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 →

In a landmark achievement for African aviation, SSASS Holdings, the strategic African partner of uAvionix Corporation, has successfully completed the first installation of the FlightLine air traffic surveillance system at Lanseria International Airport, located north west of Johannesburg. The deployment marks the beginning of a new era of cost-effective, high-performance ADS-B-based situational awareness forRead More →

Guy Leitch One of the world’s most eagerly awaited piston single engine aircraft designs has finally arrived in South Africa. ZU-KTR is a long awaited Panthera, proudly owned by Bertus Kritzinger, a Free State trucker, and based at New Tempe in Bloemfontein. Pipistrel have won many prizes for efficient  planesRead More →

Guy Leitch Sometimes it seems  that the CAA really loses the plot and sets out to destroy general aviation. (And thus living up to its moniker the Commission Against Aviation). We are in the middle of one of those moments, and for many this is a life or death struggle.Read More →

By Fabrice Morlon In place of the original Lycoming, two RV builders and RV supremo Robin  Coss, supported by engine manufacturer Continental, installed a CD-155 diesel engine on a Van’s RV-9. Their aim was to counter the gradual disappearance of Avgas 100LL. This project was a godsend for Continental, whoRead More →

REAL FORCED LANDINGS Jim Davis If you were ferrying a 235 Cherokee across an extensive lump of vertical scenery in the Southern Cape when the engine suddenly became intermittently rebellious, you would be faced with some serious decision making. Would it be a good idea to pull the power rightRead More →

Guy Leitch The pilot shortage will hasten the move, which many see as inevitable, to single pilot cockpits. And here’s a thought – single pilot flightdecks are much the same as no-pilot flightdecks. To deal with the shortage, airlines are making profound changes to pilot employment contracts. In South Africa,Read More →