Following on from our SA Flyer report in April, one of notorious plane salesman Piet van Blerk’s victims was Denise Hellman – a grandmother who bought a new Cirrus SR-22. The South African high court found in favour of Denise Hellman in an action against the aircraft’s financier. The matterRead More →
Speed and small sexy bodies may be cute for supercars – but they can be a lethal cocktail for inexperienced pilots. Beech had this problem with the V-tail Bonanza, Piper with its Malibu and Cirrus with the SR-22. The good es is that in time, all these problems were solved.NonRead More →
In this month’s Attitude for Altitude Column, Guy Leitch explores the consequences of the CAA’s latest attempts to raise fees from work that was and should be included in your annual licence fee: I have been writing about the CAA for sixteen years and the more time passes, the lessRead More →
A reader has shared that MEV (Bronkhorstpruit VOR) and HBV (Hartbeespoortdam VOR) have both disappeared. The picture shows the state of GWV is the VOR (navigational beacon) on the border between SA and Zim. RNAV point (Satellite/GPS nav point)is UTULI. So these ground based NAV sites are problematic. Then youRead More →
There is rapidly mounting evidence that we are being conned by the government about the real chances of success for the new SAA version 2. IT HAS NOW BECOME CLEAR that the government has been making promises about its last surviving state-owned airline that it has no intention of keeping.Read More →
THERE IS VERY GOOD NEWS for aspiring pilots. The pilot shortage is going to reach critical levels in the next few years, driving up pay and working conditions as airlines compete to attract and retain pilots. Facebook forum FlyAfrica has many senior and former pilots. A recent discussion is insightful:Read More →
THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE (SANDF) is looking to establish a dedicated disaster response unit. The SANDF is regularly called on to assist with floods, fires and other events. The Chief of the SANDF, General Rudzani Maphwanya, said that the military is looking towards establishing a disaster management unit.Read More →
March 2023 – Who Guards the Guards? The development of general aviation in South Africa faces three large hurdles: 1) The high price of fuel. 2) The weak Rand and associated high price of new planes and parts. 3) The CAA – which, despite its mandate to develop aviation, hasRead More →
March 2023 – LOOKING AT THE ADVERTISEMENTS for planes for sale is worrying. It’s not just the usual crop of aircraft from people wanting to trade up. There is a far greater proportion of pilots selling everything: their planes, headsets and hangars. In other words, they are done with flying.Read More →