SA Flyer Magazine September 2025

Columns

10. Guy Leitch

Attitude for Altitude Leading Edge

20. Peter Garrison

26. Jim Davis Plain Talk

38. hugh Pryor

58. Jim Davis Accident Report

82. Morne Booij-Liewes Register Review

POSITION REPORT

Many people claim that many jobs will be wiped out by the oncoming tidal wave of artificial intelligence. Aviation journalists are right in the front line.

SOME of my loyal readers may have noticed that I am not above the use of AI for researching articles. But when I have used AI, (in the form of Chat GPT and DeepSeek), it has been with a full declaration of source.

In my column this month I asked my favourite pundit, Peter Garrison, for his experience of the so-called infant mortality rate of engines that are freshly out of overhaul. He had no hesitation in diving into DeepSeek, a Chinese AI, to research my question. And it provided a gold mine of useful case studies.

I like to think that I could not be replaced by AI as I pride myself in having highly developed ‘bullshit detectors’. Yet this may be the one aspect where AI will probably develop fastest as it too learns to filter out the crap that fills our feeds. For pessimists this confirms that there are real threats to quality journalism from publishers who, in the face of declining adspend, are trying to save costs by firing their journalists.

This is short sighted as it will result in a horrible decline in news analysis. For example, in a news item in this issue on ACSA’s excessive profits, I

have changed the focus to reflect that ACSA attributed its super-profits to “black excellence”. This is not a report that I believe AI could have produced.

An ironic exercise with AI was conducted by AVweb Editor Russ Niles who had been fired by his publisher to make way for cheaper AI sourced reports. In response, Niles wrote, “I dove into the belly of the beast and asked ChatGPT why it’s a bad idea to have AI take over AVweb.”

ChatGPT supplied the following: “Aviation journalism is a field where accuracy, nuance, and credibility aren’t optional—they are the core of the

it too learns to filter out the crap

product. AVweb’s reputation has been built over decades by writers and editors who know the industry, understand its culture, and can separate meaningful developments from background noise. Turning over news production to AI risks eroding the trust that audience has placed in the publication.” I hope that AVweb could be replaced with SA Flyer in this statement.

There’s also the human voice. Readers expects personality, wit, and an editorial sense shaped by

years in cockpits, hangars, and press rooms. AI tends toward the bland, the formulaic, or the inappropriately confident.

AI cannot interview sources, and it cannot sense when someone is hedging, or understand why a minor-looking regulatory change might have disastrous implications for the entire general aviation industry – as is the case with the 12-year rule.

So my job is secure – for now.

SALES MANAGER

Kerry Matthysen sales@saflyermag.co.za 082 572 9473

TRAFFIC

Kerry Matthysen traffic.admin@saflyermag.co.za

ACCOUNTS

Bella Leitch bella@taxfinaccounting.co.za

EDITOR

Guy Leitch guy@saflyermag.co.za

PUBLISHER

Laura McDermid laura@saflyermag.co.za

PRODUCTION & LAYOUT

Emily-Jane Kinnear design@saflyermag.co.za

CONTRIBUTORS

Jim Davis

Peter Garrison

Hugh Pryor

John Bassi

Morne Booij-Liewes

Laura McDermid

Darren Olivier

Iris McCallum

ILLUSTRATIONS

Darren Edward O'Neil

Joe Pieterse

WEB MASTER

Emily-Jane Kinnear

Guy Leitch

© SA FLYER 2025. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronically, mechanically, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without the express permission of the copyright holders.

OPENING SHOT

This month’s Opening Shot is one of many we received from the vast numbers of enthusiasts at AADs public days. This one caught our eye because of the juxtaposition of the Silver Falcons and the DC-3 Dakota.

Eksteen Jacobs took the picture on the Saturday afternoon. He says that as he was leaving the air force base he turned around, saw the composition of the DC-3 Dakota and then saw that the Silver Falcons would pass through the shot. He used his Nikon D5100 with a 62mm focal length and f/6.3. Shutter speed was 1/2500 sec.

The CAA Doesn’t Care When Engines Fail

By the SACAA's own admission, over 3,000 planes will be grounded by the 12-year rule.

General aviation in South Africa is facing the biggest crisis to its existence since it started over 100 years ago.

THE SACAA has embarked on a campaign to ground all aircraft with piston engines older than 12 years.

In June 2025 the CAA amended its rules (the Civil Aviation Technical Standards (CATS 43.02.05) to give it the discretion to make the manufacturers’ recommendation that piston engines be overhauled every 12 years, compulsory.

And so they did that by removing the wording that created an exemption for this requirement.

The damage being done to the GA fleet is enormous. The CAA’s own figures say that 3874 aircraft will be affected, which is about 20% of the entire certified fleet. Grounding 20% of GA aircraft will force operators and businesses such as AMO’s to close. It will also discourage banks from financing aircraft, because grounded aircraft have little value other than as scrap and so many of their values are now less than what the bank is owed.

In a rare show of unity, the GA community raised a war chest of over R1.6 million to fight the CAA’s campaign through the courts. There are two key issues in the current industry pushback against the CAA’s disastrously ill-advised rules:

INFANT MORTALITY

The first issue is that freshly overhauled engines are more likely to fail than engines that are, for example, 15 years old, with 1,500 hours on them. This claim is often made, but evidence has been scarce. So I asked my favourite guru, Peter Garrison, for his insights from writing accident analyses for over forty years.

Peter consulted the Chinese AI app

15% of engine failures occur in the first 100 hours

DeepSeek. He reckons that “DeepSeek is pretty reliable if you aren’t asking for replies that involve judgment.” The results it produced are significant in that it found clear evidence that “there are statistics and studies available on engine failures in GA piston engines, including failures within the first 100 hours after overhaul (often referred to as “infant mortality” failures).

Here are some key findings from various sources:

A 2011 study by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found that about 15% of engine failures occurred within the first 100 hours after maintenance or overhaul.

Some maintenance providers suggest that 5-10% of failures occur in the first 100 hours post-overhaul.

A 2009 FAA study found that a significant portion of engine failures occur early in the engine’s life, often due to maintenance or installation errors, rather than wear.

(References for these, and many other sources, are available.)

Peter Garrison concludes, “While exact statistics vary, evidence suggests that 5-15% of piston engine failures in GA occur within the first 100 hours after overhaul. So, if we assume that the average time between overhauls is 1,800 hours, then if failures were random, we would expect 100/18 or 5.5% of failures to occur per 100-hour interval. In that case, a 5% infant mortality would be expected and 15% would be high.”

It is of interest to note that the most common causes of early failures are: manufacturing defects, improper break-in, installation errors and maintenance mistakes. Examples of these are: poorly seated valves, incorrect torque on components and contamination during assembly.

Once an engine passes the initial break-in period, failures become less

frequent if properly maintained. Most failures in this phase are due to external factors such as fuel starvation, oil issues, or operational errors, rather than wear.

So yes, there is real evidence that engines that have been recently overhauled are more likely to fail than ‘mature engines’.

A DIVIDED DEFENCE?

Recreational aviation fears that, if a judge finds in favour of the CAA against Commercial Aviation, then Recreational Aviation will be caught in that net as well.

Recreational aircraft owners argue that Part 91 must be treated differently to Part 135 as the tolerance of risk is different in that recreational pilots are prepared to assume higher risks than the paying passengers of Part 135 operators.

The other big issue facing the industry’s fight back against the SACAA is an unfortunate split developing in the GA community over the question of whether Recreational Aviation (Part 91) should combine with Commercial Aviation (Part 135) in the legal fight against the 12-year rule. There is an increasingly vocal call for Part 91 to fight its own battles, separate to Part 135.

The trouble is, this undermines the

This engine was 27 years old and had 2,400 hours before it was overhauled.

argument that older engines are safer. Those in favour of splitting recreational aviation from the fight back by commercial operators argue that the CAA is persisting with this damaging rule because its greatest fear is that of liability, and not safety. The strange conclusion then is that counterintuitively, despite its mandate to make aviation safer, the SACAA does not care when engines fail.

the SACAA does not care when engines fail

In essence, what the SACAA most fears is not any perceived or actual risk of engines failing, but that it will be held responsible for the death or injury of paying passengers if an engine fails, despite the manufacturer having recommended that it be overhauled. The basis for this argument is that when someone buys a ticket under Part 135, that passenger has a right to expect less risk than someone who goes for a flip in his friend’s light aircraft (for no payment).

Initially I was opposed to commer-

cial operators and recreational aviation sdplitting their resources for the fight, for a number of reasons:

A war chest of R1.6 million has already been raised and it would be difficult for recreational aviation to start again and fund their own campaign from scratch.

The CAA has been trying to implement the 12-year rule for the past twenty years and it has taken months just to get to a court date (currently 11-12 September 2025). If recreational aviation broke away, it would probably be faced with at least another six months, if not years, before it too could get its day in court.

As shown in the first part of this discussion, the most dangerous period for engines is shortly after overhaul. Yet if Part 91 argues that it can accept a higher risk than Part 135 (because recreational aviation may not sell seat tickets) then they are tacitly admitting that the CAA has a valid case to try reduce risk by limiting engine age.

While these are valid arguments, they may all be outweighed by the two key reasons why Part 91 should fight its own battle. These are that:

There is a fear that a court will rule for the CAA against Part 135 because paying passengers can expect a greater level of safety than people going for free flips.

The CAA makes the rules. In June this year the CAA changed its technical standards (CATS 43.02.05) and as we all know, ‘the rules is the rules’. Therefore there is a worry that a court may decide that the SACAA is just following the rules. And these are rules that were developed with the industry (through CARCOM).

The bottom line is that, if we believe the argument that the CAA’s primary concern is its potential liability from not enforcing the manufacturers’ recommendations, then those who want to break away from the Part 135 campaign have a good case.

The current court date for this matter is over 11 and 12 September 2025. It will require presenting an extremely good argument to a judge who understands aviation to convince him that, even if the argument that older engines are more dangerous is not supported by any evidence, Part 91 has a greater risk tolerance and therefore should be treated differently.

The best outcome is to not only allow Part 91 to run its engines longer than 12 years, but also longer than the manufacturers’ recommended time between overhauls (TBO) in hours. This is what most countries with developed general aviation sectors allow. In the USA, Part 91 can fly its engines beyond the manufacturers’ recommended TBO

in hours for as long as they pass inspections such as borescope examinations, compression tests and oil analysis.

These are widely accepted ‘alternative means of compliance’ (AMOC) which can allow engines to be maintained ‘on condition’ and thus save the enormous cost and increased risk of having them overhauled.

So Part 91 has a lot to lose if it is dragged down by Part 135. But for recreational aviation to build up its own war chest and start its own legal battle may take many more months if not years. And general aviation cannot wait that long. Its aircraft will rot on the ground and financiers and insurers will withdraw from aviation. It is unlikely that the industry would ever recover from such a setback.j

THE JOURNEY OF PHILILE MDLETSHE -

REWRITING THE FLIGHT PLAN

In aviation, there are moments that define a career — the first solo flight, the first type rating, the first time you take the controls of a high-performance aircraft. For Philile (pronounced Pee-leeleh), there have been many such moments, but perhaps the most defining has been her ability to turn setbacks into stepping stones and rewrite her own story.

Philile Mdletshe with the NAC Lear 35 she flies.

PHILILE’S journey with National Airways Corporation (NAC) began in October 2018, but her love affair with the skies was seeded much earlier — back in Grade 9 — at a time when South African Airways was actively encouraging young people to consider a career in aviation. “From that moment, I knew that all I wanted to be was a pilot,” she recalls.

After matriculating in 2004, Philile followed her parents’ advice and completed a BCom degree at Rhodes University, later earning her Honours in Information Systems at Wits. Despite a promising career in corporate IT, she

a monumental leap from the aircraft of flight school

knew her heart belonged elsewhere. A pivotal conversation with her boss at UTi, where she worked as an executive assistant to the CEO, cemented the truth: she had to pursue her passion for flying.

Securing funding was no small feat, but through determination, she pieced it together — UTi committed to pay half due to her exemplary track record of a social entrepreneurship programme whilst at UTi, whilst the balance was

offered by TETA (Transport Education and Training Authority) following an arduous six month wait.

She trained at Superior Flight Services at Grand Central Airport, where she was eventually absorbed into the SA Express Cadet Programme. “My first solo in a C172 was exhilarating — the realisation that it was just me in control… it was a pivotal moment in truly understanding the meaning of accountability.”

When Philile’s seniority number came up, she was given the chance to do her type rating on the Bombardier CRJ — a high-performance jet - a monumental leap from the single- and twin-engine aircraft of flight school. “I was intimidated,” she admits. “It was such a powerful, complex machine compared to anything I’d flown before.”

She studied relentlessly, and had done well; however cracks began to appear during her line training when the inconsistencies in her landings became apparent. In an unforgiving environment such as airline operations where there is no margin for error, she failed the final check ride.

“That moment stayed with me,” she says. “I carried the weight of that failure with me for a long time.”

The turning point came in 2018, when NAC was looking for a co-pilot on their Embraer 120. Philile interviewed for the role but felt compelled

to confess her CRJ failure. Jannie de Klerk, now NAC’s Executive Director, didn’t flinch. “He told me it was simply too big a jump at that stage — and that it was okay. They were still willing to take me on.”

That reassurance became her second chance to rewrite her story.

From the Embraer, she moved to the Beechcraft 1900, flying in challenging environments such as Afghanistan. Later, she transitioned to medevac operations on the Lear 35, working under pressure to move patients and medical teams across borders. When the Chief Pilot for NAC’s Part 135 operations resigned, she was asked to step in — first as Deputy, then as Chief Pilot, now leading 27 pilots across two fleets, those on international contracts and the two medevac Learjets based at Lanseria.

The shift from cockpit to office was not without its struggles. “I felt like I was betraying my dream. My identity had always been wrapped up in being a pilot,” she says. But as she reflected, she realised her dream had evolved. She still maintains her flying currency, but now values having weekends free, being able to say yes to social plans, and building a personal life that doesn’t depend on a roster.

After returning from a tour in Chad in August 2024, Philile was burnt out and took a leave of absence. “I was

seriously considering going back into airline flying full-time,” she recalls. “Then I got a call from JP Fourie, CEO at NAC, who asked me to join him on a visit to Henley Business School. I assumed I’d be giving a talk on aviation — but instead, we were greeted by the dean and Captain Laurie Graham, former SAA Senior Check Captain, Airbus and Boeing commander, and leadership strategist. They presented me with an unexpected opportunity: to

flying in environments such as Afghanistan

study for an Executive MBA Global.” She laughs, still looking slightly incredulous. “I was conflicted. I’d never seriously considered doing an MBA, but opportunities like this come along once in a lifetime. I realised I’d need a very compelling reason to turn it down.”

Philile began her MBA in October 2024. What she didn’t anticipate was that saying yes to the course would also lead to meeting someone she connected with deeply. “It’s still early days, but serious,” she says with a smile. “And when he asks me to dinner on a Wednesday, I don’t have to

say, ‘Sorry, I’ve got a 5 a.m. sign-on tomorrow.’”

Her MBA, funded by a scholarship from Henley, and with much support from NAC in travel expenses and time, has already taken her to campuses in the UK, Finland, and Miami, with Cape Town next on the list. The unwritten agreement is that she’ll bring the value of her learning back to NAC and the aviation industry — something she’s passionate about.

Asked about her greatest challenges, Philile is candid. “Being a woman in aviation — or in any organisation — is tough. We’re often undermined, told we’re too soft. But empathy, used with discernment, is a strength, not a weakness.” She’s also wrestled with her own self-limiting beliefs. “I’ve had to redefine what success means for me and accept that I am enough.”

For Philile, success is no longer about hours in the logbook alone. It’s about impact, balance, and knowing when to taxi onto a new runway in life. “Women have been doing incredible things for thousands of years,” she says. “We are strong and powerful — and we don’t need external validation to prove it.”

Today, Philile’s career stands as a beacon for everyone who has ever faced obstacles and discrimination. With skill, courage and unwavering determination, it is possible to rise above one’s own self-limiting beliefs and to inspire others to persevere in the pursuit of attaining their dreams.

j

BUMPPFF

Remembrance of Things Past

Vicarious experience is the second best teacher.

