November 2019

FlightCm African Aviation

WESTAIR

Edition 133 | NOVEMBER 2019

SPREADS ITS WINGS TO CAPE TOWN

HOW BUSY IS THE AUTOPILOT?

FACE TO FACE WITH FLYSAFAIR'S ELMAR CONRADIE

SAAF BUDGET SLASHED AGAIN! PRICE: United States Dollars $3.50 | South African Rands R39.50 | Kenyan Shillings KES 300.00 | Nigerian Naira NGN600.00

2-4 July 2020 Wonderboom National Airport,, Pretoria, Tshwane, South Africa

www.aerosouthafrica.com

The African Show For General Aviation AERO Friedrichshafen and Messe Frankfurt South Africa have joined forces to bring you AERO South Africa, the largest general aviation trade show on the continent.

The event will expose visitors to the latest advances, developments, products and services from exhibitors in the aviation industry.

Why exhibit at AERO South Africa?

AERO South Africa gives your company the opportunity to: Interact with industry professionals and buyers Generate new sales leads Nurture relationships and interact with your customers Create brand awareness Launch new products and services to the industry

Organised by

In co-operation with

Better solutions and services for your World.

From state-of-the-art trip support to payment card programmes and reliable into plane fuel delivery, MH Aviation Services, based in Johannesburg, is Africa’s most innovative aviation services partner.

Join the 8,200 flight departments who depend on our bespoke global solutions and local expertise to take their success to new heights.

Fuel | Trip Support | Card and Reward Programmes | Logistics | Planning

Discover our Flight Operation Solutions 24/7 Support: +27 82 940 5437 Office: +27 11 609 0123 tsopsafrica@wfscorp.com mhaviation.co.za

Ed's note...

NOVEMBER 2019 Edition 133

5 Bush Pilot - Hugh Pryor 7 GIB Events 10 Airlines - Mike Gough 11 New Arrivals

15 Defence - Darren Olivier 17 Heli Ops - George Tonking 25 African Transports

29 AOPA Briefing 31 Around Africa in 60 days: Part 3 33 AEP AMO Listing 39 Gryphon Flight School Listing 41 AME Directory 42 Back Pages 43 Federal Airlines Charter Directory 45 Industry Update

I

ATA has released its latest calculations of the value of air transport to Africa. The numbers are so big as to be essentially meaningless but, for the record, IATA’s rigorous calculations show that aviation supports 6.2 million jobs and $55.8 billion of GDP in Africa.

Africa should have the second fastest aviation growth of all IATA regions; 4.6% annual growth over next 20 years. And for the Greta Thunberg fans, aviation also plays a central role in achieving 15 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Focusing just on South Africa with its relatively liberal aviation policies, the aviation industry enables US$8.8 billion dollars in tourism, US$150 billion in Foreign Direct Investment and US$104 billion in exports – all key components of the South African economy.

The reason I risk boring you with these figures is that aviation really is big business and it is essential to the growth of every African country. Yet the most surprising thing is that African governments take the industry for granted and when they find themselves having to manage and grow the industry, they usually wreck it.

The disaster that is Air Namibia is a case in point. The Namibian government has had to go hat in hand to its aircraft lessors asking them to take back its planes and cancel the leases. This will cost the airline a further N$2.5 billion, on top of the long history of losses the airline has incurred due to poor management and government interference.

However, the Namibian government at least appears ready to take the pain of shutting the airline down or selling it off, unlike the SA Government which is allowing the two

Publisher Flyer and Aviation Publications cc

SALES: +27 (0)72 900 2023

Managing Editor Guy Leitch guy@flightcommag.com

ADMIN: +27 (0)83 607 2335

Advertising Sales Wayne Wilson wayne@saflyermag.co.za Layout & Design Emily-Jane Kinnear 70

3

FlightCom Magazine

Postal Address P O Box 71052 Bryanston, 2021 South Africa

TRAFFIC: +27 (0)81 039 0595 ACCOUNTS: +27 (0) 82 875 9630

suppurating sores, namely SAA and SAX to continue to fester.

But of even more concern is the failure of government at a local level to appreciate the value of their aviation assets. I am being bombarded with reports of mid and small sized airports falling apart, or literally being stolen. Lesotho’s Maseru airport is operated by a prominent South African political family, yet the airport has been allowed to deteriorate to the point where its survival is threatened. Pretoria is South Africa’s capital, yet the Pretoria City Council has turned a once vibrant Wonderboom Airport into a dysfunctional joke without fuel, with unreliable navigation aids, dirty toilets and as I write this, the doors to the airport building are broken.

Regional airports are faring even more badly: Richards Bay is a key harbour, yet facilities have not been maintained and the world class engine shop has left. At smaller airports such as Estcourt that were the hub of gliding, which is key to developing the future generation of pilots, the infrastructure has been stolen – hangars, terminal building fencing – the lot.

What these smaller local authorities do not seem to understand is that their airports are the key to their city’s growth. If investors cannot fly in, then they will invest elsewhere. And thus, Africa continues to fail to fulfil its potential – and its generous, warm-hearted people grow hungrier.

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

JET & TURBINE SALES EXPERT Led by Maartin Steenkamp and his experienced team, the company has over 60 years of experience in providing the best advice and solutions to companies and individuals looking to operate corporate jets. From single engine turboprops to long range corporate jets and airliners, Ascend Aviation is able to provide the right solution for every need.

Contact Maartin Steenkamp: C +27 (0)82 807 6701 Pierre Kieser C +27 (0)82 577 7815 T +27 (0)11 064 5624 F +27 (0)86 673 9129 E sales@ascendaviation.co.za

SA Flyer 2019|03

For our list of available aircraft head over to our website www.ascendaviation.co.za.

Industry Update Owen Heckrath

AIRBUS UPBEAT ON NEW AIRCRAFT Airbus expects the worldwide passenger and freighter aircraft fleet to more than double in the next twenty years, the company said in its Global Market Forecast (GMF) report for 2019-2038.

T

HE Airbus 2019 annual GMF report, titled “Cities, Airports & Aircraft,” forecasts a need for 39,210 new aircraft by 2038: 25,000 to support a projected annual air traffic growth of 4.3 percent and 14,210 to replace aging models.

The GMF also anticipates 550,000 new pilots and 640,000 new technicians will be needed over the same time period.

According to Airbus, the GMF considers factors including demographic and economic growth, tourism trends, oil

prices and development of new and existing routes. The 2019-2038 forecast segments operations based on aircraft capacity, range and mission type. Under that standard, of the 39,210 new aircraft projected to be needed, 29,720 will fall into the Small category (range up to 3,000 NM), 5,370 Medium (range up to 5,000 NM), and 4,120 Large (5,000+ NM range).

“The 4 percent annual growth reflects the resilient nature of aviation, weathering short-term economic shocks and geopolitical disturbances,” said Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International Christian Scherer.

“Economies thrive on air transportation.

People and goods want to connect.” 

PILOT ALARMS RE-VISITED The NTSB recently issued a report asking the FAA to ensure aircraft regulators and designers consider the effects of multiple cockpit alarms and what can happen when pilots don’t react as expected to emergency situations.

Multiple alarms.

5

FlightCom Magazine

A

CCORDING to the NTSB, the report’s seven recommendations stem from its support of the ongoing investigations by Indonesia’s Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi (KNKT) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of Ethiopia into the fatal crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10 and Lion Air Flight 610 on Oct. 29, 2018.

“We saw in these two accidents that the crews did not react in the ways Boeing and the FAA assumed they would,” said NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt. “Those assumptions were used in the design of the airplane and we have found a gap between the assumptions used to certify the MAX and the real-world experiences of these crews; where pilots were faced with multiple alarms and alerts at the same time.”

The recommendations include ensuring

that system safety assessments for transportcategory airplanes “consider the effect of all possible flight deck alerts and indications on pilot recognition and response” and incorporate design enhancements, pilot procedures, and training requirements to “minimize the potential for and safety impact of pilot actions that are inconsistent with manufacturer assumptions.”

The board also recommended the development and incorporation of tools and methods for use in validating assumptions about pilot recognition and response to safety-significant failure conditions as part of the design certification process. Along with development and implementation of design standards for “aircraft system diagnostic tools that must improve the prioritization and clarity of failure indications (direct and indirect) presented to pilots to improve the timeliness and effectiveness of their response.” 

IMAGINE IT AND WE’LL GET YOU THERE

OUT OF THE BLUE Air Safari’s

Charters • Cessna 210 • Cessna 402 • Cessna 206 King Air B200 • Hire & Fly • Cessna 150 • Cessna 206

Andries Venter (082) 905 5760 | Stan Nel (082) 552-8155 011 659 2965 | charters@gemair.co.za | andries@gemair.o.za | ootbas@global.co.za

SA Flyer 2018|10

CONTACT:

BUSH PILOT HUGH PRYOR

MOSES With President Paul Kgame as a ‘benevolent dictator,” Rwanda may now be the poster child for a successful African country. However in 1994 the horrific mass-slaughter of Tutsis and moderate Hutus had left one million dead and two countries in tatters.

T

HE stench of death hung in the air around Burundi when I was tasked to go to Bujumbura to fly a De Havilland Twin Otter in support of the International Committee

of the Red Cross.

I was employed by a South African company and my co-pilot was of South African descent. His name was Moses and he had just completed the course as a cadet with South African Airways and was filling in time before a right seat became available on their fleet.

He looked at me as though I was some antediluvian dinosaur. “I want us to do legfor-leg from now on...so I flew us up from Bujumbura and I want you to fly us back down.”

Moses looked at his feet and slowly shook his head. “I can’t do that,” he said and then looked up at me.

“Why not?” I asked, in some surprise.

“I’m only a co-pilot,” he replied. “I am not supposed to fly the aircraft.”

I was puzzled. “Confirm that you have a full Airline Transport Pilot’s License.”

“That is affirmative,” he nodded “And you have more than 1500 hours

I wouldn’t want any of my friends to see me drinking beer with a white man.

I met him at Bujumbura airport, but our conversation was restricted because, like many of the younger generation, Moses was permanently plugged into his music, even in the aeroplane.

Our first flight together was to a place called Gitega, up into the mountains to the east of Bujumbura. It was beautiful countryside with the rounded shoulders of the high hills wreathed in ordered cloaks of tea bushes. The atmosphere of peace and civilisation contrasted intensely with the unbridled brutality in the valleys below.

After landing at Gitega I decided that it was time for Moses and I to ‘have a word’, so I suggested that he unplug for a moment so that we could have a chat. With a rather reluctant shrug he removed his earphones and gave me a look which said, “So what am I doing wrong now?”

“Listen Moses,” I started, “I don’t want you to wear your music on the flight deck.”

7

FlightCom Magazine

in command and a current Instrument Rating?”

“I have one thousand seven hundred and seventy-two hours total time and I have a current instrument rating.”

“And you have carried out more than six takeoffs and landings in the past six months?”

“That is correct,” said Moses.

“OK, then you can fly us back to Bujumbura.”

Moses stared at his feet again and shook his head.

“Well if you are not going to fly us back, then we are going to be here for a very long time...because I Am Not Flying Us Back!”

Slowly Moses raised his head and nodded again. This time there was just the hint of a smile as he thrust his earphones into the pocket of his bush jacket, along with his music.

“Pheewww! Thank goodness for that!” I

laughed as I cuffed his shoulder. “I forgot to bring my tobacco!!”

Then, as if to formalise our new status, he held his hand out for me to shake before we flew back to Bujumbura and Moses performed with obvious skill and enjoyment.

After that we swung comfortably into the ‘Leg-for-Leg’ routine and became great friends.

Moses found a new girlfriend, called Arlene who was the daughter of the Burundi Ambassador to Belgium. She had been educated in Belgium and the U.K. and took us under her wing, like a mother hen. She was pure gold, with a sprinkling of diamonds.

Life carried on very comfortably for a couple of months and then we had a change of crew. Mo was going on leave to Jo’burg and I was also going there for my Crew Recurrency Training.

