The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting Going to Africa in less than two years......what do you do on the long plane ride?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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16+ hours at a pop on a plane...definitely one of those times when it is not a curse to be 5'9".  Ted - I am excited for you. I have 14 months to go...I will live vicariously through your hunt report. Tim 0351 USMC | |||
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23 days to go and the roar of the engine's with some whiskey I will be happy! Life member NRA formally scrappy | |||
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If you can get first class on air line miles I highly recommend it. Ambien, dinner, wine, and sleep. DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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I'm with N E 450 No2.......drink Scotch  Other than that, you worry about your guns making it through JNB for us Aussies, but the trip over is a breeze, with all the anticipation.......the trip home is a bummer and the jet lag is much worse. | |||
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I'm hoping you'll find your flight MUCH less problematic than you imagine... I've flown to 40+ countries , I'll reiterate some good tips already given & 1 or 2 new ones... 1. If you can afford it, timewise & moneywi$e, give yourself one full buffer day @ each end, esp. upon arrival in Africa. I stay @ a nice hotel right @Joburg airport, no schedule on Day 1 except eat & sleep whenever I want.On day 2 I am refreshed & ready to hunt. Many AR guys prefer off-site inns catering to hunters. I've tried the top 2, but don't see what the big deal is. The big downside to me is very limited menu & very limited dining times and no 24-hr. services. 2. Upgrade if you can. Freq. Flier miles via a dedicated credit card are superb. Plus, if you get stuck at an airport, you can hang in a lounge, the best ones have showers & free food & drinks. Virgin Air, for ex., JFK-London-Joburg, has fully reclining beds, sit-down bar, etc. in first class. Never had problems w/rifles w/them. A tip - when booking trip via phone, keep calling until you get an agent who is bright & bored - they have a lot of autonomy re: booking/upgrading you w/miles, but it takes them time to do so, and the more creative ones can find you some great deals/options. Be genuine & nice on the phone. Converse with them (These folks are used to being given a hard time). 3. Sleep on the plane. A lot. Options are a Rx sleeper (Ambien, Lunesta) or, better yet, an antianxiety agent (Xanax, Valium, etc., esp. if you are anxious re: flying). Booze (ethyl alcohol -as much as I like it!) prohibits delta-level, restorative sleep. It also dehydrates you. Don't worry about time zone stuff if you give yourself that all-important buffer day. Many hunters fly/rush straight on through to camp, long drives included. God bless 'em. I hate feeling bleary-eyed & raggedy, esp. on holiday. Medical research suggests that, to a degree, you can " bank" sleep, so deposit all you can while on the plane. Have a great hunt & post a report w/pics! | |||
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One thing I will try to do next time to improve how I feel both on my flight over and on my trip is to get plenty of rest the last two or three weeks before I leave.I would rather go there with my body full of energy than it being in a deep recuperative phase or in other words dont go there already exausted. | |||
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Don't worry about it, just go and relax on the plane. I don't have the experience that some here do but I find it is easier to just relax and go with the flow. If you like reading a book is good, or watch the movies what ever. Just RELAX!!! | |||
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All great advice given in the above posts, however one thing has been left out. Do NOT jack with the folks in Business Class, they might get grumpy!!! Graybird "Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning." | |||
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Well, if you have the wife with you, there is always the "mile high club" too  . | |||
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It's a good time to organize your Lap Top. I also have Light Room and Photoshop installed and enhance my photos. | |||
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two tylenol PM, two glasses of red wine...wake up in Joburg...yeah it's a little edgy but it certainly ain't gonna kill ya... Do not mix Ambien and alcohol...very bad Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I take an ambien just before my meal and wine with the meal works great. Just don't overdo it. Two couples on one flight took ambien and then started hitting the hard stuff. The attendants had a hard time waking them up when we got to Joburg. DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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9 weeks to go It's starting to get exciting ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
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On the way over it's a long, hard trip, however you are full of excitement and euphoria so it's not as bad as coming back. Coming back, and your hunt of a lifetime is over, is an ass busting ordeal. | |||
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Take an ambien an sleep as much as possible. If you can do this, you will get there ready to hunt with little or no jet lag! I hunt to live and live to hunt! | |||
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I beg to differ! Each person is different, but jet lag can be a real bear! Your circadian rhythms seem to hold sway here...... Jason "You're not hard-core, unless you live hard-core." _______________________ Hunting in Africa is an adventure. The number of variables involved preclude the possibility of a perfect hunt. Some problems will arise. How you decide to handle them will determine how much you enjoy your hunt. Just tell yourself, "it's all part of the adventure." Remember, if Robert Ruark had gotten upset every time problems with Harry Selby's flat bed truck delayed the safari, Horn of the Hunter would have read like an indictment of Selby. But Ruark rolled with the punches, poured some gin, and enjoyed the adventure. -Jason Brown | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting Going to Africa in less than two years......what do you do on the long plane ride?
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