BELOW: Peter Garrison will fly 20 minutes for cheaper fuel.

SANTA Paula Airport is a 20-minute flight from my home base, Whiteman. The fuel there is $1.00 or more a gallon cheaper, however, so when I’m flying around the local area I often stop at Santa Paula to refuel. The precise economics of fuel tourism are a college-level problem, but if I’m over Santa Paula anyway I figure the extra landing and takeoff can’t cost me more than a few bucks.

rows over from me, and was here for the same reason I was.

When I started up to fly home, something unexpected happened. I pulled the throttle back to idle, but the engine kept running at high power. I shut it down immediately. Jim came over to see what was wrong.

I did not have a well-thoughtout theory

Turns out, I’m not the only cheapskate. The other day, as I was finishing fuelling, a C180 rolled up to the second pump. The pilot – I’ll call him Jim – came over to chat, and it turned out he was based at Whiteman too, a couple of hangar

After repositioning my plane so that it was no longer pointing directly at his, I tried again. Same thing.

I opened the cowl and inspected the throttle linkage there and in the cockpit. All secure. Head scratching time. Jim watched the throttle butterfly shaft as I moved the cockpit lever back and forth; it was turning. He got on the phone and returned a minute later with the suggestion that an intake leak could produce this effect.

I was sceptical; I didn’t see how an intake leak could produce 1,700 rpm with the throttle at idle. Nevertheless, I took

off the rest of the cowling and carefully inspected all of the joints in the induction system. No leaks.

Jim suggested that I remove the connection where the duct from the turbocharger meets the throttle body, so that I could see for certain whether the butterfly was rotating properly. That was good advice, but I didn’t follow it, because I believed that, if the visible end of the shaft was turning, the butterfly and the fuel metering orifice, which is at the other end of the same shaft, must be doing the same.

I phoned an A&P at the other side of the field and described the problem. He

said he’d come over and have a look – I love the easy-going friendliness of little airports – and a few minutes later he rolled up. It didn’t take him long to notice that, although the butterfly shaft was indeed turning with throttle lever movement, it wasn’t keeping pace with it. It was slipping. That’s what I would

BELOW:

The butterfly valve was slipping on the spindle.

have seen if I had followed Jim’s suggestion to look directly into the throttle body.

The responsible lock nut was tightened, the cowling replaced, and I was on my way.

Reflecting on this minor event afterwards, I realized that it had not been completely unheralded; I had merely ignored the herald. For an indefinite period of time – months, certainly, perhaps grading into a year or more – I had noticed that when I was taxiing and wanted to increase the rpm a bit, the engine’s response was sluggish. I had to move the throttle lever half an inch or so before the engine gave much of a response. I attributed this hysteresis, which developed so gradually that I was uncertain that it had not always been there, to my somewhat unconventional turbo controller, which is a manually adjustable variation upon the TSIO-360 fixed wastegate used in many aeroplanes. The internal diameter of the bypass duct is only 3/4 inch, and so even when the wastegate is wide open, the turbo is still bootstrapping a bit.

I did not have a well-thought-out theory of just why this wastegate design should lead to throttle lag. The explanation was just an evasion – a convenient cupboard, so to speak, in which to keep an unsolved mystery out of sight. I made a mental note: There is a tendency in the human mind – assuming

that my particular mind is representative of the general – to relieve anxiety by rationalizing what is not clearly understood. Thus, having invented a plausiblesounding explanation for slow throttle response, I had ceased to ask myself, “Can there be something wrong?” Lesson learned: Do not ignore subtle clues. Another aspect of the incident gave me a certain gratification. Years ago, a friend told me about the time the throttle cable on his Bonanza had become disconnected from the engine in flight, leaving it at full throttle. My first reaction was that this would have been a disconcerting emergency, and I wasn’t sure how I would have dealt with it. During more than 60 years of flying, I’ve had a few pretty stupid reactions to emergencies.

tion. It was as if I had been there before. And, in a sense, I had.

Which brings me to Aftermath.

the higher purpose of my

macabreseeming columns

I haven’t seen the statistics in recent years, but the accident analysis column called Aftermath, which I have been writing for Flying Magazine since before some of its readers were born, at least used to be one of the magazine’s mostread columns. I would like to imagine that its popularity was due to my elegant prose style, but other factors – malicious pleasure in the misfortunes of others, the agreeable thrill of participating in an adventure without suffering its consequences, and the gratification of thinking what an idiot somebody else was – probably had more to do with it.

My friend said, however, that he had landed without incident, using the mixture to control power.

The moment I started my engine at Santa Paula and it began running at high power, the recollection of my friend’s story was there. My hand went straight to the mixture vernier. Of course, it would eventually have gone there anyway; how else are you going to shut down a runaway engine? But what struck me was the feeling of familiarity I had, and the unflustered immediacy of my reac-

Pilots have no trouble understanding why narratives of accidents are interesting, but non-pilots sometimes do, and from time to time I would find myself expounding the higher purpose of my macabre-seeming columns.

I would explain that, as I imagined it, Aftermath had two aspects. One was the “There but for the grace” side. Pilots would remember having been in similar situations, and the fatal outcomes would remind them that things could have gone differently for them than they did.

The other aspect – and this tied in with my friend’s throttle cable incident –

was that I hoped, by describing in detail the events leading up to accidents, and attempting to get inside the ill-fated pilots’ heads and see the circumstances as they may have seen them, that I might create the same kind of vicarious experience as my friend’s disconnected throttle had in me.

If one pilot, approaching an area of low ceilings between him and a tantalisingly nearby destination, or making a third try at an approach to minimums,

felt that there was something familiar about the situation – without necessarily even realising that it was familiar because he had read about it in Aftermath – and as a result made the more cautious of competing choices, then the column would have served its purpose.

j

BOOKS

by Peter Garrison

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NAV MADE EASY RSR #33

M IS A FRIEND FOR WHOM I AM ACTING AS A SORT OF LONGRANGE MENTOR AS SHE FINDS HER WAY INTO INSTRUCTING. ONE OF HER PUPES HAS A MENTAL BLOCK ABOUT

NAVIGATION.

HE SAYS IT’S TOO COMPLICATED – HE’LL NEVER UNDERSTAND IT SO HE’S GOING TO GIVE UP FLYING.

WELL , dear M, I suggest you start at the beginning. Tell your pupe the true story of how navigation first began.

It happened when Fred Flintstone wanted his son, Ferdinand, to retrieve a chunk of brontosaurus meat from the creature he had slayed on Thursday.

“Go towards that volcano for half a day and you will find the remains of the stupid animal. Bring back its liver – your mother wants to make some pate for the Brownstones when they come round for cocktails tomorrow evening.”

He raised a bushy eyebrow to see whether the acned youth had uploaded this directive. When he judged that his son had embraced the plan he issued his final instruction. “Bugger off now and you will get there by sunset.”

That is the foundation of all nav.

Young Ferdinand had a heading to steer, and an ETA.

And that’s exactly what nav is about to this very day – you are looking for:

• A heading to steer, and

• An elapsed time – which will give you an ETA.

Okay let’s see how this still works two million years after the Flintstones laid the foundations. You want to fly from Maun to Seronga in the middle of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Uncle Donald has turned off the world’s GPS

because of his squabble with Comrade Vladimir.

What heading are you going to steer and what time will you get to Seronga if your C172 cruises at a block speed of 100 mph and you kick off at 08.00?

Those who are familiar with the Okavango Delta will tell you there are no trustworthy landmarks. The scenery is flat and the islands appear, grow, shrink and disappear with a will of their own. And there are no roads, rivers or railway lines to offer guidance.

JIM DAVIS

The route from Maun to Seronga.

MAGAZINE - September 2025

You need two more bits of info – the distance, and the variation. Google says it’s 101 miles, so that’s one hour’s flying – we don’t work in half minutes. And the variation is 11°W.

I have just stuck a protractor on the chart and measured the angle round from True North – it’s 322°.

It’s really that easy. Steer 322° plus the 11°, so that makes your ‘magnetic’ heading 331. Hold it for one hour and you will fly slap over Seronga.

Okay, we have come to a bit that needs explaining. The ‘magnetic’ heading is simply the heading you will steer on your magnetic compass. But only if the instrument is dead accurate. Unfortunately it’s not always – it can be a few degrees out.

However that’s no problem, the

Uncle Donald has turned off the world’s GPS

compass has a little card next to it to tell you about its slight deviations from the truth. This is conveniently called a deviation card. More about this later.

Soon after takeoff, ATC wants to know your ETA for Xaxaba (pronounced Kikaba). You glance at the map and it looks like about a third of the distance, so it will take a third of an

The Okavango Delta has almost no useful landmarks.

hour. That’s 20 minutes. So your ETA will be 08.20.

Those who have flown around the Delta in the days before the magenta line will confirm that’s exactly how it works.

So all this basic navigation stuff must be in your head in case your Garmin whiz-bang falls on its face. How are we doing so far M – anything there too complicated for your pupe?

I hear grunts and murmurs of disapproval from those members of the congregation who are still awake. “The bastard’s cheating. He hasn’t mentioned the bloody wind.”

Well spotted indeed, O faithful sheep. So let’s talk about the wind. Again we’ll start with the basics. So young Ferdie Flintstone wouldn’t have had trouble with wind. Well, he might have done – we know little of his medical history – but it shouldn’t affect his nav. His heading towards the volcano, and his speed over the ground were steady, regardless of wind. And that brings us to the crux of the matter. Us clever piloting people see wind differently.

To us wind is a block of air that moves over the ground.

Now please repeat that seven times until it is branded into your temporal lobe like one of those nasty sizzly things they do to cattle. It’s crucial to both navigation and to aerodynamics, so here are a few ways to get your

pupe to think about wind.

Get them to have a very good look at Fig.1. It looks simple enough but there’s more to it than meets the eye – not difficult stuff, but it explains the number one basic problem with navigation.

Bloody wind.

If there was no wind, then you wouldn’t need to navigate – you would simply point the plane in the right direction and arrive at your dest on time.

Cast your mind back to when you were an adorable child called Andy –that’s you at A for Andy. You have a battery powered toy boat that you want to send across a river to your adorable sister – B for Barbie – on the other side.

in the days before the magenta line

You point it at her and let go. You are appalled to see the current take it downstream. It’s going to wind up at C for Charlie Brown who may abscond with it. This happens despite the fact it’s still pointing the right way.

TOP LEFT:

The vector triangle for a boat.

TOP RIGHT:

The vector triangle for a plane in flight.

LEFT:

Using crab to compensate for drift. SA FLYER MAGAZINE - September 2025

Now take a look at the little arrows on the lines

The single arrow – indicates the way you are pointing – this is called your heading. In this case your heading is due north.

Obviously your boat is not going where it’s heading. It’s being carried to the right because it’s environment –the river – is moving that way.

It’s the same as when you step on to a bus. That vehicle suddenly becomes your environment and you will go wherever it goes.

It’s easy to think the boat goes sideways because the river pushes on the side of it. But that’s not the case. The boat has become part of a moving environment. In the same way that the bus doesn’t keep pushing you as it travels – you have simply boarded a moving environment.

You may have been subjected to the irresistible will of a sergeant with the three arrows on his sleeve. You don’t argue, you simply go where he tells you. That’s what happens when the water carries you along, so it’s also labelled with three stripes.

Finally the track that the boat actually follows is marked with two arrows – like the tracks of your car when you drive through the bush.

So in summary you have:

> to indicate your heading – the way you are pointing.

>> to indicate your track – your path over the ground.

>>> to indicate the movement of the water.

There is one more element to this –speed. Let’s say your boat has a super turbo-boost afterburner and it travels at 20 mph and the river is flowing at 1 mph. Then Charlie Brown won’t get his hands on it because it will only move a little way downstream of Barbie.

But if it’s the other way around and the river is roaring down at 15 knots and your miserable little boat only chugs along at two knots, then it’s going to be out of sight by the time you wake up.

So the relative speeds of the boat and the river will determine your track and your groundspeed.

This means that those lines with little arrows tell us more than we thought. They are in fact vectors which, by definition, always consist of two things – a direction and a speed. The longer the line the faster the speed

So a vector is a speed and a direction.

Now we have a full picture of the dreaded vector triangle. No more surprises, I promise you.

This is what it is in aviation language:

> is your heading and your airspeed

>> is your track and your groundspeed

>>> is the wind direction and speed

Obviously the river is the same as wind – it’s a chunk of water that’s moving over the ground in exactly the same

way that wind is a block of air that’s moving over the ground

Yep, I’m labouring the point, but it’s vital info that you carry this knowledge with you for the rest of your life.

How much will the river effect your boat? The answer is 100%. The boat will move downstream at exactly the same speed as the river. And an aircraft will move at exactly the same speed as the wind. And when you board a bus you move at exactly the same speed as the bus. And if you carry your gold-fish bowl across the room the hapless ichthyoid moves perfectly with her environment.

Please make sure your pupe understands at least one of these examples. Not only are they critical for navigation, they are also life-saving when confronting the dragons of the downwind turn. But that’s for another day.

So let’s focus on the boat one last time.

If you know that the river is moving at say ten metres per minute and it takes five minutes to cross the river, then it will move 10 x 5 = 50 meters downstream by the time Charlie Brown gets his hands on it.

Now here’s the crux of the thing. It doesn’t matter a damn which way the boat is facing during its crossing – it can zig-zag or do couple of 360s – as long as it is supported by the water it will travel at exactly the water’s speed. In the same way that, as long as you are in the bus, you will travel at exactly

the bus’s speed. And an aircraft, as long as it is supported by the air will travel at exactly the speed of the wind.

So that’s not difficult is it? But it’s the bit everyone thinks is difficult.

When the met man says there is a 20 knot wind from the north (360/20). This means that in one hour it will carry you 20 nautical miles south of where you would be in no wind.

Get it?

Got it.

GOOD!

Oh, and a quick PS. If you see the word ‘course’ delete it, burn it, chuck it out. The word became mangled in mid-Atlantic. The Brits thought it meant heading and the Yanks thought it meant track. Now it mostly does means track, but don’t trust it.

Right, now we know what the wind will do to us, we can work out what heading we should steer to allow for it.

There are at least five ways to do this:

1. You can push buttons on your GPS

2. You can draw it out to scale

3. You can work it out with trig

4. You can use the one in sixty rule

5. You can use your E6B whizwheel

To get a PPL you only need to do the last. But if you want to have the greatest possible fun and be professional, you will draw an A to B line on a paper map and then look outside and watch

how the countryside conveniently conforms to your plan.

If you have a GPS put it on the back seat and switch it on occasionally to make sure it’s not broken.

Okay so this is how to use the E6B.

Remember that with the vector triangle we have six variables. If you know any four of them, then you can work out the other two. That’s a stroke of luck because when you are flying you usually have four of them.

1. You know your required track – you want to go from A to B.

2. You know your airspeed –that’s in the POH

3. You know the wind direction from the met man

4. You know the wind speed from the met man

5. You want to know what heading to steer to allow for the wind

6. You want to know what groundspeed to expect in that wind

You could draw it out to scale, but that’s tedious so Secret Agent E6B has devised this mechanical triangle of velocities to save you the trouble.

Let’s dive straight into an example: The instructions – which are often printed on the computer – say:

So here’s a problem: You want to fly from A to B. You measure the track from true north – it is 270. Your aircraft cruises at 115 kts and the wind is given as 045/20.

What heading will you need to steer to compensate for the wind? And what will your groundspeed be?

Easy just follow the instructions

JIM DAVIS

labelled 1 and 2 on this diagram.

Turn the scale until the wind direction of 045 it opposite the pointer at the top.

Slide the speed scale to get any whole number under the centre and then mark an X for the windspeed of 20kts UP from the centre.

So now you have entered the wind into your computer.

Next set your required track of 270° under the pointer.

Move the slide down (don't turn

ABOVE LEFT: Actions 3 to 6.

ABOVE RIGHT: Actions 1 and 2. RIGHT: Action 1 magnified.

anything) until the wind X is midway between the red 110 line and the 120 lines - to give 115kts.

Now read your groundspeed under the centre – 127kts. This means the wind is giving you a nice boost.

