Flightcom Magazine May 2022

FlightCm African Commercial Aviation

Edition 161 | May 2022

John Bassi – last flight

before

lockdown

Durban floods and the lack of choppers 1

FlightCom: May 2022

Op-ed: Airport monopolies and shareholders

Getting shot-up in Sudan

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CONTENTS

TABLE OF 06 14 18 23 24 28 38 44 45 46 48

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

MAY 2022 EDITION 161

Layout & Design Patrick Tillman: Imagenuity cc

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Bush Pilot - Hugh Pryor Defence - Darren Olivier Pilots - Laura McDermid AME Directory John Bassi - Lockdown Part 2 Flight Test - Blackhawk 350 Face to Face - Ms Poppy Khoza Alpi Aviation SA: Flight School 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: Airports are a necessary evil for aviation, and airlines in particular.

PAST IATA DIRECTOR GENERAL, Alexandre de Juniac, loves to hate airports – particularly those which have a monopoly on their services – which is almost every one – and is certainly the case in Africa.

The fact that airports are monopoly businesses makes the financial failure of African airports all the more inexcusable. Most charge extortionate amounts for their services – both airside and landside, and there is little or nothing anyone could do about it.

For fifteen years one of the few exceptions to this was the Airports Company of SA (ACSA). Its desire for pricing excesses was rigidly reined in by an accord with the airlines. With its initial quality management, ACSA was a success, making solid, but not excessive, profits. It was an attractive proposition to be a shareholder in such a business and many institutions bought into the then well-managed company.

ACSA owns and manages nine South African airports.

It is also involved in equity investment abroad and provides technical advisory and consultancy services to other airports globally. The government currently owns 74.6% of ACSA. Minority shareholders including Old Mutual-controlled Futuregrowth and other investors purchased shares which they expected to trade once ACSA was listed on the JSE. But ACSA was never listed. The shareholders have been engaged in litigation against ACSA and the government over the issue since July 2015. As the tussle over a fair share price continues, the parties are currently awaiting judgment from the Supreme Court of Appeal.

“A debtridden carcass”.

But now – thanks to the culture of malfeasance and cadre deployment which permeates almost all state owned enterprises, ACSA has become; “A debt-ridden carcass”. The net result is that ACSA shareholders want out, but are trapped. These shareholders have been in a two-decade fight to sell the shares they purchased in 1998 for what they regard as fair value.

The shareholders claim they were expecting to be able to sell their shares once the company was listed on the JSE - but it never was.

In 1998, ACSA was still 100% state-owned. Then government and ACSA held an initial limited public offering to sell 20% to a strategic equity partner and, in a subsequent phase, see the remaining 80% stake listed on the JSE.

If government wanted to build investor confidence it must "show that investors can trust the government", says Alun Frost, a director of Griffin Advisors, who advises an entity invested in ACSA, called Oppressed ACSA Minority.

The failure of government to manage ACSA well enough to properly privatise it, as originally promised, does not bode well for the still pending sale of an SAA majority shareholding to the Takatso Consortium as the much-promised strategic equity partner. SAA has, like ACSA, not been freed from the destructive control of the state – and minister Gordhan has said the government will maintain control. I fail to see the attraction SAA has for Takatso. 

BUSH PILOT HUGH PRYOR

IAN , TH E SU DAN AND MINISTER

C H R I S PAT T E N

One of the nicest couples my wife, Annie, and I met while I was working in Sudan in 1978 were Ian and Joyce. Ian was the First Secretary at the British Embassy, responsible for the Overseas Development Administration, otherwise known as the ODA, which was rather like a filter funnel through which British Aid Funds were poured into the bottomless pit of Sudan.

I

AN WAS THE FILTER and my job was to fly him around the country, which, incidentally, has an area the size of Western Europe, to assess the various projects which were begging for British sponsorship.

Ian had started his adult life as a naval diver at the end of the Second World War. In my Book of the World's Heroes, right at the Bottom of the list of Heroic Professions come the terrorists who plant bombs which kill innocent people. These terrorists are nothing more than cowards who do not even have the courage to look into their victims' eyes before killing them, and believe themselves to be heroes when they never even place themselves in the line of fire.

Ian was one of those. What made him particularly special in my book was the fact that he continued to practice his craft even after being blown up.

It happened in Antwerp Harbour after the war. The harbour, being a gateway to central Europe, had been a major target for Allied bombers throughout the war and much of the ordinance dropped had failed to explode.

the uncivilised crash of automatic gunfire.

Right at the top of my list of Heroes are the people who try to defuse those bombs and make them safe.

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FlightCom: May 2022

The clearing-up operation was, to say the least, daunting. Some sceptics even said that there was such a mass of unexploded munitions in the waters of the port and its surrounding docklands that no-one could ever guarantee the safety of the shipping in the future. Ian was part of a Royal Navy team which set out to prove the sceptics wrong and it very nearly cost him his life.

The bomb filled wreck of the Umbria scuttled off Port Sudan.

They had spotted a large mine under about thirty feet of water near one of the quays and Ian went down to have a look at it. The mine was a standard American land mine, weighed around half a ton. It presented little problem for a man of Ian's experience to defuse. And so, after discussing the procedure with his colleagues, he went down and removed the fuse from the mine, making it safe to be lifted from the harbour. He handed the detonator to the next man up the submerged ladder who, in turn handed it on up the chain of divers until it reached the surface.

The threads of the detonator were well greased to prevent corrosion and by the time it reached the barge the grease had been spread over almost every part of it. So it was not surprising that the rating who took the fuse from the diver at the top of the ladder had a problem holding onto it. In fact, in

order not to drop it, he threw it up into the air, rather as a cricket fielder will throw a cricket ball into the air after making a particularly dramatic catch, in order to give the ball the regulation three seconds without touching the ground.

Unfortunately for Ian the rating failed to re-catch the detonator and the timing started just after it hit the side of the barge and bounced back into the water right over where Ian was beginning his climb back up the ladder.

grinding around in an old twin engined Britten Norman Islander.

Detonators make quite an impressive bang on the surface, but seldom do they do any damage. In the uncompressible world under water, however, they can kill even quite large fish. And so when the fuse ran out close to where Ian was climbing to the surface, the results were very nearly catastrophic.

FlightCom: May 2022

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When they got him to the surface, Ian was unconscious and remained so for some hours. When he regained consciousness, both his eardrums were ruptured and he was completely paralysed down his right-hand side for months after the incident. He recovered, but the explosion probably caused the severe shake which made his writing so difficult to read. It also added an enormous bonus to our visits to him and Joyce while we were in Khartoum.

He was a passionate admirer of the Scottish and this admiration extended to their drinking habits. The whiskies served by that shaking right hand were some of the largest in the known world.

Joyce had a reputation all her own. On Thursday evenings we used to be invited round to Ian and Joyce's house for badminton and drinks. As I remember it, the badminton used to last for about fifteen minutes and the drinks, so necessary to restore fluid levels after such violent exercise in that parched climate, used to carry on late into the night.

side of the garden wall. Ian immediately stood up and extinguished the lights, asking us all to stay calm. We continued nervously to sip at our drinks in order to ensure that nothing would be wasted if we had to make a sudden dash for cover.

As our eyes became accustomed to the ensuing gloom, two darkened figures appeared over the top of the garden wall, carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles and draped with bandoleers of ammunition.

Just as I was about to spill my dram, Joyce, either with enormous courage or armed with some beverage which had certainly not passed my lips, stood up and in stentorian tones demanded of the intruders what the hell they thought they were doing in her garden!

the explosives on board had become so unstable

Our Sudanese friends used to organise a coup d'etat normally every month or two and they would invariably warn us that "it might be better to stay at home on Tuesday evening," for example. Sure enough, on Tuesday evening there would be the usually fairly distant and muted sound of gunfire.

