Flightcom Magazine March 2022 by Flyer & Aviation Publications

FlightCm African Commercial Aviation

Edition 159 | March 2022

New Kenyan Columnist

– on Iris McCallum

SAAF – Serious

dangers in Moz!

SA Air Force availability.

SAAF – in Moz – underequipped? 1

FlightCom: March 2022

Valentine Duma –

the CEO with a passion for Maintenance.

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CONTENTS

TABLE OF

Publisher Flyer and Aviation Publications cc Managing Editor Guy Leitch guy@flightcommag.com Advertising Sales Wayne Wilson wayne@saflyermag.co.za

MARCH 2022 EDITION 159

Layout & Design Patrick Tillman: Imagenuity cc

ADMIN: +27 (0)83 607 2335 TRAFFIC: +27 (0)81 039 0595 ACCOUNTS: +27 (0)15 793 0708

06 12 14 20 24 26 32 36 38 40 41 42 44

Bush Pilot - Hugh Pryor SAAF Funding - Part ONE Meet the CEO: Valentine Duma: Aves SAAF Funding - Part TWO News Pilots: Iris McCallum Defence: Darren Olivier Company Profile: Aves Holdings News Starlite Directory Atlas Oil Charter Directory AVES Technics AMO Listing Backpage Directory

© FlightCom 2021. 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.

A NOTE FROM

THE EDITOR: THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT is pushing ahead with its part privatisation of SAA to “a Strategic Equity Partner”. The Takatso Consortium will own 51% of the airline and the Department of Public Enterprises 49%. The intention is to list the airline on the stock market as, “one way of addressing future funding requirements and to enable all South Africans to take part in its success.” Implausibly, when Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan announced the proposed deal in June 2021, he said the idea was for government to retain a "golden share" in SAA to ensure it remains domiciled in the country and transformation goals are prioritised. How these developmental objectives will be reconciled with the need for a profitable bottom line have not been discussed.

That was, until the onset of the Omicron variant. It negatively impacted our estimates for December overall. Our domestic load factor was slightly behind forecast, but this was offset by stronger-than-forecast regional loads. Airline margins are always thin, but our revenue per available seat kilometre trended comfortably ahead of the forecast until November, turning negative in December as the network was hit with the dual impact of Omicron-induced cancellations and a marked slowdown in higher yield late bookings.” He went on to say that it was unlikely SAA would resume operating international routes this year but will be “in a year’s time or so.” The airline is still far from an optimal size and is operating a small fraction of its preCovid route network. Further, its fleet is mismatched for its current routes and still contains inefficient and aging Airbus A340s. It is therefore suspected that the airline is operating cash negative, and this was confirmed when in late February 2022 Minister Gordhan announced that the airline would receive an additional R3.5 billion from the state. However, he is insistent this does not constitute a new bailout, claiming that payment is the balance of R14bn the government had already agreed to in order to settle the airline’s debts and bankroll its restructuring costs before Takatso takes over and assumes operational responsibility.

it was unlikely SAA would resume Nonetheless the deal proceeds – operating albeit slowly.Adue diligence was performed and on 29 November international 2021 it was announced as being substantially complete and routes this year no material issues had been identified. Pravin Gordhan said that government expects to conclude the Takatso deal early in 2022, adding that there were "a few more regulatory hoops to jump through".

In the meanwhile, SAA restarted flying in April 2021 and in February 2022 announced that it had operated more than 1000 flights. The airline is not saying what its load factors and yields are, but an informal survey indicates that they are at or near breakeven and that these key parameters are being closely watched and where necessary unprofitable flights have been cancelled or combined. SAA Interim CEO Thomas Kgokolo assures us that the airline is “tracking against forecasts positively.

Only time will tell whether this is indeed the final bailout for SAA. 

BUSH PILOT HUGH PRYOR

FAT U M A S AYS

NEGATIVE I would like to take you away to a distant and mysterious land, which has come to prominence for all the wrong reasons recently.

WAS FLYING A PILATUS PORTER, the iconic Swiss short-field, single-engined, ten passenger bush aircraft, for a French seismic survey company. We were prospecting for oil in South Yemen, based in the rugged, barren desert around the historic canyons of the Hadramaut Sultanate. We had a camp on the floor of a one thousand foot deep canyon called Wadi Mankhar near an ancient little mud brick village called Al Qatn which sheltered under the rock-strewn buttresses of the main Wadi Hadhramaut.

have built their wealth from trading slaves, gold, ivory and cloves from Africa to Europe and the Far East, during the South East monsoon and back from the Far East with spices, tea, gem stones and silk during the North East Monsoon. It was during the North East Monsoon in 1986 that the Yemenis decided to change the President, a procedure which traditionally involves heavy bloodshed in that part of the world; twenty-two thousand dead in Aden alone in this particular instance. While the South Yemeni Military were occupied in trying to get the lid back on the situation, the Saudis decided to take advantage of the distraction to invade the contested border area to the north of the Wadi Hadhramaut. They dropped barrel bombs on Tarim, narrowly missing the tomb of Sultan Balthasar, the biblical 'Wise Man', who took the frankincense to present to baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

The Crew Chief was a bearded Frenchman called Henri.

We lived in trailers with the bunks arranged one up and one down in three tiny compartments in each trailer. The trailers were arranged in a square with two accommodation trailers on two of the sides and the office, the generator, the kitchen, the cold store and the 'Mess' occupying the other two sides.

The Crew Chief was a bearded Frenchman called Henri. His office trailer contained his office equipment, with his computer and the long-range HF radio whose dipole antenna was suspended between two thirty-foot masts across the diagonals of the square. Historically, South Yemen and neighbouring Oman 6

FlightCom: March 2022

As a result of this incursion, the South Yemeni Military declared all their airspace to be closed and would only issue overflight clearances to regular scheduled flights and applicants with a minimum of seventy-two hours notice in writing.

FlightCom: March 2022

We had regular flights to Aden twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, for crew changes, to re-supply our freezers and send seismic survey data back to France for analysis. These flights were all scheduled and sanctioned by The Military. The problems would come if we had to evacuate somebody in an emergency. So I made an appointment to see the Air Force Liaison Officer, a charming old boy called Sulaiman Said, who had been with the Royal Air Force when Aden had been a 'Protectorate', under the British. I explained our problem to him and how we would have to forget medical evacuation flights if we had to obtain clearances, giving seventytwo hours notice in writing. The chances were that badly injured patients would be beyond help if they had to wait for seventy-two hours.