Finally, read the drift angle of 7° under the X, from the radiating black lines. Use common sense - you will need to steer into the wind to allow for drift, so you must add the 7° to your 270° to give a heading of 277°.

Couldn’t be easier.

Instructors, remember the vital phrase – involve me and I will understand. So get your pupe to practice a few of these. The first one is always a bit ponderous, but after a few. they will go quickly and easily.

So now you know what a vector triangle is, and how to build one by following the instructions written on your E6B.

Next time we get down to the fun bit of keeping the outside picture the same as the inside picture – called a map.

put your GPS on the back seat

LEFT: Action 6 magnified.

JIM DAVIS

BIG REGGIE FAT

We were operating a twenty passenger aircraft for the International Committee of the Red Cross, known world-wide simply as the ICRC, in its seemingly endless struggle to ease the sufferings of the war-ravaged people of Southern Sudan. Their efforts have continuously been frustrated by bombs, hijackings, sickness and government interference.

WE had built up a solid reputation for reliability and, in fact, only lost one day’s flying due to unserviceability in nearly four years of operations into some of the most primitive landing-grounds in the world. This reputation was chiefly attributable to the exceptional quality of the maintenance carried out by highly skilled, motivated and dedicated engineers. This story concerns one of then, namely Big Fat Reggie and his bete noire, the Long Range High Frequency Radio Transceiver (HF) which we had in our aircraft.

The Red Cross only operates in war

zones. So if there’s no war, there’s normally no ICRC. Nineteen aircraft, both civil and military have been shot down to my knowledge during the course of this interminable war. In reality there’s probably more. So the United Nations, who provide the only plausible Flight Following service in the area, require that all aeroplanes operating in the South of Sudan under the aegis of Operation Lifeline Sudan be fitted with HF

Reggie’s endomorphic proportions

radios so that they can make position reports every half an hour.

Our HF was an old, but basically a pretty sound and respected design. The problem which we had with it was that it worked fine up to about twenty

miles and then faded out, and this gave Big Fat Reggie an enormous headache. Of course there was the weather radar as well and that hadn’t worked for months. But it didn’t stop us flying, because it was not a UN requirement.

Reggie had joined us from an outfit with a rather vocational bent, who were based across the other side of the airfield in north west Kenya from which the ICRC mounted their operations. He was an American and had almost white hair and Nordic blue eyes. His accent betrayed his origins in the Deep South,

Nineteen aircraft had been shot down

but the immediate impact upon first meeting him was his enormous bulk. Not particularly tall, Reggie’s endomorphic proportions reminded me irresistibly of a certain nursery rhyme character who sat on a wall and had a great fall! Belt and braces were essential equipment due to a complete absence of waste-line.

Reggie and I shared a wooden bungalow in the ICRC compound. It was, for some obscure reason, called “the Swamp” and Reggie rigged a very smart Mexican hammock across one corner of the veranda. In the evenings some of the resident aircrews would wander over to the Swamp for a relaxing beer and a debrief on the day’s

events.

We had a fridge-full of the necessaries. Reggie, who hardly ever drank, used to instal himself in the hammock, close his eyes and drift. He completely filled it, almost like a liquid, and the only way one could spot whether Reggie was still with us was to tell a joke and watch for the ripples around the rim of the hammock.

When Reggie came across to our side of the field, he brought with him an African aircraft cleaner who, Reggie insisted, was part of the deal. The African’s name was Simon. He joined forces with our two resident cleaners, Jamah, a Somali from Hargeisa, whose ancient father served as a night-watchman, and an excellent little stringy Turkana very inappropriately called Sampson. The team, being cosmopolitan, worked surprisingly well together and Reggie and his lads became an essential part of the wider ICRC crew.

The one day we had to cancel flying was caused by the HF radio. It more or less gave up completely. We couldn’t even contact the UN from the airstrip, less than a mile from their office. So obviously we could not comply with the Communications Requirements of Operation Lifeline Sudan.

Reggie was tearing his hair out by the roots, because now everybody had taken a look at the radio, without success. We’d had the English avionics expert, at some considerable expense, up from Nairobi. He tinkered briefly with it before muttering something about how

we could really do with a whole new installation.....” and have you seen these brochures which I just happen to have brought along with me?” We’d even had the guy out from Switzerland who had installed the thing in the first place. I took his remarks about “bad bonding” to be an unjustified attack on the solidarity of our team and so did not actually witness the tantrum which finally caused his departure for Zurich.

So now it was Big Fat Reggie’s turn. The black boxes for the HF were secreted away in the far reaches of the tail of the aircraft, beyond the aft baggage bay, so far, in fact, from the Front Office that many of the pilots had never explored this remote part of the ship. Big Fat Reggie was able, just barely, to squeeze through the hatch in the aft bulkhead into the tail section, but he certainly couldn’t get back out without the assistance of “the Team”. In fact he couldn’t even turn around, so restricted were his movements. Little Stringy Sampson, therefore, had to creep through and join Reggie in the tail so that he could position the major parts of Reggies massive anatomy for extraction by the other two.

We sent the passengers back to the camp while all this heaving and groaning was going on, so as not to embarrass our Reggie. Finally he was back out of the black hole, purple in the face and sweating profusely, and holding the amplifier, tuner and antenna-coupler boxes out for Simon to take to the work bench.

When Reggie joined him, Simon turned and said in lowered tones, “Would you like me to have a look at this HF for you?”

Reggie could hardly believe his ears? “Simon,” he said patiently. “With the greatest respect, you are an aircraft cleaner,” no mention of colour, you’ll notice in spite of Reggie’s Alabama origins, “I, on the other hand, am an air-

you are an aircraft cleaner

craft engineer and since I cannot fix it, I really do not see how you can.”

“I know what you are saying,” replied Simon, “but you’ve had a look, the mzungu from Nairobi has had a look, you’ve even had the big fundi out from Switzerland to look at it and nobody can fix it. So why don’t you let me have a try?”

This really got right inside Reggie’s deep Southern roots. His professional ability was being questioned by an aircraft cleaner whose colour would have forced Reggie’s father to resort to the Colt 45 solution. So, in order to avoid committing himself to any actions which he might later regret, he threw his tools down on the bench and with a final, “Okay, Smart-arse, since you’re so clever, you fix it!” He stormed off to the compound for a Coke.

He was away for almost two hours and, having regained much of his composure, he returned to the hangar, to be greeted by a scene which now very possibly threatened his future employment. Simon had disassembled the radio. Its individual parts lay scattered over the surface of the work-bench, a mass of springs and cogs, screws, nuts, bolts and numerous anonymous electrical components. Reggie went into shock.

“What in heaven’s name have you done?” he cried. “This is going to cost me my flaming job! Why did you have to tear the thing to pieces? Now we’ll never be able to fly! We don’t even have a spare! Now I’ll have to pay for a complete new set out of my own pocket! Do you realize what you’ve done? Do you?”

“Just give me another half an hour,” said Simon without faltering in his work.

Reggie threw his hands in the air and, with a gasp of despair, retreated to the ordered sanctuary of the office container to prepare the letter which he knew would probably be the last one he would write before his dismissal.

Half an hour later to the minute, Simon poked his head round the door of the container and said, “Okay, Sir, the HF is fixed. Do you want me to have a look at the weather radar for you?”

“You WHAT?” demanded Big Fat Reggie, in stunned disbelief. “What do you mean the HF’s fixed? Show me! Show me right now! This I HAVE to see!”

They walked out to the aircraft and climbed onto the flight deck. As if with practiced ease Simon switched on the master switch and the Radio Master, selected 18.023 megahertz on the HF radio and called up Berna Radio in Switzerland, requesting a signals check

“Reading you four by five,” came the instant reply from Switzerland.

“Will that be good enough?” he said turning to Reggie.

“How in Hell!??”

Simon also found the loose wire on the cannon plug which connected the magnetron on the weather radar. It had been dislodged by a piece of carelessly loaded heavy cargo about five months

previously. The radar burst into life and neither the HF nor the radar have given a moment’s trouble since.

What Simon had not let on was that he had trained as an avionics technician with the Royal Air Force for five years before going to the Kenya Air Force.

Nobody had asked.

He had had to run for his life after the attempted coup in 1982 in which the KAF was heavily implicated and this was the first time he had dared to show his face in Kenya since then. He now runs a service and repair shop for aircraft batteries in Nairobi.

He had had to run for his life j

Van’s RV 3

The Vans RV-3 laid the foundation for Vans huge success.

SA FLYER MAGAZINE - September 2025

Of all the aircraft we have tested over the past 30 years, the rare and humble Vans RV-3 is right up there with the most significant.

IT was the diminutive RV-3 that set the stage for Van’s Aircraft to become the experimental and homebuilding aircraft giant, with over 12,000 RVs already flying, and many more under construction.

The RV-3 brought about a quiet revolution in general aviation, yet few if any, have acknowledged the massive contribution his small single place aircraft has made. What the RV -3 succeeded in doing was to make a simple aircraft that has phenomenal performance at both top end and slow speed, available to many who were tired of boring Wichita ‘spam cans’.

When the RV-3 first flew in 1973, reviewer Bud Davisson wrote; ‘There was a time, not long ago, when the term homebuilt meant an aeroplane that could go like blazes, but came down final with all the grace and docility of a torpedo. Or, if it were a slow, easy-to-land aeroplane, it couldn’t outrun an asthmatic hummingbird. It was axiomatic that a homebuilt aeroplane usually (note, I said usually) couldn’t handle both ends of the speed or talent spectrum. It was either a fast, raunchy-handling dude, or a slow, rather matronly machine.”

The RV-3 changed that. Vans Aircraft founder Richard Van Grunsven was a mechanical engineer, and believed that aircraft designers needed to ‘get back to first principles’. Those first principles still are: keep it light and simple. The RV-3 is the embodiment of those first principles.

RIGHT: Beneath the cowl is a 160hp IO-360 Lycoming - which gives superlative performance.

BELOW: On the ground the RV-3 is compact - yet still has a 90 sqft wing.

I first met Richard Van Grunsven at Aero Friedrichshafen in about 2010 and he was one of the most understated aircraft CEOs as he lets his aircraft speak for themselves. He has never felt the need to advertise or otherwise promote his aircraft.

THE RV-3 ON THE GROUND

There are just two RV-3s in South Africa, and the subject of this review, ZU-ITY is the most recent, having been competed in 2023 by Joburg builder Neil Murray.

The first impression is that it’s not as small as many other single-seaters. With 90

BELOW: 3-Blade fixed constant-speed prop is unusual choice for basic RV-3.

square feet of wing area, it’s as big as many twoplace homebuilts. (The two-place KR-2 has 80 sq feet of wing).

In line with the ‘keep it simple’ philosophy, it has conventional riveted aluminium construction

with a square ‘Hershey bar’ wing and a sidehinged bubble canopy. The landing gear is spindly tubular steel. For ZU-ITY, Neil Wallace went for the maximum recommended power with a 160hp Lycoming IO-320.

ABOVE: Side-hinged canopy has gas strut. Undercarriage fairings pending installation

Unlike the RV-4 and RV-8's sliding canopy, the -3 has a simple sidehinged canopy. Neil Wallace eschewed the simplicity of a lanyard to hold it open and instead used a gas stut, which makes it less vulnerable to strong winds when open.

The layout of ITY’s cockpit is conventional with a Dynon EFIS and Garmin Aera dominating the panel and three steam gauges for airspeed, altitude and vertical speed scatted around the remaining space. And Icom transceiver and assorted switchgear, including the mags are in the wide central pedestal between the pilot’s legs. At the base of the pedestal is the fuel selector with just Left, Right and Off options.

The quality of Neil’s workmanship and experience is evident everywhere, but particularly in the power and pitch levers on the

left sidewall and switchgear on the right side sidewall.

FLYING THE RV-3

Test pilot Trevor Warner test flew ZU-ITY from Panorama airfield. Reporting for Flightline, he said, “Carefully climbing into the tiny cockpit, I was very aware of just how small the RV 3

the embodiment of first principles

is. “Snug” comes to mind. However, I found the seating and general cockpit layout to be very comfortable.

“Start and taxi were straightforward, but what became apparent immediately was how light and sensitive the tail-wheel steering was on the ground. I cautioned myself against over-activity in that department during take-off and landing.

“Avoiding a lengthy run-up on a brand-new engine, with all systems operating perfectly, I lined up and slowly opened the throttle. With the 160hp I0-320 and the Whirlwind 3 bladed constant speed prop at 2650rpm, the little aerie is no sloth. Tail-up with no surprises, and seconds later we were airborne. What became apparent im-

mediately was how hard I was pulling to hold the climb attitude. A little more aft trim and the RV 3 crossed the upwind threshold at about 500 ft, indicating 100 mph.

‘It soon became apparent that the roll rate is not disappointing and I would say it’s a little more sprightly in roll than any of the other RVs I’ve flown. An interesting characteristic of the RV-3 is that the elevator does not have horn balances as do all the other RV variants and as a result, she is surprisingly heavy in pitch.

‘I was soon impressed by the speed

Neil Murray is an experienced builder who has done a beauitiful job.

settling at about 175 mph at 9 to 10 gallons/hour. That was without wheel spats and gear-leg fairings fitted. I am pretty sure that some RV-8 pilots are going to be hard-pressed to keep up.’

Bud Davisson reports on the slow flight stall and spin handling; “I chopped the power and got carb heat, holding the nose up all the while. Then I waited and waited. It took forever to get down under 50 mph, where it shuddered once, ever so slightly, and dropped its nose hard, as if trying to live up to the reputation many feel the NACA 21012 aerofoil deserves. It broke

sharply, but rather than recovering, I held the stick back, curious to see what would happen. The nose fell a few feet, the plane picked up speed and started

the plane didn’t try to do anything weird

flying again then porpoised up into another stall. I was losing very little altitude as I seesawed up and down from stall to stall, keeping the wings

Cockpit is cozy - even just for one.

level with both aileron and rudder. It was evident that the RV-3 has a wing that almost refuses to stall quickly, probably because of the planform and light wing loading. The stall recovery was instantaneous and the plane didn’t try to do anything weird like tucking a wing.

To barrel roll, I pulled the nose up,

“Snug” comes to mind.

twitched the stick to one side and the small town on the distant horizon obediently curved up and over the nose. The rolls were indecently easy, so I started doing four points, then eight points, and finally a 15 point (I never could keep track). The plane would jerk to a halt so cleanly that I could almost hear each point squeak. The rate of roll was so high, and the speed bleed-off in verticals so low, that I soon found myself doing loops with slow rolls on the top, Immelmanns and Cuban eights with double and triple rolls on the recovery requiring nothing more than putting the stick to one side at the appropriate time.

The spins also were strange, primarily because I couldn’t hold the RV-3 in one. It would do about one turn and then fly out into a spiral like a Cherokee. I finally got it to spin a little longer by using some power.

I knew the landing was going to be no sweat. The hardest part was to force myself to approach at only 70 mph indicated. Van Grunsven said even 60 to 65 mph was okay, but 70 mph made me feel as if I were crawling—it was unnatural. I kept moving my patterns out until I could make a comfortable power-off 180° approach, using flaps to get rid of altitude when I wanted.

I made the first landing a wheelie, just to see what would happen—it was beautiful. I held it off and let it settle on main gear first, feeding just a little forward stick in to keep it planted when the tyres touched. That springy Wittman-type gear took up any bounce and let me motor straight ahead with no effort. The next couple were threepointers and were noteworthy for only two reasons. During the flare, the aero-

BELOW: Elevator is unusual in that it has no balancing horns or weights.

evator trim mechanism that is housed under the vertical stabiliser as there is no space in the elevator as in all the other RV models. All internal fitment of stuff followed, more final wiring done, all electrics checked and radio checked for proper operation.

Next came setting the timing on the two P-Mag-E Mags. I cranked the mo-

tor with plugs out and ignition off to get the oil pressure up. Then I refitted plugs, primed and cranked her over. The motor started after three turns and ran like a dream.

