CATEGORIES

NOSE LEFT, LOW RPM HORN SCREAMING

Since the beginning of powered flight, pilots have had one unifying dread – a dead stick landing.

AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT

FLUTTER - BE VERY AFRAID

FACE TO FACE DIRECTOR OF THE CAA: MS POPPY KHOZA

Ms Poppy Khoza has been the Director of the CAA for more almost 10 years something of a record. She must be doing something right to have lasted so long in such a difficult job. Guy Leitch caught up with her.

When Airline Pilots Have Fun

Recreational pilots may be forgiven for sometimes thinking that airline pilots have a boring job, flying the same routes, day in and day out, to strict procedures, while maximising fuel efficiency to keep the bean-counters happy.

Learning to Fly Single Seat Fire-bombers

Ag Aviation Africa (AAA), the Sub-Saharan and the Middle East agent for Air Tractor, hosted an open day and launch party before the Stellenbosch airshow to introduce their newly approved Aircraft Training Organisation (ATO), Ag Aviation Flight Academy (AAFA).

Drop Test

Safety in aviation means coming down softly. I once wrote that it would be impossible for a skydiver in a wingsuit to flare and land without a parachute.

Hot Air Ballooning - The Purist Form of Flight

Hot air ballooning has always been a bucket list item for me and finally I was given the chance to experience the oldest form of flight known to man. Dale de Klerk, the CEO of Bill Harrop's "Original" Balloon Safaris, invited SA Flyer for a flight, and I jumped at the offer.

CemAir - Bouncing Back Strongly

As the airline industry slowly returns to a 'new normal', Johannesburg based carrier CemAir is thriving. The airline is pushing ahead, into the gaps in the market left by the departure of competitors such as SA Express and Mango, and the slow restart of SAA.

Blackhawk 350: The Ultimate King Air

Blackhawk Modifications have built an enviable reputation taking excellent turboprops and making them even better. This is particularly evident in the spectacular gains they have achieved with the Beechcraft King Air range.

Aerial Search and Rescue

The recent devastating flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, in which over 400 people have died, has once again highlighted South Africa's deficiency in terms of aerial search and rescue aircraft.

RAND AIRPORT - AVIATION COMPANIES GUIDE

Rand Airport in capitalising on its excellent location and facilities to lead the post-Covid recovery in general aviation.

OBITUARY TIRO VORSTER - 7 DECEMBER 1943 - 24 APRIL 2022

Tiro Vorster was a world-renowned aviation artist. He was a Fellow of the American Society of Aviation Artists (ASAA) and this information comes from ASAA and from a profile in World Airnews by Pieter Cronjé.

LOOKING BACK AT LOCKDOWN - THE MOMENT OUR LIVES FOREVER CHANGED.

It always fascinates people when they see how much I can pack into the helicopter to go away on trips. Some call it my flying bakkie.

PUPES - PLEASURES OR PAINS

What makes some people memorable and others not? Why can I picture Monkey May, my maths master, and Miss McDonald who taught us art, but not the catering lady? Apparently, it's to do with emotions. Monkey May frightened the hell out of me, and I was deeply in love with the gorgeous Sally McDonald who glided amongst us budding artists, offering gentle words of encouragement. The catering lady? Nah – no idea who she was.

Miracle of the Hudson

WARNING: this is not a regular column about helicopters and includes graphic scenes which may disturb some readers. Especially men.

Has the CAA Been Captured?

It is an aphorism to say that aviation safety is a matter of life or death and thus safety must be nonnegotiable. Using this justification, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) gets away with being quick to ground airlines for breaches of safety requirements.

Eastern Cape Cancels Ams Contract

The eastern cape air medical service was awarded almost two years ago.

Updating a Classic the Utlimate Stinson 108

Some classic designs are so good that after 75 years they are still practical aeroplanes. There is an increasing realisation that they deserve to be rejuvenated and enjoyed, long after the original manufacturer may have shut up shop.

The Stellenbosch Mirage

One of the former SAAF Mirage F1cZs was donated to Stellenbosch Flying Club in 2019. Unfortunately, due to a shortage of funds to construct a building to house it - it stood exposed to the elements.

STELLENBOSCH AIRSHOW 2022 - A GREAT RETURN

After a Covid driven two-year drought of airshows, the Stellenbosch Airshow has opened the 2022 airshow season with a bang.

THE GARMIN D2 MACH 1 SMARTWATCH

GARMIN HAS ANNOUNCED its latest pilot's smartwatch - and it's very smart indeed.

HAI 2022 - REVIEW

After the Covid motivated cancellation of the 2021 expo, Helicopter Association International's (HAI) Heli-Expo bounced back this year drawing 13,083 attendees and 590 exhibitors. That brought the attendance to more than 90% of the 2020 Heli-Expo.

BLACKHAWK BUYS RECOIL

BLACKHAWK AEROSPACE announced in March it has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire controlling ownership of Recoil Aerospace, LLC, an innovative designer and manufacturer of lightweight, carbon fibre composite wildland fire suppression tanks, aircraft aerostructures, and ballistically tolerant auxiliary fuel tanks for helicopters.

AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT

ZS-ERF CESSNA C182

Airbus H130 – Proof of a Good Pedigree

Some helicopter designs are so good that not only are they a great success in their own right – but they spawn a series of variants. One such is the Airbus H130, which is a very successful outgrowth of the original AS350 Ecureuil ‘Squirrel’.

NO MUSIC FOR ME, THANK YOU

Next time you are eating your favourite choccie while reading a good book, try see if you can enjoy both at exactly the same moment. It doesn’t really work, does it?

SEARCH AND RESCUE

“Who will come to find me if I go down?” I often wonder while flying alone in the outer reaches of the bushveld. It’s not that I’m obsessive-compulsive. I’ve always just been fascinated with the idea of rescue; how you can exercise the full capabilities of the helicopter to help a person in need.

Planes and Bikes - a full cycle

Aeroplanes and bicycles have an unlikely affinity. It took bicycle builders to understand stability and build the first successful aeroplane. And now Sling Aircraft is using their plane building skills to make better bicycles.

LET US NOW PRAISE GEORGE CAYLEY - HE OUGHT TO BE MORE FAMOUS

A few years ago some Connecticut boosters recently dusted off the claim that Gustave Whitehead, of the township of Fairfield in that great state, was “first in flight”. I, and I suspect quite a few others, emitted a sigh of jaded déjà vu.

Operator Report - Cape Town Helicopters on Their Airbus H130

Versatility, safety and reliability are the stand-out comments from Cape Town Helicopters’ pilots as to why the H130 is one of their firm favourites. For a single-engine helicopter, the H130 punches above its’ weight compared to competing helicopters in its class such as the Bell 407 and 206 Long Ranger.