Overnight in the Saudi desert and flight to Doha

Well the middle east has certainly met with expectation so far, Camels, sandstorms, cups of very sweet chai tea, loads of Bedouin tents in the desert. So many in fact that in some regions if you had to have landed you would easily have picked a populated place - the standard set up appeared to be a few big tents, some 4X4s a couple of dozen camels in a herd and the very essential big road tanker lorry presumably full of water (which really is more expensive to buy here than fuel).

Today started with a nice cup of Chai from my very nice Arab hosts - they could speak no English as I no Arabic so we worked with sign language admirably. 

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Norman is not flying today - Oman tomorrow

Norman is not flying today as the autogyro is having a planned maintenance check before flying to Oman tomorrow. 

Norman has landed in Abu Dhabi

Norman has landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates at 14.54 (IST)

Norman is flying to Abu Dhabi today

Staying in the United Arab Emirates Norman is flying from Qatar to Abu Dhabi today. This is a flight of over 300 mile / 480 kilometer south 
which will take him about three hours. It is 31°C and cloudy in Doha and similar in Abu Dhabi. Below is a photo of a sand storm Norman witnessed during his forced stop, due to impending storms, in the Saudi desert.

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Norman landed in Qatar

Norman landed at Doha International Airport, Qatar at 15.25 (IST)

Norman has landed west of Riyadh because of an approaching storm front

Norman has landed about 70 miles / 110 km west of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia because of an approaching storm front which other aircraft have had to divert around. Norman felt it would be safer in such a small open aircraft to land. He has landed near a filling station near Al Khalaig Alghabiyah where he will camp for the night. Norman has also been able to store the autogyro under cover for the night.

He back tracked earlier this morning as he assessed that he would need extra fuel for this flight, particularly negotiating the leading head winds of the approaching storm front. He therefore flew back on his route to pick up extra fuel from a garage he had spotted earlier.

He plans to fly on to Riyadh in the morning depending on weather and related flying conditions. This will be reviewed and updated in the morning.


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Norman is flying to Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz Airport, Saudi Arabia

Norman is flying to Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz Airport OEDM in the central part of Saudi Arabia this morning.  He departed just before 7.00 am (IST) flying in an easterly direction. The weather is a warm 25 °C with scattered clouds at about 1,000 feet / 3,000 meters and a south easterly breeze. Visability is at 6 miles / 10 km and there is a slight chance of rain.

This will be a flight of just over 300 miles / 480 km. As Norman often uses roads for way finding he will probably follow road 40 then road 50 which brings him direct to Al Dawdmi. The airport lies 18 miles / 30 km west of the town of Al Dawadmi and it is one of the most modern airports in Saudi Arabia.


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Norman has landed safely in Taif, Saudi Arabia.

Norman has landed safely in Taif, Saudi Arabia. According to the Saudi Network Raif is Taif, with its deep rooted history that dated back to thousands of years is famous for its gardens and good quality agricultural production on top of which are grapes, pomegranates and honey (photo of its famous rose plantations below). The elevation of the city by about two thousand meters above sea level, makes it one of the important resorts in the Kingdom.   So Norman has landed in a 'land of milk and honey'.

It is also famous for historical features including the Souk (market) Okaz which played a distinguished role in the history of Arab poetry before Islam. The Souk was a forum for poetry debate in one of the richest era in the history of Arab literature and culture. Other important archaeological features in the city include many pre-Islamic fortifications, and Islamic mosques such as the Mosque of the Prophet's Companion (peace be upon him) Abdullah Ibin Abass.


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Norman plans to fly to Taif, Saudi Arabia today.

Norman plans to fly to Taif, Saudi Arabia today. This will take him in a easterly direction for about 100 miles / 160 kilometers. The weather is clear and a very hot 33°C (just over 90°F).

Norman landed safely Saudi Arabia

Norman landed safely at Jeddah Airport, Saudi Arabia at 17:40 (IST).  As Eddie Gold who hosted Norman in Cairo said "over 6 hours flying and arriving as the light fades makes this leg of his journey one to remember! 


The initial flight north this morning, the opposite to Normans intended route, was because of the extremly strict flight rules.  This prohibits civil aircraft from flying direct from Aswan in Egypt to Jeddah.  This route must be done from Luxor. As a result Norman had to fly back to Luxor to get on the acceptable airway to Jeddah. 


Norman was further slowed down by the Egyptian bureaucracy this was in contrast to the wonderful people he met there and the help and support he received from them.  Between this and the diversion north nearly two hours were added to his flight time making it an exhausting six hours plus!


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