“Tell you what, Mo...why don’t you give me your mobile number and I will give you a shout when I get to Jo’burg and we could meet up for a beer.”

Mo’s eyes shifted away as though clouded by a mist of embarrassment.

“Don’t worry Mo,” I assured him, “I won’t impinge on your home life. We could meet up at the bar in Lanseria Airport.”

“Oh no.” Mo looked me in the face, “It’s just that I wouldn’t really want any of my friends to see me drinking beer with a white man.”

So we had to wait for our beers until we were back in Burundi...then our friendship went straight back to ‘normal’.

Later on, Mo and I flew together in various other dangerous theatres and to this day I find it strange that he and I could only really be ourselves when we were far away from home and in challenging circumstances. 

Connected, informed, safe.

Aviators across Africa trust Spidertracks for real-time monitoring, reliable flight data, two-way communication, and situational awareness.

Up to 25 position points every minute

In-depth flight history

Live global weather visuals

Experience the difference today. Contact Pieter Cronje to discuss getting started with the world’s most trusted flight watch solution. +27 66 203 6205 | pieter.cronje@spidertracks.com

9

FlightCom Magazine

Works anywhere regardless of cell reception

EVENTS CALENDAR PROUDLY SPONSORED BY GIB INSURANCE BROKERS SA Flyer 2019|11

SAPFA BARAGWANATH FUN RALLY 26 October Baragwanath Airfield Frank Eckard frank.eckard@mweb.co.za SAPFA RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS

2 November Stellenbosch Airfield Frank Eckard 083 269 1516 frank.eckard@mweb.co.za

EAA SUN ‘N FUN 8 – 10 November Brits airfield EAA Marie Reddy marie.reddyy@gmail.com

CAASA AWARDS CEREMONY 15 November CAASA Office Tel: 011 659 2345 office@caasa.co.za

AERO CLUB OF SOUTH AFRICA ANNUAL AWARDS 16 November Rand Airport 011 082 1100 office@aeroclub.org.za

SAPFA SPRINGS SPEED RALLY

DRONES & DIGITAL AVIATION CONFERENCE

23 November Springs Airfield Jonty Esser 082 855 9435

28 – 29 November Emperors Palace Convention Centre +27 11 436 9214

- INTEGRITY - INTELLIGENCE - ENERGY

• Hull All RIsks • Hull War Risks • Third Party Liability • Passenger Liability • Hull Deductible• Hangarkeepers Liability • Premises Liability • Products Liability • Airport Liability • Personal Accident• Unmanned Aerial Systems • Aviation Claims Consultancy

www.gib.co.za GIB House, 3 West Street, Houghton, 2198 | Tel: +27 (11) 483 1212 | aviation@gib.co.za | FSP License No. 10406

AIRLINES MIKE GOUGH

NO SUCH TH I NG AS A STU PI D

QUESTION ‘There is no such thing as a stupid question’ is a statement I often make while talking to the public about flying, or when briefing students during a simulator session or an elementary training flight at Lanseria.

Well, I lied.

decide on the fuel uplift, conduct the external

Are all these switches for real?

T

HERE is no shortage of stupid questions – but everything is relative. A lot depends on your mood as to how you respond to what would be more common sense than a technical aspect requiring an in-depth explanation.

“What do you guys do, apart from watching the auto pilot do all the work?”

Well, exactly that. We simply ease back in our seats, order a cup of coffee and watch the autopilot check the weather, read up on all the NOTAMs (Notice To Airmen) that will affect our route, do the flight planning,

11

FlightCom Magazine

pre-flight inspection of the aircraft and complete the entire cockpit set up (all those buttons and knobs on the panel and the overhead console are just for show, you know).

Then we sit enthralled as the auto pilot calls air traffic control (ATC) for the departure clearance, which it then programs into itself and checks if everything is correct and that the gross-error check computes with the fuel on board.

The way it communicates with the ground engineer is a thing of beauty, and the push-back and engine start is handled perfectly.

The decision-making on the ground and in the air is flawless, and the gusty crosswind automatic take-off complies exactly with prescribed Airbus procedures.

I could go on, but I trust the irony is evident…

To be kind to the originators of the automation-based questions, a peek into the cockpit when the aircraft is straight and level in the cruise may give the impression that we are relaxed and shooting the breeze with each other while the automatics take care of things.

I’ll attempt to summarise the purpose of an autopilot in a jet transport aircraft – or any complex aircraft for that matter.

Generally, there are two separate autopilot systems in an Airbus and the narrow-body Boeings. There may be up to three fitted to the wide-bodied Boeings.

They are capable of being engaged by the flight crew when required after takeoff and before (or after) landing. They primarily carry out the stick-and-rudder functions, provided the crew direct it through physical inputs to the auto flight system or through the Flight Management System (FMS), which provides a huge amount of information to an array of aircraft systems, one of which is the autopilot.

So, when we need the basics taken care of, we engage an autopilot with the appropriate mode relevant to the phase of flight. If we have any change to deal with, we must update what we want the autopilot to do, manually or through the FMS. Unsurprisingly, it cannot understand English and it cannot think or make

decisions. That bit is for us ‘underworked’ aircrew.

The fact that all transport category aircraft have autoland capability must surely be proof of the fact the autopilot is able to replace the flesh-and-blood pilot?

The autoland process places a huge amount of pressure on the crew, as opposed to relieving them of it. The fact that we are expecting it to do something out of limits at any stage of the approach keeps us on our toes, and we have to watch it like a hawk, hands and feet on the controls in anticipation of having to intervene at the last moment.

This intervention can take the form of disconnecting the autopilot and landing manually, or disconnecting and commencing an immediate go-around – neither of which are a lot of fun. I’ve had to do a few of both in the past.

Probably the most cynical questions in this regard come from those with a little bit of flying under their belts, normally in simple light aircraft, where the concept of ‘flying’ consists of moving the control column, rudder pedals and throttle.

Dynamic decision making is something that’s been read about on the interweb, and the most demanding system related requirement is remembering to change fuel tanks every now and then.

I have been regaled by a private pilot licence holder about how superior his stick-and-rudder skills are compared to the typical airline pilot as he does all the flying all the time during those 50 to 80 hours he does annually. Not a particularly bright statement.

The average airline pilot would do between 750 and 1000 hours annually, in all weather conditions, up to maximum crosswind limitations, onto wet and contaminated runways. This would be apart from the 16 hours of annual recurrent simulator training that covers all aspects of manual flying, interspersed with major failure scenarios and decision-making assessments.

My PPL friend could not remember if the Cherokee he flies has a cross wind limit, let alone what the actual figure is.

On another subject – I have been accused of turning down the oxygen to save money in the cruise. That’s right. That giant oxygen cylinder we have on board to supply hundreds of people with breathable air for hours on end…sorry – I’ll try to stop the sarcasm.

The air that we all breathe (yes, the cockpit ventilation is part of the same system as the cabin – we are not special) is

actually the outside air that we encounter up at 39,000 feet. It is the same air that we breathe when we are chilling on the beach, just there is a lot less of it up at altitude.

More specifically, it is a lot less dense, which means the nitrogen and oxygen molecules occupy a much larger volume – or are more spread apart – than at sea level.

The magic that sorts this out is called the pressurisation system. This cunningly scoops outside air into air conditioning packages (‘packs’ for short), and pumps this into the air-tight structure of the fuselage.

As physical airflow is vital for survival, there is a device called an outflow valve, usually near the rear of the cabin, which for most of the time is in the mostly-closed position to force the air inside to build up to a pressure equivalent to being a little higher than Johannesburg – around seven to eight thousand feet above sea level.

The most critical single-point of failure in this system is the outflow valve itself. If this device ceases being controlled by the automatic cabin pressure system, it will

default to the second system. If this one goes on strike as well, we then directly control it from one of those many knobs on the overhead panel (Yup, I lied – they’re not really for show) in manual mode.

Any one of these three systems would allow us to complete the flight. If the manual system fails, then we are in for a depressurisation and the passengers get to grab a mask as the cabin turns into a rubber jungle. The rest is as per that safety briefing to which no-one listens.

Where we do allow economics to get involved, is when we are below a certain passenger occupancy level, the pack flow rate is marginally reduced which puts less demand on each pack. This results in a 0,2% improvement in fuel burn. So yes, we do reduce the flow rate, but no-one would know the difference in the back – just slightly less breezy.

The packs are powered by compressed air (bleed air) which is taken from a specific stage of the compressor section of the jet engines. This in turn slightly reduces the

FlightCom Magazine

12

efficiency of the engine, which is why we switch off the air conditioning for take-off.

Turbulence: “We dropped hundreds of feet – I thought we were going to die!”

Possible, but highly unlikely. There are a few different types of turbulence.

The most common that is felt on just about every flight is the mechanical and thermal turbulence caused from wind and temperature variations from ground level up to around ten thousand feet. This is more pronounced during summer and is generally what gets passengers throwing up when flying in a light aircraft.

Higher up, we can encounter Clear Air Turbulence (CAT), which is exactly that. Nothing visible either outside or on our weather radar but it can be quite uncomfortable.

Around ten years ago, while over the Atlantic Ocean, we encountered moderate CAT. The descriptions of turbulence are mild, moderate and severe. Mild may spill

13

FlightCom Magazine

the coffee. Moderate gets things moving around the cabin and cockpit with some enthusiasm. Severe can result in permanent structural deformation (wing falls off).

In this case, we had significant movement of items in cockpit, such as the contents of my flight bag were flying around, and an apple hit the overhead and whacked down on my hand on the thrust levers.

This continued for around 30 minutes, despite several changes of flight level, both up and down. However, even in this situation, the abrupt short-term change in altitude may have only been about 20 or 30 feet, not hundreds of feet. Everyone was a bit green after that one.

Another form of turbulence is through an encounter with convective weather, such as a thunderstorm. This can be really exciting – in the wrong sense – and the only way to not get shaken until stirred is by avoiding them altogether. Our weather radar is our biggest ally in this regard, but it

has its limitations.

Primarily, weather radar only detects moisture, specifically water droplets. In sufficient concentrations, this shows up as red on our radar display, and sometimes a bit of purple as our Doppler radar detects turbulence in the form of lateral movements of particles.

Thus, dry hail does not show up at all, and can really spoil one’s day. There are plenty of pictures available of aircraft that have flown through hail, and they are not pretty. This type of convective encounter is where hundreds of feet of height loss (or gain) may occur.

I suppose I should stop de-mystifying the dark art of aviation. Being seen as a wizard of the airways is key to keeping up the notion that we need to be paid handsomely to keep the lesser mortals safe.

Over and Out. 

Industry Update Owen Heckrath

BOEING CREATES SAFETY COMMITTEE

Boeing has created a new safety committee to oversee both design and manufacturing in a move the company said reaffirms its “longstanding commitment to aerospace safety and the safety of its products and services.”

C

ALLED the Aerospace Safety Committee (ASC), this permanent office will be headed by retired Admiral Edmund Giambastiani Jr., former vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The committee was approved by the Boeing board back in August.

According to Boeing, “The committee’s primary responsibility is to oversee and ensure the safe design, development, manufacture, production, operation, maintenance and delivery of the company’s aerospace products and services.”

Formation of the committee came as the company finished a five-month internal review of its “policies and processes for airplane design and development.” Among the recommendations are to create a Product and Services Safety organization that would

report directly to upper management and the newly formed ASC; it would review “all aspects of product safety, including investigating cases of undue pressure and anonymous product and service safety concerns raised by employees.”

The board also recommended that Boeing’s ODA (Organization Designation Authorization) teams report up through the Product and Services Safety group, as would the internal Accident Investigation Team.

Crucially, Boeing’s board is calling on the company to realign its engineering teams to report directly to the chief engineer.

Boeing’s statement outlines several other changes in the company’s design and development structure, including a program that would incorporate historical design materials, data and information, best practices, lessons learned and detailed

after-action reports. The board also wants Boeing to partner with its airline customers and others in the industry to re-examine assumptions around flight deck design and operation.