Once all my paperwork was done, I approached Trevor Warner to take the -3 on her maiden flight and he was only too happy to oblige.

j

VANS AIRCRAFT RV-3B

SPECIFICATION

Engine: Lycoming IO-320

Power: 160hp @ 2,650rpm

Propeller: Whirlwind 151H CS

Length: 19ft 5in

Height: 5ft 1in

Wingspan: 19ft 4in

Wing area: 90 sq ft

Empty weight: 810lb

Useful load: 320lb

Wing loading: 15 lb/sq ft

Fuel capacity: 30 USG

G-limits: +6/-4

PERFORMANCE

Vne: 220 mph

Cruise: 210 mph

Stall, clean: 62 mph

Stall, full flap: 58 mph

Takeoff dist: 250m

Landing dist: 350m

Rate of climb: 1200fpm

Range 65%: 655 sm

FLYER MAGAZINE - September 2025

BUMPPFF

When pilots were expected to be pilots. The Kai Tak checker board.

Eltimon: +27 65 705 7274

Bella: +27 79 570 3757 info@taxfinaccounting co za

www.taxfinaccounting.co.za

GROUNDLOOP TWIN COMANCHE

This discussion is to promote safety – not to assign fault or liability.

NTSB ACCIDENT REPORT – PRECIS & ANALYSIS

Location: Anderson, South Carolina

Date & Time: March 21, 2025, 11:30 Local

Registration: N8339Y

Aircraft: Piper PA30

Twin Comanche.

A/C Damage: Substantial

Defining Event:

Loss of control on ground Injuries: 2 None

Flight Under:

ANALYSIS

The instructor and a commercial pilot were doing multiengine training on a Twin Comanche. They conducted flight maneuvers for about 30 minutes before practicing landings on a dry, paved runway 6000’ long and 149 wide.

The instructor was a 33-year-old with 1323 hours total, 50 hours on the PA-30, 1240 hours PIC in all aircraft, and 167 hours in the last 90 days.

The Twinco was written-off.

The aircraft was well-maintained, with a total of 5560 hours and 1502 hours on each engine. It was 575 pounds below M TOW.

Here is part of the instructor’s neatly typed report:

Hi Billy,

I was MEI providing training for a commercial multi-engine add-on certificate. The student, who is a commercial single-engine pilot, was pilot flying (PF).

The weather was CAVOK - winds variable at 6 knots.

The aircraft only has brakes for the pilot in the left seat.

The descent from traffic pattern altitude was stable as I coached the PF through it. The landing was safe as the PF touched down on the mains first. When the nose wheel touched the ground, the nose began swinging wildly left and right and I told the PF to stop dancing on the pedals. By the time I recognized that the PF was over-correcting, we were off the runway. There was damage to the propellers and landing gear. Both of us were unhurt.

Sincerely, Samantha (Sam) White

-o0o-

The PF was a 30-year-old male commercial pilot on single engine land aircraft with 326 hours TT and four hours in the PA-30. Here is his report:

Hi Mr. Marlowe,

We were coming down to land from a traffic pattern and landed on the runway very safely. During the landing roll

the nose started to veer left and right and I started to correct it.

I felt like the plane was not in my control and I was trying to get it to a stop but while I was trying to stop the plane, the plane was already off the runway. It all happened so fast that there was not time to properly come to a stop.

As this is my first Incident/Accident, I apologize if I have not done any due process.

Regards Satish Chigurupall

The report says that the final approach and flare were stable. In ground effect, the instructor stated, “power idle" and the pilot pulled the throttles back. They touched down firmly on the centerline, then yawed to the left.

The pilot overcorrected, and the airplane went off the right side of the runway.

There were no mechanical issues that would have precluded normal operation.

JIM’S COMMENTS

Everything about the training organization appears professional – even to the extent of both engines having exactly the same hours – this is extremely rare.

A good instructor will always have her feet lightly on the rudder pedals. The pupil won’t notice and will not feel the instructor is ‘hovering’ over the controls.

It’s particularly critical to be ready for immediate and positive rudder input if you are doing slow flight, stalls

and spins in a single engine aircraft, or asymmetric work in a twin. And the same with all aircraft during takeoffs, landings and go-arounds.

When the instructor said the pupil was ‘dancing’ on the rudder pedals my suspicion was that he had previously flown Cessnas which have a sloppy feeling because the nosewheel is steered via springs. The Piper range all use direct steering which is solid and positive. I have just checked the accident docket and confirmed this to be the case – the pilot was used to Cessna steering.

The instructor should have reacted sooner

In addition, your first twin can take you by surprise when you turn on the ground. The momentum of the engines out on the wings tends to carry the turn further than you expect.

Finally, it’s vital that you make sure your pupe has his heels on the floor during all takeoffs and landings in any aeroplane. A tense pupe with his toes on the brakes is going to cause you grief.

This PF stated that he was “…trying to stop the airplane.” This strongly suggests he had his feet up on the brakes.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:

Discussing flight delays and costs caused by ATNS, Airlink CEO de Villiers Engelbrecht says,

‘As South Africans know, infrastructure decays gradually and then suddenly; ATNS finds itself at “suddenly” right now.’

de Villiers Engelbrecht CEO Airlink - May 2025.

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REKINDLING THE SOUL

ABOVE: The Baron 55 with Rudi the Rhino at Cottars in Tsavo East.

The second day of the New Year in 1982 brought a fun trip for me. I had already had a busy morning flying from Wilson to Nanyuki, across the Rift Valley to Governors Camp in the Mara and back to Wilson in our Cessna 404 5Y-CIF. (fondly called Siff). Then I was tasked to do a trip to Cottars Tsavo, and night stop at Tsavo (silent T).

COTTARS Tsavo was a rich source of memories for me. I rushed home to get my night stop kit and got back to preflight the Baron BE55 5Y-ALH. It was a late afternoon takeoff departing Wilson at 1430Z and landing at Cottars Tsavo 1545Z.

Cottars airstrip was rather like landing on an aircraft carrier. The idea to land as close as possible to the beginning of the runway and stopping as soon as you could, as over running the end of the runway would take you into the river on the other side.

Taxiing to the parking area, my thoughts went back 12 years, to when I was an 18-year-old. I was a young camp manager working for Pat and Glen Cottar, who had established the very first tented camp in Tsavo East in the late 1960’s.

The Cottar’s and McCallum families have known each other for approximately two generations. Pat’s father, Harold Schofield met my grand-

father McCallum in a bar in Mombasa in 1925, soon after arriving from the UK. Work was hard to get after the First World War and Harold’s brother; George had made the

Cottars was like landing on an aircraft carrier

move to Kenya. Gwendle, Pat’s mother, joined Harold in 1928. She had been working as a lady’s maid to the Countess of Huntingdon and travelling a

lot, as Gwen could speak French and German.

Glen’s grandfather, Charles Cottar was an American who was inspired to come out to Africa after having read Teddy Roosevelt’s book on his years in Africa hunting. The rest as they say, is history.

My grandfather McCallum settled in Kenya after the Anglo Boer war. He worked as an engineer on the railway line going up to Uganda. My grandmother was Lady Emerson, who had been recently widowed and had left India where her husband had been stationed

The cottage on the river at Cottars Tsavo.

as a Provincial Commissioner. He died at the age of 34 of a heart attack playing tennis. She was returning to Australia with her two young daughters, Iris and Daisy when she decided to spend some time with her brother, Bill Hunter, in Kenya. She met my grandfather, got married and became plain Mrs McCallum. She gave birth to my father Owen and later on my Uncle Ian. She died of blackwater fever and is buried in Entebbe Uganda. My father died at the age of 41 due

ABOVE: Elephants at Cottars Tsavo in 1970.

to stomach cancer. My mother was 39 and was convinced by her siblings that the best thing was to leave Kenya (even after Pat & Glen asked her to stay and manage the camp for them in Tsavo). She drove south with my eldest brother Alec, in her Austin Mini Minor in 1965, all the way to South Africa and then

SA FLYER MAGAZINE - September 2025

eventually to Botswana in 1968. My brother Danny and I were at boarding school in Belfast, Transvaal. Enough said about that.

Danny was always the smarter one in the family. He did so well at school that he was offered a bursary at one of the universities to become a teacher, teaching English and Afrikaans. He hid the bursary from my mother and headed off

these fine gentlemen taught me a lot

to join Jack Bousfield in Botswana and shortly after that to join Glen Cottar as a young apprentice hunter in Kenya.

I finished matric at age 16 and my mother sent me off to Pretoria to secretarial college. After that I got a position in Francistown, Botswana with Peter Becker of Botswana Birds & Game.

My best friend, Mary Mincher, married the lovely Irishman Michael Hehir and they departed for other parts of Botswana. Mary was now a respectable married woman and I was bored with Francistown so I decided that I was ready to face the world as young 18-year-old. So I asked Pat and Glen Cottar in Kenya if they needed me to assist as I could type

and do shorthand. Luckily for me the answer was, yes come as soon as you can.

My brother Danny had been a guide at the camp and had built himself a small cabin on the banks of the Athi, made from sisal poles. It consisted of a reasonable veranda, big room and a back area for your clothes. The shower and loo were close by, but not attached to the cabin. On many a night wandering out, you could hear the munching of grass by a black rhino, or the tummy rumbles and even snores from elephant keeping me company. I was in paradise.

I was very happy with the staff. Labaan who was the head waiter, remembered me from my childhood. He was from the Luo tribe. I still remember his big, beautiful smile and laugh with all his teeth showing. Kibet, who was the chief guide, had knowledge of birds and game that was exceptional. He was from the Kipsigis tribe. Our head man was Thomas, who was amazing and from Machakos, the Kamba tribe. If I had any problems with change, or wanted anything done in the camp, he dealt with the issue. Macharia was in charge of maintenance and carpentry and he was from the Kikuyu tribe, I was under the care of these fine gentlemen, and they taught me a lot: psychology, good manners and most of

all, patience with the guests. I was also shown how to dismantle a carburettor on a Toyota Land Cruiser, clean it and put it back together again. Keep the distributer head clean for ease of starting and how to clean and replace spark plugs. I was on my way. As yet I hadn’t had to use my typing or shorthand skills. What fun.

We had Rudi the Rhino, who had been abandoned as a calf and lived at the camp. As he got older he would wander off and attract a female rhino, who did all the courting. Then he would literally run for his life as she chased after him, hitting him with her horn. They ran right through the camp and it was quite a sight watching the manoeuvres we used to avoid them. We had a stockade built to keep him safe at night, as lion would often attempt to come in and take him, but in the stockade he had a good fighting chance to protect himself. He was called Rudi, the Swahili word for return; “rudi ta rudi”

I didn’t always stay at the camp, but it was an excellent grounding for me to regain my grasp of the Swahili language with such patient teachers. I often flew to southern Tanzania fetch Land Cruisers and lorries filled with equipment. Often, I would be building airstrips for charter planes to bring in the Cottar clients.

I remember meeting a charming

gentleman named Charles Bayer and his partner Penelope Pennell. They worked as relief managers until they got a permanent job at Elephant Camp.

Charles had a goatee beard similar to George Adamson, but was a much slighter man. He was known as a remittance man (paid to make a life elsewhere) by the Bayer family of Aspirin fame. His manners were immaculate and his humour wonderful. Throughout Kenya, they were known as the PennellBayers. He was about five-foot-six and Penelope was six foot. She had worked for the SAS during the war and was parachuted into France to work with the resistance. She was caught by the Gestapo and had both her legs and arms broken. When I met them, they were well into their fifties and were still much in love with one another.

She loved to cook French food and we would often be given amazing meals.

the Gestapo broke her legs and arms.

Charles was diagnosed with cancer a few years later. Penny saw him through all of that and his wish was that his ashes be scattered on the river by Elephant Camp. Penny couldn’t bear to be without Charles. After scattering his ashes, she hooked up her car’s exhaust through the window, started the engine and opened up a bottle of champagne whilst the fumes sent her on her way to be back with Charles. I like to think of her and Charles happily together wandering the riverbanks amongst the doum palms and elephants.

Penelope walked with a loping gait because of her war injuries and, as if that had not been bad enough, she had also been attacked at her home during the Mau Mau. She and a friend of hers had their revolvers on the dining room table and managed to kill some of the Mau Mau attackers and chase the rest of them off. Quite the lady.

So here I am, back at the beginning of my years, and how this beautiful place led me on to a wonderful path in life, where I was fortunate, through the kindness of my Cottar family (as I call them) to meet extraordinary people who helped me to get where I needed to be in life; and that was flying.

Pat and Glen had sold the camp around 1974. In 1982 the camp manager was Lionel Nutter and he had years of experience building and managing camps and he turned Cottar’s into a

luxury lodge. The Desai family ended up adding it to their chain, as they had lodges in Amboseli as well.

Lionel was an old friend from Watamu days, a wonderful and personable man who could talk to anyone, and people responded to his warm and amusing nature. We had a wonderful evening talking about everything. He was later taken on by the David Sheldrick Foundation to assist in getting funding. He just had a special gift for talking to people.

The next morning, we took off 07.00Z for a quick survey around the park. I have a notation in my logbook,

reads; “Thousands of elephants at P4” which was a Park strip near Rock Camp further south from Cottars Tsavo camp, that Pat and Glen used to use for temporary and private guests. It was a rare sight indeed. We flew back and had lunch with Lionel and then back to Nairobi.

It was a truly soulful, wonderful night stop.

Tsavo Cottars airstrip

Key Events September 2025

30/August/2025 Botswana Air Show Francistown airbosssa@gmail.com

10 - 14 September 2025 National Air Races (was Reno)

20/September/2025 Rand Air Show

Note - unable to confirm this show

Rand Airport -Note held on Sunday 27/September/2025

Polokwane Air Show

01/November/2025 Newcastle Air Show

17-21 November 2025 Dubai Air Show UAE

Note - unable to confirm this show

Note - unable to confirm this show

https://www.dubaiairshow.aero/ 07/December/2025

ICAD Air Show

3 - 8 February 2026 Singapore Air Show

17 - 19 July 2026 RIAT Tattoo RAF Fairford

17 - 27 July 2026 EAA Airventure Oshkosh

20 - 24 July 2026 Farnborough Air Show

16 - 20 September 2026 AAD Expo

20 - 24 July 2026 Farnborough Air Show

https://www.caa.co.za/

https://www.singaporeairshow.com/

https://www.airtattoo.com/

https://www.eaa.org/airventure

https://www.farnboroughairshow.com/

https://www.aadexpo.co.za/

https://www.farnboroughairshow.com/ 16 - 20 September 2026 AAD Expo

https://www.aadexpo.co.za/ 27/September/2025

Polokwane Airshow

04/October/2025 Krugersdorp Air how 01/November/2025 Newcastle Airshow

17-21 November 2025 Dubai Airshow UAE

https://www.dubaiairshow.aero/ 07/December/2025 ICAD Airshow

25 July 2025 Polokwane Airshow

Polokwane Limpopo 21 - 27 July 2025 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

20 September 2025 Rand Airshow

Contact Neil Bowden: 084 674 5674 info@airadventure. co.za

Rand Airport Germiston 17 - 21 November 2025 Dubai Airshow UAE

https://www.dubaiairshow.aero/

The CraigIndomitableRitson

Craig Ritson is one of those rare people you meet once and never forget. Born in Eshowe and raised in Pinetown, he has spent more than 25 years in the United States, yet still speaks with an unmistakable South African accent.

THE most striking thing about Craig, however, is that he has only one hand. In 1984, at just 18 years old, he lost his left arm below the elbow when a mortar shell exploded in the Ratel he was driving during a national service training exercise in Bloemfontein.

He spent three weeks in an induced coma, and when he awoke, his first question to his mother was, “Where’s my watch?” That was the moment the reality of his injury sank in. The blast also left his body embedded with shrapnel — something that creates endless amusement at airport

OPPOSITE PAGE: The Ritson family: Lisa, Jaime, Sarah, Mandy & Craig in Florida USA.

security. “I set off every scanner I walk through,” he laughs.

Craig has never allowed his injury to define him. He is relentlessly positive, refuses to see himself as a victim, and has lived a life of adventure many ablebodied people would envy.

Aviation was part of his upbringing. His father was a pilot, and Craig grew up assuming that garages were for aircraft projects rather than cars. His father owned a Breezy and an Aeronca Champ, and by 14, Craig was already flying the Champ under his father’s watchful eye.

