Then, the Jumbo Jet is on the runway, ready for departure.
As typical for air cargo, the flight goes through the night.
It is a 8 pm local time. In Johannesburg, it has become dark.
Tomorrow at 10 am the aircraft is scheduled to arrive in Frankfurt-Hahn.
Ben Hesselink, check-captain and head of the three pilots in the cockpit, is on the yoke on this flight
On the left seat: Johan Milo who is on the training to become a flight captain.
On this flight he has the role to support the pilot flying.
The pilots take turns with flying for each leg usually.
It's not going directly to Germany, but first to Kenya - Nairobi.
2,000 NMI / 3,800 km distance, four hours flight time.
The shortest leg of the flight mission to Africa.
For Johan, it is his second flight on the captain's seat left.
A demanding task.
I am always thinking, what´s the next step, what I have to do now, things like that.
I don´t have the routine to fly from the left seat. I am used to the right seat.
There I´d have routine. I wouldn´t even have to think a lot.
Now this is new. I have to be more vigilant.
The perspective from the left is different - in the air and on the ground.
The flying is the same, but as a captain you have to manage the flight.
As long as there are no problems, everything is okay.
But as soon as there are any, all come and want to have answers.
Here in the airspace of southeastern Africa at this time it is even relatively busy.
But while most planes continue to fly on the long haul routes,
the journey of the German cargo Jumbo is getting interrupted.
Shortly before midnight: the approach to Nairobi.
The high number of lights of the city lead to the conclusion that it is a bustling metropolis.
But on the normally busy airport at midnight hardly anything is happening.
Touchdown without any problems.
Check-captain Ben has performed thousands of landings with the 747,
but is still delighted with any more that he can do.
They have to taxi to the somewhat remote parking positions for the freighters.
Loadmaster Marcel van Geenen goes into action.
He was informed about the freight in advance and has to ensure now that everything is getting loaded correctly.
So I guess, within an hour and a half, we will be finished here.
The aircraft has been expected, the loading staff is waiting.
First, empty pallets are unloaded.
Loadmaster Marcel has been in duty all day already.
From Hahn, we flew directly to Johannesburg. These were ten hours flight.
In Johannesburg, we had a stay of about three and a half hours. Then we came here, to Nairobi.
From Nairobi we fly back to Hahn - that will take another six hours.
In Hahn we unload four pallets, and the rest of the cargo remains on board.
Then I fly to Manston in England, with my colleague.
There the rest is unloaded, and then we come back empty to Hahn.
Then our working day will be over.
I am happy when I'm back home at the end of the day. I will be quite tired.
OK, I'll continue working.
The pilots want to depart on time,
because their working hours are limited by law, as opposed to the loadmasters.
Would these working hours be exceeded, they would not be allowed to take the flight.
Daniel Hickl knows what can cause delays.
We have just discussed how much to refuel.
I have checked if everything is properly adjusted.
We need 91 tons of fuel to Hahn.
Sometimes we have to help, if people do not know the 747 so well.
Fuel and cargo - the processing of the flight is going apace.
Most parts of the airfield are in night's sleep, but the white Jumbo is a nocturnal animal.
The people who work with it, begin to fight with their tiredness.
In the belly of the Jumbo flowers and vegetables are now being stowed.
Perishable goods that tomorrow can be distributed to stores in Europe.
The load is heavy - it will be 82 tons.
The loaders here again work very professionally.
One of them is Jason Mbogo Muturi.
The 32-year-old gets about 200 USD / Euros a month, he says.
That's not much even here in Kenya. He has a family with three children.
But what to do?
I have been working at the airport for three years now.
I like doing it, because I have a job and can pay my bills.
But if I would get another opportunity, I would take it. For example, work as a loadmaster.
Is this realistic?
To me it is realistic. I have a family,
and if I would be a pilot, I would have to travel a lot and would always be far away from my family.
But as a loadmaster you can also work in the office, and you don´t need to travel.
Jason tells that his wife runs a hair salon, so that they have enough money.
Unfortunately, he sees her rarely at night.
The proceeding is still continuing apace, but with air cargo, plans change often last minute.
So today.
