Flight Test Guy Leitch I have been privileged to have flown the most fantastic variety of planes – from the Denel Cheetah for an air-to-air refuelling mission, to a ninety-year-old Tiger Moth. So I suppose it’s natural that I occasionally get asked an impossible question by a young bright-eyed aviationRead More →
Morne Booij-Liewes We start this month with a new Air Tractor AT-502B, ZS-XKB. The manufacturer describes this model as “the world’s most popular ag plane with over 1000 of these aircraft having been manufactured since 1987. Several of these are already in service in South Africa in agricultural, firefighting andRead More →
South Africa desperately needs a new long range strategic airlift aircraft. In 2010 the South African Air Force (SAAF) was supposed to have begun replacing its aged C130s with Airbus A400Ms – but that was cancelled by government. The Americans were keen to sell South Africa their Boeing C-17 heavyRead More →
After 20 years of flying my second homebuilt, preceded by 9 years in my first, I wish I could say that most things that can go wrong already have; but the gods might think me insolent. At this point, however, I can at least say what has worked and whatRead More →
With the Cape fire season having a particularly bad year, many property owners owe a large debt of gratitude to the huge Air Tractor 802F firebombers. They have become an invaluable weapon in the armoury against the fires that sweep through the Cape nature reserves and threatened farms and houses.Read More →
Jeffery Kempston One warm December, evening I overheard a story in the Lanseria Airport bar. A private pilot from Salisbury, Rhodesia, had bought a new Cherokee Six from the factory and entrusted its delivery to a US airline pilot friend. This gentleman had wished to buy a new 300 hpRead More →
Turns out that our speculation that Cirrus was going to be new small Chinese based trainer was off the mark. All they have done is given the SR series a make-over and called it the G7. And it aint cheap. A well equipped Turbo SR22 will now cost over US1Read More →
Cirrus is teasing a new product introduction it calls “The next evolution of personal aviation,” but it won’t be saying what it is until Thursday night. It is expected to be the Rotax-powered SR10 trainer based on a plane developed by its Chinese operation a few years ago. The ChineseRead More →
For the pilot with the means to step up from piston singles to true cabin-class personal transport, the Cessna C340 is a great proposition. It is also the aircraft that many airline pilots chose to move down to – which says a lot about its capabilities. The subject of ourRead More →
Test Dave Unwin. Images – Keith Wilson The BAe Strikemaster is a personal jet that any well-heeled private pilot can own – and fly. And indeed, two were owned and operated in South Africa until a few years ago. The BAC 167 Strikemaster has had a lengthy history with aRead More →
