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LIVING THE DREAM Part 2: Planning and Pax

Part 2: Planning and Pax

QUEEN AIR TALES

In the early seventies Esquire Airways acquired a pre-owned Beechcraft Queen Air. This top of the range 8,800 lb MAUW model had nine forward facing commuter seats and I flew it as a single pilot operation for several months.

HELICOPTER PILOTS SHOULD UNIONISE

Helicopter pilots are stuck in a 12-month flying cycle. While they will have periods of rest and active rest (performing ground-based tasks and planning ventures) within their work source campaigns, it's not a good situation. They need programmed periods to catch their breath.

AFTERMATH of the Engine Fire

Iris McCallum continues her stories about her early years with Air Kenya. This month she tells us about the immediate aftermath of her dramatic engine fire and crash, and her subsequent 'getting back onto the saddle'.

LARGEST EVER RHINO RELOCATION

Specialist air cargo operator ACS mobilised all its skills to successfully complete a very challenging project – the translocation of 39 White Rhino from Namibia to the USA.

NOVEMBER 2024

November sees strong growth in aircraft registrations with 16 additions, but 10 aircraft are cancelled as exported. The Type Certified additions are a mixed bag.

TWINCO FUEL

AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT

RON WHEELDON'S HUNTERS

RON WHEELDON is a Johannesburg based trademark and IP attorney. He writes, \"My love affair with Hawker Hunter jet fighters started in approximately 1963 when the Rhodesian parliament opening was marked by a fly-by of nine recently acquired Hawker Hunters in diamond formation.

FLYING THE HAWKER HUNTER

Flying a Hunter starts hours before actually walking out to the aircraft. This machine is a legend, but it is first of all about the highest performance machine that it is feasible for a civilian to fly. Flying it is not to be taken lightly.

RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 25 SLOW FLIGHT

Most of us feel a bit edgy when the ASI creeps down within 10 KIAS of the stall. Jim Davis has some hints on how to be comfortable and in control - even when the airspeed is 20 KIAS below the stall.

MAKE AVIATION GREAT AGAIN - IT'S TIME TO TURN BACK.

How wonderful it is to have an incoming president who is, by his own admission, a leading, if not the leading, world authority on most subjects.

2024 - Winners and losers

In South Africa it’s been another bleak year. As write this in early December, many people seem to be shaking their heads and wondering what the hell is going on. But in the rest of the world, things are literally going bananas.

CC POCOCK MAKES HISTORY IN THE USA

In strong contrast to the South African Civil Aviation Authority's obstructionism, aviation history was made when veteran South African airshow performer Milne “CC” Pocock received FAA-approval for the first-ever laser show from an aircraft.

EXERCISE VUK'UHLOME 2024

The South African Army's Exercise Vuk'uhlome 2024 Distinguished Visitors (DV) Day took place on 21 November at its Lohatlha Combat Training Centre. Although an Army exercise, the event combines SAAF squadrons for ground support.

LANSERIA AIRPORT implements E-Gates

As air travel continues to grow, pressure mounts on the check-in process, resulting in frustration and often leading to missed flights.

LIVING THE DREAM - Part 1: Life in the Trailer Park

A harsh, piercing sound jolts me out of a restful, deep sleep. My alarm clock. Where am I? The ceiling is not familiar, the bed is hard, and the room smells. Well, I know I'm not home. My mind is racing to identify my location on this planet. Oh yes, I'm at work. Houma, Louisiana.

OKAVANGO ECHOES

One Okavango evening, at the luxury Khwai River lodge, a young well-bred English pilot of good character and eloquent public-school accent and I had too much to drink.

RODGER FOSTER STEPS OUT THE COCKPIT

At the end of November 2024 Airlink announced a change of leadership following the decision by current CEO and Managing Director, Rodger Foster, to step down at the end of March 2025. Rodger Foster founded the airline almost 33 years ago.

MARK TIERNEY'S CAFE PROPOSAL

One of the many challenges faced by African airlines is access to cost effective finance.

ENGINE FIRE!

Iris McCallum's continues her stories about her early years with Air Kenya, and we get to revisit one of her more dramatic moments.

GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

I'm sure you are familiar with the 'Leave Bug'. It's a little worm which lives in calendars. It hatches in cycles of two. Just before you are due to go on leave it grabs the last five days of duty and makes each one last for 48 hours.

AVIATION'S GOT THE CAREERS - BUT ARE YOU READY?

Now that Covid is receding into being a bad dream and the aviation industry is bouncing back strongly, the aviation press, blogs and websites are abuzz with predictions that we're facing a massive skills shortage. The only way to address this is by dramatically ramping up training to ensure an ongoing flow of new professionals into the industry

FLYING AROUND THE KZN AIRFIELDS

In less time than it takes to drive from one side of Johannesburg to the other, you can fly to beautiful KZN to experience amazing scenery and some fantastic airfields and hospitality.

OCTOBER 2024

The end of the year is fast approaching and so spare a thought for airline staff as this is one of the busiest times for them!

WHAT ARE FRENCH CESSNAS?

IN THE LATE 1950S GENERAL AVIATION WAS BOOMING IN THE UNITED STATES. CESSNA HAD EMERGED AS A LEADER IN THE LIGHT AIRCRAFT MARKET, RIDING THE SUCCESS OF THE CESSNA 140 AND 170 SERIES INTO THE EVEN MORE POPULAR CESSNA 172.

RIGHT SEAT RULES NO.24 SLIPPING IT IN

What a graceful thing a sideslip is. When you watch an aeroplane slip gently onto the very threshold of a grass field and straighten out just before the wheels brush the turf, you know you are looking at an aviator - not an aeroplane driver.

The Amazing PT6A Story

The famous slogan says - 'Trust in God and Pratt & Whitney'. And it is largely thanks to the ubiquitous PT6A that this statement is still true.

VAN CELEBRATES HIS 85TH BIRTHDAY

RICHARD “DICK” VAN GRUNSVEN celebrated his 85th birthday by flying the RV-15X. This event was a celebration of decades of passion, innovation, and dedication to aviation.

AERO CLUB OF SOUTH AFRICA AWARDS: 2024

General aviation is a dynamic and multifaceted pursuit that celebrates the freedom and exhilaration of flight. From piloting aeroplanes and helicopters to soaring with eagles in a glider, it offers a rich tapestry of experiences.

SOLAR CHARGING FOR PLANES

Saxon Air has completed the installation of what it calls a 'pioneering electric charging point' at its Business Aviation Centre in Norwich, believed to be the first of its kind at a UK regional airport, with the purpose-built infrastructure featuring a solar energy array specifically tailored for electric aircraft.