Knysna pilot captains angel flight

KNYSNA NEWS - Knysna-born pilot Christopher Hall recently had one of the biggest honours of his career bestowed on him, when he was tasked with flying as captain of an angel flight* that repatriated the body of a late El Salvadorian pilot from Mali.

Christopher (30) was born into an aviation-oriented family, with his father and grandfather both pilots before him.

According to his father, Baden Hall, Christopher took to flying like a duck to water. "He has been in love with flying since he was two years old – his second birthday cake was an airplane," a proud Baden said.

Eleven years later, Christopher's first flight would be at the helm of a microlight, at the age of 13, and he obtained his private pilot's licence two years after matriculating, in 2010.

Fast forward 10 years and with a commercial licence and airline transport pilot's licence under the belt, while working for Sahel Aviation Services (SAS) in Bamako, Mali – where he flies mining executives and UN personnel among others – his latest flight was to repatriate fallen El Salvadorian pilot Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Guillén who had passed away on 28 May.

Baden explained that the flight, known as an "angel flight", was awarded to Christopher and SAS after a stringent selection process.

"Various aviation companies were requested to provide a repatriation plan for the UN on behalf of the deceased," Baden said. "Christopher and his team spent a week planning routes, aircraft endurance, obtaining overflight clearances and landing rights (very difficult in light of the Covid-19 restrictions), as well as the prevailing weather patterns, etc."

Great honour
Being able to repatriate a fallen aviator is an immense honour for pilots, the proud father noted. "All aviators mourn the loss of a fellow aviator while passing to 'higher service'. One of the greatest honours that can be bestowed by an aviator upon a deceased fellow aviator is to be the captain of an angel flight, being the last earthly journey, not only to his country of birth, but also to the loved ones they leave behind," Baden said. "Save for essential verbal communication to conduct a safe flight, the flight, for all intents and purposes, is carried out in silence, out of respect."

Christopher and his crew took off from Bamako on 29 June to begin their ±26-hour journey to El Salvador, which is the easier leg of the journey. "Travelling westwards is fortuitous for aviators due to favourable tailwinds, while a brief window period of stable weather accompanied the flight to El Salvador," Baden explained. According to El Salvadorian publication La Prensa Grafica, the flight arrived in El Salvador on 30 June.

Thereafter it was time for the return trip which is, however, an entirely different matter. Due to less than desirable conditions, they had to reevaluate and take a route via Brazil. They arrived in Fortaleza, Brazil from Barbados on Saturday 4 July, but their transatlantic flight to Cape Verde was delayed due to technical issues. At the time of writing, Christopher had not yet departed Brazil.

Baden pointed out that Christopher still has plans to further his career. "He is departing shortly for an American FAA licence conversion, as well as a rating on a C650 Citation Jet."

Due to Christopher still being in the midst of his journey home, KPH was unable to contact him and conducted an interview with his father Baden instead.

* In American military circles, an "angel flight" is the call-sign for flights that repatriate fallen soldiers.

Christopher Hall. Photo: Facebook