October 2019

FlightCm African Aviation

SKYSOURCE

Edition 132 | OCTOBER 2019

THE BEST OF SOUTH AFRICAN AND FAA MAINTENANCE

FACE TO FACE: AIRLINK’S RODGER FOSTER

ROUND AFRICA IN A VINTAGE CESSNA 180

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Ed's note...

OCTOBER 2019 Edition 132

5 Bush Pilot - Hugh Pryor 7 Airlines - Mike Gough 11 New Arrivals

15 Defence - Artificial Intelligence 19 GIB Events 22 Face to Face: Rodger Foster 23 Keep it Lite 27 Airlink Pilot Profile

29 Skysource International 31 Around Africa in 60 days: Part 2 33 AEP AMO Listing 39 Gryphon Flight School Listing 41 AME Directory 42 Back Pages 43 Federal Airlines Charter Directory 45 Industry Update

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ESPITE claims that China is rapidly becoming Africa’s new economic coloniser, China appears to have been slow to grow and leverage its currently small involvement in the African air transport industry.

Geographer Dr Gordon Pirie, writing in the University of Cape Town’s ‘Conversation’, points out that, “even though Ethiopian Airlines started flying to China in November 1973, there were few other air links between Africa and China for 30 years. The involvement of former colonial powers such as the British, Dutch and French goes back to the 1920s; former Soviet bloc countries began to show interest during the height of the Cold War. And in the last 20 years, Persian Gulf petro-states and their airlines – Emirates, Qatar and Etihad – have become major offshore hubs for a huge range of commercial flights serving Africa.

“However, China’s involvement has been different. None of China’s biggest three airlines (Air China, China Southern, China Eastern) are prominent in African skies. It is on the ground that China has been flexing its aviation muscles in Africa. This is consistent with China’s 50-or-so years of infrastructure funding and construction on the continent.

Energy, water, road and rail infrastructure projects have been the major spheres of Chinese investment in Africa.

“Civil airports have been a recent addition. China’s experience of planning, funding, constructing and managing airports at home stands it in good stead. Funds from China’s Exim Bank or other agencies are expected to help build a new US$3 billion airport outside Addis Ababa in Ethiopia,

Publisher Flyer and Aviation Publications cc

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Managing Editor Guy Leitch guy@flightcommag.com

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and a new US$1.4 billion airport outside Khartoum in Sudan.

The fears of those who see the Chinese investment model as an economic annexation of Africa and in particular its mineral wealth may have some basis, according to Pirie.

He notes that Chinese investment “involves loans and grants, but also, it would seem, part-exchange deals over oil and minerals.

These arrangements have more of a resources-for-infrastructure or barter quality.

“At the same time Turkish, French, Italian and British contractors have been bidding for airport improvement projects in Africa, and for terminal or runway newbuild schemes. These, it would appear, are of a lesser scale, and have greater transparency.

“For those looking for strategic equity partners for struggling state owned African airlines, China’s penetration of African civil aviation may occur via partnerships with African airlines, and taking equity shares.

Some of this has already happened. For example, the Hainan corporation in China has reportedly made forays into airlines in Ghana and into a Kenyan all-freight carrier.

“Sales to Africa of Chinese-manufactured aircraft have also started. Attendant spare parts stocks are being pre-positioned. In addition, there are plans for Chinese-led aviation technical and managerial training schools in Africa. These will reduce the risk of wasted physical infrastructure and of any associated reputational damage. What can be accomplished technically is not always what should be done. There have always been white elephants and rogue elephants in Africa.”

Guy Leitch

© FlightCom 2019. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronically, mechanically, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without the express permission of the copyright holders.

Editor

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Industry Update

LEFT: Rolls Royce has been developing its electrical expertise with Airbus and this EfanX.

ZERO-EMISSIONS

AVIATION Rolls-Royce and Norwegian airline Widerøe have launched a joint research programme on zeroemissions aviation. The programme is part of the airline´s ambition to replace and electrify its regional fleet of 30+ planes by 2030.

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HE aim of the programme is to develop an electrical aircraft concept, not only to fulfil the Norwegian ambition of zero-emissions by 2030, but also to replace Widerøe’s legacy fleet of regional aircraft.

Rolls-Royce will use its electrical and systems design expertise to help advise on all elements of the project. The initial phase, which involves operational studies

and concept proofing, is already underway, with expert teams in Norway and the UK working closely together on a daily basis.

“We are aiming to have emissionfree commercial flights in the air by 2030.

Partnering with Rolls-Royce for this research programme puts us one step closer to reaching that goal,” said Andreas Aks, Chief Strategy Officer, Widerøe.

“The development of electric aviation looks promising, but we need to progress faster. We are therefore pleased to have the world’s most renowned engine manufacturer onboard with us on this pioneering green journey” said Aks. Rolls-Royce already has a high-tech electrical research facility based in the Norwegian city of Trondheim, employing a group of people dedicated to finding solutions for emission-free aviation, who are taking part in this initiative. 

PRIVATEER MAKES FIRST FLIGHT LEFT: The Privateer-amphibian has flown for the first time.

T

HE Privateer is an unusual, big, powerful amphibious aircraft designed and developed by two men over the past ten years – and it’s finally made its first flight.

The flight from Florida’s Titusville Space Coast Regional Airport is said to have been successful though some instrument

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FlightCom Magazine

issues curtailed the testing. Privateer is powered by a 724shp Walter 601 turboprop, an engine that has now been taken over by GE Aviation and developed further. Max cruise speed is quoted as 215 knots. A sixseat cabin is planned with a max takeoff weight of 5,600 lb.

Airframe construction is mostly carbon

fibre and the designers say the centre of gravity is kept low to give the aircraft more stability on the water. The Privateer is the work of entrepreneur John Meekins and Bill Husa, a former Boeing aeronautical engineer who has since died.

Preliminary specifications claim a max cruise of 195kt at sea level, 215kt at 15,000ft for a 1000 mile range. A Service ceiling 25,000ft nand a rate of climb 2100ft/min.

Empty weight is 3600 lb and Gross weight 5600 lb. 

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CONTACT:

BUSH PILOT HUGH PRYOR

LEOPOLDO LOST IN LIBYA There can hardly be anything more sleep-inducing than searching the desert with an aeroplane for a lost Land Cruiser.

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URING forty-five years of flying, much of it in the more remote parts of the Earth, I have carried out countless searches and only on six occasions did I pick up anyone alive.

It is weird really. You would think that the urgency of trying to find people who will die of thirst if you don’t spot them would reduce the tendency to drift off, but in fact, the monotony of not finding them actually puts lead in your eyelids and it is very difficult to stay awake.

It may sound strange, but most clients in those remote locations limit the amount of fuel in their vehicles, so that if they do get lost, then our search area could be reduced to the locus limited by their fuel range.

In the desert, during the hot season, when daytime temperatures hover around 50 Celsius, life expectancy with twenty litres of potable water is just three days, four maximum, so it is important that drivers do not have enough fuel just to keep going until they are so far away from the beaten track that they are beyond help.

I vividly remember finding twin brothers who were driving from Salalah, in the south of Oman, to Muscat in the north.

What condemned them to a miserable and lonely death was that they decided to follow the coast, off-road, without informing anybody of their intentions. Their Land Rover became mired in quicksands, they ran out of drinking water and they ended up drinking the glycol coolant from the car’s radiator.

On another occasion, in Oman, we received information from the local Bedouins that a pair of Palestinian terrorists had been encountered in transit along the Saudi/Omani border. They were carrying a briefcase full of gold ‘Talas’ (the origin

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of the word ‘Dollar’?) and were seeking information regarding the movements of the Sultan. Bedouin suspicions were aroused and they reported their encounters to the security services.

One of the most remote and sinister places I know in the World is known as the ‘Umm as Samim’. It is a vast flat salt marsh, which is normally black in colour until, once in a decade, it rains. This brings the salt to the surface and it turns white, until the salt dries and is blown away by the scorching winds. The surface of the marsh is so fragile that it barely supports the weight of a man

pair of rather eccentric American geologists, called Jack and Bill.

They took a Land Cruiser on a survey of the Canadian Occidental oil concession in South Yemen. They were planning to be away for a couple of weeks, so they took a radio transceiver along with their food and water and charcoal and they called every day at 1800 hrs with a progress report. This was in the days before GPS, so the positions they gave were rather approximate and when they called, to say that their vehicle had become ‘unserviceable’, they could only tell me that they were on a small plateau to

I suggested that we should think about turning back. The other two aircraft had already given up. and when the two terrorists tried to drive across it, they got about halfway before their truck broke through the surface and became irretrievably bogged down.

We followed their wheel marks until we found the two corpses. Of their vehicle there was no sign. It was as though it had simply been swallowed by the marsh. We called for a helicopter to recover the remains. Their brief case had been sliced open and its contents had disappeared.

Not all searches end in tragedy, though.

In fact they sometimes finish up with laughter. One such occasion concerned a

the South West of a sickle-shaped mountain called Jebel al Furht.

I positioned myself in the approximate area and turned the aircraft’s propeller up to fully fine pitch, to make as much noise as possible, then I called them to ask if they could hear me.

“Sure can, Captain! We got you in sight!” Bill replied.

“That’s great Bill! Now can you tell me where you are?”

There was a slight pause and then Bill came back “Okay Captain... I am the one on the right, wearing the red jacket.”

It took me some moments to stop laughing before I spotted their location. I managed to land right beside Bill. There was no sign of the truck.

“Where is your truck, Bill?”

“Well that’s the problem.” said Bill, “It’s over there.”

To say that the truck was simply ‘unserviceable’ would be a slight understatement. In fact they had forgotten to apply the hand brake the previous evening, when they crawled into their tent and the truck had gently trundled to the edge of the plateau, before plunging sixty feet onto the rocks below.

We managed to rescue most of the contents of the truck, although several bottles had not survived and I would not be surprised if the truck is still there, because there are not many people in that corner of the World.

Just to finish on a happy note, I still receive a Christmas card from Leopoldo, a Phillipino electronics technician with a Wireline Service Company in Libya.

He was sent to sort out a problem on an oil rig in the desert, to the South of Sirte on the Mediterranean coast. There are few

roads in that part of the country, just desert tracks. A severe dust storm enveloped the whole area and Leopoldo did not reach the rig that evening...nor the next. We began to get concerned by the second evening.

Horst, the German explosives engineer did not have any jobs in progress at the time, so he agreed to come with me as a second pair of eyes, when I started the search the following morning.

We followed the road to Dhara and then took the left fork, marked by an oil barrel, and kept going until we got to the rig. Leopoldo had not arrived, so we started a radial search going forty miles out from the rig on each 60 degree radial...no sign of Leopoldo.

By the third morning, we had recruited the help of another two aircraft and we extended the search to the north, into the Sirte Military prohibited area. I was flying at sixty knots at extremely low level, so that I would appear to be a truck to any inquisitive radar operator.

On the fourth day Horst and I were beginning to give up hope and as evening approached and fuel began to run low, I suggested that we should think about

turning back. The other two aircraft had already given up.

There was a little dust devil on the track, up ahead and I decided to use that as our turning point and told Horst as much and he reluctantly agreed. The thought of leaving Leopoldo to his fate filled us with gloom but there was no alternative.

