RSR #34 Last month we looked at the theory behind map, clock and compass (MCC) nav. It’s the basis of ALL nav. Now let’s put it into practise. 2500 years ago Confucius said, ‘Life is simple, but we insist on making it complicated.’ Then in 1960 Kelly Johnson – Lockheed’sRead More →
Over the past twenty years the experimental ‘homebuilt’ aircraft industry has undergone a seismic shift; from planes built for speed, to planes built for low and slow ‘bush flying’ – or what the Americans call ‘back-country’ operations. RANS aircraft was well positioned to take advantage of this groundswell change. SinceRead More →
And so it ends. SA Flyer has been killed by not one, but two, fatal wounds. First, by the idiocy of the SACAA, which has forgotten that it is not just supposed to make the industry safer, but actually develop it. Second, the magazine industry has been killed by theRead More →
Oshkosh – Landing on the Dot Story and pics – Laura McDermid I was lucky enough to make the pilgrimage to Oshkosh again this year, flying the flag for SA Flyer. Whenever I tell people I’m off to the States, they ask the same thing: So, where are you going?Read More →
Laura McDermid 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,Read More →
Laura McDermid 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-lee-leh), there have been many such moments, but perhaps the most defining has been her abilityRead More →
The CAA Doesn’t Care When Engines Fail 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 CAARead More →
Vicarious experience is the second best teacher. 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 ofRead More →
NAV MADE EASY M is a friend for whom I am acting as a sort of long-range 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 giveRead More →
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 Jacobsz took the picture on the Saturday afternoon. He says that asRead More →
