The Cattle Are Not Afraid
...of me and my airplane anyway.
This point was reinforced to me yesterday as I taxied for takeoff on Runway 18 at Mbandaka. About 300 feet from the end I saw what looked to me like a very young bull standing on the centerline (if there was a centerline). He looked up at me, like cattle do, and I expected him to move off as I got closer. He kept looking and I got a little closer. He kept looking and I got even closer. And then, the little rat-bastard squared off on me! He squared off on me, in my mighty machine! I didn't have a horn to beep and I couldn't throw a rock so I had to yield that last 100 yards. Imagine that, being faced down by a bovine teenager.
The result should not have been a surprise. 2 months ago I was going to land at Kasongo and I saw there were 8 head of brown long horned cattle grazing at one end of the field. I thought "Oh boy, a legitimate excuse to fly low. I'll just buzz 'em and chase 'em off." Which I did, the flying low part. The chasing part was a bust.
They didn't run. They didn't even look up. The cattle didn't move; but the 25 cattle egrets with them did. They all took off at once and tried to get in my way. The only animal I provoked into dodging was me.
I climbed up and a few moments later a young man in white sneakers, I can still see those sneakers, came out an chased the cattle away. Then I landed.
This point was reinforced to me yesterday as I taxied for takeoff on Runway 18 at Mbandaka. About 300 feet from the end I saw what looked to me like a very young bull standing on the centerline (if there was a centerline). He looked up at me, like cattle do, and I expected him to move off as I got closer. He kept looking and I got a little closer. He kept looking and I got even closer. And then, the little rat-bastard squared off on me! He squared off on me, in my mighty machine! I didn't have a horn to beep and I couldn't throw a rock so I had to yield that last 100 yards. Imagine that, being faced down by a bovine teenager.
The result should not have been a surprise. 2 months ago I was going to land at Kasongo and I saw there were 8 head of brown long horned cattle grazing at one end of the field. I thought "Oh boy, a legitimate excuse to fly low. I'll just buzz 'em and chase 'em off." Which I did, the flying low part. The chasing part was a bust.
They didn't run. They didn't even look up. The cattle didn't move; but the 25 cattle egrets with them did. They all took off at once and tried to get in my way. The only animal I provoked into dodging was me.
I climbed up and a few moments later a young man in white sneakers, I can still see those sneakers, came out an chased the cattle away. Then I landed.
posted by Carl at 9:53 AM
4 Comments:
Rather than flying low, perhaps you should drop a few bottle of steak sauce as you fly over?
That should send a more permanent message.
They would have just used it to flavor the grass.
Lol, your brother has a good point. Bet you didn't know you'd be a cowboy in the Congo.
Cowboy in the Congo. I like the sound of that.
I don't know if I can properly claim the title though if the cows keep winning.
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