While other teenagers spent holidays at the beach, Craig preferred the airfield, assisting with projects and helping with maintaining aircraft.

That same year, tragedy struck. His father was killed after flying the Breezy into a power line shortly after take-off from Allemanskraal, returning from an EAA convention. A week later, a family friend took him flying in a Cub, but his mother — understandably — was wary of his continued interest in aviation.

It would be another decade before Craig flew in a light sport aircraft again. While living in Mmabatho, a friend invited him up in a Forney F1-A Aircoupe, and the spark was reignited.

In 1995, Craig and his wife travelled

to the United States on holiday, fell in love with the country, and decided to stay. A colleague with his own plane introduced Craig to a local aviation museum, where he helped with the restoration of Beechcraft Staggerwings whilst enjoying many flying opportunities.

By 14, Craig was already flying the Champ

By 2002, his wife was encouraging him to earn his PPL. At first, he wore a prosthetic arm, assuming he would need one to pass his medical. His daughter, Lisa, jokingly dubbed it the “pathetic arm” — more hindrance than help. After it jammed in the yoke of a C152, Craig abandoned it entirely. The FAA had already put him through every manoeuvre and declared him fit to fly without it.

His instructor sent him solo after just three lessons, though it still took 90 days to log the 50 hours required by law.

That first solo remains vivid in his memory: the sudden awareness that he was entirely on his own, and the

SA FLYER MAGAZINE - September 2025

His first cross-country flight was 1000 nm

pure exhilaration of completing the flight and landing smoothly. “It’s a feeling you never forget,” he says.

With a young family, renting aircraft wasn’t an option, so Craig bought a partially built Sonex with an 80hp Jabiru engine, which he nicknamed ‘Gupta’. It was 60% complete, and within two years, it was in the air. He still owns it today — his wife calls it his “aluminum mistress.”

His friend Matt, who was building an RV-7A, would always ask after the Sonex, and Craig’s standard reply was, “My RV wannabe is doing great.” When Matt completed his PPL, he realised flying wasn’t for him. The two met annually at Oshkosh, and in 2016, when Matt again asked about the Sonex, Craig gave the same answer.

In a remarkable act of generosity, Matt offered him his half-built RV-7A. They agreed on an affordable payment plan, and the following weekend, Craig drove to Columbus, Ohio, to see his new project. Matt and his brother delivered it the next week. It took Craig an-

Craig shortly before he lost his arm in a Ratel accident.

Laura about to launch in the RV14 over Oshkosh.

Dr Don Ritson with his Breezy.

other five years to complete the build, but in 2023, he finally flew the -7.

His first cross-country flight was the 1000 nm from upstate New York to Sun ’n Fun Florida, with Matt in the right seat. They rolled, looped, and laughed their way through the trip — and Matt had no regrets. Instead, he turned his energy to running marathons, ultimately setting the world record for the fastest average marathon time on every continent.

After years in upstate New York, where winter grounded him for half the year, Craig relocated to an aviation estate in Weirsdale, Florida — an hour north of Orlando — where he can fly year-round. It’s also home to EAA Chapter 1236, where Craig is deeply involved

in restoration projects. The move was strategic: inland to avoid hurricanedriven insurance hikes, and right on a runway for maximum flying time.

Next on his list? An instrument rating — not for career reasons, but because he would like to do his instructor’s rating so that he can share his passion with the next generation of aviators.

Craig has shown that adversity does not have to define us for the worse. He is living proof that while we cannot always choose our circumstances, we can choose how we respond to them. His passion for life and his love of aviation are infectious and any student lucky enough to have him as an instructor will be privileged.j

The Ritsons love's Landing Aviation Estate Florida USA.

Craig's most recent flight from Orlando to Osh, New York, South Carolina and back home.

NGAP TOUCHES DOWN IN DURBAN

In mid-August 2025, the Durban International Convention Centre was buzzing with a very different kind of energy.

INSTEAD of tourists and business travellers passing through King Shaka International, the city became the landing point for the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) Global Summit — and for the first time ever, this prestigious gathering touched down on African soil.

For the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), co-hosting the summit alongside the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Department of Transport wasn’t just about rolling out the red carpet. It was a chance to put South Africa — and Africa — firmly on the world avia-

SA FLYER MAGAZINE - September 2025

tion map as a serious player in developing the talent our industry needs for the decades ahead.

I had the privilege of representing SA Flyer at this event and I was keen to see what the next few days would hold. The fact of the matter is that the aviation world is facing a simple but urgent truth: without a steady supply of skilled people — pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers, safety inspectors, and now cyber and data specialists — the system can’t keep up with growing demand. Add in the push for greener, more efficient operations and more diverse, inclusive workforces, and the challenge gets even bigger.

The NGAP Summit exists to tackle

Captain Vuyo Makaba.

exactly that problem. By bringing together airlines, regulators, training organisations, universities, and future aviators under one roof, it aims to spark practical ways to grow and keep talent in the sector.

Holding it in Durban in 2025

meant that African voices, opportunities, and challenges were right at the centre of those discussions — not just an afterthought. And with the ICC Durban’s worldclass facilities, the event blended heavyweight policy sessions with a hands-on feel: think flight simulators, training tech demos, and buzzing career showcases alongside high-level talks.

SACAA’S ROLE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

For SACAA, hosting wasn’t just about prestige — it was about impact.

First, it was a clear nod from ICAO that South Africa’s regulator is respected on the world stage. SACAA isn’t just following the rules set in Montreal — it’s helping shape them, especially in the area of training and capacity building.

Second, the summit gave SACAA a huge

The NGAP conference attracted delegates from across the world.

Hundreds of school-children were bussed in daily to visit the exhibition.

platform to show off local pathways into aviation — from STEM school outreach and bursary programmes to cadet pilot training, AME apprenticeships, and ATC qualifications. It also helped attract new partners to fund and support those pathways.

Third, it was a chance to tackle one of our industry’s toughest realities: diversity. “We can’t future-proof aviation without making it more inclusive,” was a message heard repeatedly over the three days. For SACAA, that means opening more doors for women, young people, and underrepresented communities — not as a token gesture, but because the industry can’t afford to ignore half of its talent pool.

Finally, it was about SACAA itself. Regulators need their own talent pipelines too — safety inspectors, licensing experts, accident investigators, and people who understand both aviation and new technologies. The conversations in Durban will help SACAA build

those internal skills for years to come.

Because NGAP 2025 drew delegates from across the world, it also became a meeting ground for international cooperation. Countries compared notes on training standards, agreed to explore joint simulator centres, and discussed how to make qualifications transferable so pilots, engineers, and controllers can move between countries more easily.

For SACAA, stronger networks mean faster sharing of best practices, better safety outcomes, and a louder voice for African priorities in ICAO forums.

LOOKING AHEAD

Hosting ICAO’s NGAP Summit was a first for Africa — and it firmly placed South Africa in a leadership seat. For the SACAA, it proved that the Authority is not only a gatekeeper of safety and compliance, but also a true champion for the people who will keep aviation flying safely into the future.

The conversations throughout the

The gala dinner delay was one of the few blips in the organisation.

A strong African flavour.

summit were consistently engaging and refreshingly focused. Just as striking was the diversity, both on stage, and in the audience, which mirrored the gender and cultural inclusivity the event set out to promote.

My personal highlight was a lively panel featuring five young aviation professionals, among them South Africa’s dynamic Aeroclub Chairman, Goitse Diale — a session that captured both the energy and promise of the next generation.

That said, the event was not without its turbulence. Time management slipped in a few sessions, and the long delay before the start of Wednesday night’s Gala tested the patience of many delegates.

Still, those were small bumps on what was otherwise a smooth and significant flight path. The takeaway is simple: aircraft may be the visible face of aviation, but people are its beating heart. After three days in Durban, one thing was clear — Africa, with South Africa leading from the front, is ready to invest boldly in that heart.

An Impala cockpit was a great favourite with the children. j

AME Doctors Listing

Register Review July 2025

It’s been a busy month at the CAA and at the sales companies as 27 aircraft were newly registered in July.

ZU-ILR a Tucano replica seen at Lanseria in 2029 but now exported. Image Omer Mees.

STARTING with the helicopter registrations, we can see it’s been a particularly good month for the rotorwing market with seven type-certified and three non-type certified helicopters registered.

An interesting type appearing this month is the Bell 429, ZT-HFB (57132). This is only the second of the type to be imported into South Africa, although there was mention made of a third, but I have not seen any further mention of it, nor any photos. This twin engine all-black helicopter was seen on a test flight at Rand Airport on 16 July. It had previously flown in China for the Shanghai

a rare piston twin being registered

Jinhui General Aviation Company with the registration B-7488 and was on display at ABACE in Shanghai in both 2014 and 2015. It now starts a new chapter in South Africa, and I would be interested to hear where it will be based and its application.

Bell Helicopters shines with two Bell 407s being registered : ZT-HKB (56457) and ZT-RDG (53034), along with two Bell 206 Jetranger IIIs: ZS-RDX (4464) and ZT-RFR. These are the stalwarts of the local Bell Helicopter fleet and continue to be popular choices for owners.

A single BK-117B-2, ZS-RZI (1043) is imported from New Zealand. This helicopter was previously in service with the NSW Rural Fire Service in Australia as VH-VRQ before going to New Zealand in early 2025 as ZK-IFQ where it was refurbished by Salus Aviation at Ardmore and where it was

seen in early April of this year, prior to being exported to South Africa.

Closing the type-certified helicopters are two of the popular Robinson R-44 Raven IIs: ZS-RTK (10298) and ZT-HCL (14864).

THREE NTC HELICOPTERS ARE REGISTERED: one each Alouette II ZU-RNM (2131), Alouette III ZU-RNP (1301) and a Gazelle ZU-RNN (1312). All three types have a growing owner base in South Africa.

Turning to the fixed wing types, we see a rare piston twin being registered – a Cessna 421C Golden Eagle, ZS-TGW (421C0470). This 1978 built Golden Eagle was imported from the USA. Two other Cessnas are also registered, a Cessna 172R ZS-TGI (17280126) and a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan ZS-YLL (208B-0692). This Grand Caravan has been reregistered recently, having previously flown around our sunny skies as ZS-JAK.

Sling Aircraft have had a bumper month with no less than nine being registered in July! They are Sling 2s ZU-MNT (447B), ZUNOW (446B), and ZU-SLG (445B); Sling 2 TD ZU-KZC (471DK); Sling TSis ZU-JCE (675S), ZU-KNG (448SK), and ZU-MBC (650S) and Sling 4 High Wings ZU-MJE (078G) and ZU-MVT (100G). This shows the popularity of these locally designed and built aircraft continues to grow!

Two Jabirus, a four-seat J430, ZU-JBW (1027), and a two-seat J170 ,ZU-JCF (377) have been registered. Closing the NTCA registrations this month are a Vans RV10, ZU-KEN (41757) and an HR2, ZU-RPJ (010).

ZS-JAK was deregistered and then re-registered as ZS-YLL

Bell 429 seen in China, is now ZT-HFB.

Cessna Cardinal 1777 ZS-IFZ has been exported to the USA. Image Joe Evans.

Caravan

DELETIONS

July sees 14 registration deletions. The CAA has been doing a bit of cleaning up removing registrations of aircraft either written off in accidents or exported, some many years ago.

The first deletion is actually a reregistration of the above-mentioned Cessna Grand Caravan ZS-JAK (208B-0692) that has taken up the new registration ZS-YLL.

it crashed after releasing a load of water

The remaining six cancellations are all for aircraft exported from South Africa. Two depart to South America: a Baron 58 ZS-ABS (TH-67) being exported to Paraguay and a Beech 1900D ZS-FAN (UE-198) being exported to Argentina. This aircraft departed Lanseria on 29 June, routing via Sao Tomé, Freetown Fortaleza, Campinas, Buenos Aires, and arriving in Salta on 3 July. Perhaps our readers know the plane’s new Argentinian registration?

Two light aircraft depart to new homes in the USA: a Cessna 177B,

ZS-IFZ (177-01578) and a Piper PA28R-201T, ZS-LLX (28R-770305) while a Piper PA-31, ZS-JZI (31-603) is exported to Zimbabwe.

A Raytheon Premier 1A, ZS-ETN (RB-295) is cancelled as sold in India as its owner has upgraded to a new Phenom 300e that was delivered earlier this year. The aircraft departed South Africa on 10 June and arrived in Bengaluru on 12 June. Its ferry flight to India was shared by the ferry company Alpha2Bravo on a Facebook post.

An Ayres S-2R-T34 Turbo Trush, ZS-LZE (6049) is deleted as destroyed. This aircraft was involved in a fire fighting operation at a Pine plantation in the Bhunya area Eswatini on 3 August 1999 when it crashed just after releasing a load of water on the fire.

Bell 407 ZS-RHK (53034) is also deleted as destroyed. This helicopter, operated for Eskom on behalf of Sapphire Air, suffered substantial damage in a landing accident at the Komatipoort sub-station on 4 September 2000. I assume it was never rebuilt as the reason for its cancellation.

Two other helicopters are also deleted as exported with Robinson R44 Raven II ZT-HJS (14781) going to Botswana and Bell 407 ZT-RXP (54659) going to Mozambique.

Three NTC category aircraft are deleted. First is the Impala Mk I, ZUIMP that was destroyed in a tragic crash during the Saldanha Airshow in Vredenburg on 22 March 2025.

A Sling 4 ZU-PSB (063) is exported to Kenya, while a Flying Legend scale replica of the Embraer Tucano turboprop trainer aircraft ZU-ILR (TR1404) is exported to the USA. This kit-built plane was first flown in late October 2017 af-

ter being imported from Italy. Although available as a kit plane, this particular plane had served as the Sicilian based kit manufacturer, Flying Legend’s demonstrator aircraft. It is powered by a 140Hp supercharged Rotax 912 driving a constant speed prop and features a retractable undercarriage, just like the real Tucano.

I have also been alerted to some other changes that have not (yet)

The export route of the Beech Premier ZS-ETN.

reflected in the monthly SACAA supplied register updates.

they never went near Madagascar

The first is Boeing 737-529, ZS-PKU (25249) that was registered in Malawi as 7Q-YAU and then reportedly arrived in Iran after leaving SA on 22 July, and routing via Mombassa. It was last noted on flight tracking apps near Muscat in Oman. This B737 had been parked at OR Tambo for some time after the intended operator Zimbabwe Flyafrica.com did not take off (literally and figuratively). This comes shortly after five former Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ERs were registered in Madagascar and then flown to Iran from Siem Reap (Cambodia) on 15 July. Media reports indicate that these five aircraft were registered to an entity UDAAN Aviation and that they were to then to be ferried to an approved maintenance facility in Kenya. Needless to say they never went near

Madagascar. Questions are equally being asked about the end destination of four Airbus A340-600s recently reported on Facebook to have been registered to a Malawian company that “have been put on the leasing and sales market”.

A long-time South African resident, Cirrus F50-G2 VisionJet, N353CJ(0353) has reportedly now taken up a ZS registration and I hope to have these details in next month’s Register Review. KingAir 350i ZS-TMR (FL-803) has also been sold in Namibia but I await its new registration. Flight tracking apps show it departing Lanseria for Windhoek on 29 July which I assume is the delivery flight to Namibia.

Finally, a brand new Caravan EX, N90099 (208B-5888) arrived at Lanseria on 31 July, having routed via Wichita, Bermuda, Praia, Sao Vincente, Monrovia, and Sao Tomé. I am trying to confirm if this is to take up local registration or if it is for a client in the region.j

ACSA CLAIMS PROFITS AS ‘BLACK EXCELLENCE’

The Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has reported a record net profit of R1.1 billion on R8 billion turnover for the 24/25 financial year.

IN a statement, the Airports Company attributed this remarkable 14% net profit to ‘black excellence’, saying, “This milestone signals more than just financial resilience, it is a powerful testament to black excellence and the organisation’s stature as one of South Africa’s best-performing state-owned entities.”

For financial year 2025, revenue grew by 13% to R7.9 billion (2023/24: R7.0 billion), underpinned by strong performance across both aeronautical and non-aeronautical streams, with non-aeronautical now contributing 49% of total revenue. ACSA has confirmed that these are audited financial statements.

