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Jonker Sailplanes w w w . j o n k e r s a i l p l a n e s . c o . z a
Flying High
Based in South Africa’s North West province, Jonker Sailplanes is manufacturing the first typecertified aircraft ever made on the continent. Here, CEO tells us where the company is headed next. www.essentialbusinessmag.com
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ince childhood, aviation has been a constant in the lives of the Jonker brothers.
“We first got involved with aviation thanks to our dad, who was constructing his own sailplane when we were young boys. He was a schoolteacher, and he didn’t have the funds to buy himself a modern sailplane so he ordered some plans from the US and was building his own glider from scratch,” says Jonker. “We were inspired to see that you can actually make things yourself. The German sailplanes were expensive, so we thought that we should try making the best sailplane someday. So there was this dream in the back of our minds that maybe we should consider constructing our own aircraft.” Uys and Attie Jonker studied engineering at university, and after finishing their studies, set to work on getting development
and funding together to enable them to design and manufacture a high-performance glider. “We were successful, too. At this stage, our aircraft is regarded in two classes as being the best sailplane in the world. We’re now exporting a huge number into Europe, even to Germany — so I guess it must be good,” he says.
When you put the top aircraft in the hands of the best pilots, you tend to get the best results “My dad’s flown in it. It was quite emotional. He’s slowed down a little bit with aviation, but he’s still flying. He’s very proud of what we have achieved.” Built of glass-fibre, carbon fibre and Kevlar, the JS-1 glider saw its first flight in December 2006 and, four years later, received its Type Certification. The 18m-wingspan version glider has a maximum
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speed of 290km/h and a gross weight of 600kg, while its bigger brother, the JS1-C 21m, has a gross weight of 720kg. Achieving Type Certification is a long and complicated process. Aircrafts must comply with specific design standards and then demonstrate their compliance to the authorities. The JS-1 is the first aircraft in Africa to have achieved this certificate, based on modern certification standards. “It’s quite an expensive process as you have to go through many tests, so it’s a lot of work. The certification is not so difficult if your aircraft complies to the standard — but it can become really complex when it doesn’t comply,” explains Jonker.
There was this dream in the back of our minds that maybe we should consider constructing our own aircraft
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“Fortunately, we didn’t have to make too many changes. Currently demonstration of the certification is done in Europe. This project introduced a few additional challenges, as the design standard was recently amended requiring higher loads for crash worthiness. Because we are a new applicant in Europe, we have to use the latest certification standard, and we had to modify the structure accordingly.” “Demonstrating crashworthiness is expensive. You have to build cockpits and destroy them, possibly several times, which adds up,” admits Jonker. Certification can be a frustrating process that can take many years — the aviation authorities are frequently overloaded,
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turnaround time for feedback on certification documents can be quite slow. Jonker suggests that this is not just the case in South Africa, but worldwide. Despite this, Jonker Sailplanes has not been deterred. The JS-1 has been met with an enthusiastic reception, receiving praise worldwide. In the Open Class of the 2015 European Gliding Championships, the JS-1 won seven out of the top ten positions, including the top four places. “For the first time on European soil, aircraft from a non-European region dominated the class completely,” he tells us.
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And, in the UK Open Class Nationals a week later, the first seven positions were also occupied by JS-1 aircraft. “Our mission is to attract the top pilots. To convince these people that your aircraft is the best, it has to be the best. And when you put the top aircraft in the hands of the best pilots, you tend to get the best results.”
In the Open Class of the 2015 European Gliding Championships, the JS-1 won seven out of the top ten positions, including the top four places
Aerospace CUSTOMS CONSULTANCY & INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS SERVICES OFFERED:
SHIPPING CONSULTANCY INTERNATIONAL DOOR TO DOOR LOGISTICS CUSTOMS TARIFF APPLICATIONS IMPORT & EXPORT PERMIT REQUIREMENT & APPLICATIONS SYSTEM CONTROLS & PROCEDURES AT CUSTOMER LEVEL MARINE INSURANCE / RISK MANAGEMENT AD-HOC CLEARANCES CUSTOMS CLEARANCES ACCESS LOWER DUTY OPPORTUNITIES REBATES & REFUNDS BONDED WAREHOUSING APPLICATIONS STAGED CONSIGNMENT RULINGS DOOR TO DOOR LOGISTICS MOVEMENT & CLEARANCES OF REMOVAL GOODS TRADE & INDUSTRY MATTERS “BEELOGIX is a proud logistics partner to Jonker Sailplanes S.A. and wishes them well in all their endeavours’’
Contacts: Gordon Cook | Elisha Mudra | Shaista Cook E-mail: gordon@beelogix.co.za | elisha@beelogix.co.za | shaista@beelogix.co.za Tel: + 27 (0)11 892 5945 | +27 (0)11 892 3434 Mobile: +27 (0)82 880 2463 Address: 86 First Street, Boksburg North, 1459 – Gauteng – South Africa
Learning from its certification challenges, and fuelled by its ongoing success, Jonker Sailplanes is tackling its next projects with great enthusiasm. “We are busy with two new product lines. One is a self-launching sailplane, which we plan to release next year. The second project is a little more confidential — and quite close to our heart — and it’s a new product line that we will be entering, but still in the sailplanes market. This will use modern, state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques. We believe our next products will even be more special than the JS-1,” he tells us. A positive attitude and dedication to realising a dream should see the company glide smoothly into its second decade.
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Jonker Sailplanes Hangar 23 C/O Tiger Moth Street/Bosbok Str. Potchefstroom,2520 South Africa
www.jonkersailplanes.co.za
www.essentialbusinessmag.com ŠEssential Business Magazine 2015