Then, as we approached the spiral of dust, I noticed that it was being caused by a truck...and the truck turned out to be Leopoldo!

We flew over him so low that I had to watch out for his tall radio antenna. He screeched to a halt and leaped out of the car jumping up and down and waving like a football hooligan.

We landed on the track just in front of him for an extremely emotional re-union.

Tears of joy still come to my eyes when I think about that experience.

We had six large watermelon’s in the cabin and Leopoldo had finished them all by the time we landed back at Base Camp.

It was lucky that Libya was alcohol free in those days, otherwise I would probably still be getting over the hang over! 

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AIRLINES MIKE GOUGH

PILOT FOR SALE The worn-out saying along the lines of “the only people at work at 2 am are policemen, prostitutes and pilots” may have a certain amount of truth to it – but possibly only in First World countries.

Fancy taking home US$22k pm with low living expenses? - become a Hainan direct entry captain.

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ERE in South Africa, the policemen will probably be sound asleep or AWOL, the prostitutes would be finished with those that actually have money to pay for their services, given our sinking economy, and those South African pilots actually flying at that time would be the handful that operate long haul for our shrinking national carrier, or those who have given up with this country and are plying their sought-after trade overseas.

While South Africa enthusiastically beats itself to economic death, with the good guys such as the Minister of Public

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FlightCom Magazine

Enterprises, the head of SARS and the pilot group of the aforementioned carrier being vilified, the openly incompetent and corrupt seem to sail along unfazed and certainly untouched by those dozy law enforcement types.

The rise in the highly-manipulated figures of our unemployment rate points solidly at the hopeless socialist policies that, through years of being in use, simply produce the same dismal results as they always have done. Unsurprisingly.

Having recently (for the fifth time in twelve years) had an invite to the Johannesburg offices of the CCMA, I had a chance (again) to witness the lunacy of our

labour laws in action.

Being the Respondent (read: the accused), my small company had received a case number by SMS with zero details attached. Puzzled, I went through all the possible options as to who the Applicant might be. Who had I recently fired? Who had I recently pissed off? Unusually, this time I could not fathom this one out.

Eventually, it turned out to be two of the five domestic workers servicing the fourteen townhouses which I use to house the international students that are enrolled at my flight school. They had simply decided they wanted more money and did not want to approach me about it.

Stubbornly resistant to any negotiations, we found ourselves in one of the run-down meeting rooms in the Fox Street offices of the CCMA. Correction to that. I found myself with the assigned Commissioner in that room, while the two Applicants stood in the outside passageway, aghast at the thought of having to sit across a table from me.

As their grasp of the English language had mysteriously evaporated, they engaged the interpreter in anguished tones in the hope their bidding could be done by proxy.

While this played out, I commented to the Commissioner that this sort of thing tends to discourage an employer from employing. She replied that this comment was typical of putting profits ahead of people, and that employment and decent jobs were a fundamental human right.

With that socialist fixed mind-set, we are surely doomed in terms of economic

policy. In the eyes of our government, this case may be a potential victory for the working class (however small) and a welldeserved blow to this capitalist running-pig.

Thus, we flounder.

The powers that be are seemingly oblivious to the fact that national policy, its implementation (or lack thereof), coupled with chronic levels of corruption within State Owned Enterprises are sending skilled personnel from all technical disciplines packing.

A few days ago, I had a fellow Airbus Captain on the jump seat of my flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. This particular gent has taken the leap of accepting one of the thousands of DEC (Direct Entry Captain) positions available worldwide. In his particular case, he has joined Hainan in China.

I have been keenly following the endless opportunities that have arisen world-wide, and have sat back, comfortable with the knowledge that some pretty major operators may want a piece of me. I am acutely aware of the significant hoops that have to be jumped through to get established in such a position, and take my hat off to those who have done this.

China may not be my first choice, but it is certainly one of the more lucrative contracts out there. Established in 1989, and now known as the HNA Group, this consortium of carriers is now the largest civilian run airline in the country, and the fourth largest overall. Operating 474 aircraft, and with significant orders for 787-9s, this group will also become the first operator of the indigenously-developed Comac 919, scheduled to enter service (somewhat optimistically) in 2022.

Interestingly, American Aviation LLC, controlled by George Soros, has been a significant shareholder in the group since 1995. Strong financials and a balance sheet that would turn our national carrier green, HNA Group had a mildly flat last financial year, recording net profits of around USD 70 million.

While in the cruise on that flight up from Cape Town, the process and red tape that is involved in such a venture was described to me in great detail. Undoubtedly, it is a somewhat overwhelming encounter with a massive bureaucracy, but sprinkled with some ingenious and user-friendly aspects.

This highlights where we are in South Africa, specifically in terms of paying lip service to available technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The medical and licence conversion

Even for aspirant pilots there are opportunities in the far east.

process is significant, although the simulator phase as described to me seems to offer us a feather in our cap in terms of the level of training we have in this country, specifically the manner in which we comply with Airbus procedures and their overall philosophy.

This aspect was straight forward for this South African Captain.

The flight that I was having this conversation on left Cape Town mostly full and had departed around six minutes early.

This brought chuckles of delight from my jump seater. Apparently, everything is delayed in China, and these delays often run into three to four hours, which snowballs on a multi-sector flight. The Flight and Duty Period gets tested regularly.

As major delays are simply an accepted part of the operation, it is not uncommon for the Captain to decide on commencement of

a morning flight that it is now breakfast time, and with all doors closed and passengers seated, the cockpit crew indulge in a leisurely meal before obtaining clearance for push-back and start.

An interesting modification to the Before Start Checklist is a line stating: “All Crew…….On Board”, which must have been added after an incident which involved getting airborne without all the requisite crew being present…

To say this operation has some cultural nuances would be an understatement.

However, these aspects are amply compensated for by the remuneration on offer. Without going into too many specifics, the net take home pay for a new Direct Entry Captain is around USD 22k per month. Pretty good considering the current ZAR/USD exchange rate, and the fact that

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very little needs to be spent to survive each month. Accommodation and transport is free, and food is subsidised.

This is absolutely nowhere near my current salary, and is an indication where the stakes are in terms of what is required to attract experienced air crew.

The Middle and Far East, as well as many other places, are actively looking for the skills they need in this regard, and are doing their best to be pro-active, friendly and accommodating to their migrant labour.

I have stated a few times in the past that South Africa cannot continue to be the net exporter of experienced pilots that it has been for the past 15 years or so. We are headed for major crunch time in this regard, and let’s see where the money would come from to compete in this arena globally in the next few years.

At best, we will permanently become the training pool for these regions, with 3000 hour pilots gaining valuable jet time at our local carriers’ expense, before being pushed by our demented local policies and perilous security situation, or pulled by the

An advert for A320 captains with US$ 290k per annum.

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An experience with the CCMA reminds us that South Africa is still locked in destructive socialist policies.

increasingly desperate offers overseas.

This bodes reasonably well for our local flight training industry, and I expect business to boom for the next ten years at least.

In the meantime, this particular pilot is not for sale – at least not yet. I watch with morbid fascination at the bizarre

shenanigans at all our SOEs, airlines included. I’ll buy a few more light aircraft for my flight school and resign myself to the fact that my labour lawyer is a permanent part of my payroll and do my best to keep the blue side up. 

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SA Flyer 2019|03

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New Arrivals R eport : M orne B oij L ewis

TWO NEW CORPORATE JETS MAKE THEIR SA DEBUT IN AUGUST Two notable new high-end corporate jets, the super-large cabin Gulfstream G500 and ultra-long-range Bombardier Global 7500, made their South African debut during August.

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HILE both were visiting the country on businessrelated, rather than demonstration flights, it gave the local market the first upclose look at these new jets on home soil.

The G500, owned and operated by Qatar Executive, arrived at Lanseria International Airport on 4 August while operating a regional charter. The private jet division of Qatar Airways was the international launch customer for the G500, taking delivery of the first two on 17 December 2018.

Bombardier’s flagship ultra-long range Global 7500 N282WQ arrived at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on 25 August after a remarkable non-stop 15 hour 15 minute flight from New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport that amply demonstrated its ultralong-range credentials.

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G500 The Gulfstream G500, which replaces the G450, received its Type and Production Certificates from the US Federal Aviation Administration on 20 July 2018, paving the way for the first customer delivery to a Texas-based client on 1 October. The G500s bigger sibling, the G600, received its US FAA Type and Production Certification on 28 June 2019 with the first customer delivery following on 8 August. It visited South Africa in late September 2018 as part of a demonstration tour of the region.

Time to market for the G500 was about 47 months, significantly shorter than other clean-sheet models. G500 test aircraft flew more than 5,000 hours during certification flight testing and established more than 20 new city-pair speed records earlier this year during a high-speed tour that covered 44 cities in 18 countries. The aircraft is equipped with the Honeywell Symmetry

Flight Deck featuring extensive use of touch screen technology and Gulfstream’s thirdgeneration Enhanced Flight Vision System.

It is also the first business jet to feature active side stick controllers in its fly-by-wire cockpit. It is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney PW814GA turbofans. It has a 27,87m wingspan and fuselage length of 26,55m. The G500 has a range of 5,200 nm and at its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90, it will fly 4,400 nm.

QATAR EXECUTIVE Qatar Executive currently operates a fleet of 18 state-of-the-art private jets, including six Gulfstream G650ERs, four Gulfstream G500s, three Bombardier Challenger 605s, four Global 5000s and one Global XRS. Their aircraft are becoming frequent visitors to our shoes as the company increases its fleet and thus its market presence internationally. The

company announced a further order for 14 Gulfstream G650ERs and four G500s valued at over $1 Billion on 9 July during a visit to the White House by His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar.

GLOBAL 7500 What strikes you is the sheer size of the Global 7500: measuring 33.8m in length with a massive 31.7m wingspan. The 16,59m cabin length offers up to four living spaces and a full kitchen. It is also offers Bombardier’s new patented Nuage seat and

nice Touch cabin management system and the latest Vision flightdeck. Its powered by a pair of General Electric Passport turbofans producing 18,650lb thrust.

The Global 7500 was first launched in 2010 as the Global 7000, making its maiden flight on 4 November 2016. The name change reflects a 300 nm increase in range during flight-testing to a claimed 7,700 nm.

The aircraft received its Type Certification from Transport Canada on 28 September 2018 followed by the FAA in November.

The first client delivery took place on 20 December with the plane being leased back

OPPOSITE PAGE: Arriving for the first time in South Africa, a Gulfstream G500, - this one owned and operated by Qatar Executive.

to Bombardier for a 12-month period to be utilised as a company demonstrator.

On 29 March this year Bombardier delivered the first European-based Global 7500 to long time Bombardier customer and former multiple Formula F1 World Champion Niki Lauda – just days before his death. 

Bombardier’s flagship Global 7500 arriving at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport after a 15h15m flight from New York.

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Defence D arren O livier

COULD AI-DRIVEN APPROACHES DRIVE DOWN COSTS FOR AFRICAN AIR FORCES? Smart Drones used AI for the Zanzibar Mapping Initiative.

Last month’s column discussed the background behind recent revolutionary advances in machine learning as applied to artificial intelligence (AI) problems, in particular, the impact that it was having on route planning, electronic warfare, and surveillance. I also outlined the nature of ‘swarm’ intelligence, where autonomous unmanned systems could be made far more effective by being able to communicate and coordinate actions.