“The safety of the global aviation industry is rooted in its dedication to continuous improvement and learning,” says Giambastiani. “The independent committee review was extensive, rigorous and focused on delivering specific recommendations to ensure the highest levels of safety in Boeing airplanes and aerospace products and services and for all who fly on Boeing airplanes. Boeing has been criticized as having shifted from an engineering-driven company to one where sales and marketing have tremendous influence; this change would be a visible move away from the current status quo. 

FlightCom Magazine

14

FlightCom Magazine

16

Defence D arren O livier

How long before the SAAF's Gripens and Hawks end up on poles as gate guards?

THE SAAF REACHES A TURNING POINT Twenty two thousand flying hours. Think for a moment, of how much in terms of training, exercising, and operational flying it would allow for.

Now consider this: That’s how many funded hours have been cut from the South African Air Force’s budget compared to a decade ago.

T

EN years ago, even though the SAAF was badly underfunded compared to its mandate, it could still count on receiving enough money in the budget for around 40,000 flying hours, of which around 15,000 were for ‘force employment’ (FE) in support of operations. The remaining 25,000 were for ‘force preparation’ (FP) tasks like training, retaining currencies,

17

FlightCom Magazine

exercises, and support to other arms of service for the same purpose.

Today the SAAF receives only enough funding from National Treasury for 17,200 flying hours, with 5,000 dedicated to force employment (of which 1,000 is ring-fenced for VVIP flying) and just 12,200 remains for all force preparation flying. Only two years ago that figure was 2,000, of which 20,000 hours were for force preparation flying.

What this means is that within a mere ten years the SAAF has had its flying budget

for all training, exercises, and maintaining of currencies cut in half, despite no reduction in its mandated force size, international and domestic commitments, and required capabilities. Worse, a huge chunk of the cut has happened in the past two years alone, making it impossible to conduct any longterm planning.

To put this into normalised Rand terms: At present the SAAF is allocated a budget of R7.3 billion, of which R3.6 billion, or 50%, goes to personnel costs which are dependent

on pay scales set by Cabinet and a force structure defined in the Defence Review and thus largely outside of the SAAF’s control. Just R2.5 billion is set aside for all operational funding, and R1.2 billion for capital acquisitions. In inflation-adjusted terms, operational funding has more than halved since FY2012/2013, declining by a whopping R3.5 billion.

Moreover, next year all capital funding will be taken away, as detailed in the July edition of this magazine, meaning that the SAAF will somehow have to acquire all of its spare parts, specialised maintenance contracts, and new equipment purchases out of the tiny slice of operational funding that remains.

On top of that, input costs have increased dramatically, both because of the unfunded salary increase pushed through under Minister Sisulu and the declining value of the Rand compared to the US Dollar and Euro. Going back to the 2000 flood rescues, Jet A1 cost around R5.50 in inflation-adjusted terms, today it costs more than double that. Spare parts for aircraft, which are usually priced in US Dollars or Euros, have become twice as expensive as the Rand has lost more than half its value since 2000. So the main direct costs in flying hours, being spare parts and fuel, are now twice as expensive in real terms for the SAAF than they were in 2000. Yet the SAAF has less than half as much money with which to buy them.

Some of these figures have been mentioned before in the April edition of this magazine. What makes them newly-relevant is the unprecedented appearance before Parliament of the chiefs of all of the South African National Defence Force’s arms of service, detailing in painstaking detail just how bad the underfunding situation has become and that dire consequences could no longer be avoided.

The Chief of the Air Force did not hold back in his presentation to Parliament, stating clearly that if the present trend is not reversed then the only outcome would be the SAAF becoming an ‘air wing’ with no assets aside from personnel. He was unambiguous and honest in describing how dangerously urgent and desperate the situation has become.

Indeed, under current and future funding trends, the SAAF may find itself unable to afford operating any kind of air combat capability within the next five years.

And with so little money dedicated for force preparation, flying and maintenance,

an increase in aircraft accidents is surely inevitable despite the SAAF’s remarkable ‘can do’ attitude and commendable approach to safety.

Something has to change, and quickly, before the SAAF goes beyond the point of meaningful recovery. Either more funding must be supplied, which appears unlikely in the present fiscal climate and national debt crisis, or the SAAF’s mandate and force structure must be shrunk to match its level of funding. Even if that means certain types

MTEF allocation is reworked downward in order to allocate more money to other government departments.

It would be impossible to run even a small company with this kind of uncertainty along with having no control over fixed costs. Yet we somehow expect the SAAF to run a large and technologically advanced air force, tasked with a huge range of duties and the protection of a massive set of airspace and huge land and sea borders under the same terms.

SAAF Capability is currently on the Red Plan line.

will have to be retired and some capabilities lost.

We’re also far beyond the point at which the SAAF’s leadership alone can be expected to solve this. Not only is their biggest problem — personnel and base costs — mostly out of their control, but with National Treasury pushing year-on-year and even intra-year cuts, it means that even the detailed planning done inside the SAAF is rendered irrelevant and outdated almost as soon as it’s done.

Military strategic planning takes place on a 30 year time scale in terms of capabilities, 10-15 years in terms of manpower and R&D, 5-10 years in terms of specific near-term technologies, and 3-5 years in terms of budget planning.

In South Africa the Medium Term Expenditure Framework is supposed to be a budget planning instrument to allow departments to plan for the next two to three years with a high level of certainty, but over the past five years the SAAF has been unable to rely on the MTEF for even a single year-on-year transition. Each and every budget cycle the SAAF (and SANDF)

On that note, something it’s important to explain carefully, because it’s so often misreported, is that the SAAF cannot and does not just ‘run out of money’ from year to year, at least not in the way we understand it as regular civilians. The SAAF certainly does not run out of hours in the middle of the year as has been popularly portrayed.

What happens is that the SAAF knows each year ahead of time exactly how much flying it can do within that funded amount, over and above its fixed costs, and it reduces its planned hours accordingly. Barring an unforeseen event or disaster that forces it to fly a large number of unplanned hours, the SAAF plans in March of one year exactly how many hours it will be reporting as completed in March of the next.

As with any government department the Department of Defence’s general account is zero-based, which means that at the end of a financial year any money that is left over in the account is returned to the National Revenue Fund to be re-allocated

by National Treasury for the next financial year. So there’s no such thing as being able to save up contingency funding from year

FlightCom Magazine

18

Without funding for flying the SAAF may as well scrap its aircraft, as controversially happened with these C160 Transalls.

to year (except for within the highly-limited Special Defence Account for acquisitions) and what you receive at the beginning of the financial year is all you have for that year’s operations.

That’s not the problem. The problem is that as its budget continues to shrink the SAAF will have to keep cutting back on the only variable over which it has real control in order to stay within the allocated budget, namely flying hours, scheduled maintenance, support contracts, highlyskilled contractors, and so forth.

It’s time we as South Africans begin to treat defence as a serious topic of national debate and decide collectively on how much we’re willing to pay for the capabilities we take for granted, or at least expect, from our Air Force. 

w w w. i n ve s m e n t a i rc r a f t . c o . z a

SA Flyer 2019|11

Hangar 11, Rand Airport, Germiston, 1401.

19

1966 Piper Cherokee Six

1965 Cessna 182H

2012 Robinson R66

AFTT: 6,110 Hours SMOH: 75 Hours SPOH: 30 Hours- Fresh New Interior, Fresh Engine O/H, Fresh Prop O/H, Garmin 695, Fresh MPI.

AFTT: 4,613 Hours Engine TT: 1,500 Hours SMOH: 713 Hours SPOH: 475 Hours Good Paint and Interior! Midlife Engine.

AFTT: 890 Hours Active Collective Time: 800 Hours Engine: 890 Hours Price Reduced, 890 Hours Total Time, Air-Conditioning, Dual Controls, 9 Hole Panel.

R850 000.00 + VAT (If Applicable)

R 750 000 + VAT (If Applicable)

R 7,800,000.00 + VAT (If Applicable)

1980 Cessna 172RG

2006 Cessna T206H

1982 Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante

AFTT: 4,903 Hours SMOH: 650 Hours Prop Time Rem: 1,633 Hours Low Time Engine- 180hp Engine, Advanced IF Trainer.

AFTT: 1,446 Hours Engine TT: 0 Hours- Since Factory Re-Man Prop TSN: 1,446 Hours Newly Factory Remanufactured Engine!!! G1000 Suite, KTA 810 TAS, ADF & DME, Storm-Scope.

AFTT: 18,174 Hours Total Cycles: 30,756 SMOH: LH: 1,210 Hours RH: 1,477 Hours TBO: 4,000 Hours SPOH: LH: 391 Hours RH: 881 Hours Good Condition Aircraft! Low Time Engines, Garmin GTN 700 Series, KFC 810 Autopilot, Garmin ADS-B.

R850 000.00 + VAT (If Applicable)

R 6 500 000 + VAT (If Applicable)

USD $ 850 000

Quinton Warne  0 8 2 8 0 6 5 1 9 3

FlightCom Magazine

David Lewis  0 7 6 8 2 4 2 1 6 9

ADVERTORIAL

FLYING HIGH WITH SANSA

A proper compass swing procedure is necessary to determine Its name may suggest that it’s concerned only with matters

how to measure and compensate for the magnetic field

higher than atmosphere-bound aviation, but the South

of the actual aircraft, which will cause a deviation to the

African National Space Agency (SANSA) performs key

compass reading once located in the cockpit, due to the

services for all aircraft and their operators.

proximity of steel or iron components and by the effects of current flowing in nearby electrical circuits.

The Space Agency has been selected by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as one of two regional

A properly conducted compass swing requires a calibrated

centres to provide space weather services, including solar

reference compass, and must be done in a magnetically

storm forecasts and warnings, to the global aviation sector.

clean environment – free of steel structures, underground

This means that every aircraft flying across the continent’s

cables, or equipment that produces magnetic fields – to

airspace will rely on SANSA for space weather information

assure it is free of interference. As a recent grounding of part

as part of its flight planning.

of a local airline’s fleet by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) that stranded thousands of tourists over

“With aviation, we consider four key risk areas:

the holiday season recently showed, accurate compass

communication, navigation, avionics and radiation

swinging performed by qualified technicians is essential.

exposure,” says SANSA MD, Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell. “Highfrequency radio communication, as well as ground and airbased navigation systems, can be affected or knocked out entirely by space weather storms. Delicate electronics can also be damaged and radiation exposure poses a hazard for crew and passengers, particularly on long haul flights.”

Space weather can also have a major knock-on effect on airlines and airports.

SANSA’s facility in Hermanus is the only SACAA accredited facility in South Africa that offers this type of service with the necessary expertise and facilities to perform training in the compass swing procedure on site. SANSA has been presenting training courses on the execution of compass swings to the South African Air Force for more than 20 years and recently hosted a five-day Compass Swing Training Course and a three-day Compass Swing Refresher Course.

Another key competency of SANSA is compass accuracy.

Despite the rise of modern navigation systems such as GPS and radio aids, compasses are still an essential component

The course is presented by SANSA engineers and physicists who have many years of relevant magnetic navigation ground support experience.

of aircraft navigation equipment. Electrical systems may fail, but the Earth’s magnetic field never does. However, it is continuously changing and that requires constant monitoring to determine the degree of compass variation at any specific place.

www.sansa.org.za

For more information on these services and courses email: spacesci-info@sansa.org.za

FlightCom Magazine

20

PART 2 - SECRETS OF SUCCESS Face to Face:

ELMAR CONRADIE CEO FLYSAFAIR

In the September issue, FlySafair CEO Elmar Conradie (EC) told Guy Leitch (GL) how FlySafair has grown in the five years since its launch and what fantastic opportunities it presents for new pilots. In this issue he tells us more about how the airline has grown over its first five years – and what may be expected in the next five.

