IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE FRIDAYS...
I had been flying as much as possible in anticipation of downtime with my wife, Des, who was heavily pregnant with our fifth child. The kids were with me doing what kids do (although I'm a helicopter pilot, I'm not a helicopter parent) and I had just put my feet in the pool and cracked open my first cold one of the evening. Des, in the meantime, was in Joburg running a few errands before the birth.
But being in operations, this is exactly the time, when you are relaxed and anticipating the weekend, that you get a call about a “developing situation.” In this case, it was about a major snarl-up on the N3 Highway, where a tanker had overturned, spilling its load, with vehicles backed up many a kilometre both ways.
Hi babes,” Des said calmly. Not to alarm you, but I'm stuck in traffic and my contractions have started.
I'm a helicopter pilot, not a helicopter parent
I believe helicopters are the answer to every emergency or tactical situation where you need to get into or out of tight spots, and I was pretty sure we could airlift her off the highway if necessary. But nope, nothing doing with our Robbie 44s, which aren't allowed to land just anywhere, especially not next to a gridlocked freeway. And so, I called my colleagues at HALO helicopter emergency medical service, based in Midrand. They said they would be on standby, ready to swoop in and airlift her from the emergency lane if need be and, in the meantime, would dispatch paramedics by road.
Denne historien er fra April 2022-utgaven av SA Flyer Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra April 2022-utgaven av SA Flyer Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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.
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.
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?
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.
THE ABSA LOWVELD AIRSHOW 2024
This year marked the thirtieth edition of the Lowveld airshow – and it was widely acclaimed as the best ever.
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.
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.
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.
STAGGERWING - ALREADY OLD WHEN NEW
The Staggerwing was the climax, and the end, of an era.
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.