The financial report noted that “earnings before interest, tax, depreciation

and amortisation (EBITDA) rose to R2.9 billion, reflecting a healthy margin of 37%, while net profit climbed to R1.1 billion, driven by disciplined cost management and strengthened internal controls."

Capital expenditure rose to R861 million (2023/24: R568 million), reaffirming ACSA’s commitment to renewing and expanding airport infrastructure in support of operational excellence and long-term growth.

total assets of R32 billion and liquidity of R3.4 billion

The company says its balance sheet remains strong, with total assets of R32 billion, a net debt-to-capitalisation ratio of just 8%, and liquidity of R3.4 billion at year-end, ensuring substantial coverage for future investments.

Commenting on the results, ACSA

Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Mpumi Mpofu, said, “Our performance this year has been a story of contrasts, strong financial delivery on one hand, and operational headwinds on the other. It has demanded from us commercial discipline, executional rigour, and also humility and renewed accountability.”

“While these challenges were significant, they taught us valuable lessons to focus on preventative maintenance and avoid service disruptions for our stakeholders the airlines and passengers. This we will achieve through continuous improvement, targeted infrastructure investment and enhanced operational readiness and customer experience. ACSA’s performance demonstrates disciplined financial management and a successful strategy of revenue and services diversification.”

ACSA says it is positioning itself as a future-ready airport operator through a R21.7 billion capital investment pipeline over the next five years, with flagship projects at O.R. Tambo International Airport (ORTIA), Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) and other key regional airports. This investment is complemented by a sharpened focus on innovation and digitisation, including partnerships with the CSIR and The Innovation Hub to drive aviation research, predictive maintenance, and biometric-enabled passenger journeys.

At the same time, ACSA is strengthening supply chain governance and transformation to ensure that small, medium, and micro enterprises, particularly those owned by women, youth, and people with disabilities benefit from its procurement footprint."

The AirshowVirginia

The 2025 Durban Virginia air show was noteworthy for having managed to raise a big new sponsor in the form of Standard bank. In furtherance of this, Roger Deere had his Extra 300 painted in the new sponsor’s colours.

THE show kicked off with the skydivers carried aloft by Juba Joubert in the Alo 3 helicopter. They expertly brought their canopies down right in front of the crowd, despite the brink south westerly wind.

The came an outstanding gyro aerobatic demonstration, which was followed by Juba Joubert in the Alo 3 in formation with the gyro. A jaw dropping demonstration by the Gazelle chopper and Alo 3 was put on by Juba Joubert it was a great crowd pleaser.

The ASSA show Director Rikus Erasmus and his team including CAA and ATNs members had a busy day making sure all was run safely and on time. A notable absence was Brian Emmenis in the commentary box who is unhappy with the organisers.

Perhaps a sign of the times but the pairing of Nigel Hopkins and Jason Beamish did two displays in their Ex-

ABOVE: Part of the large crowd that enjoyed the windy Virginia Air show.

Standard Bank was the prime sponsor and this Extra was freshly painted.

tras. Elton Bondi and Roger Deare (in newly branded Standard Bank colours) gave beautiful solo aerobatics displays in their Extra 300s.

The SAAF had a BK 117 and an A109 chopper and they put on amazing aerial ballet.

outstanding gyro aerobatics

The crowd pleasing Puma Energy Flying Lions Harvards did two displays under Ellis Levin, this time with team owner Arnie Meneghlli, Sean Thackwray and, new to the team, Andrew Blackwood Murray who did really did well. Andrew also gave a great solo display in his Nashua Extra 300.

A stand out was gyro aerobatics.

The Gazelle and gyro.

FLYER

The Goodyear Eagles lead by Nigel Hopkins with Jason Beamish and Trevor Warner put the Pitts S2Bs through their paces with some great tight aerobatics.

Towards the end of the show came some crazy flying by a beautiful Cessna 140 and we also had a car/bike race during the day.

The enthusiasts on social media had a mixed response to the airshow – a notable comment was; “Virginia airshow needs a shake up. What is on show is brilliant. Some amazing airmanship and we are eternally grateful to have the airshow back in Durban after a long absence. But I’ve been three years in a row now and it feels like more of the same. It feels stale. Like we need a wow, like a fighter jet or an Airbus A380 or something that is a real showstopper. Even old war birds will be a wow. Please give some thought to a shakeup next year.”

Nonetheless to the organisers and sponsors, well done! These events take a huge amount of work and are much appreciated by Durban aviation lovers.

Limited SAAF presence from 15 Squadron.

Nigel Hopkins and Jason Beamish in action.

Flying Lions Harvards at rest.

Aero Engineering and Powerplant AMO LISTING

Aero Engineering and Powerplant AMO LISTING

HELICOPTER SERVICES

TOWN

NAC (021) 425-3868 www.nachelicopterscapetown.com

Cape Town Helicopters (021) 418-9462 www.helicopterscapetown.co.za

GEORGE Titan (044) 878-0453 www.titanhelicopters.com

NAC (011) 267-5000 www.nac.co.za

Leading Edge (013) 741-3654 www.leadingedgeaviation.co.za

NAC (011) 345-2500 www.nac.co.za

VIRGINIA

BAC (031) 569-1531 www.bachelicopters.com

NAC (031) 944-1678 www.nac.co.za

HCARE IS MISSION LIKE NO OTHER

Helping to keep the world a beautiful place, Airbus HCare  portfolio offers the best combination of support and services for every customer. Starting the moment an Airbus helicopter is delivered, we’ll make sure your operations are carried out efficiently, safely and cost-effectively. Because when your focus is on the mission, our focus is on you.

OSHKOSH

Landing on the Dot

I was lucky enough to make the pilgrimage to Oshkosh again this year, flying the flag for SA Flyer.

September 2025

Spectacular night show fireworks.

WHENEVER I tell people I’m off to the States, they ask the same thing: So, where are you going? My answer is always the same: Oshkosh. Cue blank stares. Why, they wonder, would anyone travel 14,000 km to visit one place in America?

It’s a fair question — and one only fellow aviators truly understand. Oshkosh isn’t just an event; it’s an institution. It’s the kind of place pilots dream about, where you’re woken by the growl of a radial engine instead of an alarm clock, and the smell of avgas is an intoxicating elixir.

The only real clue that we’re in the USA is the accent — the same one we grew up hearing on SABC in the Dallas and A-Team era — and the fact that a mediocre burger costs the same as a Woolies trolley dash.

The beauty of Oshkosh is that it rips you out of your daily humdrum on the southern tip of Africa and drops you into a world that revolves around aviation 24/7.

This year, Neil Bowden and his team gave the infamous Fuel Pit a

facelift. For the uninitiated, this is the bar that has been the undoing of many fine upstanding folk. It’s where Spotted Cow Lager, Doomsday Ale, and the downright dangerous Candy Floss Moonshine flow freely.

Kamp Plakkerfontein hosted 200 of us this year, offering ice-cold drinks, tasty food, and featuring the infamous Fire Pool — our salvation from the relentless heat.

The usual suspects were there too. Sling Island buzzed with activity despite tariff headwinds. Their big win this year came courtesy of the FAA’s new MOSAIC rule, which allows manufacturers to sell complete, readyto-fly aircraft in the US built to ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards — no full FAA certification needed. This opens the door for larger, faster, more capable LSAs and expands pilot privileges.

Stefan Coetzee was meant to show off three KFA aircraft in the Ultralight Fun Fly Zone. Sadly, a truck mishap on the way to Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport left two damaged. Only one Safari

survived, but it flew the flag proudly.

South Africans didn’t just show up — we conquered. For the first time ever, we knocked Australia off the top spot for mostrepresented international

we knocked Australia off the top spot

country at AirVenture. A total of 287 Saffers signed in at the International Tent — three more than the Aussies. And as we learned in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand, one point is still a win.

Our flag will now take prime position on the Brown Arch for the first time in history — a proud moment for EAA 322.

Airshow highlights? Seeing an Me 262 — the first operational jet fighter — chased down by two P-51 Mustangs. With its revolutionary jet propulsion, the Me 262 outpaced the Mustang by 104 knots, an extraordinary feat considering its design was conceived way back in 1939.

And then there was the

F-35B’s Saturday night party trick. Short take-off, vertical landing, hover like a UFO… If the Roswell crowd ever needed proof that aliens exist, this would be it. The thing just appears and hangs there — like it’s judging you for eating that extra helping of ‘slap’ chips.

But my personal cherry on the top? Flying the legendary FISK approach in a kit-built RV-14A N585TM, owned by Jim Montague.

Sling Island buzzed with activity

For a pilot, especially one from a different continent, that’s bucket-list stuff. The kind of experience that makes you forget the jet lag, the heat, and even the small fortune you just spent on aircraft spares.

Craig Ritson had generously offered me the chance to take the controls, but with only an RV-7A on my licence — and knowing full well that climbing into an unfamiliar aircraft under the pressure of an Oshkosh departure was a recipe for disaster — I declined. Besides, this wasn’t Craig’s first rodeo, and my trust in his skill was absolute.

The morning dawned crisp and clear, the air still, as we walked to the warbirds section where the RV-14 sat tethered. Preflight complete, we found a willing marshal to halt the traffic so we could taxi out. We paused at the intersection to the warbirds apron, waiting for thirty North American P-51 Mustangs to return from their early-

morning passenger flights. I slipped off my headset to fully savour the rising chorus of Merlin engines as they rumbled past.

Normally, holding short when you’re eager to get airborne is frustrating — but a fleet of Mustangs parading past is a rare privilege, and I was more than happy to enjoy the spectacle.

ATC routed us to Runway 9, giving me a rare view of AirVenture from “backstage”. I started filming as we began the taxi; the line of parked aircraft seemed endless, wingtips stretching into the horizon. It took two minutes just to roll past them all. Only from this vantage point can you truly grasp the sheer scale of Oshkosh.

When we reached the end, ATC redirected us to Runway 36 — another slow parade of flying machines, each with its own story.

Unruffled as ever, Craig lined up and awaited clearance. Moments later, we were airborne. I watched the land recede, Oshkosh sprawling beneath us in all its splendour. We tracked parallel to Fond du Lac, the alternative airfield some 14NM south of Wittman, before Craig banked left towards the seaplane base — a sight far more impressive from the air than it could ever be from the ground.

Craig handed me the stick and I flew the RV-14 — a bigger, beefier sibling to the RV-7. Then, with practised ease, he took over for a few perfectly executed rolls and loops — his favourite part of flying. All the while, ATC choreographed the constant stream of arrivals and departures, keeping chatter to a minimum unless absolutely necessary.

Approaching FISK, ATNS had already

South Africans were the most numerous foreigners.

The Goodyear blimp was one of two giving rides.

The 200+ Saffer contingent at Neil Bowdens 'Camp Plakkerfontein'.

The modern Me-262 was another favourite - esp when flown with P-51s.

Massed T-28 Mentors - at Osh theres always more.

A beautiful study of the B29 Fifi.

Vans RV-15 impressed with its presence - and paint scheme.

A highlight this year was the U-2 'Dragon lady'.

A beautiful Beech Staggerwing.

The amphibian and seaplane base.

A Citabruiia doing a rolling circle - amazingly accurate flying.

FLYER MAGAZINE - September 2025

Heavy metal in the form of a USAF B-17.

A MiG 17 lights up the sky with its afterburner.

identified us and asked us to rock our wings in acknowledgement.

“RV-14, that was a great rock! Would you prefer to land on Runway 27 or 18?” Craig chose 18, and we continued in, ATNS giving us precise positional calls.

Cleared to land on the pink dot, Craig made a sharp turn onto base and then onto final approach. It all happened so quickly that by the time I’d found my bearings, he was already aiming for his shortfield mark — executing a perfect spot landing . Even with multiple approaches behind him, Craig admitted afterwards that he’d been a little nervous — this was his first landing on Runway 18

The ground crew waved us through with broad smiles, giving thumbs-up as we passed. What struck me was the generosity of spirit — ATNS, marshals, fellow pilots — all radiating calm and encouragement despite managing hundreds of aircraft each day. It’s this quiet competence and good humour that inspires confidence — and keeps Oshkosh’s incident rates enviably low.

At our parking bay, visitors closed in almost instantly, drawn by the RV-14’s beauty and the morning’s energy. They helped us push her back into position. Whilst I wrestled with a particularly stubborn rope, Craig had already tied down the right wing one-handed and without fuss.

There are moments that stop you short, that humble you and quietly reset your perspective. That morning was one of mine. What I learned from flying with Craig is not merely that a person can master an aeroplane with one arm — but that it’s attitude, far more than anatomy, that determines your altitude.

Oshkosh 2025 did not disappoint. There were less fighter jets than the previous year and a few less warbirds on display but that didn’t dampen the enjoyment or for that matter the attendance which topped the previous year by 20,000 attendees.

There are moments that reset your perspective

Considering the uncertainty of South Africa’s current aviation climate, it was refreshing to see the progressive initiatives being rolled out by the FAA and their unwavering commitment to the support and growth of general aviation.

One can only hope that our local authorities take heed.

Annual fly-in/airshow total attendance 704,000, topping the 686,000 mark set in 2024.

AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS: 16,246 from 17-28 July

SHOW PLANES: There were 2,543, breaking down to 995 vintage aircraft, 910 homebuilt aircraft, 361 warbirds, 101 ultralights and light planes, 75 aerobatic aircraft, 74 seaplanes and amphibians, 18 rotorcraft, and nine balloons.

CAMPGROUND USERS: 40,000 visitors made use of 15,000 campsites in aircraft and drive-in camping

VOLUNTEERS: Nearly 6,000 contributed nearly 300,000 hours.

COMMERCIAL EXHIBITORS: A recordsetting 962 showed up this year.

Forums, workshops, and presentations: There was a lot to choose from, as there were more than 1,600 sessions hosted during the week at 65 venues.

International guests: AirVenture boasts worldwide appeal. A total of 2,305 attendees from 94 countries outside the U.S.

Local economic impact: The EAA estimates the event brought in $257 million for the five counties in the Oshkosh region (Winnebago, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Brown). That figure is based on a recent University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh economic impact study for the 2024 event.

ABOVE: A family affair - the U-2 pilot.

LEFT: F-22 and p-51 Mustang in formation.

BELOW: Many classics were polished to mirror finishes.

• Now certified for TCAS training.

• RNAV and GNSS Certified on all flight models from single engine to turbine.

Tel: 011 701 3862

E-mail: info@aeronav.co.za

Website: www.aeronav.co.za

AERONAV ACADEMY FUEL TABLE

BOEING WINS BIG WITH KOREAN AIR

Korean Air has committed to purchase 103 aircraft from Boeing as part of a $50 billion investment agreement, marking the airline’s largest-ever order. The deal was signed in Washington on August 25, 2025.

THE 103 aircraft deal includes 20 Boeing 777-9s, 25 Boeing 787-10s, 50 Boeing 737-10s, and eight Boeing 777-8F freighters. This is Boeing’s biggest widebody order from an Asian carrier. The aircraft are scheduled for phased delivery through to the end of 2030.

The announcement came just hours after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the 15% tariff imposed on South Korean imports by the US in July 2025.

“We are honored to strengthen our partnership with Korean Air through this landmark agreement,” said Stephanie Pope, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “As Korean Air

transitions to a larger unified carrier, we are committed to supporting the airline’s growth with one of the world’s most efficient fleets.”

“As one of America’s largest trading partners, the Republic of Korea knows well the power of US ingenuity and manufacturing, and this deal further strengthens our economic ties,” Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade William Kimmitt said in a statement, published by the International Trade Administration (ITA) on August 25, 2025.

The airline says the aircraft acquisition is a “proactive measure” to support Korean Air’s long-term growth following its integration with Asiana Airlines.j

A B777-8 Freighter in Korean livery.

RAND AIRPORT feature

Airport - The Friendly General Aviation Airport in Germiston Rand Airport's iconic Art Deco terminal building.

Rand Airport is an anomaly; a public - private sector partnership (PPP) that works – well most of the time anyway.

