Tour charter aircraft at Tenke-Fungurume Airport, DRC - Two pressurised, turboprop powered, charter aircraft, an Airfast Congo LET 410 (lower) and an Air Katanga Beechcraft 1900C (upper) departed Lubumbashi at 0730 am on Tuesday 13 May to transfer the 24 tour participants to Tenke-Fungurume.   Both waited on the ground until the Tenke-Fungurume visit was complete, and then departed at 1630 pm, en route to Kolwezi, where the group disembarked before the aircraft headed home to Lubumbashi.   The B1900C returned to Kolwezi at 0730 on the morning of Saturday 17 May, and departed at 0800 to carry the remaining 16 participants who were travelling back to Lubumbashi after the series of visits in the Kolwezi area.   The other 8 participants either remained in Kolwezi, or made alternative arrangements from there, as this was the end of the DRC leg of the tour.
   Although both aircraft were BARS safety rated, they had only been contracted by Porter GeoConsultancy after each of the companies placing participants on the tour had undertaken strict additional operational and maintenance audits to ensure the highest level of safety, which both aircraft and operators met.   Photographs by Mike Porter.