Under CEO Elmar Conradie FlySafair has produced a remarkable growth story.

21

FlightCom Magazine

GL: YOU HAVE GROWN BY COMPETING ON THE SOCALLED GOLDEN TRIANGLE OF JOHANNESBURG CAPE TOWN AND DURBAN – BUT THIS IS A MATURE MARKET. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO GROW BEYOND SOUTH AFRICA?

EC: As a low cost carrier our business model relies on high utilisation and high load factors and we can only really achieve those loads and volumes on the ‘Golden Triangle.’ But we don’t just fly the Golden Triangle, we have 11 routes. Our business model lends itself to very specific routes.

A route needs to be big enough to support a Boeing 737-800, and there are not many that big. But I have no doubt that we will get to a point where we have to ask ourselves; where to next? And then we will have to consider those routes with additional complications.

WHAT ABOUT FEEDER ROUTES? IT SEEMS TO ME THAT AIRLINK AND SAX ARE OPERATING THREE OR FOUR TIMES A DAY USING INEFFICIENT SMALL GAUGE AIRCRAFT. THAT SHOULD MAKE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO COME IN AND CLEAN UP WITH LARGER AIRCRAFT AND MUCH BETTER SEAT COSTS.

The reason they charge high ticket prices

We are obviously always looking at new sources of ancillary revenue, but the South African market for ancillary revenue is relatively undeveloped. In Europe and the United States they charge as much as $50 for items such as checked bags, plus things that we still don’t charge for, such as issuing boarding passes at the airport. I guess that, compared to the other low-cost carriers, we are perhaps more aligned to the international model, but we are still far from it.

WHAT SORT OF COMPLICATIONS?

Well flying to Harare should not be difficult as it’s almost a domestic flight.

However the complications are enormous in terms of customs and immigration and of course problems like repatriating blocked funds.

IS FASTJET A GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW ‘THE COMPLICATIONS’ CAN GET YOU DOWN?’

I suppose so. fastjet started out as a lowcost carrier, but it had to change into a high cost regional carrier as the market wasn’t big enough even to support Airbus A319s.

And you can’t get the low seat costs on small gauge aircraft like the Embraers they switched to. Regional airlines are a different business model.

It doesn’t mean we will never do international routes, it’s just that at the moment we are happy to stick with our low cost carrier business model.

YET YOU COULD BE LIKE THE EUROPEAN HYBRID CARRIERS AND JUST LEAVE THE CENTRE SEAT EMPTY TO HAVE A HIGH-YIELD BUSINESS CLASS. AND SINCE YOU ARE THE OFFICIAL CARRIER OF THE SPRINGBOKS IT IS PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA! WOULD YOU CONSIDER BECOMING A HYBRID CARRIER?

To some extent we are already a bit of a hybrid in that we operate two aircraft types in the -400 and -800, and we offer a range of additional benefits or services which you can select, such as a business class lounge or priority boarding. So we can almost replicate the business class experience, except that we cannot provide a business class seat.

FlySafair started with just two Boeing 737-400s.

is because their load factors are still not good, even on small gauge aircraft. So they would be terrible on a -400. The Catch-22 is that we don’t know what the price elasticity of demand is.

We tried using larger aircraft at far lower seat prices on some routes such as Cape Town – George. We went into Cape Town – George with really rock-bottom prices and heavy frequencies so that we could increase the utilisation of our aircraft. The end result wasn’t that it did badly, but it just wasn’t worth it. And then we have other routes like Durban – PE and Durban – East London which we weren’t sure how they were going to work, but they are in fact working well.

THE LOWVELD IS PUMPING; WHY CAN YOU NOT PUT A -400 OR AN -800 FROM CAPE TOWN DIRECT TO HOEDSPRUIT OR NELSPRUIT KMIA?

We looked at it, but there is an operational restriction on our aircraft landing in Hoedspruit.

WHAT ABOUT GROWING YOUR INCOME FROM ANCILLARY REVENUES?

IF I WAS A POTENTIAL INVESTOR, I WOULD WONDER WHAT THE GROWTH POTENTIAL IS OF YOUR SHARES?

Every year I wonder where the growth is going to come from, and yet we still grow by 40%. Our approach has been to try and keep as close as we can to the market and identify where the opportunities are, and hopefully this approach continues to work.

WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS CREATING YOUR MARKET BY GETTING PEOPLE OFF THE ROADS AND BUSES AND INTO YOUR PLANES. ONE OF THE BIG CHALLENGES MUST ALSO BE TO IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER’S AIRPORT EXPERIENCE?

Yes, the challenge of airports is that there are so many different parties involved.

There are many new technologies and we are having to deal with many different actors, whether it’s the regulator, or ACSA, or the ground handling company, to make systems work better.

Talking about passenger experience, your competitor kulula.com for a long time

FlightCom Magazine

22

FlySafair pulled off a marketing coup in flying the Springboks.

didn’t make sense anymore.

YET IT SEEMED TO ME TO BE A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN YOUR MANAGEMENT TEAM BY YOUR SHAREHOLDERS – THAT THEY WERE PREPARED TO CLOSE DOWN SUCH AN EXCITING AND FAST-GROWING AIRLINE AND SELL IT OFF?

It wouldn’t have been closed down. The most important attribute an airline can have is size, to achieve the economies of scale needed to give it a competitive edge. So we would both have continued operating.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE UNEVEN PLAYING FIELD; MANGO HAS BEEN GROWING VERY FAST DUE TO SAA HAVING PASSED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DOMESTIC ROUTES ONTO IT. THE QUESTION MUST BE ASKED; IS MANGO PLAYING FAIR?

We have no reason to question it. We compete hard on price – and that’s basically it.

SO THEY ARE NOT GETTING ANY UNFAIR ADVANTAGES OR SUBSIDIES FROM SAA? THEY DON’T GET PREFERENTIAL ACCESS TO AIRPORT SLOTS, OR CHEAP LEASES ON THEIR AIRCRAFT, OR EVEN PREFERENTIAL BUYING ON INPUTS LIKE FUEL?

had a far more restrictive Personal Electronic Device (PED) policy than you – and it won them no friends. Did you have a special dispensation from the CAA for PEDs? No, I just think that one of our benefits are the technical skills and expertise we have because we do our own maintenance. So we could provide the necessary information to the CAA that they required as part of the application.

WHAT WAS THE BIG IDEA BEHIND THE AIRLINK MERGER AND WHY WAS IT CANCELLED? IT SEEMS TO ME INCREDIBLE THAT YOU WERE PREPARED TO ALLOW YOURSELVES TO BE TAKEN OVER BY AIRLINK?

The rationale was that the shareholders of both organisations recognised that there

23

FlightCom Magazine

were economies of scale to be gained by combining the two companies. For example, combining the purchasing power on fuel, maintenance and spares and the like. And then there is the recognition that the two are essentially complementary businesses.

Also, there would be synergies and sales advantages in that Airlink would be able to sell our stock.

The reason it didn’t happen is that we were blocked in the first phase by the competition commission and referred to the Competition Tribunal and unfortunately that got postponed and then postponed again.

Two years passed and the circumstances that motivated the deal also changed.

Both companies had in the interim grown enormously and so the original deal just

We can speculate, but we don’t have access to Mango’s financials so we only get little glimpses now and again. They always claim to be making an operating profit, yet operating profits can literally mean anything, depending on how you define it.

I am reminded of the saying that the secret to winning is not about how many punches you can throw, but rather how many punches you can take. And for Mango to have a stateowned parent it means it can absorb endless punches.

DO YOU FORESEE YOUR GROWTH COMING FROM GROWING THE MARKET, OR FROM TAKING OVER SOME OF YOUR COMPETITORS’ MARKET SHARE?

I’m hoping that it comes from growth, because it’s a lot harder to take traffic from your competitors. We are not concentrating on stealing customers from competitors, because you can have them one day and lose them the next. We are really hoping to grow our business on the back of a growing economy.

HOW BIG A PROBLEM FOR YOU

IS FOREIGN COMPETITION AND FIFTH FREEDOM RIGHTS? IF FOR INSTANCE A GULF CARRIER FLIES ITS PASSENGERS DIRECTLY TO CAPE TOWN, THEN THAT IS TRAFFIC THAT YOU COULD HAVE HAD FLYING THEM FROM JOHANNESBURG TO CAPE TOWN.

I may be naive, but I think that a rising tide really does lift all boats and that the more traffic we have coming into South Africa, the better for all of us. The only foreign operator that flies passengers from Johannesburg to Cape Town is Singapore Airlines. They can’t pick up new passengers in Johannesburg and I am pretty sure they are losing money on the Johannesburg – Cape Town sector.

I think it would be pretty stupid to limit an airline like Emirates from flying direct to Cape Town if it means we lose tourists.

For instance, a businessman from Chicago having to fly to Cape Town via Washington and then Dubai and then Johannesburg and only then to Cape Town means that they would probably rather just go somewhere else. From a macro point of view I think

it’s good for South Africa to have as many international carriers flying to as many destinations in South Africa as possible.

For the rest of Africa what is vital is the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market. We see everywhere around the world that when airlines start flying to a destination, it is massively beneficial for that local economy.

WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?

All I can say is that our current plan is working. So I think that you will see us doing more of what we are doing now. Not different, just more routes, more frequencies and more planes.

It would be a lot easier if the South African economy was in better shape to support growth. If the economy comes right, then there will be more people traveling again.

There’s a lot we can do on the customer technology front, particularly with innovations. We don’t believe in doing technology just for technology’s sake; we need to see a clear benefit. For example,

a full-blown App. Our new App is not necessarily going to increase our sales, but it is intended to make things easier for our frequent fliers such as being able to save their boarding pass. We hope it will improve our customer ‘stickiness’. If our seat price is about the same as the other carriers, but our App makes your experience with FlySafair much nicer, then it will have been worthwhile.

And there’s always room to improve our service offering. It has become harder and harder to differentiate on price, therefore we have to try build a loyal customer base.

I tend to think of FlySafair as a ‘Keep it Simple and Sweet” airline.

A big part of what we are came out of the legacy Safair business with the commercial version of the C130 Hercs, where we just get on and do it with as little fuss as possible.

In five years we have gone from zero to having 21% of the South African market.

By our fifth birthday we may be the biggest single airline brand in the South African domestic market. 

THE NEXT GENERATION OF PILOT & FLIGHT CREW TRAINING

FlightCom Magazine

24

HELI OPS GEORGE TONKING

TAKING FIRE Most of the time, flying helicopters is pretty mundane. I cruise overhead, busy with a particular project or task and watch people commute to work, from my little cockpit office. You see, helicopter pilots are normal people too, you know!

W

E have jobs, homes and families, gardens, pets and all the usual gadgetry to sustain a balanced, middleclass life. Yes, you heard me, middle-class.

Although we’re also captains of our aircraft, we don’t typically feature in the high-stakes poker games of the international airline pilots’ clubs. The difference between our line of work and your traditional 9 to 5 jobs is that occasionally we get a hefty shot of adrenaline along the way.

In my case, like most normal people, I also need to relax and be available as a husband and dad to my family. This involves many social activities, including my daughters’ ballet recitals, having friends over for braais and other entertaining, which my wife and I love to do. But due to the nature of my flying career in the security industry, I try not to be surprised when I need to drop everything and help when called on for a flying emergency. Although my role has changed somewhat after a few years in this game, where initially I was ordered to respond to an incident by my supervisor, I now often respond in duty to a friend. Friendships are easily formed in the middle of the battlefield when you have no option but to stick together. Maintaining those friendships in suburbia sometimes requires sacrificing one’s own comfort and convenience.

This column is about that bond.

Like many other public holidays before it, on the day in question, my wife and I

25

FlightCom Magazine

Sometimes they shoot back.

had arranged a social braai around the swimming pool. It was spring. The days and the pool were becoming warmer, the kids needed desperately to work on their tans (but not me, of course) and I was keen to just chill with friends, as we do on a holiday.

