3. - usaid

areas, with proper inspection to insure. this, and that they could not be
transferred to anyone else. J C W A then operated the four planes as 'a
part of the Joint Church Aid, International.
Ch May 5, 1969 it was announced that an Icelandic air transport ccanpany
had been fomd and registered at Reykjavik which would operate exclusively
for humanitarian relief under the name Aid by Air. Its bard of Directors
consis ted of represent at ives from all five Nordic count ries (Finland,
Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland). Its first activity was to take over
operation of the four -68 planes in the JCA alr fleet, one of which had
been damaged by a rocket on landing at Uli on June 2.
There have been changes in the kind and number of aircraft operating from
Sao Tame over the several months of the JCA operations. Che -7 and one
G97G were destroyed in crashes. At the end of May JCA had a fleet of 10
planes, including three of the original four G97GVs, two Superconstellations,
and the four -6~'s being operated by Icelandic Aid by Air. Early in June
JCA1s Canadian member agency Canairerelief indicated it would soon send a
third Supercanstellation freighter to be added to the airlift.
JCA maintained flights into Biafra on a varying schedule of landings
depending on restrictions, military action, weather, condition of planes,
and air crews. Many times these conditians forced the planes to return
without delivering their cargoes. With the addition of the four G97GVs
in December of 1968, JCA was in a position to increase considerably the
number of tons delivered each night. From March to June mercy flights by
both JCA from Sao Tome and by ICRC f'mm Dahomey and Santa Isabel exceeded
the so called capacity of Uli airstrip which had been placed at 300 tans.
JCA alone accomplished 24 night flimts with 270 tons on April 9. JCA also
sponsored a special air charter flight fmm Europe to Biaf'ra about once
every eleven days.
The supply base airport at Sao Tome is a modern one, well run by the
Portuqese authorities. It was not originally intended to handle the intensive
JCA traffic. When the airllft was increased by American and
Canadian planes early in 1969, additional facilities were required. With
the efficient cooperation of the Governor and his officials, the parking
space was enl-d and fueling capacity increased.
At the other end in Biaf'ra, Uli airstrip is nothirq more than a converted
piece of highway. It is long enow, but only a little over 80 feet wide.
From Sao Tome, the planes flew in relays, each attenpting two shuttles per
night. TNs allows three hours flying time, a half how unloading at Uli,
and a half hour to forty minutes loadirg in Sao Tcme. When the planes
arrived over Uli, the landing lights were turned on for a maximum of 30
seconds so the pilots could identi0 the field and ~t half way down, then
the lights were turned off and the touch down and ground operations were
in the dark.