"Well, Colonel, I was wondering if we could have some kind of code which we could give to the controllers over the HF radio, to identify us and to avoid confusing us with any hostiles". "Mmm," said the Colonel. "Let me see what I can do." And we shook hands as we rose to our feet. It was two weeks later, on a crew-change flight to Aden, that I received an envelope marked 'CONFIDENTIAL' from the Briefing Officer when I went to file the flight plan back to the camp. I opened it and pulled out a single piece of note paper. On it was written in neat Latin script,

FlightCom: March 2022

Your Code is 'Fatumah says Negative'. Please commit this to memory and destroy this paper by burning. Best Regards, SS." The flight back to the camp took half an hour longer than usual due to the howling winds of the powerful North East Monsoon.

The problems would come if we had to evacuate somebody in an emergency.

"So what do you suggest, Captain?" The Colonel leaned forward attentively.

"Dear Captain,

Even the landing was more challenging than usual, with the wind funnelled between the high walls of the canyon and the darkness crowding out the daylight, but it was after landing that the crew presented me with the true challenge.

Everybody seemed to be in a state of suspended animation. They were avoiding eye contact as though hiding some ghastly horror from the pilot. The tension was palpable, but nobody was letting me in on the secret until Werner, our Engineer, approached me and rather sheepishly said. "Henri has had an accident." I looked into Werner's face "What happened?" Werner's fingers were squirming together. "He was leaning out of the office door to call Frank to the radio and the wind caught the door and slammed it shut on his fingers." "Ooh! That must have been sore!" I said. Werner nodded, "He lost two of his fingers...they were wondering if you could fly him to Aden...we've got the fingers...they wrapped them up in ice...and they have dosed Henri up with Cognac to get him over his fear of flying...what do you reckon?"

"Will you come with me to escort him?"

back, "India Echo go ahead!"

Werner nodded enthusiastically and after we had re-fuelled the plane, we loaded the semi-comatose crew chief on a mattress on the floor in the cabin, with a blanket and pillow and a cool-box with his fingers in ice tied down beside him.

I took a big breath and in the clearest accent I said, "FATUMAH SAYS NEGATIVE!"

Now it was time to see if Aden Control had heard about our secret code. I tuned in to 7595 USB on the long range radio. Now our secret would be out because every aircraft between Nairobi and Cairo would hear our request. Better get it over and done with.

"FATUMAH SAYS NEGATIVE!" I repeated and now there was a prolonged silence broken by a very English voice, probably BA, with a jocular shout,

"Aden Aden Aden. This is Hotel Bravo Foxtrot India Echo."

We got Henri and his fingers to Aden and a visiting Vet at the French Embassy managed to re-attach them. The tendons had to wait for a month or two but then Henri and his fingers were back in action. 

"I say! Bad Luck Old Boy!"

SA Flyer 2022|103

There was a slight pause and then Aden Control came

There was a longer pause and then Aden Control said, "Say again India Echo."

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QUOTE OF THE MONTH

QOM

Discussing the possibility of a tie up between SAA and Ethiopian Airlines (ET) avcom poster ‘Jfairwell’ wrote –

Other countries

E-MAIL

EASA registered

TEL NO

FAA registered

LOCATION

Off-site Specialist tests

FIRST NAME

On site Specialist tests

SURNAME

Regular Class 2, 3, 4

AME Doctors Listing

Senior Class 1, 2, 3, 4

“I am pretty sure that ET had one look at SAA and their army of advisors, considered them clowns, and moved on.”

✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

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

✗ ✗ ✗

Tenzer

Stan

Rand Airport & JHB CBD

083 679 0777

stant@global.co.za

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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

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FlightCom: March 2022

DEFENCE

PART 1

GUY LEITCH

SA Air Force claims less than 25% availability Less than a quarter of the South African Air Force’s (SAAF’s) inventory of aircraft is operable as budget cuts, COVID-19 and Denel's capabilities are being eroded. Only 46 of the SAAF's 217 aircraft are now operable, according to an Armscor presentation.

HIS WAS REVEALED DURING a briefing by the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV), which looked into the status of Denel and other service providers' maintenance of the SAAF fleet. On 15 February 2022 the breakdown of fleet availability provided to parliament was as follows: In the helicopter fleet, four out of 11 Rooivalk helicopters, 17 out of 39 Oryx helicopters, and three out of six BK 117 helicopters are operational. (One BK 117 is beyond economical repair). Only three of the 30 A109 Light Utility Helicopters are operational, while five are beyond financial repair. The four Lynx naval helicopters are all out of commission. In the VIP fleet, the presidential Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) is not serviceable as it is still undergoing a major C-check service and repaint. The sole Pilatus PC-12 and one of the three Falcon business aircraft 12 FlightCom: March 2022

are operational. One out of three King Air 200s is operational, with the single King Air 300 being in storage. Transport Aircraft: Only one of the six C-130BZ Hercules transports is operational, and one is beyond economic repair. Five of the eight Caravans are operational, while two are in long-term storage. Two out of three C212s and Three C-47TPs are repairable, five are not, four are in long-term storage, and seven are beyond financial fix. Fighters: None of the 26 Gripens are operational (two are beyond economical repair and 11 are in long-term storage). Only three of the 24 Hawk lead-in fightertrainers are operational, three are beyond economic repair, and 12 are in long-term storage. The majority of the trainer fleet is grounded or in storage – only two of the 35 PC-7 Mk IIs in the SAAF's

The SAAF's Gripens and Hawks are already being cannibalised for spares.

fleet are operable, with the remaining 16 in long-term storage. 14 are currently undergoing maintenance and are waiting for spare parts. The other three are no longer usable. The SAAF has admitted that its ab-initio cadets will be sent to Cuba for training. The SAAF's reduced budget has had a severe impact on aircraft availability. The SAAF's limited maintenance capacity, aging aircraft that require additional maintenance, and COVID-19-related disruptions are all contributing to the serviceability crisis. Armaments supply parastatal Armscor blamed the shortage of operational aircraft on a number of issues, including a liquidity crisis at Denel, the parastatal which is the Oryx and Rooivalk's original equipment manufacturer, which also maintains other SAAF types, notably the C-130 Hercules fleet.

that much unlawful activity is taking place in South African waters because "we don't have the ability to monitor. We cannot hope to patrol properly and create a deterrent if you have such a weak capability," he remarked, pointing out that the C-47TP Dakota fleet is more than 60 years old. According to Mbambo, the situation "is really dire" for the SAAF, with the decline of Denel being one of the main concerns. "Denel manufactures the original equipment for the majority of our aircraft systems, particularly the rotary capability... Denel is the Rooivalk's original equipment manufacturer, and they're also helping us with C-130 maintenance. What we are seeing on the horizon causes us considerable concern. If Denel truly goes out of business, we'll be left with few options or manoeuvring room to continue conducting business... This adds to the difficulties we're dealing with right now."

