Photos – Noel Sellick. For many years two aircraft have guarded the entrance to the Gqebetha International Airport (formerly Port Elizabeth). Then one fell off its plinth. HISTORY The first aircraft to be placed on gate guard occurred on 27 May 1995. It was an Aermacchi MB 326 Atlas Mk1Read More →
May 2022 – There are welcome indications that general aviation in South Africa is bouncing back strongly to pre-Covid levels. However, the pandemic has weeded out the weaker players in the industry – letting only the fittest survive. ONE of the most welcome survivorsof the pandemic has been regional airlineRead More →
This brief reminiscence brings to an end the series of anecdotes from Doc Mark Holliday reflecting on his many outlandings experienced during thirty years of competitive gliding. MY VERY FIRST SA NATIONALS competition was back in the good old days in Vryburg. I had leaking waterbags, so I launched anRead More →
I’m often asked whether our air-to-ground operations in the security industry make a real difference. Granted, the media seems to bombard us almost daily with accounts of another cash in transit vehicle bombed or courier van hijacked. BAD NEWS SELLS. But without good-news accounts, we may as well just hide-outRead More →
(Text: Jason Beamish and Guy Leitch Images: Shane Doyle) The Savage Bobber must be the ultimate Piper Cub in that it has been stripped down to the absolute bare essentials for flight. This unique aircraft with its uncovered fuselage is like nothing else on the market. THE BIG IDEA ISRead More →
Things aren’t always what they seem. One of the pleasures of this job is hearing from readers. Some write to correct my errors or to note my omissions. Some are hostile, though the population recommending my immediate consignment to the infernal fires has for some reason dwindled in recent years.Read More →
POSITION REPORT (SAFlyer June 2021) – ‘INDUSTRY NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED FROM STUPID GOVERNMENT’ THERE IS AN ENDURING PERCEPTION in Africa that general aviation (GA) is the plaything of rich whites. So we continue to lose airports to population pressure and land hunger. This is exacerbated by the location ofRead More →
A RECENT SPATE OF SPECTACULAR JET engine failures reminds us that the development of aircraft has not been so much about aerodynamic advances, but rather, it has been driven by engine development. And the biggest and most fascinating battle amongst the airline manufacturers is not between Airbus and Boeing, butRead More →
This report is to promote aviation safety and not to establish legal liability. The CAA’s report contains padding, repetition, poor English and incompetence. So, in the interest of clarity and readability, I have had to correct and paraphrase extensively. Aircraft Registration: ZS-KMS Time of Accident: 12 September 2012 0545Z TypeRead More →
Aug’21 – SOUTH AFRICA IS THE MOST AMAZING LAND OF CONTRASTS. There are the obvious terrible contrasts: specifically that we have the highest Gini coefficient of inequality in the world. The ANC government has failed dismally to uplift the poor, so the old African truism; “The rich get richer, whileRead More →
