CATEGORIES

DOT's ICAD AIRSHOW AND AVIATION YOUTH DEVELOPMENT EVENT AT HEIDELBERG

Our team of photographers, Charlie and Fiona Hugo, Paul Ludick, Christine and I all attended the Department of Transport's (DoT) and South African Civil Aviation's (SACAA) International Civil Aviation Day (ICAD) at the Heidelberg airfield on Saturday 3 December 2022.

HUMAN FACTORS: WHOSE FAULT, REALLY?

It was a pretty little thing, the Cherokee. Liquidly gloss white, with two-toned red stripes on the wings, fuselage and tail its gear wrapped in wheel pants. It had been owned by one man for the previous 20 years without incident and yet, nine months after its sale to a new owner, the Cherokee was a crumpled pile of junk lying in a ditch off the end of Runway 24 at Oswego County Airport (KFZY) in Fulton, New York.

TAMARACK AND PROSPECTIVE PARTNERS EXPLORING A320 UPGRADES

Founded to provide advancements in aerospace efficiency technology, Sandpoint, Idaho-based Tamarack Aerospace Group is currently engaged in serious and confidential talks with single-aisle aircraft manufacturing organizations, carriers, lessors and service organisations at the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) show.

BOMBARDIER TO BEGIN MODIFYING GLOBAL 6000 FOR GERMAN MILITARY

Bombardier Defence celebrated the arrival of a Global 6000 aircraft in Wichita, Kansas as part of the next phase of the company's contract to support Lufthansa Technik's participation in the German armed forces' Hensoldt-led Pegasus programme. Since the aircraft's 2020 selection to the programme, Bombardier has delivered three Global 6000 jets to Lufthansa Technik.

LUXAVIATION

There are several stages involved in purchasing an aircraft. Though the potential gravity of each step can make the process appear daunting, buying or selling an aeroplane does not have to be complex.

EXERCISE VUK'UHLOME 2022 LOHATLA 2022

The South African Defence Force (SANDF) has a very privileged position within the worlds military. The large expanse of South Africa allows our military to have huge training bases where large scale exercises and testing of military doctrine can be tried, tested, reevaluated and honed to perfection. There are ten such bases worldwide and the SANDF's Lohatla Combat Training Centre (CTC) in the Northern Cape is one of two such in the Southern Hemisphere.

BEST OF THE BEST FRANK WHITTLE INVENTOR OF THE JET ENGINE

Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, FRAES was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer. He is credited with inventing the turbojet engine. A patent was submitted by Maxime Guillaume in 1921 for a similar invention which was technically unfeasible at the time. Whittle's jet engines were developed some years earlier than those of Germany's Hans von Ohain, who designed the first-to-fly (but never operational) turbojet engine.

THE QUEEN OF THE SKIES FINALLY RETIRES

The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am requested an airliner that would be at least two and a half time larger than the 707 in order to reduce the cost of flying.

PATHWAY TO THE US GREEN CARD AS A PILOT

Founded in 1992 by Jean Francois Harvey, Harvey Law Group has evolved into a leading multinational law firm with specialisations in immigration and business. With office in more than 20 countries, including South Africa, alongside 30+ years of experience Harvey Law Group aims towards one goal, your success. Through different residency, citizenship, citizenship by ancestry, visa and retirement programmes Harvey Law Group has been ensuring its clients a smooth transition whichever program they so choose. As of 2021 Harvey Law Group has been helping pilots through the process of acquiring their green cards via the EB-2 NIW pilot programme, allowing them to stay, work and live in the United States with their dependents.

BELL TEXTRON's VALOR WINS US ARMY'S FLRAA COMPETITION A TO REPLACE BLACK HAWK

The award is worth up to $1.3 billion, but a follow-on production contract could place the programme in the range of $70 billion over its lifetime.

POISONLESS PERFORMANCE UNLEADED AVGAS APPROVED AMIDST SAN JOSE CONTROVERSY

Heavy lead fills the air with power and poison and a ban on 100 Low Lead fuel sales all year at two California airports sparked outrage that burned through decades of red tape. High performance piston fuel that does not cause brain damage was approved by the FAA on 1 September and the US Environmental Protection Agency started the process with a hearing on 1 November.

THE LUFTHA SA HEIST

Within hours, the men would flee, having committed one of the largest cash robberies in the United States, prompting an investigation which would span decades and would go on to be called the ‘Lufthansa Heist ’.

DELIVERY OF FIRST BELL 505 TO ANGOLA

Bell Textron company, announced the delivery of the first Bell 505 to Angolan aviation company, BESTFLY. The aircraft was handed over during a ceremony in Mirabel, Canada.

UNITED AIRLINES UNVEILS HISTORIC ORDER TO PURCHASE UP TO 200 NEW BOEING WIDEBODY AIRLINERS

On 12 December United Airlines announced the largest widebody order by a US carrier in commercial aviation history: 100 Boeing 787 Dreamliners with options to purchase 100 more. This historic purchase is the next chapter in the ambitious United Next plan and will bolster the airline's leadership role in global travel for years to come.

US LAWMAKERS DENY KEY EXTENSION FOR BOEING 737 MAX

After declining to add a deadline extension for Boeing to fit new safety systems on the 737 MAX-7 and MAX-10 to the latest annual spending bill, United States lawmakers have squashed the manufacturer's hopes of continuing with certification of the aircraft type.

