HAI HELIEXPO 2023: EXPLORING THE WORLD'S LARGEST HELICOPTER INDUSTRY GATHERING
SA Flyer Magazine|April 2023
South Africa may have the largest and busiest general aviation sector in Africa, but when we look worldwide, over 80% of flights occur in North America alone. A substantial number of these flights are helicopters.
HAI HELIEXPO 2023: EXPLORING THE WORLD'S LARGEST HELICOPTER INDUSTRY GATHERING

TO SUPPORT the international helicopter industry with operational and safety guidance, the Helicopter Association International (HAI), based in Alexandria, Virginia, has been providing assistance for almost 75 years.

One of their main events is Heli-Expo, the world's largest, most popular helicopter industry gathering, held every spring in the USA. This year's expo - with the biggest floor layout of any previous Heli-Expo - was held in the Georgia Convention Center in downtown Atlanta, where helicopter manufacturers and enthusiasts from around the world came together to showcase and marvel at the latest innovations and trends in the industry.

I had the privilege of attending Heli-Expo in March on behalf of Bidvest Protea Coin's Airwing and Drone Support Division to meet many of our suppliers and partners in person.

Being a Pretoria-raised, non-frequent international traveller, with OR Tambo, Cape Town International and Ivato Airport in Madagascar as my most recent references of international airports, I was blown away by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta - the world's busiest airport. Its sheer magnitude, spanning over 631,700 square meters across multiple terminals and handling over 100 million passengers per year, prepared me in some measure for the grand scale of everything I would experience at the expo.

Esta historia es de la edición April 2023 de SA Flyer Magazine.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición April 2023 de SA Flyer Magazine.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE SA FLYER MAGAZINEVer todo
Iris - her early years: IRIS FLIES ACROSS SUDAN
SA Flyer Magazine

Iris - her early years: IRIS FLIES ACROSS SUDAN

Laura McDermid continues her stories about Iris McCallum's early years in East Africa and the Sudan. In part 1 of this story she recounts how she had to fly a bunch of Belgian Missionaries to Aweil, a city in northwestern South Sudan, from Wilson in Nairobi in her old mate 'ARN', the Piper Aztec 5Y-ARN.

time-read
6 minutos  |
June 2024
UGLY IS PRETTY: LEAR 25 VS PILATUS PC-6
SA Flyer Magazine

UGLY IS PRETTY: LEAR 25 VS PILATUS PC-6

When you go to a party where you don't know anybody, you should always go for the 'Ugly' girl, because she will be happy that you chose to spend time with her.

time-read
4 minutos  |
June 2024
CIRRUS G7 LAUNCHED IN AFRICA
SA Flyer Magazine

CIRRUS G7 LAUNCHED IN AFRICA

What makes one aircraft better than another? Range, Speed, or carrying capacity, short field performance, operating costs, high wing, low wing, side stick, traditional control yoke?

time-read
2 minutos  |
June 2024
PRESIDENT'S TROPHY AIR RACE 2024
SA Flyer Magazine

PRESIDENT'S TROPHY AIR RACE 2024

The annual Presidents Trophy Air Race (PTAR) is the highlight of the year for many competitive general aviation pilots.

time-read
2 minutos  |
June 2024
THE ABSA LOWVELD AIRSHOW 2024
SA Flyer Magazine

THE ABSA LOWVELD AIRSHOW 2024

This year marked the thirtieth edition of the Lowveld airshow – and it was widely acclaimed as the best ever.

time-read
2 minutos  |
June 2024
PREVIEW: AFRICAN AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE EXPO(AAD)
SA Flyer Magazine

PREVIEW: AFRICAN AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE EXPO(AAD)

Guy Leitch finds out from AAD Exhibition Director, Ms Nakedi Phasha, how the buildup to this year's biennial expo is going, and what visitors and exhibitors can expect.

time-read
4 minutos  |
June 2024
APRIL 2023
SA Flyer Magazine

APRIL 2023

April has been a very quiet month on the local aviation marketplace with only nine new registration allocations and three deletions, according to the officially-supplied register review.

time-read
2 minutos  |
June 2024
PIPISTREL PANTHERA FINALLY HERE
SA Flyer Magazine

PIPISTREL PANTHERA FINALLY HERE

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, where the well-known Ferriera Aviation has assembled it.

time-read
9 minutos  |
June 2024
STAGGERWING - ALREADY OLD WHEN NEW
SA Flyer Magazine

STAGGERWING - ALREADY OLD WHEN NEW

The Staggerwing was the climax, and the end, of an era.

time-read
5 minutos  |
June 2024
The Aim of Bombing
SA Flyer Magazine

The Aim of Bombing

In modern warfare it's not the soldiers who die - it's the civilians. One of the best examples of this is carpet bombing.

time-read
6 minutos  |
June 2024