This would be followed on the morrow by reports that the enemies of President Jafaar Numeiri had once again been foiled in their attempts to destabilise the government.

Ian and I shared many an extraordinary experience together grinding around in an old twin engined Britten Norman Islander.

There appeared to be no element of surprise whatsoever. Even we knew what was going to happen several days in advance.....until one Thursday evening when we were relaxing over massive drams of delicious Duty-Free British Embassy Scotch after an exhausting fifteen minutes on the Badminton court.

The oldest recorded harbour in the world is the port of Suakin on the coast of Sudan, more or less opposite Jeddah on the other side of the Red Sea. Suakin sits on a tiny island in a coral lagoon and is attached to the mainland by a low bridge about fifty yards long. The lagoon is deep enough to accommodate ocean-going ships and is connected to the open sea by a deep channel which is kept free of silt by an underground river.

Suddenly the civilised burble of polite conversation was torn apart by the uncivilised crash of automatic gunfire. It was coming from the street just the other

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"Oh, very sorry, Memsahib," came the muffled reply.

"Wrong garden!" And the two figures climbed stealthily back over the wall into the street from where they had come, leaving us to continue the evening in hilarious mood.

FlightCom: May 2022

We visited some of the remoter regions of what had once been one of the proudest jewels in the British Colonial Crown, even though it was not actually a British Colony. In fact the 'Gypoes had hired the Brits to run it for them and this led to one of the most memorable trips which Ian and I took together.

What interested Ian was the fact that the port was in

The Gezira Scheme in Sudan was a proud British colonial investment.

ruins and that was why he brought the then British Minister for Overseas Development, who later, incidentally, became a very famous Governor of Hong Kong, along with him for the ride.

The demise of Suakin happened in the following way: One of the first things the British did after defeating and killing the Mad Mahdi and his

scheming Khaliffa, in revenge for the death of Gordon in the eighteen-seventies, was to set up the Gezirah Scheme. This was, and still is, the biggest gravity-fed irrigation scheme in the world. It was started for two reasons, firstly to give the Sudan an economy and secondly, to supply long strand cotton to the textile mills in the north of England. The only problem was getting it there.

FlightCom: May 2022

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The Sudan and Eritrea have an incredibly rich post colonial history.

Since Sudan actually belonged to Egypt, the 'Gypoes held a very tight rein on the economy and anything produced in the Sudan had to be exported by 'Gypo companies who made sure that they charged at least as much as the market could stand for their services.

There were only two trade routes out of Northern Sudan, one to the north by the river Nile and the other to the east by Suakin. Railways followed both routes, but access to world markets was always blocked by the crippling charges imposed by the 'Gypoes.

Every time a Brit company tried to set up an office at Suakin, they were apologetically advised that there just simply wasn't room for any more companies on the island. If they tried to buy plots on the mainland the Fasi-Wasi tribe who owned the area were heavily financially persuaded by the 'Gypoes not to sell.

Eventually, of course, something had to break because the Brit investments in the country were 10 FlightCom: May 2022

massive. So finally the Brits told the Gypoes that if Brit companies were refused access to Suakin then they would have to take the railway away.

"Oh really," was the 'Gypo response. "And where, pray, are you going to put it? Over the mountains into Ethiopia perhaps? Or maybe Uganda was what you had in mind?"

Some weeks later the Brits revealed their reply when work started on the construction of the new Port Sudan, some sixty miles to the north of Suakin, and one of the first items on the agenda was the rerouting of the railway line.

Every time the 'Gypoes demanded land in the new port they were politely advised that all available plots had already been allocated to British companies.

Before work was completed on the construction of Port Sudan, Suakin, the oldest recorded port in the world, was in ruins.

The 'Gypoes were so incensed with the British attitude that one of them apparently put a curse on the new port and by an extraordinary quirk of history this curse may still be fulfilled, because of an event which occurred right at the start of the Second World War. The last Italian munitions ship to transit through the Suez Canal at the beginning of the war was the Umbria. She was carrying artillery shells, bombs and all kinds of other munitions for the Italian army who were trying, under the leadership of the greatlyrespected Duce d'Aosta, to prevent the British from taking Eritrea.

As the Umbria sailed down the Red Sea, the British commander of the garrison at Port Sudan received instructions to arrest and detain the ship and intern her crew pending further orders. So he sent out a gun boat to bring her in, which they duly did without so much as a shot being fired.

They moored the ship near the mouth of the harbour since they anticipated that her visit might be prolonged and they did not want to block any of the berths on a long-term basis.

for the day, he retired to the Orfficers' Mess for a swift pre-prandial snorterino or twain. The glass had hardly reached his lips when he heard a cry from the verandah.

"I say Sir! I do believe that Eyeteye ship's gorn down!"

He arrived on the veranda just as the Umbria settled onto her port side, on the edge of the coral reef, leaving only her life-boat-davits above the water as evidence of her position. He downed his drink in one gulp, trying to take stock of the scene. He'd always heard you couldn't trust those damned Eyeteyes! Give 'em the shirt orf your back and the little blighters would steal your underpants too!

"Believe me, those little Eyeteye Johnnies can be damned unsportin' if you give 'em half a chance!" he growled, trying to rationalise himself out of being blamed for the sinking."

little blighters would steal your underpants too

Still, the main thing is that Il Duce won't be getting any of his ammo, will he!" he decided, "But I'm bally disappointed in this Capitano fellah, d'you know. Pity really. I was thinking of asking him if he'd care to make up a four for bridge this evening too."

After some weeks of idling away the time in unproductive and soul-destroying boredom, the Italian captain approached the British commander with an idea that he suggested would benefit everybody. What he proposed was that the Italians should go, a few at a time, out to the Umbria, under armed guard, of course, to do routine maintenance on the ship, so that she could be moved at a moment's notice when the time came.

What never entered into the commander's calculations was the sheer size of the danger which now lurked beneath the surface of the water in the mouth of the harbour. A complete square mile of Halifax, Nova Scotia, had been obliterated by an ammunition ship which blew up, in the harbour, after a collision and, if the 'Gypoes had their way, the same fate would fall on the accursed city of Port Sudan.

Well, the Commander thought that sounded like a jolly good idea so he sent the Eyeteye Capitano, who he thought wasn't such a bad sort after all, do you see, out to the ship with the Chief engineer chappy and a pair of his oppos to get stuck into a spot of chippin' and paintin' under the watchful eyes of a couple of the lads, don't you know. And then, feelin' that he had done quite enough good works

After the war, the Royal Navy were asked if they could dispose of the Umbria, but they said that the explosives on board had become so unstable by now that any salvage attempt would be suicidal. So there she lies to this day and the Gypoes may still have their revenge! 

FlightCom: May 2022

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NEWS

BLACKHAWK’S PC-12

Blackhawk Aerospace has started FAA certification flight testing for their new Pilatus PC-12 XP67P Engine+ Upgrade program.

BLACKHAWK’S UPGRADE REPLACES the stock Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67B engine with a higher-powered and more efficient PT6A67P model. The Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval is expected early in 2023 with EASA certification shortly thereafter.

The XP67P engine technology uses improved metallurgy which allows a higher Internal Turbine Temperature (ITT) limitation of 850°C compared to the stock -67B’s 800°C limitation for takeoff.

Maximum continuous ITT for climb and cruise is 760°C for the -67B and 820°C for the XP67P. Further, the PT6A-67P is a 1200 shaft horsepower (SHP) engine that produces 142 more thermodynamic horsepower than the stock -67B. The combination of the higher ITT and increased thermodynamic horsepower produced by the XP67P engine enables operators to utilise full torque to more efficient cruising altitudes. On an ISA day, the stock -67B starts losing power at 15,000 feet, whereas the XP67P can maintain full power to FL250.