Rand Airport Road, Terminal Building, Germiston, Gauteng

Tel. No. 011 827-8884/5/6 Facsimile 011 824-4475

Stuart Coetzee – Acting Airport Manager Tel. No: 011 827-8884 Ext. 202

Email: carolyn@randairport.co.za

THE PPP

The past few years have seen the airport endure massive upheavals with a revolving door of general managers and interim managers.

The PPP began in 2000 when the airport was sold by the Johannesburg City Council. A specific condition of the sale was that it had to remain an airport until at least 2020.

The ownership structure of the airport is unique in that all the hangars are owned with full freehold title. When the airport was sold in 2000, some of the hangar tenants elected not to buy their hangars and so these are owned by the Airport Holding company and are let to tenants, providing essential income for the management and upkeep of the facilities.

In 2000 there were originally 23 private shareholders, and as most of the hangar sales have been taken up by existing owners, there has been a small consolidation to the current 19 owners plus the Mayondo BBBEE consortium and Ekurhuleni Town Council.

THE AEROTROPOLIS PROPOSAL

The airport is well located near to OR Tambo Airport and the Witwatersrand’s highways and rail network. The recent highway upgrade makes it convenient, even for those aircraft owners who live in northern suburbs. The Ekurhuleni

Metropolitan Municipality thus continues to promote an ‘Aerotropolis’ that recognises the airport’s proximity to OR Tambo International.

The ownership consortium has embarked on a revamp campaign, emphasising; “It has the potential to become the complete integrated Airport Park,” which will include hotels, shops and an industrial park.

the airport’s proximity to OR Tambo

HISTORY

Rand Airport is like a classy old dowager. In its ninety-five years, the airport has seen grand times and great moments. The SAA Museum Society provides an invaluable description of the incredible early days of the airport.

Rand Airport was originally constructed in the 1930s when it consisted of just a grass-covered field and a hangar. In 1929, when Imperial Airways announced its service to South Africa, the energy and vision of the Municipality of Germiston (afterwards backed up by the Johannesburg Civic Authorities) laid the foundation of what would eventually become Rand Airport.

It was a bit of a free for all until the

Rand Airport in the 1950s, the remains of the clock are still visible.

Transport Commission brought order. On 21 December 1931 the first flight of Imperial Airways arrived from London at Rand Airport and the airport was officially opened by the Governor General, the Earl of Clarendon.

In 1931 the various governments concerned concluded arrangements with Imperial Airways to run a service from London to the Cape. The Germiston Municipality was approached by the SA Government to provide an airport capable of handling day and night traffic and housing aircraft larger than any previously used in South Africa. As a result of the negotiations, the Germiston Town Council voted £65,000 for the conversion of the old

aerodrome into a properly equipped airport, and work started at once.

One large and one small hangar, as well as an administrative office building and workshop for Imperial Airways, were constructed. A complete floodlighting system was installed and a number of cottages built for the staff of Imperial Airways. Also erected were wireless masts for communication with the Imperial Airways aircraft.

The Governor-General, the Earl of Clarendon, officially opened Rand Airport in December 1931. Over 2,500 people drove, rode or walked to the aerodrome to attend the opening. The following day, 20 December 1931, the first Imperial Airways Handley Page HP

FLYER MAGAZINE - September 2025

42 biplane airmail flight from London arrived at Rand Airport.

Growth was quick. As a result of increased activity at Rand, a decision was made to improve facilities and a new air station was built to provide adequate control of the movements of aircraft from a properly equipped control tower, and to cater for the comfort of passengers by means of waiting rooms, baggage hall, customs office and restaurant.

several operators moved to Lanseria Airport

Before the erection of the terminal, the passengers’ baggage was dumped on the ground and sorted in the open while friends meeting air travellers were obliged to stand about in all weather.

In addition, a clubhouse for the Rand Flying Club, a house for a resident customs official and a meteorological station were erected. Prior to the building of the clubhouse, flying club members were accommodated in a small reed roofed shack which, owing to the rapid increase in membership, soon became too small.

For the second time the Governor-

General opened the New Rand Airport, on Monday 5 August 1935. At the time it was considered that sufficient development work had been done to last many years. But inevitably it was not so. The introduction of the Empire airmail, the continually increasing activity of South African Airways and the greater interest in private flying necessitated further development.

Soon after the opening in 1935 seven more hangars were erected, a

Held on a Sunday, the Rand Airshow is a great outing for the whole family to enjoy flying. Image: Guy Leitch

International plane spotters make pilgrimages to Rand Airport's Historic Society compound. Image: Stauffenberg

larger clubhouse built for the Rand Flying Club, the South African Airways administrative building was greatly enlarged and buildings, both temporary and permanent, provided for the fuel supply companies and flying schools operating from the airport.

Even this was not sufficient, and in 1939 work began on two further hangars, as well as extensions to existing hangars and alterations and additions to the terminal. A mess for South African Airways staff, a wireless

workshop and an engine workshop were also constructed.

The terminal building has remained virtually the same since it was built. The only noticeable change is the addition of a new control tower, which was added on top of the existing structure. A special feature of the 1935 terminal building was the flat roof, which to this day is open to the public and gives a fine view across the airport.

Before World War 2 the airport was owned jointly by the Germiston City

A recent Google Earth image of Rand Airport showing the new development south-east of the threshold of Runway 29.

Council, the Rand Gold Refinery and Elandsfontein Estates. It became the headquarters of South African Airways when its head office was moved from Durban on 1 July 1935. In 1948, SAA moved its headquarters to Palmietfontein Airport due to runway length constraints. Nevertheless, Rand Airport still grew with vigour after the Second World War due to the pool of ex-air-force pilots.

Rand became the busiest airport in the southern hemisphere. However, during the 1980s, several corporate and charter operators moved to Lanseria Airport. The runway at Lanseria is considerably longer than those at Rand, and the airport elevation is 1000 feet lower (4517’ as opposed to 5482’ at Rand). In response to the exodus from Rand, its main runway, 29/11, was lengthened, but not to any large degree due to the geographical constraints of the site.

Given Rand’s vibrant history, the primary terminal building has been declared a National Heritage Site.

the primary terminal building has been declared a National Heritage Site

Imperial Airways launched a service to Rand in 1931.

MISTRAL AVIATION SERVICES

Mistral Aviation was founded in 2002 with the aim of addressing thehigh cost of operating aircraft thousands of miles from the original equipment manufacturers (OEM).

At Mistral we believe that by utilising the favourable labour rate and localexpertise within South Africa, the cost of importing components can be offset whilst producing a product comparable to that of European and US facilities.

Mistral Aviation is an independently owned company and has always traded as Mistral Aviation Services. We are in no way linked with Mistral Aviation, based in the DRC, or any other companies with similar names.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Telephone: (+27) 011 3977 478

E-Mail: Peter@mistral.co.za

SPRINGBOK AVIATION

Springbok Aviation was born out of a love for vintage aviation by Captain Flippie Vermeulen when he first started flying the Douglas DC-3 Dakota at the age of 19.

Now, with the Vermeulen family’s wide variety of expertise and more than 76 years of experience, stemming back from South African Airways and 21 years of preserving vintage aircraft with Springbok Classic Air and Springbok Aviation Services, the Springbok Aviation group is well equipped to provide a unique worldclass service to our clients.

Springbok Air Academy is a flight training academy based at Rand Airport. We have been in operation since 2007 and offer training from a Private Pilots License (PPL), through Commercial Pilots License (CPL) up to Airbus and Boeing Type Ratings. Our SACAA approved flight academy has an outstanding safety record and strives to provide the highest quality training. We have qualified flight instructors with decades of experience in the airline and charter industry.

Come spend the night with our gorgeous aircraft. Dakota Lodge is our premium 3-star lodge, located at Hangar 5 Spitfire Crescent, Rand Airport. Our lodge is the ideal accommodation for the business traveller, or voyagers who would like a relaxing layover.

AIRFIELDS & MORE CLASSIFIEDS

AIRSPAN EXECUTIVE AIRPORT, a dynamic, young, registered airport, just east of Rustenburg, NW. A tarred, lighted 900m runway, helipads, aprons, 1000+ people venue, restaurant, bar, accommodation. Extending the runway (1100m), registering a PPL school, building hangers, storage units, and an AMO. Looking forward to all fly-ins (no landing fees)!

Contact details: Renzia: 082 432 9228 / 083 229 5746, Fanie: 083 651 2254

Email: Airspan.fbf@gmail.com

BRITS FLYING CLUB

Brits Flying Club, Founded in 1952, Brits Flying Club is one of South Africa's most respected aviation clubs, producing world-class aviators. Home to Springbok colours, we've nurtured champions. Located at FABS, our 900m asphalt runway (02/20) supports top aviation. Join us in honouring our rich heritage! Telephone: 012 255 0155

E-Mail: info@britsflyingclub.co.za Website: britsflyingclub.co.za

FABB is located central in the Ekurhuleni, close to OR Tambo. It houses various Flight Schools and AMOs, and has a lit 1440m runway. Jet-A1 and Avgas are available.

The clubhouse has a restaurant, lounge, pub, DSTV, outside braai area, pool, kids play area, and ablution facilities for overnight stays.

Fuel on airfield Avgas & Jet A1

FAHG 125.9

Contact – Andre Vorster +27 83 654 2793

Mail: Andre Vorster: andre@poxytech.co.za

Fuel on airfield Avgas & Jet A1

FAHG 125.9

Contact –Andre Vorster

+27 83 654 2793

Mail: Andre Vorster: andre@poxytech. co.za

NPL/PPL Training Centre - SACAA accredited (SACAA1177ATO) NPL

Part 62 and PPL Part 61 ATO in Ladysmith KZN (FALY) and we have been in business since 2009. Avgas sales are also available at FALY. Contact Larry: +27 83 788 2704

HIMEVILLE AIRFIELD

Himeville airfield is the gateway to Underberg and the southern Drakensberg surrounds. Sani Pass, Hiking, camping fishing, MTB biking, running trails, paddling the list of activities is long. Loads of accommodation options available

Co-ordinates: S29"44.9 E029"30.2

Runway: 05/23 900m grass

Frequency: 124.8

Contact:

Jayson van Schalkwyk +27 82 322 5722

MAGALIES GLIDING CLUB

Orient Airfield FAOI

S26°02’24” E027°35’42”

Situated 45km WNW of Johannesburg, the airfield features a 1.4km main runway, 36-18, 5100ft ASL. Training is provided in Gliders and TMG’s up to GPL level. The TMG’s are available for cost effective hour building for CPL and PPL Pilots.

Contact: http://mgc.org.za

FUSELAGE WINES

Operating from: Diemerskraal Airfield R45

Wellington Danie cell: 0760 385 495 danie@fuselagewines.com

OWN YOUR SLICE OF SKY AT TEDDERFIELD AIRPARK!

Ditch the rent and land your dreams at our fly-in community! Secure your hangar or stand in a buzzing aviation hub with epic facilities, security, SLING Aircraft, and a like-minded crew of aviators. SPACE IS LIMITED. INVEST NOW! https://tedderfield.co.za/home TedderfieldAirpark.co.za or contact Alan or Nic on +27 83 702 3680 or +27 82 900 4299.

FABB is located central in the Ekurhuleni, close to OR Tambo. It houses various Flight Schools and AMOs, and has a lit 1440m runway. Jet-A1 and Avgas are available.

The clubhouse has a restaurant, lounge, pub, DSTV, outside braai area, pool, kids play area, and ablution facilities for overnight stays.

news

EMBRAER’S 2,000 BIZ-JETS

On 28 August, Embraer announced it has surpassed 2,000 business jet deliveries at the handover of a Praetor 500 to an undisclosed corporate flight department at Melbourne Florida USA.’

ABOVE: Embraer has delivered 2000 Bizjets.

EMBRAER’S executive aviation business has grown at an average compound growth rate of 14% since 2002, when their first executive jet was delivered. In 2024, nearly one in every three small and midsize cabin jets delivered was an Embraer Phenom or Praetor. The Embraer Phenom 300 has long held the number 1 spot in sales. j

BACKPAGE DIR ECT ORY

208 Aviation

Ben Esterhuizen +27 83 744 3412 / 83 820 1513 ben@208aviation.co.za info@208aviation.co.za www.208aviation.com

A1A Flight Examiner (Loutzavia)

Jannie Loutzis 012 567 6775 / 082 416 4069 jannie@loutzavia.co.za www.loutzavia.co.za

AES (Cape Town)

Erwin Erasmus 082 494 3722 erwin@aeroelectrical.co.za www.aeroelectrical.co.za

AES (Johannesburg)

Danie van Wyk 011 701 3200 office@aeroelectrical.co.za www.aeroelectrical.co.za

Aerocolour cc

Alfred Maraun 082 775 9720 www.aeroeng@iafrica.com

Aero Engineering & PowerPlant

Andre Labuschagne 012 543 0948 www.aerocolour@telkomsa.net

Aerokits

Jean Crous 072 6716 240 aerokits99@gmail.com

Aeronav Academy Donald O’Connor 011 701 3862 info@aeronav.co.za www.aeronav.co.za

Aeronautical Aviation Clinton Carroll 011 659 1033 / 083 459 6279 clinton@aeronautical.co.za www.aeronautical.co.za

Aerospace Electroplating

Oliver Trollope 011 827 7535 petasus@mweb.co.za

Aerotel Martin den Dunnen 087 6556 737 reservations@aerotel.co.za www.aerotel.co.za

Aerotric Richard Small 083 488 4535 aerotric@aol.com

AIFA Sean Stopford +27 (23) 007 0100 seanst@aifa.co.za

Aviation Rebuilders cc Lyn Jones 011 827 2491 / 082 872 4117 lyn@aviationrebuilders.com www.aviationrebuilders.com

AVIC International Flight Academy (AIFA) Theo Erasmus 082 776 8883 rassie@aifa.co.za

Air 2000 (Pty) Ltd

Anne Gaines-Burrill 011 659 2449 - AH 082 770 2480 Fax 086 460 5501 air2000@global.co.za www.hunterssupport.com

Aircraft Finance Corporation & Leasing

Jaco Pietersen +27 [0]82 672 2262 jaco@airfincorp.co.za

Jason Seymour +27 [0]82 326 0147 jason@airfincorp.co.za www.airfincorp.co.za

Aircraft General Spares

Eric or Hayley 084 587 6414 or 067 154 2147 eric@acgs.co.za or hayley@acgs.co.za www.acgs.co.za

Aircraft Maintenance International

Pine Pienaar 083 305 0605 gm@aminternational.co.za

Aircraft Maintenance International Wonderboom Thomas Nel 082 444 7996 admin@aminternational.co.za

Air Line Pilots’ Association

Sonia Ferreira 011 394 5310 alpagm@iafrica.com www.alpa.co.za

Airshift Aircraft Sales Eugene du Plessis 082 800 3094 eugene@airshift.co.za www.airshift.co.za

Alclad Sheetmetal Services Ed Knibbs 083 251 4601 ed@alclad.co.za www.alclad.co.za

Algoa Flying Club

Sharon Mugridge 041 581 3274 info@algoafc.co.za www.algoafc.co.za

Alpi Aviation SA

Dale De Klerk 082 556 3592 dale@alpiaviation.co.za www.alpiaviation.co.za

Apco (Ptyd) Ltd

Tony/Henk + 27 12 543 0775 apcosupport@mweb.co.za www.apcosa.co.za

Ardent Aviation Consultants

Yolanda Vermeulen 082 784 0510 yolanda@ardentaviation.co.za www.ardentaviation.co.za

Ascend Aviation Marlo Kruyswijk 079 511 0080 marlo@ascendaviation.co.za www.ascendaviation.co.za

Atlas Aviation Lubricants

Steve Cloete 011 917 4220 Fax: 011 917 2100 sales.aviation@atlasoil.co.za www.atlasaviation.co.za

AVDEX (Pty) Ltd

Tania Botes 011 954 15364 info@avdex.co.za www.avdex.co.za

Aviatech Flight Academy

Nico Smith 082 303 1124 viatechfakr@gmail.com www.aviatech.co.za

Aviation Direct

Andrea Antel 011 465 2669 info@aviationdirect.co.za www.aviationdirect.co.za

Avtech Riekert Stroh 082 749 9256 avtech1208@gmail.com

BAC Aviation AMO 115 Micky Joss 035 797 3610 monicad@bacmaintenance.co.za

Blackhawk Africa Cisca de Lange 083 514 8532 cisca@blackhawk.aero www.blackhawk.aero

