THE KNYSNA TRIANGLE

Knysna is a very odd place - there's no airfield near the town. But when I was there, there were three active ones in walking distance of the CBD. And all within a few hundred yards of each other.

- JIM DAVIS

THE FIRST ONE WAS PAT McClure's golf course, right outside his hotel on Leisure Isle. Pat had a Comanche, which lived on the grass in front of the hotel. The Leisure Isle Hotel was a wonderful party venue for visiting pilots as well as those who lived in the area. The place was crawling with retired SAA and SAAF pilots, and why not? It has to be one of the most beautiful spots in the world.

Pat was an ex-SAAF pilot who played by the wartime rules about drinking and flying - it was desirable, but not compulsory.

This naturally resulted in incidents which the DCA never got to hear about. Like a wheels-up he did in his Comanche - it was flying again the next day. It says much for the strength of the aeroplane and Pat's determination to put the matter behind him as quickly as possible. The prop was the only noticeably damaged component. Pat took it off and had it straightened by the local blacksmith.

Then Pat bought a small three seat helicopter, a Bell 47, which he crashed one night while taking his wife, also Pat, and my mate Bob Emmet for a joy ride in between drinks at a party at Bob's place on the hill.

Pat eventually died under interesting circumstances. He had always been worried about having a heart attack while flying, particularly with pax. As Mrs Pat often flew with him, he asked me to teach her the basics of flying, and at least how to land the aircraft should his tubing get blocked at a bad time.

Well exactly that happened. They were on their way back from Johannesburg when Pat announced he was feeling valetudinarian. They landed on a farm strip in the Free State where the farmer put them up for the night - well, not exactly, because Pat died at the dinner table.

So that introduces Pat McClure's golf course airfield. I will come back to it later.