRN ON THE OTHER HAND WAS EVENTUALLY REPAIRED BY A COMPANY IN PRETORIA ,SOUTH AFRICA AND NOW OPPERATES IN TO MOCAMBIQUE FROM SOUTH AFRICA
IT THEN WENT TO SUDAN AND WAS USED AGAIN BY THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME AND WAS BASED IN RUMBEK FLYING VACCINES AND ASSORTED CARGO AND PX IN SOUTH SUDAN FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS ,BEFORE THE COMPANY WENT BANKRUPT .
DURING THIS PERIOD ZS-NGW WAS SOLD TO A COMPANY IN GABON WHO WERE OPERATING A NOTHER DORNIER ZS-DOC ,WHERE IT WAS OPPERATED FOR THE NXT COUPLE OF YEARS
I LEFT VSA AVIATION AND STARTED WORKING IN GABON ON ZS-DOC AND LATER ZS-NGW ARRIVED BUT I HAD LEFT BY THAT TIME
I ENDED UP BACK ON ZS-OVM BACK IN CAMEROON ,BASED IN DOUALA FOR TWO YEARS DOING THE OLD ROUTES THAT IT HAD DONE IN 2005 WITH A FEW CHARTERS INTO CHAD ,CARRYING ALL OF THE GENERALS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION TO ALL OF THE OUT LYING MILITARY BASE IN TCHAD LIKE GOZBEIDA ETC ETC IN ORDER FOR THEM TO INSPECT THE VARIOUS CAMPS
ZS-OVM STAYED THERE UP TP 2010 WHEN THE COMPANY MIDWEST WINGS ,RUN BY MR PAUL OELOFSEN SUDDENLY MOVED OUT OF CAMEROON AND RE OPENED IN GABON UNDER THE BANNER OF LA NATIONAL AND OPPERATED THERE FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS THEN SUDDENLY WENT BANKRUPT UNDER STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES. AND WAS RETURNED TO SOUTH AFRICA .
I HAD TIMEOUSLY LEFT THE COMPANY AND HAD MOVED TO SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE , AN PRINCIPE WHERE I AM NOW CHIEF TRAINING CAPTAIN ON S9-RAS AND AWAITING A NEW DORNIER 228-200
THE WORD IS THAT THE AIRCRAFT IS FOR SALE IN SOUTH AFRICA BUT IS SURROUNDED WITH CONTROVERCY