The PC-12 is a very popular aircraft with over 1,700 in operation, making it the second largest single-engine turboprop market behind the Cessna Caravan. With more than 600 of the PC-12s eligible for the XP67P upgrade, many of the aircraft in the addressable market are at, or close to, an overhaul event. This is the optimum opportunity to upgrade to a new engine, bringing these early model aircraft up to PC-12 NG factory standards. Further, operators will receive favourable core engine credit of $95 per hour for time remaining to the factory TBO, if upgrading before overhaul.

Blackhawk’s STC will include a factory-new P&WC PT6A-67P engine and will be approved with the existing Hartzell four-blade aluminium propeller to minimize the retail cost. Blackhawk plans to certify additional propeller options in the future to provide operators modularity in the upgrade package. 

“Blackhawk is excited to kick off certification testing for the XP67P program and bring the conversion one step closer to reality for PC12 operators,” said Jim Allmon, Blackhawk’s President and CEO. “This is a new market for us that fits naturally into our existing roster of aircraft, and we look forward to delivering this upgrade to Pilatus operators soon.”

The Blackhawk PT6-XP67P engine in a PC-12.

12 FlightCom: May 2022

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13 2022

DEFENCE DARREN OLIVIER

AERIAL

SEARCH AND RESCUE The recent devastating flooding in KwaZuluNatal, in which over 400 people have died, has once again highlighted South Africa’s deficiency in terms of aerial search and rescue aircraft.

T

HE COUNTRY NOW has available only a fraction of the capacity that it had as recently as ten years ago thanks to years of underfunding.

do so by gathering both the aircraft and crews from bases around the country. Precious time was lost, so a response that should have begun within hours, instead took days.

Despite facing the likelihood of both more frequent and more devastating natural disasters in the future as a result of climate change, we have continued to allow our capabilities in disaster response to degrade. If current trends continue it won’t be long before we’re unable to provide any state-owned rescue helicopters for a disaster at all.

So, it’s important to recognise the risk and implement steps to reverse this trend.

Similarly, three South African Police Service (SAPS) helicopters fitted with hoists joined the SAAF helicopters at Durban’s Virginia Airport after a few days, but the service was unable to provide an immediate rescue response either as a result of aircraft and crew nonavailability.

the SAAF’s availability rate has hovered at around 25%

Although the South African Air Force (SAAF) has since been able to contribute a handful of Oryx, A109, and BK117 helicopters to the rescue and recovery efforts in KwaZulu-Natal, it has had to 14 FlightCom: May 2022

To be fair, some of this is because the nearest units were themselves affected by the intense flooding. 15 Squadron is the only SAAF helicopter squadron in the area and its home base, Air Force Base Durban, became unusable after water levels rose over a metre in some areas. In fact,

someone leaked a photo of one of the unit’s A109s inside a hangar with its undercarriage completely submerged. It had been undergoing maintenance and could not be flown out. Millions of Rands worth of difficult-to-move equipment has been damaged or destroyed by the flooding at the base. Yet this too can be blamed on perpetual underfunding, as 15 Squadron and the other units at AFB Durban were meant to relocate to King Shaka International Airport years ago but have never had sufficient budget for it. King Shaka has much better flood defences, and AFB Durban’s position on what used to be Durban International Airport has been growing more precarious for some time.

more than sufficient to allow for at least a dozen helicopters and crews to be available at 24-48 hours’ notice.

Instead, just 17 of the Oryxes, 3 of the A109s, 3 of the BK117s, and none of the SuperLynx 300s were operationally ready or available at the time Armscor and the SAAF recently reported the fleet’s status to Parliament. And notably, while availability rates do go up and down as aircraft go into and emerge from maintenance, or have their hours used up by unplanned missions, the SAAF’s availability rate has hovered at around 25% for a few years now. The effect of persistent underfunding, that so many of us warned years ago would begin to severely harm availability rates, is now being felt. Moreover, at the same time the SAAF has to sustain at least five Oryxes in the DRC for the United Nations mission there, two Oryxes and an A109 in Mozambique for the SADC mission, and at least one Oryx per base inside South Africa for standby tasks.

Or, inexcusably, VIP flights. This is also over and

input costs per flying hour have more than doubled

Even so, the SAAF has enough helicopters on paper that it should easily have been able to commit twice as many to the KwaZulu-Natal relief effort as it has, and it should have been able to do so much faster. There are 39 Oryx, 25 A109LUH, 6 BK117, and 4 SuperLynx 300 helicopters in the inventory, and under normal circumstances and regular peacetime availability rates that should be

A 15 Squadron Agusta A-109 LUH at the old Durban airport following the floods.

FlightCom: May 2022

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One of the few - a SAAF Oryx in action in the Durban floods.

above the huge impact of Denel’s ongoing collapse, which has meant that Oryxes and A109s have sat at Denel Aeronautics for months awaiting servicing because Denel has been blacklisted by suppliers and is struggling to buy spare parts. It’s become so bad that Armscor has taken to paying suppliers on Denel’s behalf.

Gone are the days of Operation Litchi in 2000, when the SAAF deployed a dozen helicopters to Mozambique at short notice and rescued 14,500 people. That’s now far beyond our capabilities, even though it should not be.

response to low availability and lower hours, Joint Operations reduces the on-paper requirements for the SAAF to meet, which in turn causes National Treasury to reduce the funding allocation to the SAAF and cut flying hours further because they don’t understand defence and treat the SANDF like any regular department. It’s a disastrous downward spiral.

Less availability means the SAAF can fly fewer hours

And it’s getting worse, because it’s a negative self-reinforcing cycle. Less availability means the SAAF can fly fewer hours, which means aircrew can’t remain current on all mission types especially high-skill ones like hoisting, so there are cases where aircraft are available, but crews are not. In fact, at this stage a shortage of aircrew current in all mission types is probably a bigger constraint than aircraft availability is. In

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The decline is stark: Today’s SAAF is funded for only 12,000 flying hours in total.

This is broken down into 7,000 hours for Force Preparation (FP) (all training, currency maintenance, etc), 4,000 for Force Employment (FE), and 1,000 for VIP. To put it bluntly, that’s an insane allocation.

In comparison, just two years ago the SAAF received funding for 17,200 flying hours, of 4,000 FE, 12,200 FP, and 1,000 VIP hours. Just over ten years before that it received enough funding for nearly 40,000 flying hours, comprising 14,000 FE, 25,000 FP, and 1,000 VIP hours. In other words, in

Given the lack of SAAF and police helicopters - other assets such as the Transnet Pilot helicopters had to be borrowed.

just over twelve years the SAAF’s budgeted flying hours have been cut by 28,000, a 70% decrease, even though the size of its fleet has remained constant and the number of missions it has been committed to have increased. The only role to have remained untouched, predictably, has been VIP transport.

These declines have occurred, not only because the SAAF’s budget has been slashed dramatically over the years, but since 1999/2000 its average input costs per flying hour have more than doubled in inflation-adjusted terms as a result of the Rand’s depreciation and the increased cost of fuel.

With all that in mind, it’s no wonder that the SAAF today can’t provide the same response as it did for Mozambique in the year 2000, or for so many other large-scale disasters before and after that. It’s unreasonable to expect it, given how little money we allocate to the Air Force. Nor is this the fault of the aircrew, technicians, logisticians, and all the others who have mostly been going above and beyond for years despite the ever more difficult conditions, and

who are by now completely exhausted and burned out. Resignations have climbed sharply.

It really is mind-boggling how the situation is allowed to continue, with no serious attempt by Cabinet to properly review its defence policy to prevent continued decline. If it can’t afford to increase spending, then it needs to downsize the force and review its mandate and find alternative arrangements to fill the resulting gaps.