Only one of the six C-130BZs is operational

The situation within the SAAF "is not where it's meant to be in terms of combat readiness and required hours of flying," said Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo, Chief of the SAAF, to the PCDMV. Currently, roughly 5 000 hours are flown each year, which is significantly less than the required amount. Mbambo claims that the shortage of serviceable aircraft is impacting pilot training since there aren't enough airworthy trainers. He went on to say that the SAAF needs new patrol planes to help the Navy, and

Shadow defence minister for the Democratic Alliance (DA), Kobus Marais, said the low serviceability is a sad situation that "shows we are so exposed to any onslaught by anyone." Our capabilities appear to have vanished. That is exactly what we feared in the past, that our Air Force would be reduced to an Air Wing, and the Navy would be reduced to a Water Wing rather than a Navy. It demonstrates that we must act immediately." 

FlightCom: March 2022

MEET THE CEO:

VALENTINE

DUMA 14 FlightCom: March 2022

As a young man growing up in South Africa’s steel and coal mining town of Newcastle, Valentine Duma always had a keen interest in aviation.

Aves Technics CEO Valentine Duma has come a long way from his Newcastle KZN beginnings.

FlightCom: March 2022

NCE HE HAD MATRICULATED from Newcastle College, his passion for aviation still burned brightly. However financial limitations meant that he had to start work in an unrelated field as he began his adult life. But by the time he reached the age of 23, his passion for aviation compelled him to follow his dream. Valentine moved to Johannesburg with his young family and enrolled in an apprentice aircraft fitter programme at Denel Aviation. After completing the theory part of his training, he was accepted by Safair as an apprentice and the real on-the -job learning began.

line maintenance, which opened up a whole new world for the ambitious young man. He was exposed to flight operations and all that comes with it. Working on live aircraft was something he found very challenging and rewarding. Soon he was chasing down and solving snags, dealing with customers and flying with the aircraft.

his passion for aviation still burned brightly

Valntine’s passion and strong work ethic was soon noticed and within three years he had completed his trade test. Safair then moved Valentine from hangar to

Valentine enjoyed the flying so much that he decided to obtain a PPL. However, while he was training he realised that he was not destined to be a pilot as his heart was in maintaining, repairing and managing aircraft.

In 2006 Valentine received his aircraft maintenance engineer licence (AME). The first aircraft type on his licence was the Boeing 737-400 and this remains one of his favourite aircraft.

An Embraer 145 in the Aves hangar.

16 FlightCom: March 2022

Aves Technics is now sowing back into the industry through its training centre.

Armed with his AME licence, Valentine started broadening his horizons. He found himself working at SAA Technical, specifically looking after the two Boeing 737-300 freighters ZS-SBA and ZS-SBB. Again, Valentine excelled and was noticed by the Swiss company, Jet Aviation. They offered him a position where he would concentrate on doing VIP conversions on B737 classic, B737 NG, B747 Classic, 747-400 as well as the Airbus A320 and A330 ranges. Valentine’s love that he had developed at Safair for the Hercules C130 had never died and while he was at Jet Aviation he was offered a crew chief position in Saudi Arabia, taking care of the Saudi Military C130 fleet under contract from a local company, Alsalam Aerospace Industries. Safair’s management had been paying attention to their “appy’s” career so two years later they offered him the position to establish new outstations and handle aircraft deliveries for contracts. These included United Nations and DHL contracts.

From his success, the name Valentine Duma has become well known in aviation throughout Africa and other areas of the world. Aa a result he has been offered many positions within the aviation realm. In 2013 he accepted a position as technical project manager at the cargo aircraft charter company, FlyAirstream Aviation, based in Nigeria. While in Nigeria he was offered the role of Project and Compliance Manager at Nevergreen, doing “End of Life” inspections on aircraft that have reached their life limit or being parted out for spares. Valentine performed these operations worldwide – from Japan, for Asiana Airline on their ageing fleet of A320s, to Nigeria on Air Nigeria Embraers. Valentine has acquired a wealth of knowledge and experience on all aspects of aviation through the years and now feels confident to take on the very responsible task of being both the CEO and Accountable Manager of Aves Holdings. 

FlightCom: March 2022

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18 FlightCom: March 2022

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www.avesholding.com 2021

BUMPPPFFF:

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FlightCom: March 2022

DEFENCE

PART 2

DEAN WINGRIN

The current state of affairs that the SAAF finds itself in should not come as a surprise. As the SANDF's budget has been declining in real terms for the past two decades, so too has that for the SAAF.

HILST THE AIR DEFENCE budget for 2020/21 was R7 536.2 billion, the current budget for the 2021/22 has been decreased by more than R1,5 billion whilst still being required to maintain the same outputs and flying hours. The budget for the following two financial years in nominal terms have been forecast to be even less than the current budget.

consumables, maintenance, spares and other support items. Much of these are denominated in foreign currency and subject to adverse Forex changes. The SAAF has already had to raid the Capex kitty to fund operational costs as well as reduce the number of days vital Reserve Force personnel can serve per year. With an insufficient Capex budget, the SAAF is unable to fund all its mid-life update and new acquisition projects. Whilst we still talk of the "new" Strategic Defence Procurement Package, these aircraft have been in service for over 15 years, a time period whereby other air forces are seriously proposing replacements.

The manpower in the SAAF is by no means bloated

What this means is that the SAAF has had to constantly cut its cloth to fit the available budget. With 66% of the current budget allocated to Compensation of Employees, very little is left over for operational costs and capital expenditure. The manpower in the SAAF is by no means bloated and to a certain extent, the SAAF has very little control over the number of airmen employed (just over 9,400 posts) and the salaries paid.