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HEN it comes to military applications of artificial intelligence (AI), most of the public and media’s attention is on those technologies at the high end of the spectrum and things like ‘loyal wingmen’ and autonomous ‘killer’ drones, but realistically, these are out of the reach of just about all African air forces. While some may be able to afford such systems, they lack the industrial and academic foundation to effectively support, develop, and exploit them. Instead, the applications we are most likely to see on the continent are much less flashy, but no less interesting.

We already know that AI techniques can be used to increase military effectiveness to some extent. But what most African air forces have yet to explore is to what extent they can be used save costs as well. Is there an opportunity for the continent’s resourcestarved air forces to use these techniques to not only become more effective, but to save money while doing it?

There are two main avenues by which an air force can save costs without harming military effectiveness.

The first is through operational efficiencies via measures such as maintenance schedule optimisation, the identification of redundant effort, and fleet usage optimisation. This is an area where machine learning techniques are able to assist, but only in cases where the force has collected, preserved, and verified a large and complete dataset with all the relevant parameters included. That’s vanishingly rare: Most air forces still rely on paper records that are never digitised or, if they are, are done so via error-prone manual methods.

Even the South African Air Force, with its technically sophisticated Operational Support Information System (OSIS) maintenance and fleet tracking system, continues to struggle with data quality and completeness issues which it has to correct via post facto audits. If the data quality is poor, it doesn’t matter how good the machine learning algorithm is, it’ll still result in incorrect conclusions. Garbage-ingarbage-out. This approach also requires both substantial internal statistics and data

science skills and hefty data processing pipelines.

The second way of saving costs is by being able to do more with less through being able to achieve the same mission requirements with fewer aircraft, especially if you can move to cheaper and lighter platforms at the same time. This is where artificial intelligence might have the largest impact for those African forces that

traditional military equipment. As an example, electro-optical camera turrets used to be relatively basic, using software only to overlay flight and pointing direction data on the imagery and requiring a skilled operator for any tasks. Modern examples can be ordered with all kinds of enhancements driven by AI models, such as automatic detection and recognition of human forms, vehicles, moving objects, and so forth.

Zipline drones in Rwanda use AI to stay out of controlled airspace and avoid other aircraft.

embrace it, both because the cost of systems is steadily falling and because far more complete systems are available with prebuilt models already included, taking away the need to train and verify them first.

The past decade has seen a revolution in the ’SWaP-C’ metric (size, weight, power, and cost) in aircraft electronics, driven primarily by the huge advances in consumer technology that have emerged during the smartphone era. Since 2007 the number of transistors that can be squeezed onto an average mobile phone central processing unit chip has gone from around 20 million to over 10 billion, which means that performance has been able to grow exponentially while retaining or improving on power and thermal requirements.

We’ve also seen the rise of specialised chips designed specifically to run artificial intelligence models at high speed.

What this miniaturisation of technology has meant is that it’s now possible to buy, off the shelf, relatively sophisticated selfcontained systems that already incorporate artificial intelligence models and can be pressed into service in the same way as

This means an operator spends less time at maximum zoom and that a single aircraft can cover more terrain in less time. Reduced mass means that these turrets can be fitted to smaller and cheaper aircraft like the South African Air Force has done with its C208 Caravans. Similarly, aircraft can now more easily be fitted with multiple sensor suites, using statistical and AI techniques to filter and combine their data and allow a single aircraft to carry out tasks that used to require multiple specialist types.

Perhaps the most interesting potential application however lies in what can be done with extremely low cost, low weight, and low complexity autonomous drones that can be networked into co-operative swarms.

The key innovation of this so-called swarm intelligence is the understanding that you don’t need much individual intelligence to achieve a useful level of collective intelligence. For all the hype, AI is still nowhere close to a human level of judgement, it’s just good at making lots of heavily constrained decisions very fast.

So even with the best hardware and latest techniques, a single autonomous aircraft

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L3 using AI for object tracking.

remains rather stupid when compared to human intelligence. Link a bunch of them together though, with the ability to communicate their positions, trajectories, and tasks with each other, and they become capable of extraordinary things.

This shouldn’t surprise us, after all it’s a concept borrowed from nature where swarming is a common evolutionary behaviour. Individual ants or bees are quite useless, but an army of ants or a hive of bees can construct massive structures, engage in complex social behaviours, and transport material surprising distances.

As Sun Microsystems famously stated: The network is the computer. At a certain scale the intelligence and durability of any particular node begins to matter less and less: Lose one and others will detect it and take up its assigned tasks without the need for any central co-ordination or human intervention. Obstacles, whether environmental or dynamic (such as antiaircraft fire) are communicated to the entire swarm the moment they’re detected by even a single drone, allowing the rest to immediately change their routes. Most importantly for search tasks, the first drone to discover all or part of the target communicates that find to the rest, allowing them to converge on the location and discontinue fruitless searching.

While some of the conceptual work around drone swarms is focused on using them as weapons platforms or electronic

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warfare sensors and effectors, the cost and complexity of that approach is likely to remain impractical for African air forces. Instead, the use of low-cost drone swarms for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, and perhaps also for low-mass cargo delivery, is where focus should be. Especially because we’re starting to see all-in-one solutions from commercial providers in these areas that takes away the need to develop the

then map hidden targets in complex terrain and difficult conditions. There have already been successful projects, like the Zanzibar Mapping Initiative, using low-cost drones to produce high-resolution 3D maps of entire cities, regions, and countries within a short amount of time, and the next step is to automate these with swarm intelligence to be able to autonomously remap areas on an ongoing basis. Needless to say, this may be invaluable for air forces that need to maintain high quality visual and elevation maps of certain areas, yet can’t afford to do so through traditional means.

Given the low cost of entry, it makes sense for at least the larger and better equipped African air forces to begin looking into the use of smaller drone swarms for ISR tasks, at least in order to prepare for a future where the cost and capability of each drone keeps falling and the technology becomes widespread. Even if they don’t plan to use the technology operationally just yet, they need to understand it: how it interacts with other military systems, and what obstacles are posed by prevailing legislation. 

realistically ‘loyal wingmen’ and ‘killer’ drones are out of the reach of just about all African air forces necessary skills locally first.

Some of the early experiments have been interesting. The UK for instance has sponsored competitions and trials to use swarms for search and rescue, with small camera-equipped drones co-ordinating with each other to swiftly cover a specified area in an optimum search pattern that ensures no spot goes unchecked. Other experiments have seen swarms successfully locate and

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PART 1

Face to Face:

CEO: RODGER FOSTER

In Part 1 of this wideranging conversation, Guy Leitch talks to Airlink CEO Rodger Foster about the feeder airline’s operations – and opportunities for pilots – and lots more.

Airlink CEO Rodger Foster has paid his dues in General Aviation - and is still passionate about flying his Tiger Moth.

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GL: WITH A LOOMING PILOT SHORTAGE AND THE UNAFFORDABLE COST OF PRIVATE TRAINING, DO YOU HAVE A CADET PILOT TRAINING SCHEME?

RF: Yes, but many people don’t know about it. Our history of pilot training goes back to the very first SAA Cadet pilot scheme.

Capt. Duke Morosi, a former head of the CAA and CEO of Lesotho Airways, was first employed by us. In 1995 we enticed him out of exile and one of his first tasks was the Cadet Programme. SAA Cadet Scheme 1 was in fact an SAA and Airlink initiative. Duke worked with SAA captains; Doc Malan, Brett Gebers, Scully Levin and many others.

We now we have a different approach, based on the principle of: first show us your commitment. Thus, one of our young pilots, Walter Mmamari, started as a flight dispatcher. He worked his way up the ranks, and as he earned a salary, he invested in his PPL. When he achieved his PPL we told him that we would match every hour he paid towards his CPL. We also paid for his CPL and ATPL academic studies. The moment he had earned his CPL we moved him into the cadet programme, and we trained him up as a J41 Cadet First Officer. But we had to bridge him, at our cost, as a CPL with zero experience is not qualified to sit in the right-hand seat of an airliner on a Part 121 Operation. We paid for his simulator training and then for flying as a jump seat observer until he was up to speed with our CRM and SOPs etc.

DO YOU HAVE TO LOWER YOUR STANDARDS FOR NEW CADETS?

For cadets we lower the application criteria but don’t compromise on proficiency.

Walter was our first ‘self-help’ cadet, but we have around four or five pilots in our system now. It’s a continuous throughput. We do it ourselves as the SAA cadet programme doesn’t exist any longer.

DO YOU MANAGE TO KEEP THE PILOTS YOU TRAIN?

Unfortunately most of our cadets move on to bigger airlines and aircraft. SAA will take them all. But people like Walter Mmamari have been flying with us for ten years – he now has command. He went from dispatcher to Captain in ten years.

TYPICALLY HOW LONG FOR NONCADET NEW PILOTS TO GET TO COMMAND?

RF: Around four years to make the 3500hour minimum. We have a complex career

path where you can come in at different points and into different pilot pools, which determines how long it will take to achieve command. And you can move across pools and fleets, depending on what opportunities are available.

WITH DIFFERENT PILOT POOLS, IS THERE STILL JUST ONE SENIORITY SYSTEM?

Yes – even as a Cessna Caravan copilot you are already on the seniority scale. The way the seniority system works is that once you are in the airline your seniority is determined by your start date.

But your promotion is determined by your qualifications and meeting the criteria.

When we need to promote someone to say an Embraer Captain, we look at the next number on the seniority list, check whether they meet the criteria, and if not, move on down the list until we find someone who is qualified. So it is possible that you could get command earlier than someone who is more senior to you on the seniority system because you meet the criteria but they don’t.

WHAT IS YOUR PILOT CAREER PROGRESSION – IS IT FROM CARAVAN TO J41 TO EMBRAER ERJ TO E-JET?

It can be, but it can also be from the Caravan directly into the Embraer 135. It goes Caravan right seat to left seat, so you get command experience - even if just of a single engine plane. Then the moment you meet Embraer First Officer criteria you can move into the right seat of the Embraers. We only have four Caravans, so it is a relatively small entry point to the airline.

FOR YEARS THE BAE JETSTREAM J41S WERE THE CORE OF YOUR FLEET. HOW HAVE THEY BEEN FOR YOU?

They have done very well for us. We first got them in 1995 and had 16 at one stage, but now, after 25 years, we are retiring the last ones soon. The J41 was the only aircraft we could operate out of the old Nelspruit Municipal Airport. And Nelspruit was the origin of this company, operating as Magnum and Lowveld Air Services as far back as 1967.

Unfortunately, BAE decided to abandon all their commercial airliners, including the RJ-85, so it’s an orphan aircraft. When the OEM is no longer manufacturing or properly supporting an aircraft its value drops. But we have had full value from ours. There were only 104 J41s ever built, so its is a bit of a speciality, yet they have been great

from an operational efficiency perspective.

They are very light on fuel and payload is excellent compared to say a Beech 1900. It burns similar fuel to a 1900 but flies faster and carries more. It has a toilet and a galley - and 29 seats. It’s a great aircraft and it was built as a Part 121 aeroplane, so it’s strong, robust and reliable.