Instead, as it has done again and again, the moment an unexpected situation arises, or disaster strikes, and despite steadily slashing the defence budget, Cabinet still demands that the SAAF pull a rabbit of a hat and perform the same old magic. But that magic is weaker now, and it can’t perform miracles.

The next time it’s called upon we may find it’s gone for good. 

FlightCom: May 2022

17

PILOTS LAURA MCDERMID

Laura McDermid continues her stories of Iris McCallum’s flying exploits in East Africa The gibbous moon crests the horizon in a blaze of crimson. Not for the first time, I find myself marvelling at the stark contrasts of this harsh desert landscape. By day, Wajir is a featureless dustbowl that is transformed into a celestial wonderland by night.

I

N 1991 UNICEF’S AFRICA division recruited me as a pilot. I was initially based in Mandera, the north-eastern province of Kenya, which is bordered by Somalia to the north and Ethiopia to the east.

A year later the compound was moved to Wajir County in the south-west due to its proximity to the military base which had a good runway and offered better security for the two Cessna 208 Caravans.

As fighting increased between rival factions, the then president of Somalia was forced to flee Mogadishu, resulting in the collapse of the central government.

Without governance, various armed factions known as ‘clans’ began competing for influence, and customary law collapsed.

My work varied between transporting medicines and food as well as flying the injured to hospital and shuttling UNICEF officials around.

Recently I’d flown a high-ranking official to meet with General Mohammed Farah Aideed, the newly self-proclaimed president and later the ‘most wanted’ person by the USA military.

Whilst the official was whisked off to meet with Aideed, I was guarded by armed men who found me to be rather intriguing.

As fighting increased between rival factions

UNICEF has been operating in Somalia since 1972 and has continued to render services to children and women, working with local administrations where they exist, Somali communities, local and international non18 FlightCom: May 2022

governmental organizations, and other UN agencies to help deliver services to this ‘failed state’.

They kept looking from the plane back to me. Eventually their curiosity overcame their incredulity and they struck up a conversation with me. Before we left, they handed me a small vial of scented oil, an honour bestowed on people they held in high regard.

A few years later an unsuspecting Australian pilot

made an emergency landing in the same place and was captured by Aideed for entering Somalia without a visa. His light aircraft was confiscated and he was sentenced to 25 years in jail. He was imprisoned in a windowless cell for four months until the Kenyan president intervened to get him released and he promptly returned to Australia. The ordeal during that time must’ve been horrendous as the poor chap reportedly committed suicide a few months later.

UNICEF had rented a row of shops in the village of Wajir which doubled as offices and bedrooms.

These backed onto a large courtyard that housed a few canvas army tents and three canvas stalls which had been converted into ablutions.

The single entrance opened onto a row of trestle tables where we’d dine together each evening.

I spent most of my time in the cockpit of the C208 5Y-MAK and would easily rack up 100 hours in 10 days. Then I’d fly back to Nairobi for the Mandatory Periodic Inspection and spend a couple of days at home, resting and stocking up on ‘essentials’ such as beer and wine.

I had just returned from one of these trips and was enjoying dinner under a magnificent canopy of stars with twenty people I regarded as family. We are an eclectic mix from all over the world.

“Thanks for the cold brew, Iris,” said Jeff.

Jeff Butler, a 28-year-old American pilot from the humanitarian organization Airserv, had recently replaced fellow pilot Big Jim who flew the Twin Otter to the Congo. We realized that the C208’s are as capable as the ‘Twotter’ but cost half as much to run.

“Pleasure Jeff, consider them payment for putting the seats back into Baby Mak,” I replied.

The standard passenger seats in 5Y-MAK had been removed and replaced with purpose-built canvas seats which could be taken out when the plane needed to be loaded with supplies. The task is meant to be effortless, but inevitably I end up wrestling with the ungainly seats, and I avoid the job whenever possible.

Iris wrestling with the seats in Baby Mak.

We continue our banter as the moon rises higher in the sky, bathing the desert in soft light.

“A Bloody Mary for you Noreen?” chirps security officer Robert ‘Bob’ McCarthy.

‘Sod off Bob,” Noreen laughs. ‘I’m off to bed.’ My good friend Noreen Prendeville is one of three medics in our team. Bob teases her at every opportunity about her phobia of blood.

I follow Noreen to our adjoining tiny rooms. As I open my door I am hit by a wall of heat. I love the desert but it’s still stiflingly hot in September and the failure of the Gu rains earlier this year is jeopardizing 2003’s agricultural production, plunging the country further into drought.

‘Thank heavens for my fan.’ I allowed myself two indulgences when I moved here, one being this fan, the other a small bar fridge.

FlightCom: May 2022

19

PILOTS I flop down on the bed, enjoying the feel of air blowing through my unruly curls and soon I fall into an exhausted sleep.

“Shreeeee-Shreeee”. The shriek of police whistles pierces the night.

I jump out of bed and open the single wooden shutter, squinting through the metal bars.

I see people with guns running towards the compound, their long, thin shadows stretched out far behind them.

I hear a gunshot.

“Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack”. The pillow on which I was lying mere seconds ago explodes in a cloud of feathers. I crouch low in the corner between the window and door.

I’m gripped by terror, my heartbeat so loud in my ears that I fear the bandits will hear it through the wall, but they walk past, presuming me dead.

The scuffle continues for a few more minutes and then deafening silence.

It feels like an eternity before a Kenyan soldier announces that it’s safe to come out.

My fingers fumble as I pull on my flight suit. I gingerly open the bullet-riddled door, almost colliding with one of the radio operators.

‘Thank god you’re okay Iris!’ He blurted. ‘Jeff has been shot and he’s been taken to the local clinic, but they don’t have any of his blood type. You have to fly him to Nairobi immediately.’

Time seems to stand still. It feels like I’m observing myself from afar.

‘Get a grip Iris’. I shake myself out of the stupor and hasten to find someone from the army to drive me to the airstrip.

‘Damn it!’ I must remove the canvas seats that Jeff had installed mere hours earlier. Job done, I check the 5Y-MAK in Wajir (note the dead camel in the foreground).

20 FlightCom: May 2022

Iris with some of the UNICEF staff at the Wajir airstrip.

airframe and make sure the tanks are full of JetA. The screeching of tyres announces the arrival of Jeff, Bob, and the medical team. They lift Jeff onto the mattress in the aircraft and set up a drip.

“Can one of you please take a look at my leg?” Whilst attempting to flee the gunmen, Bob had caught a bullet and had ignored his own discomfort until Jeff had been stabilised.

Whilst Noreen attends to Bob, I kneel next to Jeff and gently stroke his sodden brow. He flinches at my touch. “Please don’t do that Iris, it hurts all over”.

My throat constricts. I leave him and distract myself with the pre-flight.

The night sky embraces me as I lift off and leave the earthly horrors behind.

I level off at 9000”, lower than I’d ordinarily fly, but I can’t potentially risk depriving Jeff of oxygen.

Safe in my sanctuary in the sky, my heartbeat returns

to normal. I’m in my own world, just another dot in the inky blueness. The two-hour flight feels like an eternity. I make my call as soon as I know I’m in range.

“Good morning Jomo Kenyatta Tower, this is FiveYankee-Mike-Alpha-Kilo. Outbound from Wajir airport with six on board. Two of them have been shot, one of whom is critically injured and requires emergency assistance”.

“Five-Yankee-Mike-Alpha-Kilo cleared inbound, runway 06 in use. Will dispatch emergency vehicles.”

I touch down just as the first rays of orange sets the sky on fire.

The vehicles are waiting, and Jeff’s limp body is lifted out.

The look on Noreen’s face confirms my worst fear.

Despite the three bags of Ringer’s Lactate, Jeff has lost too much blood.