With the little budget left over, the SAAF must fund its operational expenses such as fuel and other 20 FlightCom: March 2022

The SAAF cannot now afford to keep its Gripen fighters on the latest software standard, never mind being able to pay for the new support contract, leading to the grounding of the Gripen fleet until the financial

The air force has an essential role to perform in peacetime - here a SAAF A109 rescues cyclone victims in Mozambique.

terms of a new support contract can be agreed to with SAAB. Similar issues are affecting the maintenance of the rest of the fleet which consists of even older aircraft, some of which are in excess of 50 years old. Due to age, many of the aircraft in the SAAF fleet require replacement of obsolescent equipment and updated avionics and other safety items. Vital fleet renewal projects, such as new maritime patrol/ surveillance aircraft and light and medium transport aircraft remain unfunded.

many of the SAAF's aircraft. Critical skilled staff and engineers are leaving the Denel group as they are not being paid their monthly salaries, leading to a further reduction in the capabilities offered by Denel and assistance given to the SAAF. The Denel group provides essential services and support to the SAAF as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for the Rooivalk attack helicopter and the Oryx medium transport helicopter fleet, without which both fleets would be grounded. Denel also provides support for the maintenance of the C-130BZ Hercules transport fleet as well as support for various weapon systems. This includes the new A-Darter Air-Air Missile for the Gripen fleet. Production and delivery of operational missiles are currently at risk due to the financial and manpower difficulties being experienced by Denel.

Critical skilled staff and engineers are leaving Denel

The SAAF has already had to unofficially reduce or do away with previously held competencies and capabilities. With a constrained capital budget and an operating budget under extreme pressure, the SAAF is dictated to by Treasury, but still beholden to deliver on all mandates and missions given to it by Government. Allied to the issue of an insufficient SAAF budget is that of Denel and its subsidiaries. Denel is facing serious cashflow issues and is unable to purchase spares and sub-components to maintain and repair

Many SAAF helicopters are standing idle due to the inability of Denel to pay for spares and subcontractors and Armscor is paying many of these suppliers directly. Of concern is the apparent lack of training capacity for student pilots. This has negative repercussions through

FlightCom: March 2022

the pilot development systems, leaving a skill and experience gap for the next 20 years as it slows aircrew progression and command time.

the general public and taxpayer does not recognise the importance a fully-funded Defence Force plays in supporting civil society.

With fewer flying hours, aircrew gain less experience and are unable to replace senior aircraft commanders that are promoted, leading to a widening gap between older experienced aircrew and younger aircrew with too few hours and experience to be given command of an aircraft.

Whilst the obvious solution is more (much more!) funding, other causes by both the SAAF and Armscor include lax or inefficient project management and financial planning at senior level and a lack of multiyear funding for the various Product Support System contracts, only concluding maintenance and service contracts for three financial years in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), (when the PFMA does allow for longer periods). Many spares and parts are long-lead items that can take up to 18 or more months to be delivered.

Given fewer flying hours, more pilots will also leave the SAAF for employment in the civilian aviation sector, where they will fly more and the pay is significantly better. Whilst I believe the negative aircraft availability rates provided in the Armscor presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans yesterday was slightly exaggerated, it does show the sorry situation the SAAF finds itself in as a result of a reducing, non-sustainable budget. Whilst the lack of an adequate budget is certainly the major cause for the SAAF's woes, it is not the only cause. Senior officers and leadership must also bear some responsibility for not being forceful enough regarding the decline in mission availability and capability to the Dept of Defence, Treasury and Cabinet, as well as to the public. Not taking the public into its confidence regarding the funding pressures the SANDF is facing means that

There are also reports of Armscor requiring a minimum of 30% BBBEE for many (sole-source) military contracts (when the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) provides other alternatives). In summary, a reducing and non-sustainable Defence budget, together with insufficient support for Denel, will only lead to a further loss of capabilities. This will also be felt by civil society in the form of Search & Rescue, mountain rescue, fire fighting, border patrol and support to SAPS. Once a critical capability is lost due to insufficient funding, it is extremely expensive and time consuming to regain that capability and skill which means it could be lost forever. 

The SAAf's entire Gripen fleet has been ground. Image Trevor Cohen

22 FlightCom: March 2022

NEWS

DE HAVILLAND – ONE BRAND FOR

CANADIAN AERO ICONIC AIRCRAFT BRAND DE HAVILLAND will become the face of Canadian aircraft construction. De Havilland Aircraft of Canada is the most recognisable of the Canadian brand names and will therefore be the face of Viking Air, Longview Aviation, Pacific Sky Training and De Havilland Canada.

the DHC-1 to DHC-7. The production of the DHC-2 Beaver and DHC-6 Twin Otter will now join the Dash 8 under the same corporate roof. The new common brand will cover the existing fleet of more than 3,000 aircraft around the world while employing 1,000 jobs in Canada. 

The consolidation means that for the first time in years the majority of De Havilland’s most famous aircraft are under the same brand. Notably, Viking Air’s 2005 acquisition of De Havilland designs included

The SAAB 340B's hybrid engine.

FlightCom: March 2022

NEWS

TURBO SKYLANE

BACK IN PRODUCTION CESSNA HAS ANNOUNCED THE RETURN of the Cessna Turbo Skylane T182T to its piston line-up. The T182T features the latest avionics and interiors. Textron is taking orders for the Turbo Skylane with first deliveries to begin in early 2023. Originally introduced in 2001, production of the Turbo Skylane T182T was stopped in 2013 while the company focused on the addition of a wide range of product developments. The standard normally aspirated Skylane has been in production since 1956 with more than 23,000 delivered.

Cessna's burly T182T turbo Skylane is back in production.

24 FlightCom: March 2022

The 2023 Turbo Skylane features the latest Garmin G1000 NXi avionics, a heated propeller, and an in-cabin oxygen system. It is powered by the Lycoming TIO-540 engine and is equipped with a Hartzell Engine Technologies (HET) turbocharger, providing the aircraft with 235 horsepower at up to 20,000 feet. “The turbocharger adds another level of performance to an already exceptional aircraft,” said Ron Draper, president & CEO, Textron Aviation. “The Cessna Skylane is a remarkably instinctive aircraft to operate, and the turbocharged engine provides even greater performance that enhances the overall flying experience.” 