HOW DOES THE J41 COMPARE TO THE EMBRAER 120 BRASILIA?

The reason we chose the J41 over the EMB 120 is because of its hot and high performance. The 120 may have a slightly larger cabin, but in terms of economics, the J41 came out best.

LET’S TALK ABOUT ST HELENA – YOU HAVE BEEN OPERATING IT FOR OVER TWO YEARS. HOW HAS IT BEEN GOING? HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO CANCEL ANY FLIGHTS?

No, we have never cancelled any flights, but we have delayed if, for example, the weather is below the ETOPS minima, or if there are high winds – we have had 100 knot winds and sometimes a belt of fog for days at the airport. The risk becomes unpalatable, so we do not despatch, and rather postpone the flight. There has been one instance where a postponed flight was merged with the next available flight because it was postponed more than 2 or 3 days.

HAVE YOU EVER LAUNCHED AND HAD TO TURN BACK?

We have. We had one situation where we turned back mid-ocean because an unforecast batch of bad weather overcame the island. And we have had situations where we have got as far as Windhoek where the forecast was good enough to despatch but at the Windhoek weather check, it had dropped below the ETOPS minima. Still we have only one or two isolated no-go situations where we have had to pay the passengers’ accommodation.

WHAT AIRCRAFT ARE YOU OPERATING TO ST HELENA?

The Embraer 190s, as they have ETOPS approval and we can use any one in our fleet of ten. We have two aircraft that have the higher rated engines, and these are useful for departures from Windhoek’s hot and high environment during the summer months (which is only a consideration if we ever return to Windhoek for our re-fuelling stop).

We always go with max fuel and then use as much of the remaining payload as we have left, determined by the temperature on the day. Typically, it is around the mid-thirty

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As a pilot, Airlink CEO Rodger Foster understands the needs of his pilots better than most airline CEOs.

degrees centigrade out of Windhoek. Out of Walvis we don’t have the same payload restrictions so we can basically get max takeoff weight each time. And that’s why we cannot operate direct from JHB – we just don’t have the payload/range.

We cannot fly JHB - St Helena nonstop, because it is against the prevailing winds and there are no alternate or diversion airports. But when we return, we can fly St Helena – JHB non-stop because it is with the prevailing winds and there are many diversion alternates.

WHO PAYS YOU TO RUN THESE FLIGHTS?

The flights are essentially self-sustaining.

However, the St Helena Government has an aggressive desire to develop tourism to the island and this entails the provision of abundant airlift capacity. The British Department for International Development (DFID) supports the St Helena government.

WHAT ABOUT ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF REVENUE? – YOU RECENTLY BOUGHT A NEW LEVEL D SIMULATOR. DO YOU DO OUTSIDE TRAINING ON IT?

The primary objective behind the simulator was to localise our training. So we could maximise the productivity efficiency of our aircrew by reducing downtime resulting from having to fly our crews around the world to the various simulator training venues, and having reduced training costs, especially flight costs, hotel accommodation costs, and subsistence and travel allowances.

We are not yet doing training for other airlines, although we have had approaches from many ERJ operators within the region..

But we have 28 ERJs of our own, so we keep our Sim busy.

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WHAT OTHER REVENUE STREAMS ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

There are other latent revenue streams that are still a big opportunity. We could for instance use the first few rows of economy class as a premium economy. But we can’t do that yet because SAA’s reservations and departure control system has not been set up for this. And we can’t at this stage do preallocation of seating. But our new system - which is ready now - will enable us to do all of that.

AS A FULL SERVICE CARRIER, YOU DON’T HAVE MUCH SCOPE TO CHARGE FOR EXTRAS ANYWAY – I CANNOT IMAGINE YOU STARTING TO CHARGE FOR BAGS?

Sure, but we can charge for extra legroom and preferential seats. But being a network carrier as well as a full-service carrier means we are not about to charge people for the on-board catering. Our business model is not that of a low cost carrier, our niche is thinner markets with smaller aircraft that have a higher unit cost. We constantly benchmark against international airlines and we find that Airlink is typically cheaper on a like-for-like basis, compared to European and North American carriers.

WHAT SORT OF AIRCRAFT UTILISATION ARE YOU GETTING?

About six hours per day. The markets that we service are quite specific in terms of time to connect to other flights. We would only be able to get to LCC utilisation rates if we could operate a couple of flights a day to another market, but utilisation opportunities are limited and invariably highly competitive.

DO YOU THINK YOU WILL EVER HAVE A PROBLEM WITH PILOT AVAILABILITY?

At the moment we don’t, but we do suffer quite a high rate of attrition. We lose on average 15% of our pilots each year. Our retirement policy is 63 but in some instances we have been able to retain our experienced Captains until 65.

We lose a lot of our junior pilots to Emirates, and to the far east; to Cathay and Dragon. The reason is because there is an enclave of South African pilots in those airlines and it just carries on from there. A young lady pilot who got her command here went off to Hong Kong where she earns three times what she earned with us as a captain.

But it costs a lot more to live in Hong Kong.

To get past the high cost of living in Hong Kong they establish their roster and commute – say 8 days on, 8 days off. It is invariably worthwhile travelling back home and avoiding Hong Kong costs. So far this year we have lost 21 of our 230 pilots. Our information has it that 30% of our leavers go to Emirates, 24% to Hong Kong, 15% to Australia and New Zealand, 13% to other local airlines, and 4% to Japan with the balance going to other airlines domiciled outside of South Africa. So pilot attrition is a problem – and that’s why we established the training centre. At this stage the pipeline of new pilots remains strong.

An interesting statistic is that Airlink pilots fly over 60,000 flight missions per year or about 520 missions per crew, or about 780 pilot flight hours each per annum.

AND FINALLY, HOW IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CAA? ARE THEY REASONABLE AND FAIR?

We don’t have any major issues. Our biggest concern is turnaround times, but we work closely and carefully with the SACAA and ensure compliance with regulations and standards on our part, whilst also enabling the SACAA to carry out its mandate; being operational safety oversight and the promotion of civil aviation.

On the recreational aviation side, I can say from personal experience gained from owning and operating a number of GA aircraft, including a Tiger Moth, that aircraft owners and operators were spoiled by RAASA which used to perform administrative functions such as processing the paperwork and issuing “authority to fly” within minutes, and since this function has been reinstated at SACAA the process takes far too long – this is an area requiring improvement. 

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Profile T ammy K ing

AIRLINK PILOT PROFILE:

Tammy King is a Training Captain and the Head of Flight Training Admin and Compliance at Airlink. Mike Wright hooked a jump seat ride on an Airlink Embraer 190 with her to see her in action.

MW: LET’S START WITH SOME BACKGROUND: TK: I was born Tammy Crouse in Johannesburg. My highest qualification is an MBA read at the University of Liverpool.

I’m married to a wonderful man, Michael King, the owner of a software development company. I have two boys aged 4 and 13 as well as two stepchildren aged 16 and 21. I also take care of an under-privileged 9 yearold boy who lives with our family.

WHAT MADE YOU GET INTO FLYING? My parents live in a house on short final for 21L at FAOR and it was there that I got my love for flying. I spent many a day on the wall watching aircraft fly over and wishing I could fly. My Dad said no to a career of flying, saying it was not a career for girls. I therefore only started flying at the age of 28, once I had saved up enough money. Now he proudly announces to all that I am a pilot.

I joined Airlink in 2006 as a First Officer on the Embraer 135 and have had the best time of my life there. Over time, I was promoted to Captain, then Training Captain and am now a Designated Flight Examiner (DFE) and Head of Flight Training, Standards and Compliance.

WHAT’S IT LIKE WORKING FOR AIRLINK?

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I love training and therefore my job is my hobby. I have the opportunity to fly to the most gorgeous places and our route network continues to expand. This is a testament to our brilliant Executive team and Board. Also, the company does a vast amount of good work in assisting its staff and communities.

HOW CHALLENGING IS IT FOR A WOMAN TO MAKE IT IN AN AIRLINE? I do not believe it is a major challenge for a woman as we have equal opportunity to our male counterparts. The challenge however is learning to work in a male dominated industry. My advice to women in the industry, or considering entering the industry, is that you simply need to work hard, earn the respect of not only your fellow crew, but that of the entire company through your deeds and conduct, and do what is right. Challenge what is wrong with facts, using diplomacy and negotiation where necessary.

HOW MANY HOURS ARE NEEDED TO BECOME A FIRST OFFICER AND CAPTAIN AT AIRLINK? Our entry requirements vary from fleet to fleet. The minimum hours for a Cadet First Officer with a CPL with IF is 200 hours, whereas a First Officer will be required to have a minimum of 1000 hours including 200 hours twin time and 200 hours turbine time.

Under normal circumstances we do not take direct entry Captains, thus allowing our intake of First Officers to attain command at the airline within a reasonable time.

TELL US ABOUT BEING HEAD OF TRAINING. The Training Department’s output directly affects line operations, thus making it a critical service function. We currently service five fleets - the C208B, J41, E135/145 series, Avro RJ85 fleets and the E170/190 fleet. Each fleet has a Fleet Training Captain who, within the bounds of standardisation, is responsible for all training within their respective fleets. They are the men and woman without whom, I could not achieve what we do. My biggest challenge is standardisation amongst these fleets.

As part of career progression, we graduate our crew from smaller to bigger aircraft. This makes the crew member’s initial entry fleet as important as all the other fleets. Therefore, all crew members receive the same training programmes, initial and recurrent, on their type. Most of our crew intake is from contract flying jobs which is usually their first airline experience, making their initial training especially important.

Our training programmes are intense and in-depth and made possible by my very experienced team of Trainers who are always on call, day and night, for our crew.

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WHAT AIRCRAFT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST? I have many aircraft on my Licence. My favourite of course is the E135/145 series which operates at FL370 at M0.77. It is a slick and sexy jet that I hope to continue to fly for many years to come. I have around 8000 hours logged, dedicating my time between administrative duties, training and line flying.

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Company Profile

Skysource International: South Africa “Quality is our Passion” Skysource International South Africa is a South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) approved Aircraft Maintenance Organisation, which also has a USA FAA Approved Maintenance and Repair (MRO) facility.

Skysource International at Lanseria specialises in turboprop repair maintenance and overhaul.

T

HE Skysource International South African operation is situated on the north side of Lanseria International Airport, in Hangar 203, which is accessed through Gate 5.

Under the leadership of Manny Farinha and his team, the company strives to provide its clients with the best quality service, ensuring a relationship with trust, confidence, integrity and customer peace of mind that comes from the assurance that the job was well done.

Specialising in turboprop aircraft, Skysource International’s South African operation provides quality maintenance including, but not limited to: Phase 1 through to 6 inspections, annual inspections, airframe, avionics, sheet metal repairs, as well as interior and exterior refurbishment.

In addition to the above, the company has an unmatched reputation for delivering the highest quality aircraft refurbishments, with an excellent lead time.

With highly skilled, experienced and

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professional technicians and engineers, Skysource International SA strives to deliver the best quality service – far beyond its clients’ expectations. “As we have the knowledge of the time constraints involved in aviation, we work hard to ensure we keep to a reasonable timeframe to have your aircraft ready and serviceable when you need it,” says Owner and CEO Manny Farinha.