MORE EFFICIENT TO BUILD NEW BOEING 787s THAN TO RESTORE THEM

Following the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to temporarily stop certification of newly built Boeing 787s between May 2021 and August 2022, it is more efficient for Boeing to build new aircraft rather than to restore the stored inventory from that period, analysts have said.

HARTZELL AVIATION FORMED

Hartzell, the storied and inveterate American manufacturer of aircraft propeller systems, has been reorganised under the auspices of Tailwind Technologies Inc. The emergent entity, Hartzell Aviation, encompasses a growing number of brands to include: Hartzell Propeller, Hartzell Aerospace Welding, and Hartzell Engine Tech.

6 metre waves. All engines on fire. 1 500 Km from land.

How Flying Tiger 923 and its 'miracle pilot' made an impossible ocean landing.

Best of the best Robinson Helicopter founder Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson passed away on 12 November at his Rolling Hills, California home. Robinson feigned insult when asked about his possible retirement at a packed 2009 Heli-Expo press conference. Why?” he shot back with a grin when asked about it. You know what the late comedian Jack Benny said when they asked him what he was going to do with all that money when he died? He said, If cannot take it with me, won’t go.’ He didn’t need a retirement and I think don’t, either.”

80% of people have a fear of flying

The fear of flight has been a well-existing phenomenon that many fliers suffer from, especially the first-timers. The comfortable ride through the clouds can be a memorable journey for many, but few are in a hurry to make a landing and feel the solid surface and fresh air.

101 ways to kill your instructor

On 26 February 2022 at approximately 0645Z, an instructor and a student pilot on-board a Jabiru J430 aircraft with registration ZU-IKG took off from Runway 27 at Rhino Park Aerodrome with the intention to land back at the same aerodrome. The purpose of the flight was to conduct circuit training towards a conversion to a Jabiru J430 aircraft. The flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions VMC) by day and under the provisions of Part 141 of the Civil Aviation Regulations CAR) 2011 as amended.

TUNISIAN AIR FORCE TAKES DELIVERY OF FIRST OF EIGHT BEECHCRAFT T-6C TEXAN II

On 8 November Textron Aviation Defence announced the delivery of the first Beechcraft T-6C Texan II Integrated Training System to the Tunisian Air Force in support of operations at No. 13 Squadron at Sfax Air Base in Tunisia.

CONTINENTAL'S VIEW ON GENERAL AVIATION'S FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY

“The European Union has committed to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. Starting in 2025, the aviation fuel made available to EU airports should contain 2% Sustainable Aviation Fuel SAF), increasing to 5% by 2030, 32% by 2040 and 63% by 2050. That means we need to give our customers an opportunity to fly carbon free or at least carbon neutral.” So says Dr David Dorner, Vice President of Global Research and Development Continental Aerospace Technologies. Since Continental already has a wide range of diesel piston engines, if someone has a Jet-A powered aircraft they can already use the Sustainable Aviation Fuels, the SAFs currently available. For Avgas engines, it is a little more difficult, given the current limited supply of fuel sources. But we are working to validate and verify more SAFs and unleaded fuel sources so that our customers have more choices.”

10 Reasons Why People Are Switching To Spidertracks

When selecting a partner to provide essential flight information, data and insights about your aircraft, there’s plenty of options on the market. Does your current provider give you the capability to enhance operational efficiency, profitability and safety in your business?

THE 22ND WORLD RALLY FLYING CHAMPIONSHIPS

At last we had arrived at the competition week, after months of planning after Sunday 13 November dawned everything was in place to have the event start. After the morning briefings were concluded, preparation for the opening ceremony were carried out with podiums, sound and everybody in their national dress. Karl Jensen was the master of ceremonies for the opening ceremony, which started promptly at 15h00 with a parade of nations, each country with their national flag and country signboard walked past the clubhouse to gather around the podium and as they walked past their countries National Anthem was played.

THE FIRST ALSIM AIRLINER IN FRANCE FOR MERMOZ ACADEMY

The AIRLINER is the brand-new hybrid simulator (Fly-by-wire and conventional control) manufactured by ALSIM to address large flight training programmes for advanced training such as Crew Resource Management, Jet Aircraft Handling and Emergency Procedures.

CAN PILOTS GET SPEEDING TICKETS FOR FLYING TOO FAST?

A ticket for speeding while driving a car is a black mark and can lead to all sorts of problems. But what happens when the flight crew exceeds a flight's speed limit? Can a pilot receive a 'speeding ticket'?

PILOTS NEED TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

\"Write this down,\" said the instructor of the private pilot ground school, writing the FAA's five hazardous attitudes on the classroom white board. \"We are about to talk about these.\"

SOUTH AFRICA EXCELS WITH ICAO SAFETY INDEX OF +1

On Tuesday 8 November I attended the speech by the minister of Transport held at the SACAA's offices in Midrand. Apart from being more than one hour late, the Minister delivered an excellent address from prepared notes about South Africa's excellent aviation safety record. Of course, this applies to airlines in this country and not General Aviation, where there has not been any fatal accident for the past 30 years.

HUMAN FACTORS IN TWO-WAY RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

The Human factors database of worldly experience has proven to us all time and again, that four factors ensure that even the most skilled professionals are ultimately exposed to making errors and mistakes.