The Wonga Coup by Adam Roberts

Author:Adam Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Profile
Published: 2009-10-05T04:00:00+00:00

A New Plan, a New Steyl

A resourceful British soldier, trained to think around problems, Mann decided to simplify his plan. The unreliable Congolese rebels and shoddy aircraft were dropped. He needed reliable allies and equipment, so he turned to the trusty Boeing 727 that had done so well in Angola for Executive Outcomes. Its three noisy engines guzzled fuel, but it was powerful, able to reach 30,000 feet from take-off in fifteen minutes if lightly loaded. A single plane could take the men from South Africa, then stop to pick up the weapons in Zimbabwe. With a top speed of 900 km (560 miles) an hour, it could travel to Malabo in six hours, refuelling on the way. One could easily be found. There are ‘so many aircraft standing around in desert locations, refugees from the scrap heap’, says one aviation expert. Though expensive to maintain in the longer term, Mann wanted it for a single journey. Then it could be left to rust beside a runway.

Steyl recalls sitting with Mann and David Tremain at the end of February in a hotel lobby in Sandton, Johannesburg. They set a new date for the coup attempt, choosing 6 March, a Saturday. Mann clearly expected to move fast. He said he had already arranged to buy a 727 in Mena, a small town near Kansas in the United States. Suspicion as to the source would naturally point at Steyl, who bought 727s for his early aviation business, Capricorn Systems, in the days of Executive Outcomes. But he denies organising the purchase, pointing to Ivan Pienaar, whose role grew as Steyl fell from favour.

One Robert Dodson Sr, president of Dodson Aviation Inc. in Ottawa, Canada, had offered to sell a Boeing 727-100 for $400,000. He also promised to buy it back six months later for $300,000 if its vital parts, especially the engines, were undamaged. Dodson specialised in selling planes for the US government. He would see it delivered to Wonderboom airport, near Pretoria, by 6 March at the latest. It would remain in Dodson’s name while it cleared the United States. It had a white fuselage and a blue line along the length of it. The registration number, N4610, was painted just below the starboard engine at the rear.

In fact, N4610 is a remarkable aircraft, one of very few such Boeing 727-100s in use, and almost designed for the needs of a modern mercenary. The plane, according to an American researcher, was formerly used by the 201 Airlift Squadron of the American National Guard to transport personnel, but was equipped with special devices that allow manual control of the steering mechanism in case of hydraulic failure, while special tanks allowed rapid dumping of fuel in case of emergency. The baggage compartments were both heated and pressurised, allowing access to at least one of them while the craft was in the air. Perhaps most important, the wing flaps used for landing and take-off had been adapted so that the Boeing could approach a

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