‘Farewell my friend, I will miss you’.

FlightCom: May 2022

21

PILOTS

The letter of thanks to Iris.

Bob is taken off in an ambulance, accompanied by the medics.

What we presumed to be rebel bandits turned out to be Al Shebaab and was the beginning of the civil war.

I make the 10-minute flight to Wilson airport where I refuel and hose the inside of Baby Mak down. As Jeff’s blood soaks into the African earth, I offer up a silent prayer. His missionary parents will be devastated.

The U.N. authorized the arrest of General Mohammed Farah Aidid and on October 3, 1993. During an attempt to make the arrest, rebels shot down two of the U.S. Army’s Black Hawk helicopters and killed 18 American soldiers (inspiring the movie Black Hawk Down), forcing President Clinton to speed up the withdrawal of U.S forces, which was completed the following year.

Knowing that UNICEF will want to evacuate everyone, I fly back to Wajir to collect the rest of my team to fly them back to Nairobi. With no other pilot to assist, the mission has me logging 10.4 hours that day.

Once back in Nairobi, I invite Noreen to stay with me as neither of us could face being alone. Despite being awake for 48 hours, we spend the rest of the night talking and drinking fine Scotch.

22 FlightCom: May 2022

In loving memory of Jeff Butler.



BUMPPPFFF:

E-MAIL

Other countries

TEL NO

EASA registered

LOCATION

FAA registered

FIRST NAME

Off-site Specialist tests

SURNAME

Regular Class 2, 3, 4

AME Doctors Listing

On site Specialist tests

What happens when SAAT maintains both Mango and kulula planes.

Senior Class 1, 2, 3, 4

When the pilot needs to practice first.

✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

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

✗ ✗ ✗

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

✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

✗ ✗

✗ ✗

FlightCom: May 2022

23

BY JOHN BASSI: PART

2

LOOKING BACK AT LOCKDOWN THE MOMENT OUR LIVES FOREVER CHANGED.

It always fascinates people when they see how much I can pack into the helicopter to go away on trips. Some call it my flying bakkie.

I

T’S NOT UNCOMMON for me to be away in the bush for a few months at a time, often staying in serious dumps with little or no comforts. I have learned to become fully self-sufficient. There is nothing more annoying than being in some remote hole where you are unable to fry an egg because there is no frying pan. I take everything, plus some, including items to keep me sane, like books and DVDs. With a fully loaded helicopter and 3.5 hours fuel, my lift off is somewhat flat, loving ground effect for as long as needed and departing in a dignified manner, much like a 747.

Augrabies. The outside air temperature passing over the arid Kalahari with its ripples of red sand dunes running off in parallel lines was 38 degrees C, so I feared it would be in the 40s on the ground.

There seemed to be an impossible contrast from the red sand to that of countless life forms, shimmering water, green fields of irrigation and vines looming ahead along the snaking Orange River, a barrier that changes the landscape from rolling dunes in the east, to desolate, arid planes interspersed with barren looking rocky outcrops and hills to the west.

my li ft off is s omewhat f lat , loving ground effect

I climbed away from Tempe mid-morning and set course for Augrabies, planning to get there ahead of the others so I could take time to unpack and settle into my chalet, walk down to the chasms of the falls and breath in the earthy wet spray that explodes above the gorge.

The on-going drought made a sobering contrast from the wet, green and lush mountains of yesterday. Ahead and in every direction to beyond the horizon lay a shimmering sun beaten landscape devoid of anything green. It was going to be a hot few days flying at

24 FlightCom: May 2022

Beyond the river, quiver trees cling in clusters to whatever nourishment they can find, look closer and life is everywhere, albeit, beetles, lizards and snakes with the occasional springbok.

Twenty minutes out from the falls I look down at an expanse of desert plains, extinct rivers with tributaries like fingers on a hand, russet-coloured boulders and black shiny slabs of rock making the land appear lunar in its hostility. Yet, a few years back, Black rhino roamed freely. They thrived on the poisonous euphorbias and various cacti; that was until our government allowed a land claim to remove this protected land from National Parks. Now, it’s just a

A cut short mission at the Augrabies Falls.

barren, lifeless Martian landscape where no man can eke a living.

The average water flow over the falls is no more than a few hundred cubic metres per second. Sort of disappointing to see it like that for the first time, but the gorge and scenery make up for the lack of a mighty

waterfall. During floods however, it is another story when 2000 or more cubic meters per second plummet into the narrow space. Augrabies becomes a miniature Victoria falls, with so much water thundering from every direction the very ground shakes. This only happens for a few days every ten years or so.

FlightCom: May 2022

25

From the sky above you can look back millions of years and clearly see the fissures that were once the long extinct previous falls. You can see at least four separate gorges carved out of the rock by the river as it eroded new weaker fissures and changed its course. And you can see how the future waterfall, millions of years from now, is already forming.

The handful of poverty-stricken custodians of this awarded land claim are unable to farm or generate any income from this hostile place. However some very dynamic government thinkers got a New Zealand company to explore and plan a hydroelectric power station. The plan involves diverting the Orange River away from the Augrabies falls, through pipes where it would plummet down one of the extinct gorges downstream from the current falls. Huge excavations would be made to install the turbines in the gorge. However, the power station would require a constant flow of over 1200 cubic meters per second, something that only happens for a few days every few years after good rains, so another white elephant to line pockets with stolen money.

Even with the low water, the Augrabies camp was a hive of tourist activity, the restaurant had a steady flow of thirsty hikers and relaxed guests coming and going.

As promised, I got the braai ready for our re-union feast and waited in the airconditioned chalet for the team.

The helicopter was fuelled up and everything set to begin with the monumental task of flying 400 metre transects over the entire reserve in furnace heat.

Trepidation ran high with rumours and an impending 26 FlightCom: May 2022

Flying down the Augrabies gorge.

speech scheduled for 20:00 from Cyril. But whatever was happening in Italy seemed so foreign and far away that our little team and the important game census we were about to begin in such a remote corner of the world was surely immune to some invisible distant virus.

At 8 pm we sat huddled around the TV set with our plates full of skaap chops and boerewors, hot off the fire. We sat silently with mixed emotions, blank expressions, confused thoughts attempting to decipher and understand and accept the foreign concept that was being dealt out to us. The words sounded surreal, like they were other words meant for other people, not us…we had a census to fly!!

This couldn’t include us?

“Citizens of South Africa, wherever you may be and no matter what you are doing, you have three days from midnight tonight to go home. At midnight on the 26th March, there will be a curfew, no person shall be allowed to leave their home for any reason.”

We sat staring at each other, trying to comprehend these words. We looked at each other, waiting for one of us to say something to make all the thoughts go away. Cathy spoke first. “I need to get to Upington tomorrow and to fly to Johannesburg and then book a flight back to Skukuza, but I don’t think there are flights tomorrow.”

Nkabeng said, “I need to get to Kimberley tomorrow, and you need to get back to Golden Gate,” looking at Johan.

Those quiet alone times ferrying machines provide ample time to think. Fortunately, I am able to land right outside my home on the mountain near Simonstown, and I decided to face the coming days one step at a time, the first step being the need to reach Tulbach for fuel. Step 2, fly home and unpack. Step 3, stock up on food and water and fill the car. Step 4 purchase some Airfix plastic model airplanes and paints, to build and keep busy.

The next two days were utterly chaotic and emotionally confusing, however, with that initial 14-day lockdown I can honestly say that I was in utopia. I was having my needed holiday, a peaceful quiet break to be selfindulgent, to recharge and completely relax.

Little did I know then how all that would change.



And I quietly realised that I needed to get to Cape Town.