NEWS

ASTRAL

AVIATION

GETS FIRST A320P2F THE FIRST OF FIVE AIRBUS A320P2F converted freighters has been placed with Kenyan cargo operator Astral Aviation. There has been a huge upswing in demand for freighters following the shortage of belly space in passenger aircraft not flying due to Covid pandemic. The A320 Passenger-to-freighter is a product of ST Engineering and Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), the joint venture between ST and Airbus. The first A320P2F (MSN2737) made its maiden flight out of ST Aviation’s Singapore base on 8 December 2021, after an eight-month conversion. The aircraft is currently in flight testing for its Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from EASA, which is expected to

take until the second quarter. The first A320P2F will then be leased to Astral The A320P2F offers a cargo capacity of ten ULD containers and one pallet on the main deck, plus seven ULD containers in the belly hold. The total payload capacity is 21 tonnes or 159 cubic meters of usable space, giving the aircraft a range of 1750nm. For Astral, the A320P2Fs are the first Airbus aircraft in the fleet, which consists of fourteen, mostly older aircraft such as the Fokker F27 Friendship, the McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, the Boeing 727, Bombardier CRJ-200F, Boeing 767-200F and Boeing 747-400F. 

The first A320P2F to fly.

FlightCom: March 2022

PILOTS LAURA MCDERMID

IRIS McCALLUM

DEALS WITH A

BURNING C402 The black curtain of night lifted to reveal hues of dark purple that gave way to streaks of blazing orange.

AIROBI’S WILSON AIRPORT was peaceful on this 11th day of February 1981 which made filling out the paperwork for my flight to Tana River County uncomplicated. Air Kenya had booked me to charter five passengers on a Cessna C401 to the Bura cotton fields; 366km north east of Kenya’s capital. It was still dry season in Kenya and with no thunderstorms predicted, I knew it would be a smooth flight provided we could depart before it became too turbulent.

Preflight done, I herded the smartly dressed businessmen up the short stairs. Once everyone was strapped in and comfortable I secured the clamshell door. I took my seat, buckled the harnesses and adjusted my headset, flattening my wild “bush pig” curls.

My knuckles were white

‘I better be really careful with this preflight check. N65175 had just come back from an MPI’ I thought. I ran my hands over the familiar curves of the big Cessna twins’ airframe with affection, examining all the bolts and screws and wiggling the hinges. I opened the inspection hatch to check the level of the clean new transparent oil. ‘Main tanks, tip tanks and the two auxiliary tanks

26 FlightCom: March 2022

are full with 100LL Avgas. Check. She’s ready to fly’

Master switch.....ON. Left engine fuel boost pump.... ON. Opening the mixture briefly to full rich...... press start. The engine coughed and spluttered, the propellor turned once lazily, halting briefly through its arc. The old Cessna gave an almighty shudder as the propellor swung into life. Left engine ..... good to go. I repeated the sequence for the right engine. I leaned the mixtures, made sure that the oil pressures had come up and waited for the temperatures to rise.

The wreck of the C402 lying in a ditch with the separated engine.

The Continental engines purring in unison, I taxied to the holding point of runway 25 to perform the run-ups. “Welcome on board, this is your captain Iris McCallum, but you can call me Captain Cuddles. May I please have five minutes of your time to brief you on the emergency protocols.” We were ready for departure, N65175 lifted smoothly off the asphalt and easily climbed 1000ft, levelling out at 6500ft which was the height restriction along the corridor. “Gentlemen, on our left is a hill shaped like a gigantic pimple called Ol Doinyo Sabuk”. The passengers laughed. “This popular landmark is where we are permitted to climb higher, however I will maintain our current height of 6500ft so that we are well clear of the incoming international traffic flying IFR to Jomo Kenyatta Airport”. Seeing their eager faces, gazes fixed on the shifting landscape, I reminded myself of what a privilege it is to fly. Well clear of the IFR traffic I gently pulled back on the yoke and powered up to climb to 11,000”. An aberration caught my eye. Why’s the manifold pressure on the right engine dropping, despite the power being set to climb?’ I wondered. The right gauge showed 24 inches of mercury while the left engine correctly showed 28 inches. I felt an unease grip my gut. ‘Something’s wrong’. Instincts took over, my attention now fully focused on the dials. RPM 2450....normal. FF 18 g/h ....normal.

“Gentleman I’ve picked up a slight problem. Unfortunately we need to return to Wilson Airfield”. I ignored their groans of protest as I banked the plane into a gentle turn. WHOOMPF! “FIRE!” A passenger screamed. “THERE IS FIRE COMING OUT OF THE WING!” I looked over my right shoulder to see flames shooting out of the engine. ‘SHIT!’ My knuckles were white from clenching the yoke.

FlightCom: March 2022

PILOTS

Iris McCallum, - you can call me "Captain Cuddles".

There was no time to think. I flicked the fuel supply off and cut the power to the right engine.

I must keep the left wing down. I must prevent her from rolling into the dead engine.

I knew that even though I had another working engine, 80% of the aeroplane’s performance would be lost; furthermore the plane could explode at any moment.

It was becoming harder to concentrate with the constant deafening blast of the flame.

“Brace yourselves for an emergency landing”. I scanned the landscape below, seeing only one place to put us down. One chance. “Mayday, Mayday, this is November-one-sevensix-five, my right engine’s on fire. I intend to land on a dirt road 15 miles south of Ol Doinyo Sapuk”. My parched voice echoed in my ears. My foot was already aching from the constant pressure that I needed to apply on the left rudder to prevent the plane from pulling towards the dead engine.

28 FlightCom: March 2022

Five passengers, five souls entrusted to my care. Their stricken faces strengthened my resolve. They were all someone’s son, some were husbands and fathers and it was my job to deliver them alive. “Once we’ve landed and have come to a complete stop, move to the back of the aircraft, open the door and run!” I needed the weight to be as far back as possible to assist with my short field landing. The flames are intense and I don’t know if we are going to make it to the ground in one piece. The wing may burn through. Even if we managed to arrive intact, the fuselage may crumple, trapping us all inside this burning coffin.

The newspapers love a hero.

