EXERCISE 5: Taxying In the olden days when everything was black and white, the RAF taught me that a taxying accident is unforgivable. Their exact words. Now, fast forward to the 1960s and the subject comes up again. I am enjoying a chat with Phil Smullian, the boss of AirRead More →
We love it when a fresh new photographer with his own style emerges. This striking image of a SAAF C-47 Dakota at the SAAF Museum Ysterplaat was taken by the 17-year old Dhiav Naidoo. (Also known as Sky Guy Aviation). He explains – ‘I always try to go with aRead More →
Last month Hugh Described the over-zealous application of stop cards by ignorant health and safety officials. This month we start off with Hugh’s reply to a report he received on his flying: OFFICIAL Report on Stop Card ref 174/11/01 Raised on 9th-November-2002 Raised by Anon On 9th-November-2001, a Stop CardRead More →
Laura McDermid continues her stories about Iris McDermott in East Africa. On the 26 August 1980 I was asked to fly charter clients in the Aztec: 5Y-ARN. This aircraft had a 12-volt battery which often caused me to have serious heart flutters when trying to start the engines. All theRead More →
By Eduardo González Sarría and Lionel Reid EXTRACT: MiG DOWN Luena, August 1985 “Wakey wakey, my pigeons, you’ve got a lot of flying today.” The voice was accompanied by a banging on the bunk bed structure on which Eduardo lay. “God damn you, Januaria!” Mauricio said. The dormitory came toRead More →
Laura McDermid continues her stories about Iris McDermott in East Africa. I resigned from my role as a commercial pilot at Air Kenya at the close of 1979 and in April the following year joined a company called Sunbird Aviation based out of Wilson Airport in Nairobi. The fledgling airlineRead More →
Peter Garrison I graduated from college in 1965. The Vietnam War was in full swing, and any able-bodied male who was not being educated was being drafted. I could have gone to graduate school, but instead decided to take my chances. I moved in with a couple of old friendsRead More →
By Eduardo González Sarría and Lionel Reid Published by Mercury. Available in all good bookstores and online: R385. EXTRACT: THE HUMBLE ASSASSIN THE HUMBLE ASSASSIN How the humble SAAF Impala Mk 2 fought far above its weight class. “Sometimes it is the people who no-one imagines anything of who doRead More →
Peter Garrison I take a miserly pleasure in finding big expensive books on sale at desperately low prices. A bookstore near me, another victim of Amazon, closed recently, disposing of most of its inventory, during its final weeks, at progressively more drastic discounts. I had admired one book in aRead More →