I do not remember what happened after that, we all went our separate ways to bed. In the morning everyone, including myself, seemed detached and preoccupied, packing, phoning, planning. The camp was empty by 8am, not a tourist in sight. I stood alone next to the helicopter, looked out over the vast open space dotted with quiver trees – and felt numb.

The team had bombshelled off, and I stood alone with my jumbled thoughts, not wanting to leave.

The flight to Cape Town from Augrabies was just over the fuel endurance of the helicopter and the massive desert area that lay between me and home was intimidatingly vast and uninhabited. My saving grace was James, based with his two Bell UH1 firefighting helicopters at Tulbach, just on 3 hours away.

There was no other way out for me, headwind or not, I had to go.

On the ground at Simonstown to wait out the curfew at home.

FlightCom: May 2022

27

FLIGHT TEST

by Guy Leitch

B L ACKHAWK

350:

TH E U LTI MATE KI NG AI R Blackhawk's XP-67A upgrade to the King Air 350 is claimed to make it "the best performing King Air".

28 FlightCom: May 2022

Black hawk Modifications have built an enviable reputation taking excellent turboprops and making them even better. This is par ticularly evident in the spectacular gains they have achieved with the Beechcraft King Air range.

FlightCom: May 2022

29

FLIGHT TEST

T

HE OLD ADAGE THAT ‘you can never have too much power’ is the core of Blackhawk’s modifications. But it’s not just a matter of swopping the standard engines for more modern higher-powered versions – you have to be able to use that power, and so the engine conversion includes new props which are quieter and more efficient.

Blackhawk established its reputation as the leading turboprop modifier by upgrading the King Air 200. It was then a natural outgrowth for it to expand its range of upgrades to include the top of the range King Air 300/350 series.

BETTER THAN NEW The heart of an aircraft is its engines. The Blackhawk upgrade of the King Air 350/350ER features Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-XP67A engines (-67s), producing 1,050 shaft horsepower (shp) up to 25,000 feet.

AOPA reports that Blackhawk’s latest offering is a package for the King Air 350 and 350i that the company calls its XP67A Engine+ Upgrade. It swops out the stock Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A (dash 60) engines for PT6A-67A (dash 67) powerplants—the same engines used in the Pilatus PC–12NG turboprop single.

Interestingly Blackhawk does not change the standard rated power of the King Air 350. Both the -60A and -67A engines are rated at 1,050 shaft horsepower—the 350’s originally certified airframe limitations—but the -67A has a big advantage: Its thermodynamic rating is 1,200 shaft horsepower. In other words, the -67A has higher interstage turbine temperature (ITT) redlines than the -60A. This essentially gives the upgraded engines about 150 more shaft horsepower per side.

THE BENEFITS OF A HIGHER FLAT RATING Flying a turboprop means managing a balancing act between torque (the twisting force exerted on the propeller shaft) and ITT limits.

At lower altitudes, where air is denser, it’s easy for pilots to advance power during takeoff and climb and reach—or exceed, if they’re ham handed—torque limits, but dense air keeps ITTs cool. As the plane climbs into the thin air at altitude, torque falls off, but ITTs creep up because that same thin air does a poor job of cooling internal engine components. If you try to make up for a loss of torque by pushing up the power levers you’re likely to exceed ITT redline, which is bad because expensive engine damage can occur.

The King Air is much loved in Africa and the Blackhawk upgrade makes it even more versatile.

30 FlightCom: May 2022

The Blackhawk PT-6-67s drive a new five blade MT composite prop.

But by using the more powerful -67A engines with higher than stock -60A ITT limits, then winding back its power output by adjusting torque redlines, Blackhawk gives its mods more torque and power at higher altitudes without the penalty of reaching ITT redlines.

In essence, the engine is loafing. It has power to spare—enough for significantly better performance.

This performance-enhancing strategy is called flat rating, a technique for staying within airframe airspeed and power limits without exceeding engine temperature limits.

Blackhawk claims its upgrade can give a mid-weight King Air 350i jet-like performance, with a 60-percent improvement in climb rate, an 18-minute time to climb to the airplane’s FL350 maximum operating altitude, and maximum cruise speeds of 332 knots—all of this under ISA +25 degree conditions.

A key point of this modification is that the basic engine power rating has not changed. The original PT6A-60A engines are also rated to 1050 shp, but only to 15,000 feet, above which power drops off steadily, reducing

cruise performance – particularly in the FL300s of which the aircraft is capable. The full 1,050 shp begins to drop off above 14,000 feet compared to standard 350 models, with ITTs that hit redline and thus begin losing power at 7,000 feet.

The Blackhawk -67 engines are mated to svelte 5-blade composite MT-Propellers, which makes the Blackhawk conversion immediately identifiable on the ground.

The Blackhawk’s new engines and props are said to make the King Air 350 the “fastest, biggest load hauling and highest-flying King Air.”

ON THE GROUND The Blackhawk 350 looks pretty much indistinguishable from the original – excluding the big new 5-blade props that is. The aficionados will recognise a few small cowl flaps for the oil coolers, and a fairing on top of the engine nacelles that covers the propeller governor. If you open the nacelles’ side access panels

FlightCom: May 2022

31

FLIGHT TEST

The Blackhawk XP-67 marketing brochure shows the conversion produces impressive improvements.

you can see an extra section in the intake airbox.

This is to make room for the -67A’s extra compressor wheel. The -67A has four axial compressor wheels; the stock engine has three.

test we re using AOPAs review of a Blackhawk 350i.

They report that with two pilots, seven passengers, and 2,500 pounds (about 373 gallons) of fuel aboard, our weight rang in at 14,400 pounds.

For many owners of King Airs the opportunity to do a Blackhawk upgrade also spurs them on to upgrade the avionics, interiors and exterior paint. Thus, many 20 plus year old King Airs due for engine overhauls get not just the Blackhawk engines and props but also a full avionics refit, changing the original Collins Pro-line to the latest Garmin G1000 NXi integrated EFIS avionics suite. Aopa reports that Of the 350s that have so far come in for the XP67A upgrade, some 40 percent have already had their original Pro Line 2 panels swapped out with G1000s.

With a high residual thrust level, slow taxy, especially downhill to Lanseria 07, requires some finesse. The MT props can idle as low as 750 rpm, so this feature came in handy. The standard plane’s Hartzell propellers’ lowest idle speed is 1,050 rpm, set by pitch stops installed to keep the Hartzells out of a resonance range between 450 and 1,050 rpm.

Other popular upgrades for the King Air 350 include the addition of long-range Centex 190 gallons saddle tanks in the nacelles. These tanks give the 350 an extra 2400 nm range, which is invaluable for long range operations in Africa. Nothing makes a plane appear quite as young as a shiny new paint job and the big new 5-bladed props add to the big King Air’s ramp presence. In-flight wifi and screens for in-flight movies are other popular options – especially when the long range tanks are fitted.

IN THE AIR Blackhawk has achieved notable sales successes in Africa across the King Air range – but for our flight

32 FlightCom: May 2022

The takeoff briefing was: Runway 07 for takeoff, abort for any major abnormality below V1 of 95 knots.

Rotation speed is 104 knots. Lift off and pitch to 10 degrees nose up. Accelerate to the V2 of 114 knots on runway heading. Left turnout to 340. Expect FL280 in 10 minutes.

Takeoff power set on both dash-67 engines, track the centreline as the 350 hits V1, then VR. In ISA+16 conditions the initial climb rate was 2,500 fpm, settling in to 2,000 fpm as we pitched for the VY of 140 knots and passed FL200 10 minutes after takeoff.

Through FL270, we saw 222 KTAS while burning 450 pounds (67 gph) per side in the ISA+16, outside air temperatures as displayed on the G1000 NXi. Once level at FL280, it was time to look at the torque/ ITT situation as maximum cruise power was set. The power levers were set for 99-percent torque, but the -67A’s ITTs stayed at a cool 808 degrees Celsius— well below their 840-degree redlines in the conditions.