Sadly, I had a bit of a sore throat and the sniffles, caught from one of my snot-nosed offspring. This meant no beer for me: my body just wasn’t keen. We welcomed our guests, their kids playing with ours right from the get-go, and we fired up the braai with a little help from a squirt of Jet A1. No sooner had we put the meat on the braai than my phone began to vibrate in my pocket.

“Vrrrrrrrb, vrrrrrrb.”

I have a policy of no phones at mealtimes, blocking most messages and calls, but between flipping boerewors, I took it out to read the message. It was from Gert, one of my “battlefield friends,” who needed help. I called him back, and slowly moved away from the braai. My guests knew that all was not well by the concern in my voice during the short call.

It turned out that one of the members of a specialised unit in which Gert was involved had been shot, while responding to a robbery attempt. Subsequently, the gang had raced away under hot pursuit through a suburb and abandoned their stolen vehicle in a nearby wooded area. The call was made for air support to assist the now-growing law enforcement squad to apprehend the armed suspects. My wife knows me well after 12 years of marriage and almost as many flying. She could see immediately that there was a flight on and that she would be entertaining our guests without me.

I knew that my right-hand man Stewie was away for a well-deserved break, and so immediately got on the phone to my other pilots. You need to know your crew well, including their experience level - not only log-book hours but actual field exposure to know who you can send at the drop of a hat. I called around looking for one of those pilots who might have been closer to a helicopter than me, but to no avail.

But wait, I had not been drinking. I could go. The only problem was that I was at least 20 minutes away from the heliport, even at motorcycle speeds. I quickly called Ally, my trusted hangar hand, to get a helicopter ready for me. He, it turns out, was also away for the long weekend. Thwarted!

I did some quick head calcs: travel to heliport, 20 mins, get chopper out, 10 mins,

start up, 4 mins, target ferry, 13 mins. This was going to take time. I called Gert back, “I’m going to be on target in about 40 minutes, is that ok?”

“Please come,” he entreated.

The urgency in his voice was all the encouragement I needed. Within minutes I had apologised to my gathered guests, said my goodbyes and taken off towards the N1 at “response” speed. If I had a flashing light

That, combined with a full fuel load, led to some careful performance-limited flying.

As I’ve said many times before, it’s good to know your mount well, especially when the pressure’s on.

As we got airborne, my crew briefed me more thoroughly, including that the thugs for whom we were searching were well armed with AK 47s, amongst other weapons.

Immediately after take-off, we circled the

Good to go- thankfully my trusty R44 was out on the pads and not inside.

and siren on my bike, they would have been on. Motorcycles can be dangerous toys. But they are essential in the business of helping friends. Quickly. All kinds of thoughts go through my mind as I’m racing down the highway in “operational mode”: fuel, getting the aircraft out fast, etc. As I drove into the heliport, my heart skipped a beat in joy as I saw one of my trusty Robinson R44s ready and waiting out on the pad!

Had someone called ahead? Was it a fluke? I never did find out. All I knew was that I’d been saved 10 minutes! That’s gold.

I quickly parked my bike and swapped my bike helmet for my trusty MSA helicopter helmet. As I started the heli, I was already on the phone with the task team members, now moving in slowly to the wooded area, close on the trail of the assailants. Google maps pin on hand, I propelled the warming chopper skyward in a crow’s flight line to the target. Soon enough, I was overhead the target area setting up a landing zone to pick up a crew member. The target area landing was well over 8,500 feet density altitude.

area to identify positions to secure a ground perimeter. But on our first pass, the ground teams radioed us, “They’re firing at you!”

Immediately I raised the collective, yanking the chopper up, with my crewman’s anxious shouts, “Get higher, get higher!” ringing in my ears. We banked out of harm’s way and put ourselves a good 1,000 feet from the danger below, but from which we could still survey the area. We looked at each other nervously and checked the craft for any signs of having been hit. Experience has taught me to fly with a level 5 Kevlar vest under the seat whenever going out on an operation of this sort. It’s just what I do.

In their foolhardy attempt to shoot at us, however, the suspects had given away their position. The ground crew moved in towards their quarry, while we surveyed them from above. It didn’t take long to apprehend the criminals after that.

Another bit of encouraging news was that the member who had been shot was set to make a full recovery. All in all, we could write this operation up as a success for the

FlightCom Magazine

26

Our little squadron of Helicopters always ready to answer the call.

team. I had never imagined that our taking fire would be the key in a situation like this.

But as helpful as it was, it’s not something I’d wish for, that’s for sure.

Two things came to mind as I called home to apologise to my guests for my rude departure.

The first was that friendship often requires sacrifice. The second: helicopter pilots are normal people too; normal people who just happen to get a shot of adrenaline sporadically, while sitting in their little office  in the sky.

P P L T O AT P L T R A I N I N G A N D E V E RY T H I N G I N B E T W E E N SA Flyer 2019|11

T R A I N O N T H E M O ST M O D E R N F L I G HT S I M U L AT O R AVA I L A B L E I N S O UT H A F R I C A • Now certified for TCAS training .

• R N AV a n d G N S S Certified on all flight models from single engine to turbine.

N E W S A C A A A P P R O V E D L I G HT J E T M O D E L N O W AVA I L A B L E CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tel: 011 701 3862 E-mail: info@aeronav.co.za Website: www.aeronav.co.za SACAA ATO No: CAA0002

27

FlightCom Magazine

Industry Update

WESTAIR OPERATES WINDHOEK-CAPE TOWN Beating bilaterals - the WestAir Embraer EMB145 lands at Cape Town.

Namibian airline, Westair, made its inaugural flight into Cape Town on Friday 4 October 2019. The airline will be offering 7 flights a week for 4 days a week from Eros Airport in Windhoek, stopping at Oranjemund on the way to Cape Town.

C

APE TOWN is the first international destination for Westair who currently operate between Windhoek and Ondangwa, Walvis Bay and Oranjemund.

Aviation analyst Linden Birns notes that this extension of Westair service to Cape Town is significant in that “in the mid 2000s Namibia amended its bilateral air service agreement with South Africa to prohibit the use of [Windhoek’s] Eros as an international gateway (this was in response to Airlink operating a successful service on the CPT-Eros route and Air Namibia, which was operating 737s at the time, being unable to compete). The stop in Oranjemund is obviously so that the new operator can sidestep the ban and must surely be operating the return service under four flight numbers and four flight plans (Eros-Oranjemund, Oranjemund-CPT and vice versa).

Westair Aviation’s current fleet consist of over 30 aircraft. The aircraft suit relevant

Gustav Holz Managing Director of Westair (second left) and Paul van den Brink, Project Manager at Cape Town Air Access, fourth left, celebrate the WestAir arrival.

operations such as freight-transporting, crew rotations for mining operations and offering VIP charters to The Namibian government.

The airline operates a variety of scheduled and unscheduled air cargo flights and has been offering a dedicated cargo

service to DHL over the past 20 years during which time Westair Aviation has maintained an impressive dispatch reliability record.

Through offering dedicated assistance to the cargo industry, Westair Aviation also supports the mining sector in transferring high-value cargo across Africa. 

FlightCom Magazine

28

A Zambian Air Force Leonardo C-27J Spartan.

African Transports M orne B oij L ewis

AFRICAN MILITARY

TRANSPORTS AT LANSERIA Several African air arms have recently been modernising their transport fleets through acquisitions or reactivating idle fleets. Two visitors to South Africa are indicative of this.

L

ANSERIA saw two new notable arrivals in military transport aircraft during August: a Chinese manufactured Shaanxi Y-8F200 of the Jeshi la Anga la Wananchi wa Tanzania (JWTZ; Tanzanian Air Force) and a brand new Leonardo C-27J Spartan of the Zambian Air Force (ZAF).

The Zambian Air Force took delivery of two new Spartans in the second quarter of this year and the visit to Lanseria on 21 August, and a second four days later, was believed to be related to training flights for ZAF crews. The order by the air arm was secured in 2015 but the end user never officially confirmed by the manufacturer until the recent delivery of the planes to Lusaka’s Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.

While the C-27J has twice been shown

29

FlightCom Magazine

at the biennial Africa Aerospace and Defence expo as part of regional sales tours, this is the first visit by a customer aircraft.

The first official confirmation of the order came in December when the ZAF’s Deputy Commander, Major-General David Muma, commented on the imminent arrival of the new aircraft while attending the annual Officers’ Ball.

These aircraft introduce important new transport capabilities to the air arm’s operations, enabling flights into rough, unprepared airstrips while the large rear loading ramp can be opened in flight and used to air-drop supplies.

The Zambian Air Force’s current transport fleet comprises two Xian MA-60, eight Harbin Y-12s and 10 elderly Dornier Do-28 light transport aircraft. This is the latest delivery in a recent modernisation of the air force with the delivery of at least six

Hongdu L-15 multi-role jet aircraft, as well as a new Gulfstream 650ER Presidential jet.

Other users of the Spartan on the Continent include Chad and Morocco while Kenya emerged as the latest client for the type, ordering three C-27Js as part of a deal worth Eur222 million that also includes an undisclosed number of AW139 helicopters.

Kenya’s C-27Js will be the first to be equipped with a new avionics suite when delivered in the latter half of 2019. The new baseline configuration will have the new avionics system, allowing full compliance with new civil aviation regulations (ATC) and military requirements (IFF) as well as reducing operational costs.

THE SHAANXI Y-8: CHINA’S AN12 The ZAF Y-8F-200s were delivered in late 2003 and are operated by the JWTZ transport fleet based at Dar es-Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport. This transport squadron also operates Cessna 402Cs and Chinese manufactured Harbin Y-12-IIs. The Y-8 may at first appear to be nothing more than an Antonov An-12 Cub clone (which it essentially is) but sharp-

eyed observers will notice it has a much pointier glass nose than its Russian sibling. This is the first time this rare type has been seen in South Africa when it arrived on 6 August, although two of these have been in service with the Tanzanian Air Force since 2003. Another user of the type on the Continent is Sudan.

The Y-8 is an unlicensed copy of the An-12 Cub that has its roots in 1960s Chinese purchase of several An-12s from the Soviet Union.

The subsequent Sino-Soviet split saw the Soviet Union withdrawing all its technical assistance from China. The X’ian Aircraft Company, in co-operation with the Xi’ian Aircraft Design Institute then, under

instruction from the Chinese Government, reverse engineered the aircraft for local production. The design of the Y-8 was completed

by February 1972 and incorporated a glazed nose and tail turret derived from that of the H-6 bomber (which in itself is a reverse engineered Tupolev Tu-16 Badger bomber). The Y-8 was officially certified for use by the Chinese Government in 1981 and entered serial production. It has subsequently spawned more than 30 variants and is the basis of the heavily modified and modernised Y-9 and KJ200 derivatives. 

A Tanzanian Air Force Shaanxi Y-8, China’s version of the An-12 at Lanseria.

Flying in Africa ?

That’s what we love...

©Nico Kohne

Tel. +27 11 465 2669 • 072 340 9943 email: info@aviationdirect.co.za

www.aviationdirect.co.za Half Product Ad 2019SA Flyer Fis1 1

03/10/2019 14:28:57

FlightCom Magazine

30

AOPA BRIEFING CHRIS MARTINUS AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION – SOUTH AFRICA

Lies, DAMNED Lies & STATISTICS

It’s not often that our Civil Aviation Authority provides us with South African aviation statistics, yet statistics are a cornerstone of aviation safety.

A

NALYSIS of pilots, aircraft, accidents, hours flown, level of qualifications, types of operations and licence types can yield valuable statistical clustering which may help identify safety issues that need attention and rectification. But years of begging and complaining have yielded little material from CAA that would be useful for developing safety strategies, particularly for general aviation.

However, a little bonus was hiding in CAA’s 2017/2018 Annual Report: some statistics regarding licensing of pilots and aircraft. As regards aircraft, growth in the 2016/2017/2018 years was very flat, with small increases in the numbers of turboprop aircraft (3.3%) and helicopters (3%) from 2017 to 2018.

