CATEGORIES

HALO AVIATION
African Pilot

HALO AVIATION

Halo Aviation is headquartered at the Ultimate Helipad near Johannesburg, South Africa. Halo's ICU air ambulance fleet consists of Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and fixed-wing aircraft, which are among the most technologically advanced on the continent and are equipped with advanced lifesaving equipment.

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3 mins  |
September 2023
BLACKHAWK AEROSPACE'S CARAVAN UPGRADE
African Pilot

BLACKHAWK AEROSPACE'S CARAVAN UPGRADE

Blackhawk Aerospace's Caravan Engine+ Upgrade multiplies your power and revenue generation capability and delivers serious return on investment.

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1 min  |
September 2023
Fireblade Aviation EMPOWERS YOUNG WOMEN WITH 'GIRLS IN AVIATION DAY' EVENT
African Pilot

Fireblade Aviation EMPOWERS YOUNG WOMEN WITH 'GIRLS IN AVIATION DAY' EVENT

On 10 August 2023 Fireblade Aviation hosted a successful Girls in Aviation Day event in partnership with the Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO), a division of international consulting engineers, Royal HaskoningDHV, with the aim of promoting aviation as a viable and exciting profession for young female students.

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2 mins  |
September 2023
AVISYS AVIATION SYSTEMS
African Pilot

AVISYS AVIATION SYSTEMS

As an established Aircraft Maintenance Organization (AMO1089) with SACAA and other African Countries CAA accreditation to perform component maintenance and overhaul capabilities under its Category B rating, AviSys Aviation Systems is equipped to cater for its customer's needs as per the SACAA approved capability list and operational specifications on the following:

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1 min  |
September 2023
Charter Broker Vertis says AFRICA IS NOW 'ON THE MAP'
African Pilot

Charter Broker Vertis says AFRICA IS NOW 'ON THE MAP'

Last week at EBACE Swiss charter broker Vertis Aviation CEO Jeffrey Emmenis said Africa remains an important part of the business of, which saw its best-ever year in 2022. Several factors drove the company's increased business, he said, including the number of customers traveling for leisure. \"That was very big for us,\" Emmenis noted \"Customers on the business side, particularly in Africa, flying to more remote locations. We look after a number of heads of state and there was a lot of travel as governments started opening up and doing business. I see a little bit of softening in 2023, but it will still be quite impressive.\"

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4 mins  |
September 2023
LUXAVIATION AFRICA SETTING NEW HEIGHTS WITH A GROWING FLEET
African Pilot

LUXAVIATION AFRICA SETTING NEW HEIGHTS WITH A GROWING FLEET

Luxaviation Africa, a subsidiary of the renowned Luxaviation Group, is taking the African private aviation industry by storm. With a commitment to safety, luxury and innovation, Luxaviation has recently expanded its fleet, solidifying its position as a leading player in the continent's private aviation landscape.

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2 mins  |
September 2023
LYCOMING LECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM (EIS)
African Pilot

LYCOMING LECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM (EIS)

For many years motor vehicles have been using trouble free, electronic ignition systems. Why not Aircraft you say? Well just imagine if this were to change and after simply pressing the start button the engine surges into life. This and much more, is what the Lycoming Certified Electronic Ignition System offers.

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3 mins  |
September 2023
FLYING LEGENDS 2023
African Pilot

FLYING LEGENDS 2023

After three years Flying Legends made a successful return to the skies over Northern England on 15 and 16 July 2023. Enthusiasts were drawn from all over the UK, and Europe to the former Royal Air Force airfield of Church Fenton, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, in July to witness an exhilarating weekend at the new home of Flying Legends.

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5 mins  |
September 2023
BOEING STRETCHES THE 777X-8
African Pilot

BOEING STRETCHES THE 777X-8

Boeing has changed the technical specifications of the 777X-8, stretching the aircraft, which has in turn increased its passenger capacity and range.

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2 mins  |
September 2023
AIR INDIA UNVEILS NEW GLOBAL BRAND IDENTITY AND AIRCRAFT LIVERY
African Pilot

AIR INDIA UNVEILS NEW GLOBAL BRAND IDENTITY AND AIRCRAFT LIVERY

Air India, a Tata Group-owned airline, has unveiled a modern new brand identity and new aircraft livery that capture the essence of a bold new India. The new look reimagines the iconic Indian window shape, historically used by Air India, into a gold window frame that becomes central to the new brand design system, symbolising a 'Window of Possibilities'.

