African Pilot - May 2024

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The May edition of African Pilot will be featuring Business Jets and Business Charter Operations. However, every month, African Pilot features all aspects of aviation from Airline business to Recreational and Sport Aviation, whilst Military aviation, Commercial and Technical issues are addressed monthly. Within African Pilot’smonthly historical section, we feature the Best of the Best, Names to Remember, Fact File and our monthly historical feature.

End of an era: Final four Air India Boeing 747s leave the carrier's fleet

After over a quarter of a century, the last four Boeing 747400s have finally left Air India's fleet.According to the carrier, the four-remaining aircraft, the oldest of which dates back to 1993, have been sold to a US company that specialises in the sale of used aircraft, spare parts and jet engines. One of the aircraft was acquired by the airline in 1993, one in 1994 and the remaining two in 1996.

2 mins

Building an autonomous business jet

A vision of an artificial intelligence piloted business jet was presented to the world last October by Embraer, while in recent years autonomous piloting in specific circumstances has become a reality. Two companies, Cirrus and HondaJet now offer an autonomous flight feature for emergencies. For several years before these recent developments, the aviation industry had been debating reduced or no pilot operations.

6 mins

DART Aeronautical Cessna 182 panel upgrade

This relatively new Cessna 182 underwent a complete panel upgrade from its original equipment analogue instruments to a complete digital ‘glass cockpit’ over the space of six weeks.

5 mins

The design and implementation of glass cockpit avionics upgrades for Cessna 425s

For more than 45 years, Century Avionics have been helping pilots safely navigate the skies by upgrading, installing, maintaining and supporting aircraft avionics to enhance functionality and experience a,deep passion for the wonders of flight.

3 mins

SACAA's National Aviation Conference 2024

I spent Thursday 18 and Friday 19 April attending National Aviation Conference hosted by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) staged at the CSIR Conference Centre in Pretoria. As you can see from the attached pictures the conference was very well attended and I was impressed by the programme and the quality of the various speakers including the four discussion panels.

8 mins

Sun 'n Fun airshow 50th anniversary

The opening day of the 50th annual Sun 'n Fun began with amazing airshow performances, exhibits, a career fair, workshops, forums, good food a concert and movies. This year's event took place between 9 and 14 April at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Florida.

8 mins

30th edition of AERO Friedrichshafen attracts more than 31,000 visitors

The 30th AERO will not only be remembered as an anniversary edition, but also as a trade fair with a particularly large number of innovations and premieres. With 31,500 visitors from 81 nations, the numbers were significantly higher than the previous year’s edition and the proportion of pilots among visitors increased once again. The AERO Drones, the AERO Gliding Expo and the AERO Career Days proved their worth.

6 mins

Piasecki steps up development of HYDROGENPOWERED PA-890 HELICOPTER

Piasecki Aircraft Corp is stepping up its plans to bring a hydrogen-powered helicopter to market by the end of the decade. Development work that has been significantly boosted by support from the US Air Force now involves the evolution of a 660-kilowatt test rig for the propulsion system into an iron bird unit that will pave the way for a full-scale prototype the company aims to start flying in 2028.

3 mins

Japan Coast Guard boosts fleet with additional H225 order

The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) has placed an additional order for three H225 helicopters, increasing its total H225 fleet to 18. As the largest Super Puma operator in Japan, the Coast Guard received three H225s in December 2023 and one in February 2024 to bolster its expanding fleet. These new helicopters will support territorial coastal activities, maritime law enforcement and disaster relief missions across the country.

3 mins

Business Aviation Trends in 2024

From the relentless quest for greener aviation, to revolutionary technological advances, regulatory challenges and postpandemic health safety imperatives, the business aviation landscape is in a state of flux.

7 mins

Five of the most expensive private jets in the world

When modern jetliners came into existence, only a few privileged wealthy people would get onboard an aircraft. But half a century later, more people have access to air travel than we might have imagined.

4 mins

AIRBUS - ACJ Executive Jets

This mindset combined with curating the finest flying experience is why ACJ was born.

4 mins

HONDAJET

Founded in 2006, Honda Aircraft Company is the latest venture in Honda's drive to enhance the freedom of mobility.

2 mins

PILATUS PC-24

The Pilatus PC-24 is a light business jet produced by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. Following the PC-12 single turboprop success, work on the jet project started in 2007 for greater range and speed.

4 mins

Absolute Service Centre AMO 173

As the only Textron Aviation authorised service facility on the African Continent and the oldest Cessna authorised service facility outside the USA since 1964, Absolute’s Service Centre has also been awarded representation for the Beechcraft and Textron eAviation Pipistrel portfolio. Absolute Service Centre (ASC) is the African regional representatives of the worldwide Textron 1CALL hotline support network. The management team at the Absolute Service Centre is proud of its heritage and long-standing support and representation of Textron Aviation products.

3 mins

EAA Young Aviators - April 2024 Wonderboom meeting

On Saturday, 13 April 2024 the EAA Young Aviators event was kindly hosted by Loutzavia Flight School at Wonderboom National Airport.

1 min

Dinosaur Derby at the Bill Harrop's Balloon field

When we arrived at the Dinosaur Derby late on Saturday afternoon 27 April there were already around two hundred invited guests that had set up their chairs and picnic tables on the lush green slopes of the lawns outside the beautiful clubhouse overlooking the very large balloon launch field with the majestic Magaliesberg Mountains as the backdrop.

3 mins

BEST OF THE BEST - THE DE HAVILLAND MUSEUM

Situated just outside the centre of London the de Havilland Museum is to be found and although small and compact it is an absolute joy, celebrating as it does the exploits of one of Britain's foremost aviation pioneers, Sir Geoffrey de Havilland an aircraft designer of some repute who left an incredible legacy, and made a massive impact on aircraft design and production in the early part of the 20th century.

6 mins

FACT FILE - THE UNCONVENTIONAL, BIZARRE BELL AIRACUDA

Larry Bell, founder of the Bell Aircraft Corp., now known as Bell Helicopter, entered the aircraft manufacturing industry with a unique bang. After dropping out of high school in 1912, Bell worked for various aircraft companies, including Martin and Consolidated, before starting his own company in 1935.

3 mins

Spatial distortion

On Wednesday, 20 December 2023, a pilot and two transmission line workers on-board a Bell 407 helicopter with registration ZS-RXO took off from Majuba Venus Power Station landing zone (LZ) in KwaZulu-Natal province to conduct aerial work on the T299 mast (a section of Majuba Venus Power Station). The pilot intended to land back at the departure landing zone.

7 mins

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African Pilot Magazine Description:

African Pilot is a niche market specialist aviation magazine that has been publishing uninterrupted for the past eighteen years. Subscribers to the magazine can expect glossy layouts with a modern ‘coffee table’ look featuring South African, African and world aviation events, interesting facts about aviation, historical features and general news within aviation. African Pilot is the only South African aviation magazine that strives and is most successful at covering most southern African aviation events. The magazine provides a platform for the organizers of airshows and specific aviation events to market their particular event to members of the public.