The flight-deck of An-2 S9-EAL has been systematically stripped of useful instruments and little of use remains.

Getting access to the An-2s proved difficult, as the tropical bush has grown unabated over the years. The author 'hired' two locals to hack out a path to the abandoned aircraft.

Il-28 Beagle of Dornier Do 27 on display at the Nigerian National War Museum.

MiG-17F 'Fresco' NAF624 at Umuahia.

Intriguing relic from the Nigerian Civil War, a former Biafran Air Force Fouga CM-170 Magister fuselage, now almost hidden in the long grass at Sao Tome.

Inside the C-47 the fuselage and cockpit is completely stripped. There are no signs of any previous operator or indeed of any identity plate or call-sign reference.

Reportedly a gift from the government of Gabon in 1974, a derelict C-47. The green and yellow insignia on the nose is an uncompleted national marking of Sao Tome.

Transafrik moved its African maintenance base from Sao Tome to Luanda several years ago. One aircraft that did not make it was a time-expired DC-8F that was broken up in the bush beside the northern end of the airfield. Records suggest that it is either S9-NAB or S9-NAG.

Former Equatorial Airlines of Sao Tome and Principe F-27 Friendship, S9-TAC, now sits in the capital's People's Park.

Battered remains of a 'Minicon' on top of Ojuwku's wartime bunker.

CF-NAM, one of two L-1049H Super Constellations that still stand at Sao Tome. On the fin it is just possible to make out the twin-fish insignia of JCA that became an instantly recognisable feature of relief aircraft on the airlift.

Nord 262A S9-NAX is gradually being consumed by the Sao Tome jungle.