I was told that on the Friday somewhere in the region of .30 aircraft had already arrived, several of the enthusiasts camped over in the cold weather. On arrival we found several aircraft had been tied down for the night and they sported layers of ice due the overnight freezing temperatures. I felt for those pilots and participants that had elected to camp on the airfield when clearly the night temperature had dropped well below freezing point. This was also time for the organisers to start preparing for the events scheduled for the day. Fortunately, throughout the day the wind was light and variable, favouring the northern runway 03, which is closest to the clubhouse and all the activity for the spectators and many pilots that flew to Warmbaths to enjoy the company of their fellow aviators.
However, after consuming a delicious 'farm breakfast' and a steaming cup of hot chocolate, with the sun starting to warm up the airfield it was time to start taking pictures and video recording of arriving aircraft of all descriptions. Initially air traffic controllers Vicky Karropoulos (Wonderboom tower), Marelise Scheepers (Lanseria tower) and Jana van Zyl (assistant) were very cold sitting in the open steel tower six meters above the airfield.
This story is from the August 2023 edition of African Pilot.
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This story is from the August 2023 edition of African Pilot.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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