MARCH 2023

March has been a pretty average month with regard to aircraft movements on to and off the register, however there are some exciting new arrivals.

SANSA: SUPPORTING MOON SHOTS AND WATER RESOURCES

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) has become a world class resource for aviation and space missions. SANSA is now supporting projects as diverse as the first Arab moon landing to monitoring water resources in the Eastern Cape.

THE LONG JOURNEY OF A MISSION PILOT

Eivind Lindtjørn is a typical Mission Aviation fellowship pilot flying in Africa, in that he combines a higher calling with a passion for flying.

RAND AIRPORT AVIATION COMPANIES GUIDE

A Management era at Rand Airport has ended. Six years since his appointment, Rand Airport General Manager, Stuart Coetzee has ‘been retired’. It is notable that he has not resigned for greener pastures but was essentially forced into retirement due to advancing age.

AERO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN 2023

Aero Friedrichshafen is Europe’s premier general aviation Expo. Unlike conventional airshows, it is an expo as it uses static displays inside the hangars, rather than flying displays, as for instance Oshkosh Airventure does. Given the German weather and a train strike, it is perhaps appropriate that the organisers were not relying on the gee-whizz crowd pull of an airshow.

BLUE LASER ATTACK GETS TWO YEARS

A Minnesota USA man whose lasered a Delta Air Lines flight was sentenced to two years in jail.

THE AMAZING ELDERS FLIGHT: 2023

As just one person, Felix Gosher does more to develop aviation in South Africa than any number of Cadet Schemes or CAA outreaches.

THE ROTAX 916

You may have to forgive us for listing a whole new aero engine as a mere gadget – and thus suitable for review in our Gadget of the Month series. But the Rotax 916iS so small, yet so powerful it represents the ultimate gadget.

CAA INDUSTRY AWARDS 2023 NOW OPEN

In the spirit of developing excellence in aviation, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) is again sponsoring a major awards event.

COBRA IN A BARON

RUDOLF ERASMUS and four friends were flying in his Baron 58 when he felt something cold under his shirt near his hip.

JMB AIRCRAFT VL-3 EVOLUTION

Speed and small sexy bodies may be cute for supercars – but they can be a dangerous cocktail for inexperienced pilots. Beech had this problem with the V-tail Bonanza, Piper with its Malibu and Cirrus with the SR-22. The good news is that in time, all these problems were solved.

FACE TO FACE - CEO MERCHANT WEST GROUP: BRAAM VILJOEN

Guy Leitch has 10 questions.

MISSION FLYING IN AFRICA - THE BEST AND WORST OF HUMANITY

Child rape is tragically all too common in places like South Sudan where justice isn't often delivered. Mission Aviation Fellowship comes to the rescue.

TURKEY'S DRONES FOR AFRICA

There are few greater recent success stories in military UAVs than Turkey's rapid transformation over the past twenty years into one of the world's key suppliers, mirroring a huge advancement in the rest of its indigenous defence industry.

NEW STRUCTURE STOPS EAST LONDON ILS/VOR

The ILS and VOR approach to the primary East London Runway Runway 11 has been NOTAMed as \"permanently closed\" due to a structure having been erected on the approach to Runway 11.

IRIS GOES TO KHARTOUM - Laura McDermid continues her stories of Iris McCallum's flying exploits.

In Part 1, Iris introduced us to the American Congressman and diplomats she was flying with three planes from Nairobi to Khartoum.

AIRLINK TO LAUNCH NAIROBI - JNB

Airlink will become the first private sector airline service, from to offer a daily Johannesburg-Nairobi 24 April 2023.

TRUSTY TWIN

I don't know if you are familiar with the workings of the De Havilland (Canada) Dash 6, otherwise known as the Twin Otter, but they're surprisingly complicated for what has become one of the classic bush aircraft of all time.

CAPE TOWN HELICOPTERS' - NEW EXPERIENCE FOCUS.

Cape Town Helicopters has adopted a specific focus on tourist operations particularly in the Cape Town area which is world-renowned as 'the Fairest Cape in all the world'.

STICK TO THE RULES

Try listen to your gut, follow the POH, be ready for the unexpected...and pray.

AIRBUS H125

We have said it before the French make the best helicopters. In the light helicopter series the original AS350 Écureuil (or Squirrel) has been a huge success and it was natural that the giant Airbus would continue to develop it only now called the H125 after the takeover of Aerospatiale, (which gave it the AS prefix).

HAI HELIEXPO 2023: EXPLORING THE WORLD'S LARGEST HELICOPTER INDUSTRY GATHERING

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.

FEBRUARY 2023

anuary is usually the slowest month for the aircraft register, but perhaps reflecting the decline in the aviation industry, this year February has it beaten by quite a bit. There were only four Type Certified aircraft registered two fixed wing and two helicopters.

BOSE NEW A30 HEADSET

It's always a big thing when Bose announces their next generation aviation headset. Their last big launch was 13 years ago with the A20.

FUEL PUMP F-UP

AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT

RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 4 - PREPARATION FOR FLIGHT

Instructors, you instruct with your mouth, not your hands and feet. And the only things you have in your toolbox are words.

PETER AND NICK'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

A phalanx of Restricted and Military Operating Areas confronts pilots heading north out of Los Angeles. Between sprawling Edwards Air Force Base and the Naval Air Weapons Station situated at water-free China Lake, a pilot studying the chart for the first time must think the way impassable.

The SAA V2.0 Fantasy

There is rapidly mounting evidence that we are being conned by the government about the real chances of success for the new SAA version 2.

FACE TO FACE HADI AKOUM

Guy Leitch (GL) asks Airbus Africa head Hadi Akoum (HA) about how his company assists African airlines and thus the demand for Airbus airliners.

AIRLINK - BA CODESHARE

In February British Airways announced a codeshare partnership with Airlink.