Real numbers - 302 KTAS in the cruise at FL280.

Established straight and level in the cruise at FL280, the speed improvement from the new engines was evident with a very creditable 303 KTAS displayed on the Garmin G1000 NXi, albeit with a higher torque and thus fuel flow. (See the Blackhawk FAQs). For those economy-minded in these days of war-inflated fuel prices, the POH quotes a fuel flow on the standard engines at 83% torque of 287 pounds per hour per side.

With the dash -76s the Garmin was displaying a fuel flow between 341 and 351 lbs/h.

Blackhawk’s marketing brochures claim a maximum cruise speed of 332KTAS and this may well be achievable, albeit at a power setting higher than the cruise.

While the stock engines burn less fuel, Blackhawk argues that the modified plane makes up for this with faster speeds, reduced block times, and a concomitant reduction in direct operating costs. At FL320, Blackhawk says its upgrade yields an overall 40- to 45-knot advantage over standard 350i models. The

degree of the improvement claimed by Blackhawk can be seen from their graphic.

Outside the cockpit, the big 5-blade MT composite props were spinning at just 1620 rpm and it was apparent that they were significantly quieter and smoother than the standard Hartzell aluminium props.

The standard King Air 350’s -60A engines and airframe combination provide the best performance at a less than ideal FL200, where on an ISA +10 degree day, at a hefty 83% torque, a true airspeed of 296 knots is claimed by the POH. At a more economical FL280, 61% torque should provide 284 KTAS with the standard engines.

AOPA reports that “at one point we needed to fly through a cloud layer, and to prevent icing in the engine intakes we had to open the ice vanes—doors in the intake passages that eject supercooled droplets and frozen precipitation from the air flowing into the engines. Do this, and power drops as torque falls off. In our case, torques dropped from mid-90-percent levels

FlightCom: May 2022

33

FLIGHT TEST

The -67 engines have a fourth compressor wheel - evident in the longer green section.

to 80 to 82 percent. Normally, an airspeed loss would have followed. But with the -67A’s higher ITT limits, we pushed the power back up to 90-percent torque, letting the ITTs settle at the 820-degree mark, restoring our lost airspeed while retaining safe margins from ITT redlines.

The landing was jet-like, in that, depending on weight, you maintain 120 knots or so down final, slowing to 100 knots on short final, landing in a flattish attitude, and using reverse thrust and braking to stop. Sort of what you’d expect in such a fast, heavily loaded airplane. In other words, no full-stall landings, please.

CONCLUSION The flight test clearly showed the benefits of the engines’ flat rating upgrade as well as the smooth propellors and the remarkable abilities of the Garmin G1000 NXi. Blackhawk makes a compelling proposition for its upgrades. Their marketing material claims with considerable justification that the Blackhawk King Air 350 is the “best King Air ever.”

34 FlightCom: May 2022

The key performance improvements are: •

A 60% increased climb rate with a 332 KTAS maximum cruise speed

•

Smooth new 5-bladed propellors

•

A 3,600hrs P&WC enhanced engine warranty.

This starts with the standard P&WC Enhanced New-Engine Warranty of 2,500 hours or 5 years and then adds pro-rated coverage to a 3,600 hour TBO.

Where the big turboprop Kings Airs shine is hauling a big useful load out of tight airstrips. Comparing the Blackhawk King Air 350 to the Cessna Citation 2, Blackhawk reckon that the King Air with XP-67s has a 62% greater payload with full fuel compared to the pure jet CJ2.

While these engine and prop transplants are unavoidably expensive, Blackhawk claims that owners and flight departments with typical utilisation can expect to achieve a $90,000 annual operating cost saving. 

Blackhawk's answers to frequently asked questions.

FlightCom: May 2022

35

FLIGHT TEST

TH E VALU E PROPOSITION THE IDEAL time for a Blackhawk conversion is when the engines reach major overhaul, and often the owners of the aircraft take the opportunity to give their aircraft a full midlife facelift, with new avionics, usually a Garmin G1000 NXi, paint and interiors. However, the value of a Blackhawk conversion is often compelling enough for owners to do the upgrades before the original engines are due for overhaul.

Blackhawk encourages owners to not wait until the engines reach TBO by providing a credit of up to $70 per hour per engine for every hour remaining to the factory TBO.

The well-known G1000 has achieved amazing new capabilities in the G1000 NXi.

Blackhawk maintains that their engines have the strongest resale value of any engine upgrade on the market as “nearly every Blackhawk powered aircraft sold within 500 hours of the upgrade recovered close to or more than the combined investment of the airframe and engines.”

Intangibly, it is argued that the faster climb and cruise speed saves time on each mission giving the businessman passengers more time to be productive. 

36 FlightCom: May 2022

The quality of the displays on the G1000 NXi and associated system's EFIS are excellent.

NEWS

RUSSIA FORCED TO USE LOCAL ENGINES FOR ITS IRKUT MC-21

Due to the international sanctions imposed on the country following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has to use only domestically made engines for its Irkut MC-21.

IRKUT, THE MANUFACTURER of the MC-21 twin-jet, will now only use the indigenously made PD-14 high-bypass turbofan engine, which is developed by Russian company UEC-Aviadvigatel, In 2009, Irkut had selected Pratt & Whitney to supply the MC-21 aircraft with PW1000G-JM turbofan engines. Later that year the country decided to have both internal and external suppliers for the engine to secure flexibility in controlling rate and price.

Thus, UEC-Aviadvigatel was involved in the MC-21 project and started developing the PD-14. Facing the toughest international sanctions in its history due to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has decided to accelerate the development of its domestically manufactured commercial single-aisle aircraft Irkut MC-21. 

Russia now has to use local engines for its Irkut MC-21.

FlightCom: May 2022

37

FACE TO FACE

FA CE T O FACE

DIRECTOR OF THE CAA:

MS P OP P Y K HOZ A Ms Poppy Khoza has been the Director of the CAA for more almost 10 years – something of a record.

She must be doing something right to have lasted so long in such a difficult job. Guy Leitch caught up with her.

GL: I have been very critical recently about the CAA and particularly the handling of the Comair grounding. One of the criticisms I had of the grounding was that you were not leading from the front. That is, you were not handling the media announcements, but rather leaving it to your senior managers. Grounding an airline is an extremely serious action and so would it not have been reasonable for you to have been personally making the announcements as the Director of the CAA (DCA)?

PK: The reason is simple: The power to ground an aircraft or suspend an airline is given to the authorised officer in terms of the Civil Aviation Act read with the associated regulations. A person who feels aggrieved by a decision of the inspector or authorised officer has a right to appeal to me. Until the suspension or grounding is appealed against, it would be premature, irregular and improper for me as the Director to be involved, comment or handle media queries. It is for this reason, that the Director should not only be seen, but should actually be impartial and stay out of announcements and involvement with the airline and media.

38 FlightCom: May 2022

GL: Have you ever overruled one of your inspectors?

PK: Yes, there are many times when I have overruled inspectors or authorised officer decisions because I have an opportunity to evaluate representations and evidence from both sides.

GL: You have done very well with your ICAO audits, achieving a world class 87%. However, I am reliably told that in November an FAA inspection uncovered a number of findings and that the FAA will be back in May to review progress on these findings. Are you concerned that the FAA may downgrade the CAA from its current A1 status?

PK: The FAA uses largely the same eight critical elements used by ICAO during an assessment, although there are some differences in their audit methodology.

I am comfortable that we have addressed all their current concerns.

GL: One of the ongoing findings from ICAO has been the lack of true independence of your

accident investigation division (AIID). What is the progress of this?