‘I’m on short final..... I can see the road clearly now’. ‘Damn, there’s a tree! If I touch down before the tree it will take my good wing off. I’m going to have to land after the tree. I can’t take full flaps as I’ll reduce directional control. I take fifteen degrees of flap.....maintain the blue line approach speed of 120k......make sure the landing gear is down.... adjust the fuel flow to the left engine. Timing is critical. The tree is fast approaching. The landscape is rushing past in a blur. HOLD IT. HOLD IT. NOW! I yank the column towards the left, dipping the left wing just under the canopy of the tree. We made it. I level the plane. I’m ready to touch down and to my astonishment an African women balancing a metal basin laden with ears of corn, spinach and potatoes on her head fills my vision as she starts crossing the road. “Oh my God!” Up to that point I had the situation under as much control as I could, but this new threat was completely out of my hands. In that split second I knew what it was like to feel absolutely powerless. I was committed to my landing and could do absolutely nothing to avoid

hitting the woman. The world slowed down. I could see the whites of the woman’s eyes as they grew wide with terror. By some divine intervention she sprinted to the other side of the road unharmed, the karai still perfectly poised on her head. We came down hard, the impact sending shockwaves through my body. We were running out of road. ‘There’s a ditch’! No chance of surviving if we go down that bank. My right foot pushed down hard on the rudder pedal,

FlightCom: March 2022

PILOTS

The newspapers love a hero.

swinging us sharply to the right. We hit the camber on the side of the road ripping the undercarriage off and spinning the wreck 180 degrees. We skidded sideways into a thicket of bushes and came to a halt facing the direction we had come from.

left tip tank which was engulfed in orange flames and oily black smoke.

We are alive. Time to get the hell out! I feel the thud as the door hit the ground. The men were fighting their way through the door frame.

I felt a rush of relief; word of our predicament had reached the army. The Bulldog was shortly followed by one of Air Kenya’s C310’s who circled overhead twice.

“Nairobi tower, November-oneseven-six-five has landed, all on board are safe”. No one was more surprised than me that we were all still alive.

The flames are intense

Once out I scanned the carnage. N65175 had come to rest at an angle, channelling the leaking fuel into the ditch.

On impact the right tip tank had torn off and was flung back onto the road where it had exploded. The disembodied engine lay a considerable distance from the airframe, having been ripped from its fire weakened aluminium mountings and lay next to the

30 FlightCom: March 2022

I heard the drone of a Kenyan Air Force Bulldog long before it came into view.

“Thank God,” I murmured. Salvation is on the way.

It was found that the fuel line had come loose, pouring Avgas straight into the turbo charger. I was told that I had less than twenty seconds remaining before the main spar of the wing would have burnt through. This incident shaped me in a very profound and fundamental way which would see me through many challenging situations in years to come. 

NEWS

BOEING AND GE AVIATION’S ELECTRIC HYBRID TESTS GE AVIATION AND BOEING have partnered to test hybrid electric propulsion systems through ground and flight demonstrations using a Saab 340B aircraft and CT7-9B turboprop engines.

NASA has selected GE Aviation to support this project in 2021. GE Aviation has developed hybrid-electric propulsion systems, including motors, generators, power converters and power management systems.

In a press statement, Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences will provide GE with aircraft modification, system integration and flight-testing services. Hybrid electric propulsion system tests will be done at Aurora’s headquarters in Manassas, Virginia, the United States.

According to GE Aviation, hybrid electric propulsion technologies can optimise engine performance and help the aviation industry to reach its commitment of net-zero CO2 emissions from flight by 2050. The programme hopes to conduct ground and flight tests in the mid-2020s. 

These tests are a part of NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project, which envisions taking components and systems that can be improved and demonstrated in flight.

The SAAB 340B's hybrid engine.

FlightCom: March 2022

DEFENCE DARREN OLIVIER

Last month’s column outlined the ridiculously poor air support that the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) has been provided with, consisting most of the time just two South African Air Force (SAAF) Oryx helicopters, a single SAAF Caravan with an observation turret, and whatever helicopters the armed forces of Mozambique (FADM) are able to provide.

HIS IS FAR FROM SUFFICIENT considering the type of terrain in that part of Northern Mozambique, which is inhospitable to cross-country vehicle use, and the highly mobile nature of the insurgency. It’s a type of combat that is best suited to air assault forces, able to move rapidly around the huge operational area, and cut off insurgents from escape during raids with Fire Force-style tactics.

airlifting a single platoon requires two Oryx helicopters

This month is all about what level of air support, in particular from helicopters, should be expected for a deployment of this size according to both South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and

32 FlightCom: March 2022

global doctrine. This is especially important as from this month the SANDF contribution to SAMIM is expanding with the inclusion of an additional infantry battalion and other support units which will push the SANDF proportion to at least 1 000 soldiers and likely bring the overall SAMIM force to nearer the originally-planned brigade size. First, let’s look at the problem of moving ground forces using helicopters, which swiftly runs into the limitation that helicopters are relatively small and not able to carry that many soldiers or that much equipment.

A standard SANDF infantry platoon consists of at least 32 soldiers, with the following structure:

Supporting troops requires 2 Oryxes for transport, 2 Rooivalks for cover and a 109 for reconnaisance and casevac.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Headquarters (1 officer, 1-5 soldiers) Platoon Commander Platoon Sergeant Section (10 soldiers) (x3) Section Leader Machine Gun Group (3 soldiers) Section 2IC Machine Gunner 1 Machine Gunner 2 Rifle Group (6 soldiers) Rifleman 1 Rifleman 2 Rifleman 3 Rifleman 4 Rifleman 5 Rifleman 6

That 10-person section is the smallest assignable unit to a task, and is trained to fight as a cohesive unit. Each platoon has three sections, and each infantry battalion has around nine platoons organised in three rifle companies. Each rifle company also has a small HQ element and a 10-person mortar section, for a total of around 142 personnel. The fourth company of each battalion is a support

company which contains both non-combat support elements like catering, transport, and logistics, as well as combat support units like the machine gun, anti-tank, mortar, and assault pioneer platoons for approximately another 280 combat infantry soldiers. Altogether, a typical infantry battalion has around 810 soldiers, of which at least 700 are in direct combat roles and would need to be airlifted around a battlefield if the entire battalion was used in the air assault role. On top of that you need at least 4050 more for attached elements like signallers and medics. However, even if we assume that only a proportion of a battalion, such as a single company, would need to be airlifted, the numbers still rapidly approach daunting levels. An Oryx helicopter as used by the SAAF can under ideal conditions lift 20 fully equipped troops or carry either 3,000 kg internally or 4 500 kg externally. So airlifting a single platoon requires two Oryx helicopters, as each comes to around 36 personnel in total when adding signallers and medics. What that means in practice is that airlifting a single rifle company in one go requires at least 6 Oryx

FlightCom: March 2022

The SADC Heads of State may have agreed to supply boots on the ground, but are these troops properly supported?