Skysource International SA is partnered with Skysource International LLC, a USA based aircraft sales company and this partnership opens up the international market to South Africans. The Billings Montana USA based Skysource International Group is a family owned and operated business that takes great pride and puts great emphasis on instilling family values into how it conducts business.

The association with the USA operation means that Lanseria based Skysource has access to the world-class experience of the American company and a local access point and experience base for dealing with

the American FAA. In addition, it enables the South African company to source the perfect aircraft for its customers - and to have access to the USA market for aircraft sales and trade-ins. If we do not have an aircraft you require in our fleet, we will source one for you,” Manny says.

In addition to its turboprop maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) skills, the South African operation also provides; aircraft pre-purchase inspections, maintenance management, aircraft recoveries, and aircraft re-weighing.

To find out more about this remarkable South African MRO business, which is ideal for every turbo-prop operator, contact Manny Farinah on : +27 72 036 3433. Alternatively, you can call the South African office on +27 10 900 4300. Manny can also be reached through email: Manny@ skysourceinternational.com For the USA contact USA Luke Overstreet: +1 406-698-2413 or email: info@skysourcesa.com 

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General Aviation - Adventure Flying Story: Edge Bisset

AROUND AFRICA IN 60 DAYS: PART 2 Due to the Arab Summit, DKN was relegated to an abandoned piece of apron at Tunis.

INTRODUCTION (BY EDGE): It’s 4.00 in the morning. I’m lying in bed looking up at the mosquito net above my bed, unable to sleep because of the heat.

Outside I can hear the sound of waves crashing on the beach. Somewhere a sheep is bleating. This is Dakar.

I

T’S been four weeks since Jaap and I left Cape Town and started up the West coast of Africa, and we’ve done a lot of flying since then. It’s easy to lose track of where we are: towns go by, sometimes without making too much of an impression. Lubango, Luanda, Libreville, Abidjan, Bamako… exotic names for towns that I could not have picked out on a map until a month or two ago. Sometimes, looking back, they all

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blend into one. But each flight has something unique about it that we remember.

Often, after hours of flying, it’s the approach to the airfield that one remembers most clearly. That first sight of the runway is always a good feeling; when I see the runway, I feel like we’ve made it. Of course, that’s not true at all. There’s still the matter of landing the aircraft. It’s one thing to do a good landing at one’s home airfield. Every pilot does plenty of those, often dozens of them in a single practice session. But it’s

quite another thing to do a good landing on an airfield you’ve never been to, after five and a half hours of hands-on flying through hot, bumpy conditions with limited visibility.

On a flight like that, fatigue becomes a new enemy. And doing a good landing in a heavily loaded tailwheel aircraft under those conditions is another thing altogether.

One has to have one’s finger out.

If visibility is poor, as it often is in this part of the world, I would have spent a good few hours flying on instruments, with no clear horizon at all to use as a reference. Our trusty Cessna 180, ZS-DKN is not equipped with an autopilot and it’s tiring work, handflying on instruments through hot, bumpy weather. Thankfully I’m not alone. While I’m focussing on the instruments, Jaap keeps the ground in sight, manages the fuel systems and so on. We share the workload equally.

This part of the world is plagued by a thick haze. The Sahara desert is an enormous sand bowl and at this time of year the NorthEasterly wind blows a gale, churning up the golden desert sand and carrying it high up

into the atmosphere. That same wind, the Harmattan, carries the dust all the way across the Atlantic. The famous red sunsets of the Bahamas are caused by sand from the Sahara which has been blown right across the ocean. It is well-travelled dust.

And here, on the border of the Sahara, as we fly along in our little Cessna 180, the air is thick with it. Sometimes we can only see the outlines of land features directly below us. At anything more than 45 degrees to the ground, all we see is haze. Looking straight up, we can just make out a faint blue tinge to the dust. Somewhere up there there’s blue sky, but it’s hidden from us. There is no horizon. It’s just dust, dust, dust.

Books have been written about the dangers of flying in poor visibility and the statistics are not encouraging. This is “How and why pilots die”, as one author famously put it. So this Harmattan haze is not really the kind of weather one chooses to fly in.

But if you want to fly around this part of the world it cannot be avoided as the Harmattan season lasts for months. So we fly on the best days and we sit it out on many other days, whether we want to or not. Still, even on a good day, it’s hard flying. We work as a team, managing all the variables that make for a safe flight through an unknown country. And when we sight the destination airfield, we feel a sense of relief.

But it’s not over. We’ve got to put the aircraft down in one piece. As we approach the field, conversation is reduced to single words; we focus on the task at hand while listening out for instructions from the tower.

“Sanitise”, Jaap mutters. I nod and we go through the routine of de-cluttering the cockpit: iPads and charger cables are stowed, loose items packed away and so on.

That done, I go through my before-landing checklist. Brakes, Undercarriage, Mixture, Pitch, Throttle… all of the memory items which every pilot knows by heart happen naturally. When the time comes, I tell the tower that we’re established on the ILS. We don’t really need the ILS of course, since we have the field in sight and are flying visually, but many of the airfields we’ve been flying in to only ever see big airliners and they expect us to be using the ILS too, so we do.

“Rodger”, he replies.

“Raaadger”. ICAO be damned, these controllers sound like the coolest guys in the world when they speak like that. “Cleared to land, runway one niner, wind two-threezero degrees, twelve knots”. I read back the

clearance and crane forward in my seat, looking for a windsock. These controllers often give incorrect wind readings. A 15 knot crosswind is not a big deal for a 737 perhaps but for a heavily loaded C180 with an aft centre of gravity, it’s a different matter.

We learned this the hard way at Lubango in Angola when a controller cleared us to land with a horrible quartering tailwind while telling us the wind was “calm”. There was no windsock on that day and with a density altitude of over ten thousand feet the ground speed was already high. That quartering tailwind landing just made it that much worse. It was not a pleasant experience and I was curious as to whether or not Jaap would be willing to get into the aircraft again after

that. But I need not have worried. He’s made of tough stuff. So now we are extra-cautious.

Jaap reads my mind. “Just to the right of the runway, by the second taxiway”, he says. I spot the windsock and adjust my approach.

We may have navigated hundreds of miles of treacherous terrain in bad weather, but the landing is still the main event. If the landing itself is particularly impressive, or otherwise, it leaves a lasting impression.

Thankfully it goes smoothly and we vacate the runway at the first taxiway.

Opening the windows to let in some cool air, we look at each other and grin. We survived another one. Welcome to Dakar!

Cape Town to Italy.

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JOURNAL: DAY 30 (JAAP) “The weather has not looked this blue for days” we commented as we left Dakar this morning. A good day for flying, and a good way to say goodbye to the harmattan dust, we thought.

Except, not.

Our “blue skies” turned hazy as we

sure we stay in visual contact with what’s below us. The western end of the Sahara is largely featureless, so spotting a tarred road became an event to celebrate. We tracked the coast as we approached Dakhla - the airport is on a thin peninsula and not easy to spot in severely reduced visibility. After a tough flight, Edge greased the C180 neatly

A tired looking Edge, after landing in Dakar.

Western Sahara. At ten thousand feet we were just above the dust. Note the coastline visible at the bottom of the picture.

followed the coastline northwards towards Dakhla. The long 5 hours plusd flight became another exercise in teamwork, with one on the instruments with the other looking out the window to make

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in the fierce winds they have here.

JOURNAL: DAY 31 (JAAP) Today we tackled our stretch from Dakhla to Agadir. Breakfast in the dark,

a quick check out, and the long drive back to Dakhla airport. One could use this landscape for a Star Wars episode! It’s hard to describe an empty landscape. “Barren” or “desolate” don’t quite capture it.

It was another long flight but slowly the desert dust gave way to low cloud.

Finally,we were routed in directly to Agadir, where Swissport handling gave us the most efficient and professional service ever. We were parked, fuelled up, customs / military / police cleared, dollars changed, all in record time and heading for our overnight homestay.

Next leg: Marrakech. Our first real tourist stop after São Tomé.

JOURNAL: DAY 32 (EDGE) I’m standing on the ground floor of a small courtyard, staring at the ornately tiled mosaics that cover every wall and pillar. It is incredibly tranquil here. The host smiles warmly and invites us to make ourselves comfortable, gesturing to a table and chairs which lie off to one side beneath a curved archway. We put down our heavy bags with relief, take off our caps and fall into the chairs as if we’ve been cut off at the knees.

Our flying suits are rumpled, there are patches of sweat under our arms and I wonder whether we smell more strongly of Avgas or sweat. The host doesn’t seem to notice either way and before we know it, he’s arranged for a pot of tea to be brought.

We have arrived at our lodgings for the night. We are staying in a riad, or traditional home, in the medina - the crazy, bustling old city centre in the heart of Marrakech.

A warren of narrow alleyways crammed with stalls and throngs of pedestrians, the medina bustles with energy. Only a few metres from where we sit is the main souk, or marketplace, where snake charmers and acrobats compete with musicians and fruit salesmen for the attention of every passerby. It is noisy, colourful, chaotic. And yet here we are, only a small distance away, in the calmest environment one could imagine.

There’s almost something magical about it. Whoever built this riad, some 800-odd years ago, had certainly perfected their art.

Our flight today was beautiful. We took off in cool, calm air from Agedir and pointed the nose of the aircraft at the mighty Atlas mountains while we climbed up to seven thousand five hundred feet. Our route took us around a huge ridge of mountain, up a beautiful valley and down the other side again, to Marrakech. It was a short flight -

Contrary to what we had expected, the Algerian countryside was lush and green along the coast.

just over an hour - and before we knew it we were touching down. While our host checks us in, I drink my tea with a smile. It was almost a perfect flight.

For pilots, the quest for perfection takes various forms. While we are on these long cross-country legs, we take turns flying the aircraft and I take particular pride in handing over a perfectly trimmed aircraft.

When I hand over a well-trimmed aircraft in smooth conditions, there should be no input required from the other pilot to maintain heading or altitude. It should be steady as a rock. If we are in a quiet phase of the flight and I’m feeling cheeky, I sometimes take my hands and feet off of the controls, stretch theatrically and look out of the window for a while with my arms crossed. Just minding my own business here. Nothing to see.

Of course, Jaap immediately notices that I’m not flying the machine and watches with interest from the corner of his eye.

Have I forgotten that I’m still in control?

Eventually, feigning boredom, I’ll give the instruments a final, casual scan and seeing nothing of any interest whatsoever, I’ll keep my arms crossed and in a sleepy voice say to him “you have control”. As I do it, I’ll nod and point my eyes at the altimeter which is still pegged, firm and unwavering, exactly on the desired altitude. The message is clear: I’m giving you a perfectly trimmed machine and I want it back in the same state.

Jaap laughs as he takes control. It’s a game we both know.

Today, after we landed, Jaap dipped the tanks and tallied up the fuel. Strolling around to my side of the plane with his hands in his pockets, he mumbled “Before we took off, I estimated we would land with about

a hundred litres left over today.” I pay little attention, busy with my own procedures, but eventually I become aware of a silence.

I look up to see Jaap idly leaning against the wing strut, casual as can be, looking out at the distant mountains. Eventually he yawns, stretches and mumbles “we have a hundred and one litres left over”. He winks. I laugh.

