Flying in the Falklands

by Sally Branston

As there are very few paved roads and many of the tracks are rutted and adversely affected by weather conditions, flying is often the only way to get about, particularly if you wish to travel a long distance or visit one of the outlying islands. As a military spouse, I was fortunate to be eligible to use three of the available means of air transport: the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS), with their small, red, Islander aircraft; the Sikorsky helicopters of British International Helicopters (BRINTEL) and once, a Royal Air Force Sea King helicopter, although only the first of these is available to the general public.

Port Stanley's 
unusual cathedral

Flying with FIGAS is a very different experience from flying with a big airline in this country as it’s really an air taxi service. When you initially book your ticket, you state your dates of travel and the places you want to go from and to, and yes, you have to give your weight. I wonder how many people lie about this? You also have to state if you’re carrying anything heavy such as golf clubs (there are indeed golf courses on the Falklands) or a box of groceries if you’re going to stay in self-catering accommodation at your destination. Then, the night before your flight, you listen to the Falkland Island Broadcasting Service (FIBS) and at an appointed time, the flight schedules are read out. This is when you learn what time your aircraft is going to come and pick you up as your name is read out over the air. You also learn the names of your fellow travellers and who is going where and with whom. There are no secrets on the Falklands! People speculate avidly when they learn that the doctor is paying a visit to an island or a farm. They listen for his flight times to gauge the nature and severity of the illness by the length of the visit. I am told that only social workers paying a visit where children are involved are allowed to withhold their names, so no chance for anyone else to have an affair or sneak off for a dirty weekend!

If being collected from the huge runway of the RAF base at Mount Pleasant Airfield, you stand at one side near the terminal building and when the FIGAS aircraft lands, you wave to the pilot and he taxis round to collect you. They’re usually more or less on time. When taking off from one of the remoter areas or another island, the owner of the accommodation where you’re staying drives you out in a landrover to meet the aircraft and makes radio contact with the pilot. He tells him about weather conditions and the windspeed, then drives over the landing strip to check for hazards and drive off any stray sheep. He also hooks up to an emergency fire tender as a safety measure. The aircraft lands and picks you up right by the vehicle. A very civilised way to travel and you get some wonderful views.
The helicopters, too, are a great way to get around, but the landing sites are a bit more difficult to identify. You can get dropped off on an uninhabited island to see the wildlife and the pilot says he’ll be back to pick you up a few hours later, weather permitting. (You always carry a sleeping bag, food and water, in case of emergencies.) Then you have to try to remember which bush, rock or bit of grass he left you at so that you can find your way back in an otherwise empty landscape. When flying in the Sea King, it’s a legal requirement to wear an immersion suit if the aircraft will pass over water during its flight. These are extremely awkward and uncomfortable to get into and you feel choked around the neck. However, anyone who comes down in the water has cause to feel glad that the suit fits very tightly and is thus waterproof.

The usual way to get about the islands nowadays is by four-wheel drive, but in the past, journeys had to be undertaken by horse and would therefore take a lot longer. It used to be the custom to throw an empty bottle into the ditch every time you passed through the gate between one property and the next. A few people still repeat that idea using beer cans, but it’s not the same as the days when a bottle of rum was a necessary accompaniment to keep fingers from freezing to the reins on the long, lonely journey.

When driving off the roads or tracks, this is known as “camp driving.” It’s not an affectation. “Camp” is the Falklands word for rough country, from the Spanish “campo”, countryside. When passing another vehicle on the road, it’s still customary to wave a greeting to the on-comer. Passers-by will always stop to help another vehicle in distress and offer a lift or a tow. The speed limit on the main road between Stanley and Mount Pleasant is forty miles an hour and should only be exceeded at your peril. Ice, mud and loose gravel, depending on the season, can make the surface treacherous and it’s easy to end up in the deep drainage ditch which runs alongside. Travelling more slowly also has the added advantage of giving you time to appreciate the magnificent scenery and maybe spot some interesting wildlife such as a caracara, a red-backed hawk or a turkey vulture. It also enables you to avoid the sheep when they dither and suddenly change direction right in front of you.

The Falkland Islands are a fabulous place and I would recommend that anyone travelling in South America give consideration to seeing if they can get over there for a visit. The cruise ships stop as well, but there’s usually insufficient time available for cruise passengers to get beyond Stanley, the capital, and being a small place, it tends to get swamped by visitors on the days when a large ship calls, so you don’t see it at its best. The beauty of the Falkland Islands lies in their rugged emptiness; in knowing that you’re one of only a handful of people in a particular location at any one time; in looking outside at night and the only light being that of the stars.


First published in VISA issue 55 (March 2004)