George Tonkin – Regular readers of the magazine would have noticed a new “Heli Ops” column. In that first column, I introduced myself as the , “The Silver Fox.” I NEVER IMAGINED MYSELF as a writer and most definitely did not dream of a regular monthly column. But anyone whoRead More →
Peter Garrison – Sometimes it’s not the speed that breaks aeroplanes, it’s the slowing down. IN AN ARTICLE ON THE 2012 crash of a Pilatus PC-12, I faulted the National Transportation Safety Board for mixing up indicated and true airspeeds. Actually, it was I who misread the report. I amRead More →
RAY WATTS – September 2022 This month, although not quite as exciting as last month, nevertheless contains a few delicious items. FIRST OF ALL, there is an Embraer 145 added to the register which was seen operating in Russia with her South African registration, ZS-ABB, applied in the last month.Read More →
(TEXT- Guy Leitch, IMAGES – Garth Calitz and Andre Venter) A WONDERFUL LITTLE PLANE! The humble Ercoupe must be one of the most under-rated planes ever. The reason ‘real pilots’ love to heap scorn at it is because it was designed to be as easy to fly as driving aRead More →
Guy Leitch – Who wudda thought it? According to ICAO, the biggest crisis facing the airline industry today is not the sky-high price of fuel – or the problems of actually getting it to the airports when gas pipelines are being blown up and tankers get caught in storms. AVIATION’SRead More →
Guy Leitch – As the global aviation industry bounces back surprisingly strongly from the Covid calamity, it was inevitable that the system would start breaking under the pressure of lost skills. A LARGE PART OF THE SURPRISE may have been that the crisis first occurred in the lower skilled employeesRead More →
Guy Leitch, Mike Peterucha – Russia’s much publicised failures in the air battle for the Ukraine contain many lessons for African air power strategists. In this article Mike Pietrucha (of the inappropriately named ‘Amateur hour”) outlines some of the key failings of the Russian airpower strategy. THE KEY LESSONS areRead More →
JIM DAVIS – ACCIDENT REPORT This discussion is to promote safety and not to establish liability. The CAA’s report contains padding and repetition, so in the interest of clarity, I have paraphrased extensively. Aircraft registration: ZS-FMV Date and time of accident: 9 Aug 2011, 1530Z Type of aircraft: Piper PA28-180Read More →
George Tonkin – “Never has so much been owed to so few by so many” – Winston Churchill speaking of the Allied airmens’ gallant efforts shortly after the Battle of Britain. ON THE EVE OF THE GREATEST air battle in history, all seemed desperate and lost in Britain with aRead More →