Silly bugger still can’t trim a ‘plane but he’s

distance the coastline around Casablanca.

Soon enough we were picking up the approach frequency of Fes, and realised we were facing a new challenge. Contrary to the met forecast, which had predicted fine conditions, we were experiencing a monster of a gusting crosswind: at first contact, the controller gave us a wind reading of 22 to 29 knots gusting at 040 degrees. With a runway heading of 090 degrees, this was going to be interesting.

We were on a long final, and every update from the tower reaffirmed the horrid wind situation, though the direction and gust factor changed with every reading. Not that we needed ATC to tell us there was a strong wind; the aircraft was bucking and swaying more dramatically with every passing minute. The cockpit smelled of avgas and adrenaline. Edge was doing his “wake-up” routine. Get the feet to push the rudder a few times. Roll the shoulders to get your arms loose. Reset yourself firmly in the seat. Ready for action.

We joined on a long final approach, nose crabbed into wind at 050 degrees, runway falling away from us at 090 degrees. To our

Suddenly I become aware of how cold it is as the sweat evaporates from my skin. got the fuel management dialled better than I ever would have.

Still, there’s always the next flight. I sip on my tea and enjoy the moment. It is perfect.

JOURNAL: DAY 34 (JAAP) We climbed out from Marrakech in still, cold air today but had a somewhat tricky start to the flight: we simply couldn’t translate the Arabic waypoint names into meaningful words, and it caused some confusion between us and the ATC. But once that was sorted out - basically by a process of elimination - we sat back and admired the scenery. Morocco is beautiful from the air, with amazing mountain landscapes, snaking rivers, cliffs and valleys, and in the

frustration, there was no windsock to be seen as we approached the field. The airspeed indicator needle was flailing around between 80 mph and suddenly nothing, as the gusts threw us around. Short final and things were starting to get very interesting.

Into-wind wing down to compensate for drift and opposite rudder to align with the runway....but even with ailerons and rudder at maximum, we were still being pushed sideways from time to time. Strong bursts of power were required to catch the downdrafts. A sudden lull between the gusts and the controls became totally slack. Catch it and get it back on centre. A momentary touch down, but it was not controlled and the wind swept us up again before we could settle. More power, maintain attitude, let her

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After an almost impossible crosswind landing, Edge looking happy to be safe on the ground at Fes.

settle again. We still have 2000m of runway.

But it was not to be. We’re going around.

Good decision-making.

As we’re formulating a new strategy, the tower casually asks, “Reason for going around?” I hear Edge’s parched and raspy reply: “Extreme winds.”

“OK”, she says, “join right hand downwind call final.” As Edge brings the plane around on to downwind, we discuss the plan. On the next attempt, which could

easily just be a fly-past, I’ll inspect the grass next to the tarmac for possible landing or run-off areas that might allow us to land into wind. Worst case, we can head for our alternate field but it’s a long way away and if the wind has picked up this much here, we may find the same at our alternate, so it’s worth giving this another try.

Edge goes back to previously learned lessons. Less flaps, more power, higher approach speed, using the width of the

runway to land diagonally across it to reduce crosswind component. Fighting our way through the bumps, we approach on the far right of the runway. Edge calls a raspy “Final” over the radio. The wind snarls at us, let’s go, and then hits us with full force again. The Cessna is blown like a leaf in the wind but we fight it all the way down to the ground and eventually we touch down, firmly but safely. We breathe again. The tower gives us casual parking instructions, none the wiser, but taxiing is just about impossible. Even full brakes and heavy use of power can’t prevent the wind from turning the aircraft around.

Eventually we get it to the tie-down area. The windsock, we finally see, is in the middle on the runway (1,6 km from where we touched down), stiff and bellowing.

Suddenly I become aware of how cold it is as the sweat evaporates from my skin.

JOURNAL: DAY 36 (JAAP) It turns out that there is political unrest in Algeria and we don’t want to get stuck there, so we need to adjust our route. On top of that, Tunisia is hosting the Arab League Summit next week and there are no slots

The mighty Stromboli was active as we flew past.

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available to land in Tunis. The military have also annexed all avgas for the time being.

We realise that we’re stumped. But another day or two in Fes won’t hurt us.

JOURNAL: DAY 39 (JAAP) After some more juggling of weather, fuel, and political stability, driven by the need to advance on our route, we decided to fly to the very north-eastern tip of Morocco today. This is a town called Oujda, chosen by us for its location only as it’s our stepping stone to overfly Algeria and progress to Tunisia.

JOURNAL: DAY 40 (JAAP) We took off from Oujda with full tanks, readying ourselves for a very long flight.

Hardly 20 minutes into the flight, the deep blue colour of the Mediterranean showed up on our left. The coastline here is green, with large dams and we spotted a well-developed canal system. To the south the mountains were still thick with snow.

We overflew Algeria and crossed the border into Tunisia after almost 5 hours of flying, and here the landscape changed to large folds of granite mountains. Eventually Tunis popped up on the horizon - it’s a large city. On the ground we were swiftly met by the usual flurry of handlers, officials, security, and to our surprise a big military avgas bowser.

Formalities were super quick: immigration, local currency, new SIM card, and off to our hotel. The taxi ride in peak hour traffic is another story altogether…

JOURNAL: DAY 43 (JAAP) After having spent a few intoxicating days in Tunis, it was difficult to leave. But leave we must. DKN looks a bit forlorn, parked on the edge of the faraway apron.

A bird has started making a nest in the tailwheel cone and marked his or her territory on the prop, the spinner, stabiliser... oh she’s real dirty now!

It’s a short hop across the Med, from Tunisia to Italy, and before we know it we are in the Rome FIR. The controller greets us with a friendly “Ciao, Zooloo Sieeerra Deeelta Keeelo Novaambre!” We certainly are a long way from Cape Town!

Soon, Sicily pops up in front of us, and it’s spectacular. The autostradas, the coast line, massifs of volcanic rock – and the airport. We get guided in, and our handler is waiting for us on cue. Here one can pay by card for avgas, handling... it’s all very firstworldy. Now to go exploring Palermo!

JOURNAL: DAY 44 (JAAP) Leaving Palermo behind, after having spent just one night there, was both exhilarating and sad. We’re excited to fly north into Italy but it would be nice to enjoy more of the easy Sicilian lifestyle.

As we were flying along the West coast,

an easterly direction, heading for the heel of Italy. The views are breath-taking. As we route eastwards, we can see the Gulf of Taranto, part of the Ionian Sea, appear. The controllers accommodate us by speaking English, but communicate in rapid-fire Italian with other aircraft. We listen out for

Tea is taken seriously in Tunis.

Mount Etna stood proud of the cloud bank, her slopes still covered in a thick blanket of snow. We flew a dog-leg route, hopping from one volcanic island to the next, until we got to the mighty Stromboli volcano.

Then we turned east, across the Tyrrhenian Sea on our way to mainland Italy. The Lucanian Apennines form the spine of Italy, a beautiful, rugged range of mountain with snow still lying thick on the higher peaks and ridges. We followed them northwards as far as their highest point, Mount Polline, which stands at 7438ft. There we turned in

“zoolu sierrrra, djelta keeelo novembre...”

Following a Ryan Air 737 on final, we get vectored in to Brindisi. We sanitise the cockpit, complete the pre-landing checks, and enjoy a spectacular approach over water as we turn final. A short landing into a stiff breeze and we expedite, as there is more traffic inbound.

Our handler is already waiting at the fuel bay. In no time, we’re on our way to our hotel. It’s been a long flight. Never have soft taxi seats felt this comfortable... now it’s time to explore Brindisi! 

Island hopping, from one volcano to the next.

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Alpi Flight Academy

(082)

556-3592

086-605-8948

Aviatech Flight Academy

(082)

303 1124

www.aviatech.co.za/

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DURBAN j j jjjjjjj j j

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GEORGE AIRPORT Savannah Helicopter Training

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KRUGERSDORP j jjjjj j

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LANSERIA AIRPORT / RANDBURG Aeronav Academy Gryphon Flight Academy Skyhawk Aviation

(011) (082) (011)

701-3862 562-5060 701-2622

701-3873 701-2623

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(044)

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(064)

756 6356

(041)

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MOSSEL BAY Starlite Aviation Training Academy

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PANORAMA Johannesburg Flying Academy

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PORT ELIZABETH Algoa Flying Club

086-461-7067

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RAND AIRPORT Central Flying Academy

(011)

824-4421

U Fly Training Academy

(011)

824-0680

390-1738

Richards Bay Air Carriers

(035)

786-0146/7

786-0145

Rustenburg Flying Club

(082)

821 1690

082 619 8633

RICHARDS BAY8 RUSTENBURG

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VEREENIGING AIRPORT Bird Aviation

(016)

556-1007

info@birdaviation.co.za

Desert Air (PTY) LTD

+264

61 228101

+264 61 254 345

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Blue Chip Flight School

(012)

543-3050

543-1826

Loutzavia

(012)

567-6775

543-1519

Legend Sky

(083)

860-5225

086-600-7285

Powered Flight Training

(078)

460-1231

086-666-2077

Vortx Aviation Training

(072)

480-0359

086-524-0949

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WINDHOEK - EROS AIRPORT

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WONDERBOOM AIRPORT / AEROPARK / RHINO PARK - PRETORIA111

41

FlightCom Magazine

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Where pilots speak for themselves

SURNAME

FIRST NAME

LOCATION

TEL NO

E-MAIL

Other countries

AME Doctors Listing

EASA registered

www.gryphonflight.co.za

“I did my ATPL Preparation, my B190 Proficiency Check as well as my MCC course with Gryphon Flight Academy and I was very pleased with the service!

Anton really listened and tailored a fitting package to my needs, unlike many other major Flight Schools, thus saving me a lot of money but still offered a great Training Experience. Only can recommend this school.” Patrick Heintschel.