There was nevertheless a large growth (54%) in the numbers of drones registered during this period, but that is to be expected with these devices being a relative newcomer to the regulatory environment.

One of the most significant factors for GA is the ratio between certified piston aeroplanes and recreational aircraft showing that there are now nearly as many non-type-certified aircraft (6,332) as typecertified piston aircraft (3,823). That makes NTCA aircraft nearly half of the full total (13,381) of all aircraft registered in South Africa, including drones.

31

FlightCom Magazine

Since most piston aircraft fall into the GA category, it can be assumed that between NTCA and TCA, general aviation aircraft (10 155) make up about 76% of the aircraft on the SA register.

[See table below]

[See Table B - opposite] These inequalities have CAA grumbling that “transformation continues to be lethargic” and CAA Chairman, Mr Smunda Mokoena, darkly alludes: “It is evident that the aviation industry is reluctant or unable to transform and that efforts to diversify do not measure up to the challenge. This is also an indication that there is the need for an urgent intervention.”

It is however perhaps apposite to explore the numbers of pilots that make up the general aviation community. Private pilots and student pilots are, for the most

Table A - aircraft growth other than drones, has been static.

When it comes to personnel licences, however, there are notable discrepancies between males, females and racial groups in the pilot demographics.

The first figure that shows a major imbalance is that, of the total number of pilots licensed in SA (20,782), excluding drones, the majority are white males (16,761) or 81 %.

Secondly, the ratio between male (19,120) and female pilots places women at a mere 8% of the pilot population in SA. Thirdly, and a matter of greatest concern, the ratio of white pilots (18,163) to the total of African, Coloured and Indian pilots (1,761), placing non-whites at a little less than 10% of all SA pilots.

part, voluntary entrants to aviation and few are sponsored or employed by the aviation industry itself.

If we add up the numbers for both SPLs and PPLs, we find that white males still constitute the vast majority – in similar ratios to commercial pilots. It therefore cannot be correct to blame the “aviation industry.” These numeric imbalances are clearly due to personal choices and not to industry influences, since student and private pilots are not employed in flying jobs.

Although in the distant past, mostly prior to the 1930s, women and persons of colour were discouraged and often barred from becoming pilots, there are many, many

Table B - White males still dominate the pilot body - but not through lack of trying to stimulate interest in other groups.

stories how they overcame these prejudices.

But since the 1980s the playing field has been levelled in most parts of the world. It is very unusual to hear of women or persons of colour being discriminated against in the aviation sector. Indeed, women and other races are generally welcomed into aviation and many governments actively encourage these groups to take up careers in aviation by way of bursaries and other enticements.

Nevertheless, elsewhere in the world we see the same inequality of numbers. For example, in the USA, only 4.1% of airline transport pilots are women and a tiny 2.7% are black. Our figures in SA, at 8% and 10% respectively are a lot better in comparison, even though they do not parallel the local population demographic.

Inequalities in society are a problem.

Many socio-political schemes have sought to address such inequalities, but only where these inequalities are due to discrimination or are otherwise prejudicial. The fact is, different population groups tend to have different preferences for a wide range of pursuits and, although there may be dramatic disparities, it is erroneous to assume that the resultant statistical differences are brought about by injustices, either present or past.

Efforts to grow the female and black pilot populations through encouraging black

kids to take up flying, through barring whites from entering cadet programmes and many other initiatives by the industry, by state agencies and by efforts from pilots who fly young black children for introductory flips, have yielded disappointing results.

The reality is that you can take the horse to the water, but you can’t make it drink.

AOPA’s concerns are that our CAA is now trying to force the issue, not by developing aviation among the people who are in the minority, but by attacking the majority of pilots on the basis that they are white and male. This seems to be very apparent in their actions: the financial, regulatory and administrative burdens placed upon general aviation pilots and aircraft owners continues to increase exponentially. Far from encouraging new entrants into aviation, this has the effect of raising the bar. There were times only a few years ago when a licence renewal would take only a few hours while the applicant waited by having a couple of cups of coffee. Today, at best, the process takes days – or even weeks and months.

THE OBSTRUCTIVENESS TACTIC CAA officials have become exceedingly obstructive. As an example, one issue AOPA has had to deal with recently

is where an experienced CAA official refused a registration request for an aircraft weighing 476 kg because it does not meet the regulatory requirement of a maximum of 600 kg. The email correspondence between the official, the aircraft owner and several other individuals who became involved in the correspondence became farcical. The official was adamant that 467kg did not “meet” the 600kg requirement. Another CAA official jumped in in support of this contention. Another insisted that the regulation was not clear and the wording would have to be revised to clarify the already clear wording. Ultimately, the official declared that this was a personnel licensing issue and would have to be taken up with that department.

The CAA’s grounding of CemAir was another famous example of frivolous misinterpretation of the rules designed to frustrate legitimate aircraft operators.

Many who find themselves victims of these obstructive tactics assume that the basis is just due to stupidity or incompetence, but it appears to us that it is a deliberate tactic that is selectively applied.

RIGHTS The scheme of applying these tactics in order to influence transformational outcomes is deeply contrary to the letter and spirit of constitutional rights. The constitution provides opportunities to everyone, but allows citizens the choice of whether they wish to exercise those rights or not.

CAA’s annual reports show that they are deeply dedicated to transformation of these embarrassing statistics – even if it means that they must trample upon everyone’s rights and destroy the very industry they are obliged to serve.

PS: “Lies, damned lies, and statistics” is a phrase describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments. It is also sometimes colloquially used to doubt statistics used to prove an opponent’s point.

The phrase was popularized in the United States by Mark Twain (among others), who attributed it to the British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” 

FlightCom Magazine

32

General Aviation - Adventure Flying Story: Edge Bisset

AROUND AFRICA – FINAL

Departing Brindisi. Goodbye Italy - next stop, Crete.

INTRODUCTION (BY EDGE): In this, the third and final instalment of their circumnavigation of Africa in 60 days, we travel all the way back down the eastern edge of the continent with our two intrepid flyers: Edge Bisset and Jaap Scholten.

I

T’S hot in the cockpit and the afternoon sun is baking us through the windshield as we fly south over the Sahara Desert. We are at Flight Level 085, but even at this altitude the outside air temperature has been in the high thirties all afternoon.

The golden yellow sands below are as vast and empty as the pale blue sky above.

They meet in a shimmering white horizon that seems to hover an infinite distance away. The landscape is barren. Not a tree or a road, nor any sign of human habitation, as far as the eye can see. Just a vast emptiness.

33

FlightCom Magazine

For thousands of years, the burning sun above and the endless sands below have dominated this landscape. What the sun does not destroy, the sands will swallow.

Intruders don’t last long. Who are we, in our fragile little aluminium machine, to trespass into this ancient space? If the desert could speak, I think, it would laugh at us. Yet it looks so pretty…

Jaap is flying while I take a break. He is chewing on an energy bar, bobbing his head and drumming his fingers on the yoke while the Rolling Stones play through the intercom: “I see a red door and I want it

painted black….” He is in a good mood and seems wide awake, keeping us nicely on course. I relax in my seat and let my eyes drift over the empty desert.

We have become very comfortable in the cockpit over the past six weeks since leaving Cape Town. During the first few weeks of the journey, as we routed up the west coast of Africa, the learning curve was steep. Unknown countries, foreign languages, ITCZ weather patterns, dust storms and ocean crossings; all came with their own lessons, and we were often stretching the limits of our own experience.

The second part of the journey, from North Africa into Europe, was easier. Fuel was readily available, English was widely spoken, weather patterns were less severe and facilities were excellent. And by then we had become a team, each of us knowing what our own responsibilities were and what to expect of the other.

Now we are closing the loop by flying the final portion of the trip, from Italy back to Cape Town, and the cockpit feels like home. So much so that I, who struggle to

fall asleep in an airliner, can comfortably nod off in a Cessna 180 while we fly over one of the most remote and inhospitable parts of the planet.

“No colours anymore, I want them to turn black…”

The heat and the gentle humming of the engine are lulling me to sleep, when something flashes. I glance at the engine monitor. The CHT reading for cylinder 6 blinks on and off, indicating abnormally high temperatures. From the corner of my eye, I can see Jaap watching the gauge with equal attention. If it were an old analogue dial, I would reach out and tap the panel, like Richard Todd in the Dam Busters. But that’s not going to make any difference here. The LCD screen of the JPI engine monitor continues to flash in warning. All other cylinders read normal, as do oil temperature and oil pressure.

Probably just a faulty lead to the CHT probe, I think to myself. I’ve seen this before. But usually I’m within an hour or two from home and within reach of help.

Usually I am able to raise someone on the radio, if necessary. And usually, I can see some sign of habitation, a place to head for if the worst should happen.

I glance out the window at the endless ocean of sand below. Plenty of space to put it down if we have to, but there’s no sign of life as far as the eye can see. Just desert in all directions. And we’ve been out of radio contact for a while, in a dead zone, unable to reach either the Egyptian or Sudanese ATC. Mick Jagger seems unconcerned but his words have an ominous ring to them.

“If I look hard enough into the setting sun…”

My eyes go back to the engine monitor. All of the other gauges are behaving normally but the CHT on number 6 is still going haywire. Nothing to worry about, I tell myself, just a faulty lead. But in the back of my mind I can imagine the voice-over from an air crash investigation programme: “… every accident is preceded by a chain of errors…”

Outside, nothing but an ocean of blazing hot sand, slowly passing below.

We are hundreds of miles from anywhere.

DAY 43 (JAAP) After a brief but enjoyable stay in Brindisi, we left Italy this morning and

En route from Italy to Crete, late winter snows still decorated the Greek mountainside.

Making landfall in Egypt, after crossing the Med.

Supplemental Oxygen was a necessity for this trip.

Edge negotiates with the refuelling crew at Loki.

Sometimes you just need a little nap.

headed South East for the coast of Greece.

The cool temperatures and high humidity over the Med made perfect conditions for carb icing. The Continental O-470 is known to be susceptible to icing, and we’ve become quite used to managing it, but when you’re over the ocean it certainly gets your attention.

We reached the west coast of Greece, and in typical travel-brochure style, there were beautiful coves with quaint little villages dotted all along the coast. If only we had more time to explore this part of the world. Perhaps another trip…

Crossing the south of Greece, we were surprised to find a lot of snow still covering the mountains. We left the Greek mainland behind and settled into our “ocean routine” of regular checks, fuel management, de-icing, and eventually peering into the distance for signs of land.

Before too long, the island of Crete presented itself, snow-capped peaks sticking out above the clouds. Fuel, tiedowns, chocks, some laid-back Greek administration and we are off to the hotel.

DAY 44 (JAAP) We took off from Crete and immediately encountered a thick maritime cloudbank. We skirted it as we climbed, routing east along the coast before setting out south across the Mediterranean Sea. The last of the pretty islands disappeared as we set out over endless deep-blue ocean. It was beautiful, scary and exhilarating. Occasionally another big fluffy expanse of clouds broke the monotony and we would find ourselves back in the carb-heat routine.

Still, it’s a relatively short ocean crossing and after three hours we spotted land again – we were back in Africa!

After a brief stop at Mersa Matruh to clear customs and uplift fuel, we took off again and routed eastward, to the oddly named “6th of October” airfield, just outside Cairo. Apparently, it’s not uncommon to name airports, and entire towns, after famous historical wars. After a long day of flying, we made our way to our hotel, which directly overlooks the Pyramids of Giza. What a sight!

DAY 45 (JAAP) We have just enjoyed a day of exploring the pyramids of Giza and could happily spend more time here but

FlightCom Magazine

34

we have to move on and figure out a way to get to Sudan without too many stops. The challenge we face is that the Avgas supply at Aswan is no longer there and we are told that it’s not possible to get Mogas through the airport security. This means that we need to arrive at Aswan with enough fuel to get us all the way to Khartoum the next day without refuelling. That is no small feat.

