So you airline guys think you have all the fun? This is some Southern Air African action back in 1992 or thereabouts, doing food drops in South Sudan. You can see the bags of food right in the middle of the DZ on the flyover in the very first part of the video. Then the ramp surfing. Sure beats hanging out at 350 sipping coffee...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioHttMXElys


Both the loadmasters, Dennis Garcia and Jamie Heath, true Southern Air Wild Men, have regretfully gone west.

Dennis was an authentic hero. He was crewing N521SJ when it was blown up by an anti-tank mine planted the the runway's end in Wao, Sudan by the Sudanese Army because the contractor, the ICRC, would not pay the officer in charge a bigger bribe to use the airport to bring in relief supplies.
There were five crew on board and three were seriously injured. The cockpit caught fire. The captain bailed out the swing window, the FE, who was sitting atop the nosewheels which triggered the mine, suffered a compound fracture of the right femur and was dragged out of the aircraft by Dennis and the flight mechanic. Nancy L., the FO, was trapped in her seat with a fractured heel with flames all around her. Dennis ran back into the cockpit and dragged her across the center console and down the stair and out the crew door and saved her life.

Dennis died young of cancer several years ago and the world is a lesser place for his passing.



This is the post fire wreck of N521SJ, missing the cockpit.




We worked hard and played hard and owe no explanations to anyone.