helicopters. In practice you would need around 9, so as to have 2 in reserve in case any are shot down or go unserviceable and at least one for MEDEVAC and combat search and rescue duties. Of course, you don’t have to lift an entire platoon or company in one go, as there’s always the option of having fewer helicopters and requiring them to make multiple trips. But that’s tactically unsound and extremely risky: Unless your assembly point is very close, which puts it within the enemy’s reach, the time it takes for each round trip leaves either the advance team arriving first at a landing zone (LZ) or the remaining force defending one that is exceptionally vulnerable. Plus, the need to make two or three extra flights dramatically slows down your response time and flexibility, removing much of the benefit of having air assault forces in the first place. On top of that, it makes long-distance raids much more difficult and dangerous, requiring caterpillarlike staging movements from post-to-post that have a much higher chance of being detected and ruining the element of surprise. Transport helicopters alone are not sufficient, and should ideally always be accompanied by reconnaissance and attack helicopters to provide close air support, and especially to protect the trans-ports at

34 FlightCom: March 2022

their most vulnerable: When loading and unloading troops and cargo at ‘hot’ LZs. Under existing doctrine attack helicopters like the Rooivalk must be deployed in pairs, so that they can be mutually supporting. It’s never acceptable for a single Rooivalk to go on a mission, so if one of a pair is forced to return to base the other has to return with it. This is also why it’s standard practice, as in the DRC, to have at least three Rooivalks as the smallest deployment so as to have a spare in case one of the primary aircraft for a mission has a glitch and can’t take off. For company-sized air movements a pair of Rooivalks is okay, but not really sufficient, as there are a few too many Oryxes to watch over and likely too many hot LZs to protect. It should ideally be a 1-1 ratio, so a company lift of 6 Oryxes would be accompanied by 6 Rooivalks, plus whatever Rooivalks are in reserve for combat search and rescue support duties and other contingencies. And that’s before we even consider the need to use helicopters like the A109 for scouting, reconnaissance, or airborne command and control. That could easily account for another 4-6 helicopters to support a deployed company.

In fact, this is almost exactly how many helicopters an SANDF doctrine development exercise came up with a few years ago when trying to determine how many would be needed to support an air assault deployment for an entire battalion. Dubbed a Helicopter Assault Battalion, the war-gamed order of battle called for 8 Rooivalks (the max the SAAF could possibly support from a fleet of 11), 16 A109s, and 20 Oryxes. Scaled down, a Helicopter Assault Company would require at least 2 A109s (if as part of a brigade, 4-6 if independent), 6 Oryxes, and 2-6 Rooivalks, not including reserve aircraft. It should be obvious by now why so many military officers and planners are angry about SAMIM only being assigned a pair of Oryxes, and zero reconnaissance or attack helicopters, to support what was already a battalion-sized deployment but will now be nearly a full brigade’s worth of infantry. For a force required to operate over huge distances, in terrain unsuitable for quick traversal by vehicles, and in distributed groups, having just two transport helicopters is insultingly insufficient and will result in more soldiers dying unnecessary deaths.

standby forces to create a composite multinational Assault Helicopter Battalion permanently available for tasks like the insurgency in Mozambique. As things stand though, that goal is getting further and further away. For the SAAF, years of successive and punishing budget cuts coupled to Denel’s ongoing collapse have severely hampered aircraft availability to the point where as of midFebruary only 4 Rooivalks, 17 Oryxes, and 3 A109s were mission-ready, and of those, 2 Rooivalk and 5 Oryx are tied up in South Africa’s commitment to MONUSCO, the UN mission the DRC, with another 5-7 Oryxes dedicated to internal duties and standby. While that number will change from day to day as aircraft enter or leave maintenance, it’s unlikely to shift significantly over time.

no means of rapid extraction from a hot battlefield

And really, the numbers provided above are conservative, being the absolute bare minimum needed. At the other end of the scale the standard US Army helicopter support unit for deployments is a Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), which has 48 AH-64 Apaches, 50 H-60 Blackhawks, and 12 CH47 Chinooks.

Now CABs are unrealistically large and expensive for the SANDF or any other SADC military to maintain, but arguably the Assault Helicopter Battalion concept created by SANDF war-gamers of 8 Rooivalk, 16 A109s, and 20 Oryxes, should be considered the minimum deployable capability for external operations and would be well within our financial means as a country. At the very least, even if the SANDF alone can’t sustain that as a constantly-available capability, SADC should between its member states be able to provide enough

It doesn’t appear the rest of SADC is in better shape, as none have been able (or willing) to contribute substantial helicopter assets of their own to the mission, other than a light helicopter or two. And we haven’t even considered fixed-wing transport and combat aircraft for close air support yet, where the situation is even more dire.

As a result, South Africa, and SADC, have sent in soldiers to fight a deadly and potent insurgency while effectively tying both hands behind their back by forcing them to operate without the benefit of either helicopters or fire support vehicles and heavy weapons. They thus lack the ability to move around quickly to gain the initiative, are forced to disperse into small teams all over the battlefield, and have no means of rapid extraction from a hot battlefield if under attack and outnumbered. While it’s always been true that ‘you go to war with the army you have’ and resources are finite, if you have the means to provide deployed soldiers with the support they need, but choose not to, it’s immoral and negligent to send them into harm’s way. 

FlightCom: March 2022

COMPANY PROFILE

Aves Holdings is the brainchild of CEO Valentine Duma who built the company from scratch, after many years of operating as Nhlanhleni Aviation on contract to third party Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO)s.

N 2015 DUMA DECIDED to take the plunge and set up on his own. He founded Aves Holdings as an umbrella company for Aves Technics and then later, Aves Training Academy. AVES TECHNICS Aves Technics was established in 2018 and received its Aircraft Maintenance Organisation licence (AMO 1541) from the SACAA, shortly before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. This meant that it launched without any immediate business due to Valentine Duma launched Aves Technics as the Covid pandemic broke.