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2 mins  |
September 2023
AIRLINE DEMANDS ARE SQUEEZING THE SUPPLY OF BUSINESS AVIATION PILOTS
African Pilot

AIRLINE DEMANDS ARE SQUEEZING THE SUPPLY OF BUSINESS AVIATION PILOTS

The ability of airlines to attract pilots away from business aviation with lucrative contracts continues to have a deleterious effect on corporate flight department rosters. At the same time, industry experts agree the costs of pilot training remain a serious impediment to addressing the supply shortage, but clearly, this is a good time to be a pilot.

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6 mins  |
September 2023
BEST OF THE BEST - PAUL BOWEN
African Pilot

BEST OF THE BEST - PAUL BOWEN

When we think about people who carry the aviation industry forward, we tend to give more weight to pilots, engineers, entrepreneurs and scientists and completely forget about those supporting the industry tremendously while working in more artistic fields.

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2 mins  |
August 2023
LOCKHEED U-2 FLIES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AUGUST 1955
African Pilot

LOCKHEED U-2 FLIES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AUGUST 1955

The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed 'Dragon Lady', is an American single-engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated from the 1950s by the United States Air Force (USAF) or the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day and night, high-altitude (70,000 feet, 21,300 meters), all-weather intelligence gathering.

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5 mins  |
August 2023
MINIMISING THE RISK OF ENGINE FAILURE
African Pilot

MINIMISING THE RISK OF ENGINE FAILURE

Almost from the beginning of our training, pilots are taught how to react to an engine failure. However we are also taught how to conduct a preflight inspection to ensure the engine and the rest of the aircraft) is ready for what we are planning. Since mechanical engine failures are a mgjor factor in accidents, understanding a typical piston engine in a personal aircraft is vital to your wellbeing. The fact is that reliability improvements often result in pilots giving little thought to piston engine aircraft reliability because failures have become so rare.

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5 mins  |
August 2023
IN MEMORY OF VIRGIN ORBIT
African Pilot

IN MEMORY OF VIRGIN ORBIT

On 9 January 2023, as Spain’s Canary Islands settled into the darkness and quiet of the Western European midnight hour, a camera operated by the Spanish Meteor Network captured a spectacular fireball descending through Earth’s atmosphere. Notwithstanding its uncanny resemblance to a meteor, the phenomenon was, in fact, a doomed Virgin Orbit LauncherOne rocket and its payload of nine satellites, plunging as one toward the North Atlantic and a watery mass grave.

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3 mins  |
August 2023
EXTRA AIRCRAFT INTRODUCES NEW 330SX MODEL
African Pilot

EXTRA AIRCRAFT INTRODUCES NEW 330SX MODEL

On 10 July 2023, Walter Extra announced his company's lineup of industry-leading aerobatic machines is to be supplemented by the imminent addition of the 330SX.

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1 min  |
August 2023
EAA TAILDRAGGERS AT WARMBATHS 2023
African Pilot

EAA TAILDRAGGERS AT WARMBATHS 2023

On Saturday 1 July Charlie and Fiona Hugo accompanied Christine and I on the nearly two-hour drive to the Warmbaths airfield to attend the annual EAA Taildraggers fly-in. Under clear blue skies with almost no wind more than 100 aircraft and helicopters arrived through the day.

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2 mins  |
August 2023
CHINA'S J-20 FIGHTER APPEARS TO HAVE A NEW HOMEGROWN ENGINE
African Pilot

CHINA'S J-20 FIGHTER APPEARS TO HAVE A NEW HOMEGROWN ENGINE

The People's Republic of China's military aerospace sector has established a pattern of achieving technological milestones, but then keeping completely silent about those advancements during the kind of major international expositions when a newsworthy development is normally announced with great fanfare.

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5 mins  |
August 2023
US BOEING KC-46A VERSES AIRBUS MRTT
African Pilot

US BOEING KC-46A VERSES AIRBUS MRTT

From cargo to cockpit: A KC-46A crew's thoughts about the plane's potential tanker rival. Speaking after a fresh off a tour of a French MRTT, a KC-46A Pegasus pilot and boom operator discussed some of the pros and cons between the plane that is the basis for Lockheed's LMXT and their own Pegasus tanker.