Loadmaster Marcel has got the information that more cargo will be delivered shortly.
Captain Ben Hesselink is everything but enthusiastic about this information.
Perhaps the load plan has to be reworked. Everything can be delayed for hours.
They say that we might get an extra pallet.
And with one extra pallet we have more weight.
Then we need more fuel and have to make a new flight plan.
We have to wait and see.
It's 1:30 am.
Ben and the crew definitely don´t want to get stuck here in the middle of the night.
They want to depart as soon as possible.
So far everything ran so smoothly on their flight to Africa.
Now they have to wait.
Then the redeeming information.
We don´t get an extra pallet, no additional cargo. We close the doors ...
... in 10, 20 minutes.
Now things happen quickly, and Jason can hope to be home on time.
So, that´s it.
The papers have to be made ready yet. 90 tons of fuel, 80 tons of cargo.
Normal values ​​for a 747 freighter.
Now 3,400 NMI / 6,300 km to fly to Frankfurt-Hahn.
Shortly after the take-off the equator is crossed.
Then it goes over Sudan towards Libya.
Overall still tough eight hours flight.
At 6 o´clock in the morning the sun is rising. Finally daylight again.
It was a short night - also in the cabin, where the two loadmasters had their rest.
There is more space than in any first class. But for the inflight entertainment everyone is responsible himself.
Captain Ben Hesselink and co-pilot Daniel Hickl are in the cockpit at this time.
The fight against fatigue is an issue for all pilots on long distance night flights.
They were only able to sleep for about two hours.
They are even allowed to do this on the pilots' seats.
What is allowed, is to take a short rest.
This is the so-called power-napping, and it must be arranged together with the crew.
First, we both pilots have to arrange us, and of course it is limited in time.
We fix a time limit for how long to do that.
The other colleague must be fit. He is asked: Are you well? He has to say "Yes".
And with us cargo pilots, the loadmaster, if one is on board, is informed ...
... that he is looking for us at a certain time ...
... to ensure that a third person monitors the whole thing ...
... so not both of us fall asleep, as a worst case scenario.
What would happen - assumed you wouldn´t do anything more?
Then the aircraft would just keep flying to Hahn.
We have programmed its computers - and it would be flying straight to Hahn, but it would not descend.
It would remain at its altitude.
The aircraft would continue flying.
But if we do not get back on the radio for a certain time, I mean here in Libya that doesn´t matter ...
... here the distances are so great that little would happen,
but later we fly over Malta and then Italy.
If we don´t do the radio communication, they would get quite nervous on the ground.
If you would not answer for half an hour,
they would send fighter jets to check if there was something wrong - you can be sure.
We prefer not to have that.
Without the escort of jet fighters the Golf Bravo flies into the Italian airspace.
Arrival in Germany is now expected even before the sheduled time.
For landing, the pilots again have changed their seats. Johan sits on the left, Ben on the right.
Now they are going to land on the smallest airport of mission - the home base Frankfurt-Hahn.
Johan has been able to get valuable flying time in the last few days.
To fly the big bird was really fun to him, too.
Ben is very pleased with the performance of the captain trainee on the left seat.
The German air cargo company is growing at this time - the need for captains increases accordingly.
New aircraft have been ordered, and perhaps even more freighters could be seen here soon.
Immediately unloading begins.
Most pallets, however, will be flown to England, just as scheduled.
The loadmasters, compared to the pilots, have to keep up work.
I guess I will be home in four or five hours.
A few hours to go.
For the pilots their work is over. Everything ran smoothly.
For Johan, it was his first mission on the captain´s seat.
But it will take more efforts to finish his training and to become a captain.
This will take three to four months, until early next year, I guess. I am looking forward to it.
Daniel, only 28 years old, perhaps will be a captain on a 747, too.
It was fun. They were both very likeable colleagues.
They are top pilots, with a lot of experience. You can always learn from them.
South Africa is a beautiful destination anyway. You always look forward to it.
That´s how work is fun.
Then again, the Golf Bravo takes off. This time only a short leap to England.
Actually, much too small for the big aircraft.
But tonight it will be on its mission to fly to distant continents again.