36 FlightCom: March 2022

the lockdown restrictions. The breakthrough happened when Sahel Aviation Services (SAS), a large VIP and Humanitarian charter company based in Bamako, Mali, became their first official client with a line management contact for their fleet. On signing this contract, Aves Technics set up a branch in Mali and sent a team of South African engineers to Bamako. Aves Technics is continually developing specialist capabilities. It has joined forces with Fokker Techniek in the Netherlands and Aloft Aero

Architects in the USA, both of whom specialise in VIP aircraft interiors. Through these agreements, Aves have managed to secure aircraft interior work that would normally be undertaken abroad. As a result, the South African Air Force contracted Aves Technics to undertake the interior refurbishment of the South African presidential Boeing Businesses Jet Inkwazi, which is currently underway, while the aircraft undergoes C-Check maintenance. Aves Technics is currently restoring two Boeing 737 Classics for Equatorial Congo Airlines (ECAir) to full flying status. These two aircraft have been inactive for five years. Once the project is complete, Aves will be returning the airline’s Boeing 737-700 to full operational status. Aves Technics have heavy and line maintenance capabilities on Boeing 737 Classic and NGs, the Airbus A320 Family, Embraer 135/145/170/190, King Air 200 and 300 Series, Beechcraft 1900 Series, Cessna 172 and 208, DC9 and MD80 Series and Lockheed C130 Series of Aircraft. AVES TRAINING ACADEMY Aves have joined forces with Aviation Training for Africa (ATFA) to create Aves Training Academy.

The owner of ATFA, George Belsten and Valentine Duma realised that they shared a vision of young people who join the aviation industry needing to have more long term job security than they presently have. A young person that goes through training and an apprenticeship often finds it difficult to secure permanent employment once qualified, however contact work is generally readily available. Valentine Duma and George Belsten believe that Aves Training Academy will in time become a feeder for all Aves Technic’s staffing needs. This will be beneficial for both the company and the trainee as, on completion of their qualification, they will be employed by a company that has diverse capabilities and licences. This in time will entice young people into the aviation industry which will strengthen the South African Aviation sector. Aves Training Academy is an approved Aviation Training Organisation (ATO) by the SACAA. They will be offering courses in the near future in a diverse cross-section of aviation disciplines, all presented by highly qualified instructors. The long term goal of Aves Holdings is to promote the growth of aviation support services in South Africa, ensuring local engineers opportunities that will offer them sustainability in their careers, as well as luring a diverse range of aviation services back to South Africa. 

Aves Technics had Sahel Aviation Services as a launch customer. Image ACIA.

FlightCom: March 2022

NEWS

FAA HEAD

RESIGNS

STEVE DICKSON, WHO TOOK THE ROLE as FAA administrator in August 2019 after being nominated by President Donald Trump to the five-year term, says he will step down March 31.

In a statement, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he is grateful for Dickson’s “years of service to our country and his lifelong dedication to making sure our aviation system is the best and safest in the world.”

Dickson is about halfway through his term as the head of the agency, which has faced a number of challenges in recent years, including navigating the Covid-19 pandemic’s sharp blow to air travel and soaring numbers of unruly commercial passengers.

“While all of us at USDOT will miss Steve as a leader and as a colleague, we are very happy for him and his wife, Janice, as they embark upon this next chapter together,” Buttigieg said.

Dickson also oversaw the return of the Boeing 737 Max to service. A former Delta Air Lines pilot, in 2020 Dickson flew the Max himself on test flights before it was returned to passenger service. Dickson began his career in the military and later flew commercial aircraft, including the Boeing 727, 737, 757 and 767. In his post at Delta he was responsible for flight safety and pilot training.

FAA Head Steve Dickson has resigned.

38 FlightCom: March 2022

Dickson became the target of telecom companies for the FAA’s handling of the rollout of new 5G cell service, which threatened possible interference with critical safety systems on commercial airliners. He admitted to handling the 5G challenge poorly and his resignation must surely send a message to the heads of African aviation regulators who often outstay their welcome. 

NEWS

EMBRAER AND FAB COMPROMISE ON KC-390

THE BRAZILIAN AIR FORCE (FAB) dealt a blow to Embraer when it announced a drastic reduction in its order for KC-390 Millennium medium transports. The decision, which was revealed on May 26 2021, was driven by budgetary constraints that arose as a result of the effects of Covid-19. Brazil has been one of the hardest-hit nations by the health crisis, and the cost has caused “direct limitations on the strategic projects of the armed forces” according to the notification. The number of KC-390s on order—which stands at 28, “has proved to be superior to the budgetary reality of the Force, both for acquisition and for logistical support over time.” In a compromise, Embraer has announced that after working together on a deal that would work for both sides, the total order of aircraft will be reduced from 28 to 22.

Deliveries will be delayed – extending until 2034. The deal has pushed delivery dates further out than originally anticipated while slashing the order quantity of the biggest customer for the new aircraft. A press announcement says that the new production rates are compatible with the FAB’s budget while allowing Embraer long-term stability in its production line. The first five aircraft have entered FAB service. Under the original deal, three to four aircraft per year were to be delivered up to 2027. Extending delivery to 2034 likely means some aircraft will be diverted to other customers. While the reduced order and exendin delivery must be bad news for Embraer they said in the statement that they are confident that the Millennium will find its place in the market. 

Four on the five KC-390s delivered to date.

FlightCom: March 2022

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Starlite Aviation Training Academy 40 FlightCom: March 2022

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www.starliteaviation.com

Dangerous Goods

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> 20 pax

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+27 (0) 11 917 4220 www.atlasaviation.co.za

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395 1195/8

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564 6215

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395 9000

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566 3019

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FlightCom: March 2022

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

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

SPONSORED BY Aves Technics - Qualified in Aircraft Maintenance, Airworthiness Management, Project Management, Quality and Safety Management.

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934 2022

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934 2087

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674 8351

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315 9605

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831 5032

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900 4300

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701 3114

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088 6663

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454 6366

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Aircraft Maintenance International Leading Edge Helicopters cc

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Ferreira Aviation Flightdeck Instrument Systems Westline Aircraft Maintenance

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451 1682 513 3205 451 1717

Aves Technics Nevergreen Aircraft Industries Star Air Maintenance

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568 7677 003 3747 395 2201

43 Air School

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604 3686

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710 0864 827 7535 827 2491 383 2024 445 4496

DURBAN

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GRAND CENTRAL AIRPORT j jjjj

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KRUGERSDORP Skyworx Aviation

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LANSERIA AIRPORT

MALMESBURY NELSPRUIT

NEW TEMPE BLOEMFONTEIN

OR TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

PORT ALFRED

RAND AIRPORT

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451 1683

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jj pmf@myconnection.co.za

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451 1641

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973 4761

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

42 FlightCom: March 2022

827 9896

lyn@aviationrebuilders.com

086 689 5645 086 548 2651

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Composite Manufacturing

Structural Repairs Inspections NTCA Aircraft Seat Belts Instruments

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Sheet Metal Rebuilds Overhauls Electrics NDT Testing Refurbishments

CODE TEL NO

Interior

NAME OF AMO

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