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5 mins  |
August 2023
INDIA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY APPROVES AN ORDER FOR 26 RAFALE MARINE JETS
African Pilot

INDIA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY APPROVES AN ORDER FOR 26 RAFALE MARINE JETS

The Indian government has given its agreement in principle for the acquisition of 26 of the carrier-borne variant of Dassault Rafale fighter jets from France. The announcement came a day before the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Paris as the guest of honour for France's national holiday on 14 July 2023. It was approved during a meeting of India's Defence Acquisition Council.

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3 mins  |
August 2023
GCAP FIGHTER DESIGN TO FLY WITHIN FIVE YEARS, AS BAE EYES POTENTIAL EXPORT MARKET
African Pilot

GCAP FIGHTER DESIGN TO FLY WITHIN FIVE YEARS, AS BAE EYES POTENTIAL EXPORT MARKET

Last month BAE Systems executives expressed confidence that the Global Combat Air Platform (GCAP), currently in development with Italy and Japan, will achieve its projected in-service date of 2035, with a 'manned, supersonic and low observable jet' demonstrator taking flight within the next five years. In addition, company leaders believe they can find an export market of 'several hundred' jets globally.

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4 mins  |
August 2023
BOEING'S T-7 FLIES FOR ITS FIRST OFFICIAL USAF FLIGHT
African Pilot

BOEING'S T-7 FLIES FOR ITS FIRST OFFICIAL USAF FLIGHT

A US Air Force pilot departed Boeing’s St. Louis, Missouri facilities at the controls of a T-7A Red Hawk, thereby occasioning the commencement of USAF flight-testing of the service’s new, supersonic, advanced jet trainer.

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4 mins  |
August 2023
Aeronautical Aviation (AMO 1033)
African Pilot

Aeronautical Aviation (AMO 1033)

Based at Lanseria International Airport, Aeronautical Aviation was founded in 2005, and has been supporting and offering specialised services within the General Aviation industry with the repair, overhaul and installation of aircraft instrumentation, avionics, electrical and pilot accessories.

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1 min  |
August 2023
Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle are ready for retrofit market
African Pilot

Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle are ready for retrofit market

At AirVenture Garmin reported that imminent FAA certification to bring Garmin Autoland and Garmin Autothrottle to the retrofit market, starting with King Airs. The approval will first be for select G1000 NXi-equipped King Air 200 series aircraft and, soon after, select King Air 300 series aircraft.

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2 mins  |
August 2023
AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTATION FEATURE
African Pilot

AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTATION FEATURE

Until recently, most General Aviation aircraft were equipped with individual instruments utilised collectively to safely operate and maneuverer the aircraft.

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2 mins  |
August 2023
A HELICOPTER OF HOPE: BELL AIRCRAFT HELPING ROCKET EMS
African Pilot

A HELICOPTER OF HOPE: BELL AIRCRAFT HELPING ROCKET EMS

Having a fully equipped aircraft could not be more critical than when it comes to Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) missions. In many emergency scenarios, especially in remote locations, helicopters often remain the sole method of quickly transporting patients to hospitals.

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1 min  |
August 2023
MITSUI BUSSAN AEROSPACE H160 SIGNS FOR TWO AW169 HELICOPTERS
African Pilot

MITSUI BUSSAN AEROSPACE H160 SIGNS FOR TWO AW169 HELICOPTERS

Mitsui Bussan Aerospace (MBA), the authorised distributor for the Leonardo AW139, AW169 and AW189 helicopter models in Japan, announced new orders for two Leonardo AW169 light intermediate twin helicopters.

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2 mins  |
August 2023
AIRBUS HELICOPTERS H160 GRANTED FAA TYPE CERTIFICATION
African Pilot

AIRBUS HELICOPTERS H160 GRANTED FAA TYPE CERTIFICATION

Airbus Helicopters has received FAA type-certification for its H160 medium utility helicopter, thereby marking a milestone in the aircraft's development and heralding its imminent entry into the US market.

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2 mins  |
August 2023
CLOSING SPEED VERSUS DEPTH PERCEPTION
African Pilot

CLOSING SPEED VERSUS DEPTH PERCEPTION

Description of events (SACAA) Preliminary Accident Report

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9 mins  |
August 2023
Record breaker set to take on a Guinness world record
African Pilot

Record breaker set to take on a Guinness world record

Lola Odujinrin is no stranger to world firsts. In 2017, he completed a barrier breaking round-the-world odyssey. Supported by Spidertracks, he became the first African Pilot to fly around the world!

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2 mins  |
August 2023