Blue Chip Flight School Henk Kraaij 012 543 3050 bluechip@bluechip-avia.co.za www.bluechipflightschool.co.za

Border Aviation Club & Flight School

Liz Gous 043 736 6181 admin@borderaviation.co.za www.borderaviation.co.za

Bona Bona Game Lodge

MJ Ernst 082 075 3541 mj@bonabona.co.za www.bonabona.co.za

Breytech Aviation cc 012 567 3139 Willie Breytenbach admin@breytech.co.za

Celeste Sani Pak & Inflight Products Steve Harris 011 452 2456 admin@chemline.co.za www.chemline.co.za

Cape Town Flying Club

Beverley Combrink 021 934 0257 / 082 821 9013 info@capetownflyingclub.co.za www.capetownflyingclub.co.za

Cape Town Flight Training Centre Frans 021 976 7053 admin@cape-town-flying.co.za www.cape-town-flying.co.za

Capital Air Tanya Vinagre 011 827 0335 / 083 928 7265 tanya@capitalairsa.com www.capitalairsa.com

Century Avionics cc Carin van Zyl 011 701 3244 sales@centuryavionics.co.za www.centuryavionics.co.za

Chemetall

Wayne Claassens 011 914 2500 wayne.claassens@basf.com www.chemetall.com

Chem-Line Aviation & Celeste Products

Steve Harris 011 452 2456 sales@chemline.co.za www.chemline.co.za

Clifton Electronics cc CJ Clifton / Irene Clifton 079 568 7205 / 082 926 8482 clive.iclifton@gmail.com

Comair Flight Services (Pty) Ltd Reception +27 11 540 7640/FAX: +27 11 252 9334 hello@flycfs.com www.flycfs.com

Cornerstone Sharon Muller 082 941 4018 sharon.muller@liblink.co.za

Corporate-Aviators/Affordable Jet Sales Mike Helm 082 442 6239 corporate-aviators@iafrica.com www.corporate-aviators.com

CSA Aviation – Cirrus South Africa Alex Smith 011 701 3835 alexs@cirrussa.co.za www.cirrussa.co.za

C. W. Price & Co Kelvin L. Price 011 805 4720 cwp@cwprice.co.za www.cwprice.co.za

Dart Aeronautical Pieter Viljoen 011 827 0371 pieterviljoen@dartaero.co.za www.dartaero.co.za

Dart Aircraft Electrical Mathew Joubert 011 827 0371 Dartaircraftelectrical@gmail.com www.dartaero.co.za

Diepkloof Aircraft Maintenance cc Nick Kleinhans 083 454 6366 diepkloofamo@gmail.com

DJA Aviation Insurance 011 463 5550 0800Flying mail@dja-aviation.co.za www.dja-aviation.co.za

Dynamic Propellers Andries Visser 011 824 5057 082 445 4496 andries@dynamicpropeller.co.za www.dynamicpropellers.co.za

Eagle Flight Academy Mr D. J. Lubbe 082 557 6429 training@eagleflight.co.za www.eagleflight.co.za

Execujet Africa 011 516 2300 enquiries@execujet.co.za www.execujet.com

Federal Air Rachel Muir 011 395 9000 shuttle@fedair.com www.fedair.com

Ferry Flights int.inc. Michael (Mick) Schittenhelm 082 442 6239 ferryflights@ferry-flights.com www.ferry-flights.com

F Gomes Upholsters Carla de Lima 083 602 5658 delimaCarla92@gmail.com

Fireblade Aviation 010 595 3920 info@firebladeaviation.com www.firebladeaviation.com

Flight Training College Cornell Morton 044 876 9055 ftc@flighttrainning.co.za www.flighttraining.co.za

Flight Training Services Amanda Pearce 011 805 9015/6 amanda@fts.co.za www.fts.co.za

Fly Jetstream Aviation Henk Kraaij 083 279 7853 charter@flyjetstream.co.za www.flyjetstream.co.za

Flying Unlimited Flight School (Pty) Ltd

Riaan Struwig 082 653 7504 / 086 770 8376 riaan@ppg.co.za www.ppg.co.za

Flyonics (Pty) Ltd Michael Karaolis 010 109 9405 michael@flyonics.co.za www.flyonics.co.za

Gemair Andries Venter 011 701 2653 / 082 905 5760 andries@gemair.co.za

GIB Aviation Insurance Brokers Richard Turner 011 483 1212 aviation@gib.co.za www.gib.co.za

Guardian Air 011 701 3011 082 521 2394 ops@guardianair.co.za www.guardianair.co.za

Heli-Afrique cc Tino Conceicao 083 458 2172 tino.conceicao@heli-afrique.co.za

Henley Air Andre Coetzee 011 827 5503 andre@henleyair.co.za www.henleyair.co.za

Hover Dynamics Phillip Cope 074 231 2964 info@hover.co.za www.hover.co.za

Indigo Helicopters Gerhard Kleynhans 082 927 4031 / 086 528 4234 veroeschka@indigohelicopters.co.za www.indigohelicopters.co.za

IndigoSat South Africa - Aircraft Tracking Gareth Willers 08600 22 121 sales@indigosat.co.za www.indigosat.co.za

International Flight Clearances

Steve Wright 076 983 1089 (24 Hrs) flightops@flyifc.co.za www.flyifc.co.za

Investment Aircraft

Quinton Warne 082 806 5193 aviation@lantic.net www.investmentaircraft.com

Jabiru Aircraft

Len Alford 044 876 9991 / 044 876 9993 info@jabiru.co.za www.jabiru.co.za

Jim Davis Books

Jim Davis 072 188 6484 jim@border.co.za www.jimdavis.co.za

Joc Air T/A The Propeller Shop Aiden O’Mahony 011 701 3114 jocprop@iafrica.com

Johannesburg Flying Academy

Alan Stewart 083 702 3680 info@jhbflying.co.za www.jhbflying.co.za

Kishugu Aviation +27 13 741 6400 comms@kishugu.com www.kishugu.com/kishugu-aviation

Khubenker Energy (Pty) Ltd T/A Benveroy Vernon Bartlett 086 484 4296 vernon@khubenker.co.za www.khubenker.co.za

Kit Planes for Africa

Stefan Coetzee 013 793 7013 info@saplanes.co.za www.saplanes.co.za

Kzn Aviation (Pty) Ltd

Melanie Jordaan 031 564 6215 mel@kznaviation.co.za www.kznaviation.co.za

Lanseria Aircraft Interiors

Francois Denton 011 659 1962 / 076 810 9751 francois@aircraftcompletions.co.za

Lanseria Flight Centre

Ian Dyson Tel: +27 11 312 5166, F: +27 11 312 5166 ian@flylfc.com www.flylfc.com

Lanseria International Airport

Mike Christoph 011 367 0300 mikec@lanseria.co.za www.lanseria.co.za

Leading Edge Aviation cc

Peter Jackson Tel 013 741 3654 Fax 013 741 1303 office@leaviation.co.za www.leadingedgeaviation.co.za

Legend Sky 083 860 5225 / 086 600 7285 info@legendssky.co.za www.legendsky.co.za

Litson & Associates (Pty) Ltd

OGP/BARS Auditing & Advisory Services & Aviation Safety Training

Email: Phone:enquiries@litson.co.za 27 (0) 8517187 www.litson.co.za

Litson & Associates Risk Management Services (Pty) Ltd

eSMS-S™/ eTENDER/ e-REPORT / Aviation Software Systems

Email: Phone:enquiries@litson.co.za 27 (0) 8517187 www.litson.co.za

Loutzavia Aircraft Sales

Henry Miles 082 966 0911 henry@loutzavia.co.za www.loutzavia.co.za

Loutzavia Flight Training

Gerhardt Botha 012 567 6775 ops@loutzavia.co.za www.loutzavia.co.za

Loutzavia-Pilots and Planes

Maria Loutzis 012 567 6775 maria@loutzavia.co.za www.pilotsnplanes.co.za

Loutzavia Rand Frans Pretorius 011 824 3804 rand@loutzavia.co.za www@loutzavia.co.za

Lowveld Aero Club

Pugs Steyn 013 741 3636 Flynow@lac.co.za

Maverick Air Charters

Lourens Human 082 570 2743 ops@maverickair.co.za www.maverickair.co.za

MCC Aviation Pty Ltd

Claude Oberholzer 011 701 2332 info@flymcc.co.za www.flymcc.co.za

Mistral Aviation Services

Peter de Beer 083 208 7249 peter@mistral.co.za

MH Aviation Services (Pty) Ltd

Marc Pienaar 011 609 0123 / 082 940 5437 customerrelations@mhaviation.co.za www.mhaviation.co.za

M and N Acoustic Services cc Martin de Beer 012 689 2007/8 calservice@mweb.co.za

Metropolitan Aviation (Pty) Ltd

Gert Mouton 082 458 3736 herenbus@gmail.com

Money Aviation Angus Money 083 263 2934 angus@moneyaviation.co.za www.moneyaviation.co.za

Mont Blanc Financial Services

Devon Ford 0800 467 873 info@mbfs.co.za www.mbfs.co.za

MS Aviation Gary 082 563 9639 gary.templeton@msaviation.co.za

North East Avionics

Keith Robertson +27 13 741 2986 keith@northeastavionics.co.za deborah@northeastavionics.co.za www.northeastavionics.co.za

Orsmond Aviation 058 303 5261 info@orsmondaviation.co.za www.orsmondaviation.co.za

Owenair (Pty) Ltd

Clive Skinner 082 923 9580 clive.skinner@owenair.co.za www.owenwair.co.za

Par-Avion Exclusive Catering

Jakkie Vorster 011 701 2600 accounts@par-avion.co.za www.par-avion.co.za

PFERD-South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Hannes Nortman 011 230 4000 hannes.nortman@pferd.co.za www.pferd.com

Plane Maintenance Facility

Johan 083 300 3619 pmf@myconnection.co.za

Powered Flight Charters

Johanita Jacobs Tel 012 007 0244/Fax 0866 66 2077 info@poweredflight.co.za www.poweredflight.co.za

Powered Flight Training Centre

Johanita Jacobs Tel 012 007 0244/Fax 0866 66 2077 info@poweredflight.co.za www.poweredflight.co.za

Precision Aviation Services

Marnix Hulleman 012 543 0371 marnix@pasaviation.co.za www.pasaviation.co.za

Propeller Centre

Theuns du Toit +27 12 567 1689 / +27 71 362 5152 theuns@propcentre.co.za www.propcentre.com

Rainbow SkyReach (Pty) Ltd

Mike Gill 011 817 2298 Mike@fly-skyreach.com www.fly-skyreach.com

Rand Airport

Kevin van Zyl Kevin@horizonrisk.co.za +27 76 801 5639 www.randairport.co.za

Dr Rudi Britz Aviation Medical Clinic

Megan 066 177 7194 rudiavmed@gmail.com

Wonderboom Airport

SAA Technical (SOC) Ltd

SAAT Marketing 011 978 9993 satmarketing@flysaa.com www.flysaa.com/technical

SABRE Aircraft

Richard Stubbs 083 655 0355 richardstubbs@mweb.co.za www.aircraftafrica.co.za

Savannah Helicopters

De 082Jager 444 1138 / 044 873 3288 dejager@savannahhelicopters.co.za www.savannahhelicopters.co.za

Scenic Air

Christa van Wyk +264 612 492 68 windhoek@scenic-air.com www.scenic-air.com

Sheltam Aviation Durban Susan Ryan 083 505 4882 susanryan@sheltam.com www.sheltamaviation.com

Sheltam Aviation PE Brendan Booker 082 497 6565 brendanb@sheltam.com www.sheltamaviation.com

Signature Flight Support Cape Town

Alan Olivier 021 934 0350 cpt@signatureflight.co.za www.signatureaviation.com/locations/CPT

Signco (Pty Ltd)

Archie Kemp Tel 011 452 6857 Fax 086 504 5239 info@signco.zo.za www.signco.co.za

Skytrim Rico Kruger +27 11 827 6638 rico@skytrim.co.za www.skytrim.co.za

SleepOver

Michael Richardson 010 110 9900 michael.richardson@sleepover-za.com www.sleepover-za.com

Sling Aircraft Kim Bell-Cross 011 948 9898 sales@airplanefactory.co.za www.airplanefactory.co.za

Solenta Aviation (Pty Ltd) Paul Hurst 011 707 4000 info@solenta.com www.solenta.com

Southern Energy Company (Pty) Ltd

Elke Bertram +264 8114 29958 johnnym@sec.com.na www.sec.com.na

Southern Rotorcraft cc Mr Reg Denysschen Tel no: 021 935 0980 execheli@iafrica.com www.rotors-r-us.com

Starlite Aero Sales Klara Fouché +27 83 324 8530 / +27 31 571 6600 klaraf@starliteaviation.com www.starliteaviation.com

Starlite Aviation Operations Trisha Andhee +27 82 660 3018/ +27 31 571 6600 trishaa@starliteaviation.com www.starliteaviation.com

Starlite Aviation Training Academy Durban: +27 31 571 6600 Mossel Bay: +27 44 692 0006 train@starliteaviation.com www.starliteaviation.com

Status Aviation (Pty) Ltd

Richard Donian 074 587 5978 / 086 673 5266

info@statusaviation.co.za www.statusaviation.co.za

Superior Pilot Services Liana Jansen van 0118050605/2247Rensburg info@superiorair.co.za www.superiorair.co.za

Swift Flite

Linda Naidoo Tel 011 701 3298 Fax 011 701 3297 info@swiftflite.com / linda@swiftflite.com www.swiftflite.co.za

The Aviation Shop Karel Zaayman 010 020 1618 info@aviationshop.co.za www.aviationshop.co.za

The Copter Shop Bill Olmsted 082 454 8555 execheli@iafrica.com www.execheli.wixsite.com/the-copter-shop-sa

The Pilot Shop

Helen Bosland 082 556 3729 helen@pilotshop.co.za www.pilotshop.co.za

Titan Helicopter Group 044 878 0453 info@titanhelicopters.com www.titanhelicopters.com

Top Flight Academy Nico Smith 082 303 1124 topflightklerksdorp@gmail.com

Turbo Prop Service Centre 011 701 3210 info@tpscsa.co.za www.tpscsa.co.za

Ultimax Aviation (Pty) Ltd Aristide Loumouamou +27 72 878 8786 aristide@ultimax-aviation.com www.ultimax-aviation.com

United Charter cc Jonathan Wolpe 083 270 8886 jonathan.wolpe@unitedcharter.co.za www.unitedcharter.co.za

United Flight Support

Clinton Moodley/Jonathan Wolpe 076 813 7754 / 011 788 0813 ops@unitedflightsupported.com www.unitedflightsupport.com

Velocity Aviation Collin Pearson 011 659 2306 / 011 659 2334 collin@velocityaviation.co.za www.velocityaviation.co.za

Villa San Giovanni Luca Maiorana 012 111 8888 info@vsg.co.za www.vsg.co.za

Vortx Aviation

Bredell Roux 072 480 0359 info@vortx.co.za www.vortxaviation.com

Wanafly

Adrian Barry 082 493 9101 adrian@wanafly.net www.wanafly.co.za

Windhoek Flight Training Centre

Thinus Dreyer 0026 40 811284 180 pilots@flywftc.com www.flywftc.com

Wings n Things Colin Blanchard 011 701 3209 wendy@wingsnthings.co.za www.wingsnthings.co.za

Witbank Flight School Andre De Villiers 083 604 1718 andredv@lantic.net www.waaflyingclub.co.za

Wonderboom Airport Peet van Rensburg 012 567 1188/9 peet@wonderboomairport.co.za www.wonderboomairport.co.za

Zandspruit Bush & Aero Estate Martin Den Dunnen 082 449 8895 martin@zandspruit.co.za www.zandspruit.co.za

Zebula Golf Estate & SPA Reservations 014 734 7700 reception@zebula.co.za www.zebula.co.za

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