After much deliberation, we have decided on the following route for tomorrow: we will fly from Cairo to El Gouna, on the Red Sea, where we will fill up with fuel. From El Gouna we can make it to Aswan, where we will stop for the night. The next day, all going well, we will clear customs at Aswan and route to Khartoum. Two long days of flying!

The Sudanese know a thing or two about water management.

Beautiful Lake Malawi.

35

FlightCom Magazine

DAY 46 (JAAP) Egyptian controllers are the strictest we’ve encountered so far. In some cases, we have been made to climb directly above our departure airfield until we are at cruise altitude. And that cruise altitude, which they dictate, tends to be at around ten thousand feet. This means taking off at sea level in a heavily loaded aircraft, on a hot Egyptian day, and executing a circling climb to, say, ten thousand feet. Once we are at altitude, they would vector us all the way to our destination, at which point we would be told to do a spiralling descent, all the way down to the destination airfield, at sea level.

No cruise climb, or cruise descent, in other words. This adds a fair amount of time, and fuel burn, to the leg. Any romantic ideas of flying low-level along the Nile are quickly forgotten.

Once we were released from Cairo’s control, we made our way southeast to El Gouna, a small resort town on the Red Sea. The desert landscape did not disappoint.

The fuel stop at El Gouna was a quick one.

Thanks to the helpful, friendly locals we were refuelled and flying again in no time.

The second leg of the day took us from El Gouna to Aswan. The usual shenanigans from our super-efficient Egyptian

These friendly SAAF Oryx crew were assisting rescue efforts after the flooding in Malawi.

controllers saw us climbing out to 11,000ft for the westward leg. But it was midday on the Red Sea and it was hot… 40 degrees hot.

ZS-DKN took off easily enough, heavily loaded as it was, and the Red Sea showed her remarkable colours before we had to turn away to the West. Passing 10,000ft it was still well over 20 degrees outside, and the Cessna was gasping for air. It was working hard to climb under a heavy load but eventually we got to 11,000ft and set

an expected boom in travel to the area.

We are staying in a beautiful Nubian village, on the banks of the river. It is colourful, fragrant and relaxed. Camels are everywhere and the Nubian buildings, all based around small rondavels, are colourfully painted. It is incredibly pretty.

But we had a dragging long three days ahead of us to get to Khartoum – not helped

by ZS-DKN still having its original 1950’s era seats, which rapidly developed hard

The usual shenanigans from our super-efficient Egyptian controllers course for Aswan.

Routing west from El Gouna, the desert is dominated by jagged rocky outcrops that eventually become foreboding mountains.

“If we go down here...” Edge does not complete his sentence. We both know. “…… they’ll never find us” I finish in my thoughts.

Soon enough we had the Nile in sight, and we followed its course to the south, until finally we reached Aswan. The airport itself is large and modern, built to accommodate

edges through the worn padding, and having to hand-fly our venerable plane every inch of the way as it has no autopilot.

DAY 49 (JAAP) In Africa, political change can seem to take forever. Yet to the uninformed - that’s us - it can happen overnight. After narrowly escaping a coup in Algeria – we chose to overfly and land in Tunisia, in order to

avoid the unrest. Now we found ourselves narrowly escaping strife in Khartoum.

Last night we heard gunfire in the streets and when we asked the hotel staff what was happening, they said they didn’t know. Internet access was cut and nobody had any way of knowing what was going on.

The hospital sent most of their staff home and left only a skeleton crew on duty.

In the morning we awoke early and headed for the airport, where we found some tense-looking soldiers standing guard with assault rifles. We departed Khartoum without delay and were thankful we did, because it turned out that the Sudanese military had effected a coup, removing Omar al-Bashir as President. They’ve also dissolved the cabinet and announced a three-month state of emergency. Who knows how close we might have come to being trapped in Sudan.

Anyway, as luck has it, we left just in time and routed directly to the military airfield of Ad-Damazin, which is close to the border of South Sudan. There we refuelled and took off straight away for Lokichoggio, or Loki for short, in Kenya.

Loki used to be a busy United Nations airfield but since the war in South Sudan settled, the UN have relocated and Loki sees very little activity nowadays. Many a fine flying machine was left to rot next to the landing strip; not exactly a welcoming sight as you land at what feels like Valhalla.

DAY 50 (JAAP) With fresh oil and clean plugs – and having fixed the worrying loose sensor lead on the #6 CHT – ZS-DKN leapt into the sky as we headed to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport.

We managed an early start just after dawn and set course over the Great Rift Valley - a valley so vast that it’s difficult to understand the scale; it runs all the way from Lebanon to Mozambique. The Kenyan part of the valley starts at Lake Turkana and is dotted with volcanoes - some still active - and lakes of various sizes. The lakes display fascinating colours, and the more prominent volcanoes closer to Nairobi are a reminder of the great fissure below.

Wilson airport is a crazy, busy airport that services general aviation - small private aircraft, training organisations and charter flights. Nairobi International airport - just a few miles away - controlled us inbound and then handed us to Wilson Tower as we approached. We landed and vacated early to make space for the next aircraft on

FlightCom Magazine

36

We made it - friends and family were out in force for our return to Morningstar.

final. Caravans, C206s, C180s and 185s are everywhere. Our 180 is in good company here, among the other bush planes. Belly pods and large bush tyres are the “musthave” accessories, it seems. The place is also littered with Cessna 150 and 172 trainers, Fokker 50s and a brace of Beechcraft 1800 and 1900’s. Not a minute goes by without something taking off or landing. The place is a hive of activity – clearly, GA is thriving here!

We are staying at the legendary Aero Club of East Africa, where so many aviation legends have stayed before us. The hostess, Dorothy, proudly talks us through the history of the place and shows us around.

Established in 1927, the club is steeped

obscured by clouds and such was the case today. We could see the foothills covered in thick jungle, but above that it was only cloud.

After stamping documents and refuelling, we started up again and took off for Zanzibar. DKN has been running like a honey after its service, and performed flawlessly. We flew through beautiful valleys and skimmed just below the cloud base on our way to the coast. Here and there, we diverted around a small tropical downpour, but for the most part it was easy flying over lush green jungle.

As we reached the east coast of Africa, the Indian Ocean revealed itself, for the first time since we left home. Off the coast, we

Cloud banks closing in, oxygen running out, eager to get home... many a pilot’s demise. in history. It sports a great restaurant and accommodation, right at Wilson airport.

We’re in heaven!

DAY 52 (JAAP) Sometimes the best made plans just don’t work out. We had intended to spend a few days flying around the Serengeti and visiting Ngorongoro, but it was not to be, and so instead, we decided to route for Zanzibar.

Mount Kilimanjaro is a quick flight from Nairobi and easy to spot, being the highest mountain in Africa, but its often

37

FlightCom Magazine

could see a pretty lump of clouds marking Zanzibar. It’s my first time to Zanzibar, but Edge is a regular.

We made a beeline for the Zanzibar Coast, then turned south towards the airport. The colours of the Indian Ocean are amazing. We were cleared inbound on a very long final and the flight is done and dusted in a touch over 2 hours.

DAY 57 (JAAP) Zanzibar is a great place to visit, but when you’re chomping at the bit to get moving, it does not let go easily. Stone

Town has a complex allure. Every time you get lost there, you discover another little gem. Finally, after a wonderful few days of holiday, the time came to leave. Armed with all our permits, plans, backpacks and documents, we set off to the airport, to fly to Blantyre in Malawi.

We initially were routed straight out to sea, in the direction of Dar Es Salaam. As we headed inland Lake Malawi, the cloud formations changed and we found ourselves flying between long furrows of cloud, with beautiful clear views in between them. The first sight of Lake Malawi was pure magic.

Vast and tranquil, this mass of water is like a small sea.

Leaving the lake behind, we made our way to Blantyre airport at low level under a darkening sky and joined on a right downwind for runway 33. Downwind, base, final, and we’re on the ground. So many of these runways have optical illusions and require extra care if you’re not familiar with them. Landing into the setting sun, the runway at Blantyre falls away from you, demanding all of your attention, just when you’re tired, hungry, managing a lame butt and just want to finish. But it’s a good landing. We backtrack and park next to a SAAF helicopter. And so the routine restarts itself. Fuel. Immigration. Documents.

Payments. Taxi. Another hotel...

DAY 59 (JAAP) Due to weather coming in from the East, we decided to skip Vilanculos and route straight for Kruger International Airport instead. The challenge would be to circumnavigate the weather systems and get past the narrow waist of Mozambique, abeam Beira. Based on our weatherman’s forecast, it looked like we would be OK but soon after we took off, we realised that there was more cloud than had been forecast.

The terrain was climbing and the gaps in the clouds getting smaller …. and smaller.

Cloud banks closing in, oxygen running out, eager to get home... many a pilot’s demise.

This long leg had its risks, and we managed them as best we could, keeping a back door open at all times.

After a few hours of intense flying, we reached SA airspace and finally made the turn westwards towards Kruger International. We are back in sunny SA… and get-there-itis is the new enemy.

DAY 60 (JAAP)

After nearly two months of hotels and guesthouses, we were keen to get home via the shortest route possible. So, after consulting the met forecasts, we decide on the ‘boring’ route, via Bloemfontein, instead of the scenic coastal route. An early but easy start to the day - no immigration, no customs, dressed in civvies (casual clothes)... the joys of flying in our home country! To top it all, it was Edge’s birthday.

What a feeling!

After an uneventful flight, we were safely on the ground at New Tempe. The helpful people from Westline Aviation drove out on good Friday to fuel us up, process landing and parking fees, and point us in right direction for taxis and an early start for the next day...

DAY 61 (JAAP) No run feels better than a home run! It had rained heavily overnight but we arrived early at New Tempe, ready and eager, tiptoeing through the puddles of water like two street cats. We took shelter from the rain under the thatch boma, obsessively checking for updated weather forecasts, as if doing that would change the status quo.

Eventually I skulked to the plane and went rumbling through its hold to find our emergency grab bag which contained our rainwear. Naturally this bag “which we’ll never use again” was stowed in the furthest cranny of the luggage area. And to get there, you have to stand on your knees on the soggy ground, with your head deep in the hold, while the rain trickles down the nape of your neck and finds its way down your spine. Just my kind of early morning fun.

Finally the wind and rain died down and it was light enough for takeoff. As we taxied out to runway 19, we discussed the flight ahead. The final leg, after two months of flying through foreign lands, seems like an easy one. It’s our home turf, after all.

But we were mindful of the danger that complacency brings, and anxious not to drop the ball at this late stage in the game.

We were taking no chances today.

Finally, a few hours later, we crossed the last ridge between Tulbagh and the Voëlvlei dam, with Kasteelberg and Paardeberg presenting themselves as beacons marking the way home. Heart rates were elevated and smiles were broad as Morningstar came into sight.

Overflying the field to have a good look at the windsock, we realised that there

The route.

was much more to see! A small crowd was waiting for us the hangar. Now that we knew everyone was watching, we were keen to make a good arrival. Downwind, base, final. Edge went for a short field landing approach, no hesitation, full 40° flaps and puts it down on the gravel leading up to the threshold. “Just in case I duff this one, so nobody can see!”, he laughs.

As we cleared the runway, we could see all the familiar faces. Friends, family, and loved ones were waiting for us. This was emotional! A big sign on the hangar doors

read: “WELCOME HOME EDGE AND JAAP”. We park, go through the shut-down procedures and give each other the usual fist-pump.

“We made it!”