FAA registered

SA Flyer 2019|01

FLIGHT TESTING CPL • ATPL •PROFICIENCY CHECKS • IF RENEWALS

Off-site Specialist tests

For other aircraft types contact Anton Rousseau - 082 562 5060 anton@gryphonflight.co.za

On site Specialist tests

We offer Type Ratings on: PC12 • B190 • E120 • Embraer 135/145

Senior Class 1, 2, 3, 4

SPECIALISED ADVANCED AVIATION TRAINING

Regular Class 2, 3, 4

CAA/0322

“My training experience at Gryphon Flight Academy could not have been more positive and rewarding. The Ground phase was delivered by an experienced Captain on both aircraft, who portrayed the utmost professionalism both as a pilot and instructor. Similarly, the simulator sessions were instructed by experienced South African airline pilots with a genuine passion for the work they do. Their enthusiasm and professionalism were infectious and I completed the course feeling entirely confident that I was ready to operate commercially with a high level of expertise and professionalism” Garth Greyling

✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

Britz

Rudi

Wonderboom Airport

083 422 9882

rudiavmed@gmail.com

Church

Belinda

Valhalla

079 636 9860

churchbs@live.com

Du Plessis

Alexander

Athlone Park

031 904 7460

dex.duplessis@intercare.co.za

Erasmus

Philip

Benoni

011 849 6512

pdceras-ass@mweb.co.za

Govender

Deena

Umhlanga Rocks

031 566 2066/7 deena@drdg.co.za

✗ ✗

Ingham

Kenneth

Midrand

011 315 5817

kaingham@hotmail.com

✗ ✗

Marais

Eugene

Mossel Bay

044 693 1470

eugene.marais@medicross.co.za

✗ ✗

Opperman

Chris

Pretoria Lynnwood

012 368 8800

chris.opperman@intercare.co.za

Schutz

Ernest

Germiston

011 825 5300

schutzfm@iafrica.com

Tenzer

Stan

Rand Airport & JHB CBD

083 679 0777

stant@global.co.za

✗ ✗ ✗

Toerien

Hendrik

White River, Nelspruit

013 751 3848

hctoerien@viamediswitch.co.za

✗ ✗ ✗

Van Der Merwe

Johann

Stellenbosch

021 887 0305

johann.vdmerwe@medicross.co.za

Van Niekerk

Willem

Benoni

011 421 9771

http://willemvanniekerk.co.za

✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

✗ ✗

BACKPAGE DIRECTORY A1A Flight Examiner (Loutzavia) Jannie Loutzis 012 567 6775 / 082 416 4069 jannie@loutzavia.co.za www.loutzavia.co.za

Alpi Aviation SA Dale De Klerk 082 556 3592 dale@alpiaviation.co.za www.alpiaviation.co.za

Adventure Air Lande Milne 012 543 3196 / Cell: 066 4727 848 l.milne@venture-sa.co.za www.ventureglobal.biz

Apco (Ptyd) Ltd Tony/Henk + 27 12 543 0775 apcosupport@mweb.co.za www.apcosa.co.za

AES (Cape Town) Erwin Erasmus 082 494 3722 erwin@aeroelectrical.co.za www.aeroelectrical.co.za

Aref Avionics Hannes Roodt 082 462 2724 arefavionics@border.co.za

Chem-Line Aviation & Celeste Products Steve Harris 011 452 2456 sales@chemline.co.za www.chemline.co.za Comporob Composite Repair & Manufacture Felix Robertson 072 940 4447 083 265 3602 comporob@lantic.net www.comporob.co.za Corporate-Aviators/Affordable Jet Sales Mike Helm 082 442 6239 corporate-aviators@iafrica.com www.corporate-aviators.com

Fly Jetstream Aviation Henk Kraaij 083 279 7853 charter@flyjetstream.co.za www.flyjetstream.co.za Flying Frontiers Craig Lang 082 459 0760 CraigL@fairfield.co.za www.flyingfrontiers.com

Flying Unlimited Flight School (Pty) Ltd Riaan Struwig 082 653 7504 / 086 770 8376 riaan@ppg.co.za Atlas Aviation Lubricants C. W. Price & Co www.ppg.co.za AES (Johannesburg) Steve Cloete Kelvin L. Price Danie van Wyk 011 917 4220 011 805 4720 Foster Aero International 011 701 3200 Fax: 011 917 2100 cwp@cwprice.co.za Dudley Foster office@aeroelectrical.co.za Sales.aviation@atlasoil.co.za www.cwprice.co.za 011 659 2533 www.aeroelectrical.co.za www.atlasoil.africa

info@fosteraero.co.za Dart Aeronautical www.fosteraero.co.za Aerocore ATNS Jaco Kelly Jacques Podde Percy Morokane 011 827 8204 Gemair 082 565 2330 011 607 1234 dartaero@mweb.co.za Andries Venter jacques@aerocore.co.za percymo@atns.co.za 011 701 2653 / 082 905 5760 www.aerocore.co.za www.atns.com Dart Aircraft Electrical andries@gemair.co.za

Mathew Joubert Aero Engineering & PowerPlant Aviation Direct 011 827 0371 GIB Aviation Insurance Brokers Andre Labuschagne Andrea Antel Dartaircraftelectrical@gmail.com Richard Turner 012 543 0948 011 465 2669 www.dartaero.co.za 011 483 1212 aeroeng@iafrica.com info@aviationdirect.co.za aviation@gib.co.za

www.aviationdirect.co.za DJA Aviation Insurance www.gib.co.za Aero Services (Pty) Ltd 011 464 5550 Chris Scott Avtech Aircraft Services 0800Flying Gryphon Flight Academy 011 395 3587 Riekert Stroh mail@dja-aviation.co.za Jeffrey Von Holdt chris@aeroservices.co.za 082 555 2808 / 082 749 9256 www.dja-aviation.co.za 011 701 2600 www.aeroservices.co.za avtech1208@gmail.com info@gryphonflight.co.za

Dynamic Propellers www.gryphonflight.co.za Aeronav Academy BAC Aviation AMO 115 Andries Visser Donald O’Connor Micky Joss 011 824 5057 Guardian Air 011 701 3862 035 797 3610 082 445 4456 011 701 3011 info@aeronav.co.za monicad@bacmaintenance.co.za andries@dynamicpropeller.co.za 082 521 2394 www.aeronav.co.za

www.dynamicpropellers.co.za ops@guardianair.co.za Blackhawk Africa www.guardianair.co.za Aeronautical Aviation Cisca de Lange Eagle Aviation Helicopter Division

Clinton Carroll 083 514 8532 Tamryn van Staden Heli-Afrique cc 011 659 1033 / 083 459 6279 cisca@blackhawk.aero 082 657 6414 Tino Conceicao clinton@aeronautical.co.za www.blackhawk.aero tamryn@eaglehelicopter.co.za 083 458 2172 www.aeronautical.co.za www.eaglehelicopter.co.za tino.conceicao@heli-afrique.co.za Blue Chip Flight School

Aerotric (Pty) Ltd Henk Kraaij Eagle Flight Academy Henley Air Richard Small 012 543 3050 Mr D. J. Lubbe Andre Coetzee 083 488 4535 bluechip@bluechip-avia.co.za 082 557 6429 011 827 5503 aerotric@aol.com www.bluechipflightschool.co.za training@eagleflight.co.za andre@henleyair.co.za www.eagleflight.co.za www.henleyair.co.za Aircraft Assembly and Upholstery Centre Border Aviation Club & Flight School Tony/Siggi Bailes Liz Gous Elite Aviation Academy Hover Dynamics 082 552 6467 043 736 6181 Jacques Podde Phillip Cope anthony@rvaircraft.co.za admin@borderaviation.co.za 082 565 2330 074 231 2964 www.rvaircraft.co.za www.borderaviation.co.za info@eliteaa.co.za info@hover.co.za

www.eliteaa.co.za www.hover.co.za Aircraft Finance Corporation Breytech Aviation cc Jaco Pietersen 012 567 3139 Emperor Aviation Indigo Helicopters +27 [0]82 672 2262 Willie Breytenbach Paul Sankey Gerhard Kleynhans jaco@airfincorp.co.za admin@breytech.co.za 082 497 1701 / 011 824 5683 082 927 4031 / 086 528 4234 www.airfincorp.co.za paul@emperoraviation.co.za veroeschka@indigohelicopters.co.za Bundu Aviation www.emperoraviation.co.za www.indigohelicopters.co.za Aircraft Maintenance @ Work Phillip Cronje

Opelo / Frik 083 485 2427 Enstrom/MD Helicopters IndigoSat South Africa - Aircraft Tracking 012 567 3443 info@bunduaviation.co.za Andrew Widdall Gareth Willers frik@aviationatwork.co.za_ www.bunduaviation.co.za 011 397 6260 08600 22 121 opelonke@aviationatwork.co.za aerosa@safomar.co.za sales@indigosat.co.za Celeste Sani Pak & Inflight Products www.safomar.co.za www.indigosat.co.za Aircraft Maintenance International Steve Harris Pine Pienaar 011 452 2456 Era Flug Flight Training Integrated Avionic Solutions 083 305 0605 admin@chemline.co.za Pierre Le Riche Gert van Niekerk gm@aminternational.co.za www.chemline.co.za 021 934 7431 082 831 5032 info@era-flug.com gert@iasafrica.co.za Aircraft Maintenance International Cape Aircraft Interiors www.era-flug.com www.iasafrica.co.za Wonderboom Sarel Schutte Thomas Nel 021 934 9499 Execujet Africa International Flight Clearances 082 444 7996 michael@wcaeromarine.co.za 011 516 2300 Steve Wright admin@aminternational.co.za www.zscai.co.za enquiries@execujet.co.za 076 983 1089 (24 Hrs) www.execujet.com flightops@flyifc.co.za Air Line Pilots’ Association Cape Town Flying Club www.flyifc.co.za Sonia Ferreira Beverley Combrink Federal Air 011 394 5310 021 934 0257 / 082 821 9013 Nick Lloyd-Roberts Investment Aircraft alpagm@iafrica.com info@capetownflyingclub.co.za 011 395 9000 Quinton Warne www.alpa.co.za www.@capetownflyingclub.co.za shuttle@fedair.com 082 806 5193

www.fedair.com aviation@lantic.net Airshift Aircraft Sales Cape Town Flight Training Centre www.investmentaircraft.com Eugene du Plessis Oraya Laemkaew Ferry Flights int.inc.

082 800 3094 021 976 7053/084 440 7922 Michael (Mick) Schittenhelm Jabiru Aircraft eugene@airshift.co.za admin@cape-town-flying.co.za 082 442 6239 Len Alford www.airshift.co.za www.cape-town-flying.co.za ferryflights@ferry-flights.com 044 876 9991 / 044 876 9993

www.ferry-flights.com info@jabiru.co.za Airvan Africa Capital Air www.jabiru.co.za Patrick Hanly Micaella Vinagre Fireblade Aviation 082 565 8864 011 827 0335 010 595 3920 Jim Davis Books airvan@border.co.za micaella@capitalairsa.com info@firebladeaviation.com Jim Davis www.airvan.co.za www.capitalairsa.com www.firebladeaviation.com 072 188 6484

jim@border.co.za Algoa Flying Club Century Avionics cc Flight Training College www.jimdavis.co.za Sharon Mugridge Carin van Zyl Cornell Morton

041 581 3274 011 701 3244 044 876 9055 Joc Air T/A The Propeller Shop info@algoafc.co.za sales@centuryavionics.co.za ftc@flighttrainning.co.za Aiden O’Mahony www.algoafc.co.za www.centuryavionics.co.za www.flighttraining.co.za 011 701 3114

jocprop@iafrica.com Alpha One Aviation Chemetall Flight Training Services Opelo Wayne Claassens Amanda Pearce Kishugu Aviation 082 301 9977 011 914 2500 011 805 9015/6 +27 13 741 6400 on@alphaoneaviation.co.za wayne.claassens@basf.com amanda@fts.co.za comms@kishugu.com www.alphaoneaviation.co.za www.chemetall.com www.fts.co.za www.kishugu.com/kishugu-aviation

43

FlightCom Magazine

Money Aviation Angus Money 083 263 2934 angus@moneyaviation.co.za www.moneyaviation.co.za Kit Planes for Africa Stefan Coetzee 013 793 7013 info@saplanes.co.za www.saplanes.co.za

MS Aviation Gary Templeton 082 563 9639 gary.templeton@msaviation.co.za www.msaviation.co.za

Tshukudu Trailers Pieter Visser 083 512 2342 deb@tshukudutrailers.co.za www.tshukudutrailers.co.za

Sheltam Aviation PE Brendan Booker 082 497 6565 brendanb@sheltam.com www.sheltamaviation.com

