EQDC3: End of Leg 6

[beaky]

I manage to climb up a bit and find the cloud tops are fairly low ahead; thunder and lightning surround me, but there is not so much turbulence now. I file IFR again, and eventually I'm handed off to the Gan tower. As they vector me in, I realize I was not too far off course, but to the north again. It seems to take forever, but finally, after hearing them on the Gan tower freq, I see the lights of a northbound King Air emerge from the gloom blanketing the airport as it climbs out. I'm almost there...





I've been cruising at 100 knots indicated for a while now to conserve fuel (way past my estimated arrival time, and fuel is very low), so not much adjustment is needed before that first notch of flaps and the landing gear.







I'm cleared to land now; I know that as I descend, I'll drop into the layer of cloud. Better do this right; I don't think I've got enough fuel to go around... remember Babullah, I tell myself...







Indeed, as I slide down final, I'm perilously low on fuel... barely enough to taxi to the ramp, let alone go around!






High on final... again!! But at least I'm slowed-up well. Full flaps... don't dive to lose altitude... I try slipping her a little. Seems to help...





Touchdown is 15 hours from takeoff at Kijang (on fumes!!); the Map view shows the last IFR segment... I was off but had been correcting south prior to that (guesstimating; I'd drifted north over land earlier, so...), and may have come quite close anyway. But in the dark and poor vis., I probably would've gone right past it. Bless those controllers!
Funny thing, though: never got the Gan NDB. Must've been too low the whole time...



Next: On to Africa!!