FINAL TRIP STATISTICS Duration: 61 days Distance: 15,000 Nautical Miles Countries visited: 20 (6 countries overflown) Fuel burned: 5,966 Litres 

FlightCom Magazine

38

AMO LISTING

CAPE TOWN

FAX NO

Sheet Metal Rebuilds Overhauls Electrics NDT Testing Refurbishments Structural Repairs Inspections NTCA Aircraft Seat Belts Instruments

CODE TEL NO

Interior

NAME OF AMO

Fixed Wing Helicopter Avionics Piston Engines Turbine Engines Propellers Weight / Balance Paint

AERO ENGINEERING & POWERPLANT

AES

(082)

494 3722

Cape Aircraft Interiors

(021)

934 9499

934 2022

ExecuJet South Africa

(021)

934 5764

934 2087

j

Placo

(079)

674 8351

076 901 6780

j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j jj

BAC Aviation Greystones Aviation Components

(035) (031)

797 3610 569 2614

797 5341 569 2630

(082)

847 3562

Astwood Aircraft Electrical

(011)

315 9605

Superior Rotorworx

(076)

595 2120

(082)

346 0150

086 697 9096

AES

(011)

701 3200

701 3232

Aircraft Assessing Company (Pty) Ltd

(083)

310 8588

Paull@aacglobal.co.za

jj

ExecuJet South Africa

(011)

516 2300

011 659 1071

j

Gem Air

(082)

905 5760

011 701 2653

j

Integrated Avionic Solutions

(082)

831 5032

012 567 7320

Lanseria Aircraft Interiors

(011)

659 1962

Plane Maintenance Facility

(011)

659 2204

SkySource International SA

(011)

900 4300

The Propeller Shop

(011)

701 3114

086 543 7988

Tynay Aviation

(082)

088 6663

011 659 1157/8 j

Aircraft Maintenance International Leading Edge Helicopters cc

(013) (013)

741 8221 741 5582

082 787 0415 741 8188

jj

Ferreira Aviation Flightdeck Instrument Systems Westline Aircraft Maintenance

(051) (073) (051)

451 1682 513 3205 451 1717

451 1683

j

Nevergreen Aircraft Industries Star Air Maintenance

(010) (011)

003 3747 395 2201

43 Air School

(046)

604 3686

(084) (011) (011) (011) (079)

710 0864 827 7535 827 2491 383 2024 492 0592

DURBAN

j

j

j

j j jj j

j jj

jjj j j j

j

jjjjjj

j

jj

j j

jj

jj

j

j

jj

jj j

jj

j

j

j

GEORGE AIRPORT Integrated Avionic Solutions

jjjjj

jjj

j

j

GRAND CENTRAL AIRPORT 315 0094

j jjjj

j j j jjjjjjjj

jj

KRUGERSDORP Skyworx Aviation

j

j

j j j jj

jjjj

LANSERIA AIRPORT

NELSPRUIT

NEW TEMPE BLOEMFONTEIN

OR TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PORT ALFRED

RAND AIRPORT

39

j

j j

j

jjj j j j jj

j

jjjj

j

j

j

j

j j

j

j

jj

jj pmf@myconnection.co.za

jjjjjj

j

j

j

j

jjj

j

jjjj

j j j jj

j

jjj

j

j

j

jj

j j

j

jj

j j

j

jjj

j

jj

j

jjjj

jj

j j

j

j

jj

j

jj

jj

j

j

451 1641

jjjj

manager@nevergreen.co.za

j

973 4761

j

jj j j

jj j

j

jj

jjjjj

j

jj

j j j jjjj

j

j j j j jj

1

AMKA Aviation Pty (Ltd) Aerospace Electroplating Aviation Rebuilders CC Clifton Electronics Dynamic Propellers

FlightCom Magazine

j

827 9896 086 601 7442 086 689 5645 086 548 2651

jj

j jjj

j

jj

jj j

j j

j

j j

Composite Manufacturing

Structural Repairs Inspections NTCA Aircraft Seat Belts Instruments

Sheet Metal Rebuilds Overhauls Electrics NDT Testing Refurbishments

FAX NO

Interior

CODE TEL NO

Fixed Wing Helicopter Avionics Piston Engines Turbine Engines Propellers Weight / Balance Paint

NAME OF AMO

RAND AIRPORT CONTINUED Emperor Aviation

(082)

497 1701

FLYONICS (Pty) Ltd

(082)

686 2374

michael@flyonics.co.za

Heli-Afrique cc

(011)

827 8632

086 503 1870

Placo (Pty) Ltd

(011) 827 9301

jjjj

j j j jjjj

j j

j jj

j

j jj

jj j

j

jj

j

j

827 3801

j

jjjjj j j jjjjj j jjjjj

(035)

786 0146/7 786 0145

j

jj

jj j j jjj

(083)

736 3969

086 508 6010

j

jj

jj j j

744 3412 110 4033 567 3443 741 8221 543 3196 802 1347 543 0948 301 9977 442 5884 543 0775 464 7130 749 9256

086 613 9922 082 565 2330

j

jj

j

j

j

j

j

jj

j

jj

jj

jj

RICHARDS BAY Alton Aero Engineering

j

SPRINGS AIRFIELD Legair Maintenance

WONDERBOOM AIRPORT - PRETORIA

208 Aviation Aerocore Aircraft Maintenance @ Work Pty Ltd Aircraft Maintenance International Adventure Air Aerotric Aero Engineering & Powerplant

Alpha One Aviation

AviSys Aviation Systems APCO Pty Ltd AVIA Instruments Avtech Aircraft Services Breytech Aviation cc

(083) (012) (012) (013) (012) (087) (012) (082) (083) (012) (082) (082) (012)

567 3500

082 787 0415 543 2323

j jj

j

jjj

j jjj

j jj

aerotric@aol.com

j

j

543 9447

j

jj j

jj

086 618 6996 567 3630 086 602 6171 082 555 2808

jjjj j jjjjj

j

j

j j

j

j

jj

j j

jj

j

jjj

j

j

j

j

j

jj

jjj

j

086 643 0122

jj

j

jj

jjjj

j jj

j

jj

Integrated Avionic Solutions

(012)

567 7312

567 7920

jjjjj

Sport Plane Builders cc

(083)

361 3181

086 514 5066

j

TAM Interiors

(083)

455 0215

Propeller Centre cc

(012)

567 1689

jj

j

j

j jjj

j

086 638 6821

j

jjj

jj

j

j

j

j

NIGERIA - MURTALA MUHAMMED INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ExecuJet Aviation Nigeria Ltd

+2341 295 5110

j

j

j

j

jj

jj j

jj

j

JOHANNESBURG F Gomes Upholsters

(011)

614 2471

614 9806

jj

j

Comporob CC

(012)

940 4447

086 502 3689

jj

j

M&N Acoustics Services Pty (Ltd)

(012)

689 2007

086 211 469

jjjjjjj

j

j

PRETORIA

• Overhaul / Shockload / Repair of Continental and Lycoming Aircraft engines; •Overhaul Engine; Components; •Overhaul and supply of Hartzell / McCauley and Fix pitch Propellers Hangar no 4, Wonderboom Airport , Pretoria PO Box 17699, Pretoria North, 0116 • Tel: (012) 543 0948/51 • Fax: (012) 543 9447 • email: aeroeng@iafrica.com AMO No: 227

FLIGHT SAFETY THROUGH MAINTENANCE

jj j

jj

j j

Club Facilities

Aircraft/Heli Sales

Accommodadtion

Microlights & Ferry Flights

Gyro-Copter Training

Beginners/Advanced

Aerobatic Training

Charters

Hire and Fly

Conferences

Pilot Shop

Tail Draggers

Helicopter Training

CPL Practical

CPL Theory

Conversions

Simulator Training

Instructors Rating

IF Rating

Night Rating

FAX NO

Multi Engine

TEL NO

Single Engined

CODE

Ab-Initio Training

NAME OF School

Turbine - GS Training

FLIGHT SCHOOL LISTING

BETHLEHEM Paramount Aviation

(058)

050 0493

info@flyparamount.co.za

(011)

914-5810

083-292-0978

j

jjjjjjj j j

jj j

j

j

BRAKPAN BENONI FABB Titanium Air

j

j

j

j

jj

j

CAPE TOWN Aviation Pilot Training

(021)

935 0719

Cape Town Flight Training Centre (021)

976 7053

admin@cape-town-flying.co.za j j j j j j j j j j j

jj j

j

Era Flug

(021)

934-7431

934-7435

jj j j

j

Durban Aviation Centre

(031)

573-2995

Starlite Aviation Training Academy

(031)

571-6600

www.starliteaviation.com

(043)

736-6181

086-516-8475

(044)

876-0096

Avcon Jet Africa

(011)

312-5676

www.avconjet.training

Flight Training Services

(011)

805-9015/6

805-9018

j jjjjjjj j j

Lanseria Flight Centre

(011)

312-5166

312-5159

j j jjjjjjj j j

Superior Pilot Services

(011)

805-0605

805-0604

j j jjjjjjj j jj

Alpi Flight Academy

(082)

556-3592

086-605-8948

Aviatech Flight Academy

(082)

303 1124

www.aviatech.co.za/

j j jjjjj

j

jj

j jjjjjjj j j

j j

j

DURBAN j j jjjjjjj j j

j

j

j

j j jjjjjjj j jjjjj j jjj

jjj

EAST LONDON Border Aviation Club

j jjjjjjj j jj

j

j

j

j

GEORGE AIRPORT Savannah Helicopter Training

jjj

j

j

j

jj

jj

j

GRAND CENTRAL j j jjjjjjj j j

jj j

j

jj

jj

j

jjj

jj

j jj

jj

j

j

j

KRUGERSDORP j jjjjj j

jjj

jj

j

jj

jjjjj j j

jj

j

j

j

jj j

LANSERIA AIRPORT / RANDBURG Aeronav Academy Gryphon Flight Academy Skyhawk Aviation

(011) (082) (011)

701-3862 562-5060 701-2622

701-3873 701-2623

j j jjjjjjj j j j jj j j jjjjjjj j j

(044)

692-0006

www.starliteaviation.com

j j jjjjjjj j jjjjj j jjj

(064)

756 6356

(041)

581-3274

j j

j j jj

j

j

j

MOSSEL BAY Starlite Aviation Training Academy

jjj

PANORAMA Johannesburg Flying Academy

jj

jjj

jjj

j

j

j

jj j

j

j

j

PORT ELIZABETH Algoa Flying Club

086-461-7067

j jjjjjjj j j

j

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

j jjjjjjj j j j j jjjjjjj j j j jjjjj jjjj

j

jjj jj

j jj

j j

jj

j

j

j

jj

VEREENIGING AIRPORT Bird Aviation

(016)

556-1007

info@birdaviation.co.za

Desert Air (PTY) LTD

+264

61 228101

+264 61 254 345

j j jjjj

j

j

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

j j jjjjjjj j jj j j j j j jjjjjjj j j jj j j j jjjjjjj jjj j j j j j jjjjj j jj jjj j j j jjj j jj jj

j j j j j

WINDHOEK - EROS AIRPORT

j jjjjjjj j j

jj

j

jj

WONDERBOOM AIRPORT / AEROPARK / RHINO PARK - PRETORIA111

41

FlightCom Magazine

j

jj

jj

jjj jj j jj j j j j

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

086 667 1789

jjjjjjjjjj

jjj

Streamline Air Charter

(011)

395 1195/8

jjjjj

j

(012)

566 3019

j

jj

RAND AIRPORT FlyFofa Airways

www.flyfofa.co.za

jj

jj

j

WINDHOEK - SWAKOPMUND Scenic Air (Pty) Ltd

(+264)

6440 3575

info@scenic-air.com.na

j

j

j

WONDERBOOM AIRPORT - PRETORIA Alpha One Aviation

(082)

301 9977

Aviation @ Work

(012)

567 3443

Flyjetstream Aviation

(012)

543 0060

Maverick Air Charters

(012)

Powered Flight Charters

(078)

45

FlightCom Magazine

jjjj j

j

j

j

j

j

jjjj

jjj

j

(083) 279 7853

jjjjjjjjjjjj

jjj

jjj

940 0320

086 648 2690

jjjjjjjjjjj

jj

jjj

460 1231

086 666 2077

j

j

jj

jjjjjj

jj

jj

We are for the journey

j

j