U Fly Training Academy Nikola Puhaca 011 824 0680 ufly@telkomsa.net www.uflyacademy.co.za

United Charter cc Jonathan Wolpe 083 270 8886 jonathan.wolpe@unitedcharter.co.za www.unitedcharter.co.za

North East Avionics Keith Robertson +27 13 741 2986 keith@northeastavionics.co.za deborah@northeastavionics.co.za www.northeastavionics.co.za Landing Eyes Gavin Brown Orsmond Aviation 031 202 5703 058 303 5261 info@landingeyes.co.za info@orsmondaviation.co.za www.landingeyes.com www.orsmondaviation.co.za

Lanseria Aircraft Interiors Owenair (Pty) Ltd Francois Denton Clive Skinner 011 659 1962 / 076 810 9751 082 923 9580 francois@aircraftcompletions.co.za clive.skinner@owenair.co.za www.owenwair.co.za Lanseria International Airport Mike Christoph Pacair 011 367 0300 Wayne Bond mikec@lanseria.co.za 033 386 6027 www.lanseria.co.za pacair@telkomsa.net

SIM Aerotraining (Pty) Ltd 011 395 1326 Keith Roseveare keithr@simaero.co.za www.sim.aero

Legend Sky 083 860 5225 / 086 600 7285 info@legendssky.co.za www.legendsky.co.za

PFERD-South Africa (Pty) Ltd Hannes Nortman 011 230 4000 hannes.nortman@pferd.co.za www.pferd.com

Litson & Associates (Pty) Ltd OGP, BARS, Resources Auditing & Aviation Training karen.litson@litson.co.za Phone: 27 (0) 21 8517187 www.litson.co.za

Pipistrel Kobus Nel 083 231 4296 kobus@pipistrelsa.co.za www.pipistrelsa.co.za

Sling Aircraft Kim Bell-Cross 011 948 9898 sales@airplanefactory.co.za www.airplanefactory.co.za

Solenta Aviation (Pty Ltd) Paul Hurst 011 707 4000 info@solenta.com www.solenta.com

Kzn Aviation (Pty) Ltd Melanie Jordaan 031 564 6215 mel@kznaviation.co.za www.kznaviation.co.za

Litson & Associates Risk Management Services (Pty) Ltd. eSMS-S/eTENDER/ eREPORT/Advisory Services karen.litson@litson.co.za Phone: 27 (0) 8517187 www.litson.co.za Loutzavia Aircraft Sales Henry Miles 082 966 0911 henry@loutzavia.co.za www.loutzavia.co.za

Loutzavia Charters Henry Miles 012 567 3873 charters@loutzavia.co.za www.loutzavia.co.za

Loutzavia Flight Training Gerhardt Botha 012 567 6775 ops@loutzavia.co.za www.loutzavia.co.za Loutzavia-Pilots and Planes Maria Loutzis 012 567 6775 maria@loutzavia.co.za www.pilotsnplanes.co.za Loutzavia Rand Frans Pretorius 011 824 3804 rand@loutzavia.co.za www@loutzavia.co.za Lowveld Aero Club Pugs Steyn 013 741 3636 Flynow@lac.co.za Marshall Eagle Les Lebenon 011 958 1567 les@marshalleagle.co.za www.marshalleagle.co.za MCC Aviation Pty Ltd Claude Oberholzer 011 701 2332 info@flymcc.co.za www.flymcc.co.za

MH Aviation Services (Pty) Ltd Marc Pienaar 011 609 0123 / 082 940 5437 customerrelations@mhaviation.co.za www.mhaviation.co.za M and N Acoustic Services cc Martin de Beer 012 689 2007/8 calservice@mweb.co.za

Metropolitan Aviation (Pty) Ltd Gert Mouton 082 458 3736 herenbus@gmail.com

Plane Maintenance Facility Johan 083 300 3619 pmf@myconnection.co.za Precision Aviation Services Marnix Hulleman 012 543 0371 marnix@pasaviation.co.za www.pasaviation.co.za

PSG Aviation Reon Wiese 0861 284 284 reon.wiese@psg.co.za www.psg aviation.co.za

Skyhorse Aviation Ryan Louw 012 809 3571 info@skyhorse.co.za www.skyhorse.co.za

United Flight Support Clinton Moodley/Jonathan Wolpe 076 813 7754 / 011 788 0813 ops@unitedflightsupported.com www.unitedflightsupport.com

Skyworx Aviation Kevin Hopper kevin@skyworx.co.za www.skyworxaviation.co.za

Unique Air Charter Nico Pienaar 082 444 7994 nico@uniqueair.co.za www.uniqueair.co.za

Unique Flight Academy Nico Pienaar 082 444 7994 nico@uniqueair.co.za www.uniqueair.co.za

Van Zyl Aviation Services Colette van Zyl 012 997 6714 admin@vanzylaviationco.za www.vanzylaviation.co.za

Vector Aerospace Jeff Poirier +902 888 1808 jeff.poirier@vectoraerospace.com www.vectoraerospace.com

Sky-Tech Heinz Van Staden 082 720 5210 sky-tech@telkomsa.net www.sky-tech.za.com

Southern Energy Company (Pty) Ltd Elke Bertram +264 8114 29958 johnnym@sec.com.na www.sec.com.na

Velocity Aviation Collin Pearson 011 659 2306 / 011 659 2334 collin@velocityaviation.co.za www.velocityaviation.co.za

Southern Rotorcraft cc Mr Reg Denysschen Tel no: 0219350980 sasales@rotors-r-us.com www.rotors-r-us.com Sport Plane Builders Pierre Van Der Walt 083 361 3181 pmvdwalt@mweb.co.za

Villa San Giovanni Luca Maiorana 012 111 8888 info@vsg.co.za www.vsg.co.za

Rainbow SkyReach (Pty) Ltd Mike Gill 011 817 2298 Mike@fly-skyreach.com www.fly-skyreach.com

Rand Airport Stuart Coetzee 011 827 8884 stuart@randairport.co.za www.randairport.co.za

Robin Coss Aviation Robin Coss 021 934 7498 info@cossaviation.com www.cossaviation.co.za

Starlite Aero Sales Klara Fouché +27 83 324 8530 / +27 31 571 6600 klaraf@starliteaviation.com www.starliteaviation.com

Vortx Aviation Bredell Roux 072 480 0359 info@vortx.co.za www.vortxaviation.com

Starlite Aviation Operations Trisha Andhee +27 82 660 3018/ +27 31 571 6600 trishaa@starliteaviation.com www.starliteaviation.com

Wagtail Aviation Johan van Ludwig 082 452 8194 acrochem@mweb.co.za www.wagtail.co.za

Starlite Aviation Training Academy Durban: +27 31 571 6600 Mossel Bay: +27 44 692 0006 train@starliteaviation.com www.starliteaviation.com

Wanafly Adrian Barry 082 493 9101 adrian@wanafly.net www.wanafly.co.za

SAA Technical (SOC) Ltd SAAT Marketing 011 978 9993 satmarketing@flysaa.com www.flysaa.com/technical

Status Aviation (Pty) Ltd Richard Donian 074 587 5978 / 086 673 5266 info@statusaviation.co.za www.statusaviation.co.za

Windhoek Flight Training Centre Thinus Dreyer 0026 40 811284 180 pilots@flywftc.com www.flywftc.com

SABRE Aircraft Richard Stubbs 083 655 0355 richardstubbs@mweb.co.za www.aircraftafrica.co.za

Superior Pilot Services Liana Jansen van Rensburg 0118050605/2247 info@superiorair.co.za www.superiorair.co.za

Wings n Things Wendy Thatcher 011 701 3209 wendy@wingsnthings.co.za www.wingsnthings.co.za

SA Mooney Patrick Hanly 082 565 8864 samooney@border.co.za www.samooney.co.za Savannah Helicopters De Jager 082 444 1138 / 044 873 3288 dejager@savannahhelicopters.co.za www.savannahhelicopters.co.za Scenic Air Christa van Wyk +264 612 492 68 windhoek@scenic-air.com www.scenic-air.com Sheltam Aviation Durban Susan Ryan 083 505 4882 susanryan@sheltam.com www.sheltamaviation.com

The Copter Shop Bill Olmsted 082 454 8555 execheli@iafrica.com www.execheli.wixsite.com/the-copter-shopsa Titan Helicopter Group 044 878 0453 info@titanhelicopters.com www.titanhelicopters.com TPSC Dennis Byrne 011 701 3210 turboprop@wol.co.za Trio Helicopters & Aviation cc CR Botha or FJ Grobbelaar 011 659 1022

stoffel@trioavi.co.za/frans@trioavi.co.za

www.trioavi.co.za

Witbank Flight School Andre De Villiers 083 604 1718 andredv@lantic.net www.waaflyingclub.co.za Wonderboom Airport Peet van Rensburg 012 567 1188/9 peet@wonderboomairport.co.za www.wonderboomairport.co.za

Zandspruit Bush & Aero Estate Martin Den Dunnen 082 449 8895 martin@zandspruit.co.za www.zandspruit.co.za Zebula Golf Estate & SPA Reservations 014 734 7700 reception@zebula.co.za www.zebula.co.za

FlightCom Magazine

44

Hangarage

Export Docs & Clearing

Lodge Transfers

(armed)

Line Inspections

Security Based

Aircraft Leasing

Aerial Photography

Maintenance

Surveys

Aircraft Sales

Contracts

Safari Charters

Special Events

Helicopter

Freight

Long-Range

FAX NO

V.I.P

TEL NO

Biz-Jets

CODE

> 20 pax

NAME OF CHARTER

< 20 pax

CHARTER DIRECTORY

BRAKPAN FABB Titanium Air

(011)

914 5810

083 292 0978

j

jjj

ExecuJet South Africa

(021)

934 5764

934 2087

jjjjj

jjjj

MS Aviation

(021)

531 3162

531 4209

jjjjjj

jjj

Streamline Air Charter

(011)

395 1195/8

jjjjj

jj

(031)

564 6215

Avcon Jet Africa

(011)

312 5676

Pambele Aviation

(011)

805-0652/82

805-0649

Batair Cargo

(011)

659 2000

701 2253

ExecuJet South Africa

(011)

516 2300

659 2520

Majestic Air Charters

(018)

632 6477

Out of the Blue Air Safaris

(011)

701 2653

j

CAPE TOWN jjj j

j

jjjj jjj j

DURBAN KZN Aviation

564 6222

j

jjjjjj

j

j

jj

GRAND CENTRAL j

jjjj

j

j

jjjj

j

j

jjj j

LANSERIA AIRPORT j jjjjj j 082 905 5760

j

j jjjjj

jjj

jj

jjj

j

j

jjjj

j

j

jjj

jjj

j

jj

j

j

OR TAMBO INTERNATIONAL Fair Aviation (Pty) Ltd

(011)

395 4552

395 4244

jjjj

Federal Airlines

(011)

395 9000

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RAND AIRPORT FlyFofa Airways

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WINDHOEK - SWAKOPMUND Scenic Air (Pty) Ltd

(+264)

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info@scenic-air.com.na

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WONDERBOOM AIRPORT - PRETORIA Alpha One Aviation

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301 9977

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(083) 279 7853

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