Director of the CAA, Ms Poppy Khoza has been in the job for almost 10 years.

PK: As you know, the new Civil Aviation Act was signed by the State President in April, and there are provisions that are specifically meant to finally make it possible for us to achieve a properly independent Accident Investigation function. The Department of Transport shall handle this process until the end.

GL: Okay. But will you continue to supply office space and administration support to the new directorate – and pay the staffs’ salaries?

PK: I am confident that the Department as demonstrated by the provisions of the amended Act, that they will ensure the independence as envisaged in the Act. The intention is to ensure that AIID is totally separate from the SACAA. The full details of this separation will be unpacked by the DOT in due course. What we do know is that the AIID shall have its own administration as intended.

GL: One of the hot topics at the moment is that of the registration and licensing of airfields. This seems to come up every few years and causes much push-back from the industry.

PK: As the CAA we have a duty of care to the users of aviation in South Africa. The world is becoming far more litigious, and we cannot risk another major lawsuit against us from for example a V-VIP who may be injured in a crash at an unlicensed or unregistered airfield, used in especially the hospitality industry. We are not insisting that every airfield be licensed but we need to know what airfields are out there, and what level of activity they are supporting. This is essential for our safety and security oversight responsibilities and will also guide strategy in going forward.

We are currently working on the draft of a new subpart (subpart 5 of Part 139), in collaboration with the industry, and which has already been published for comments.

GL: You are also under a lot of pressure from the State Security Cluster on this?

PK: There are concerns about the spread of terrorism and smuggling of endangered species and contraband as well as human trafficking into and out of Southern Africa and again it makes sense that we must know where airfields are. But there are four different levels of registration – so it is easy for the airfield owners and operators to let us know where

FlightCom: May 2022

39

they are located and what level of flying operations they handle.

The registration of an aerodrome is a very simple process, involving a short form, to be completed by the owner and no fees are payable. This form is emailed to SACAA, and the registered aerodrome is then added to the list published, for all pilots to see, and to do proper flight planning. Registered aerodromes are not licensed or oversighted under normal conditions.

GL: You recently took the unusual step or writing a letter to the captains of the aviation industry and it received quite a lot of negative comment.

PK: There is always a group of persons who will choose to believe that the CAA can do nothing right, and we understand that. Equally there has been a lot of appreciation from those who objectively understood the intention of the letter. That letter was an open and honest attempt to warn the industry that the CAA is concerned about the increasing rate of incidents and that we are pro-actively asking them to address those concerns. In a sense it was like sitting the captains of industry down around a table and letting them know that if things did not improve then we would have to intervene. What we are concerned about, actually should also be concerning to the industry and they should be learning from the incidents and ensuring that they take pro-active steps to identify and correct the gaps. While we acknowledge that the licence holders and the SACAA have different mandates and roles to play, we are, however enjoined in ensuring that our joint efforts culminate in civil aviation safety and security.

PK: Like all systems that are implemented there were teething issues in getting the new system settled and working to its maximum intent. I am pleased to say that these have now largely been dealt with and we have captured much of the manual information onto the system. This is streamlining our licensing process and making customer service much better. We will continue to improve our systems to make it bearable for the users to transact seamlessly with the regulator. Be on the lookout for further developments which we are rolling out in this financial year, including online payments and accessibility of the platforms on a 24/7 basis.

GL: You are now, after at least 15 years of trying by the CAA, finally succeeding in quoting accident statistics, not just as numbers of accidents, but in terms of accidents per number of hours flown. This is a huge improvement. Is it a function of the new ERP computer system?

We a r e now able to capture f lying time

GL: Your customer facing licencing department went through a difficult period during the Covid-19 lockdown. The delays were attracting severe criticism from your clients. This now seems to have been largely fixed. Is it because your R93 million Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) System is now properly working?

40 FlightCom: May 2022

PK: We are now able to capture flying time for both aircraft and for flight crew. However, there are again a few niggles in the systems – which we are continuously working on to improve the quality of the data it produces. We are delighted that we have managed to get this right as requested by the industry.

GL: Finally, I hear that you have cancelled your plans to move into the big new ACSA building at OR Tambo.

PK: Yes, the lockdown made us take a hard look at our human resource and space requirements and we have had to cut our cloth according to our reduced income from passenger levies. So, we are exploring other options for a fit for purpose building which takes into account the new dynamics of the new and future world of work. 

NEWS

LEARJET - FINAL DELIVERY THE LAST LEARJET HAS BEEN delivered.

The iconic Learjet has been flying since the 1960s and was one of the first biz-jets to be developed.

Éric Martel, president and CEO of Bombardier, said the company is focusing instead on the production of Global and Challenger jets.

According to JetNet.com, approximately 3,043 Learjets have been built and of those approximately 2,145 are still in use. Nonetheless, in February 2021, Bombardier announced it was discontinuing the production of Learjets, however, it said it would continue to provide support and maintenance for the aircraft still in use.

The final Learjet was delivered to Northern Jet Management in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in March.

On its company Facebook page, Northern Jet Management posted a picture of employees with the message “Monday the 28th of [March] 2022 saw the end for one of the most popular business jet families ever. 

The roll-out of the last LearJet.

FlightCom: May 2022

41

NEWS

LANDING C172 SHOT The pilot of a Cessna 172 says he was two minutes from landing at about 700 feet when a bullet went through the wing, hitting the fuel tank.

STUDENT PILOT DAN BLACK says he and his instructor were practicing landing when they heard a pop and then smelled fuel. “Once we started to smell the fuel, we knew something was going on,” said Black. “But we didn’t think it was a bullet. We saw that fuel was coming out of our wings, so we knew we had an issue with the left tank. And we parked the plane and dumped all the fuel out into buckets. And then during that process, we noticed there was a hole in the wing.”

“It went all the way through the wing and stopped here in the bottom side of the fuel tank,” said Gardner Aviation Services owner Dominic Scalera.

Templeton Police, the Worcester District Attorney and the FAA are investigating where the shot came from, but the owner here says it’ll be hard to tell.

Scalera says as soon as they patch the hole in the plane and fix the fuel tank, the plane will be right back up in the air. 

A gung-ho American took a pot shot at this C172 and holed the fuel tank.

42 FlightCom: May 2022

NEWS

RUSSIA JAMS GPS Airlines have reported Russian GPS jamming in four regions. The Russian military's jamming of airline satellite navigation is likely collateral damage from the war, an EASA spokesperson said.

ACCORDING TO A REPORT citing a French aviation official, Russia’s military is jamming airline satellite navigation near the Black Sea, eastern Finland and Kaliningrad, a Russian province along the Baltic Sea located between Lithuania and Poland.

The satellite navigation disruption is being caused

by Russian trucks with jamming equipment meant to defend Russian troops from GPS-guided munitions, Benoit Roturier, satellite navigation head of France’s civil aviation authority DGAC, told Bloomberg. “I don’t think the goal is to jam civil aviation at this stage,” he said. “That is collateral damage.”

“The effects of [Global Navigation Satellite System] GNSS jamming and/or possible spoofing were observed by aircraft in various phases of their flights, in certain cases leading to rerouting or even to change the destination due to the inability to perform a safe landing procedure,” EASA said in a safety information bulletin.

“Under the present conditions, it is not possible to predict GNSS outages and their effects. The magnitude of the issues generated by such outage would depend upon the extent of the area concerned, on the duration and on the phase of flight of the affected aircraft.”

Some of the potential issues that have occurred due to the A Russian GPS jammer.

In addition to Kaliningrad, jamming include: Loss of eastern Finland and the Black Sea, GPS disruptions ability to use GNSS for waypoint navigation. Loss have also been reported in the eastern Mediterranean of area navigation (RNAV) approach capability. near Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Inability to conduct or maintain Required Navigation Northern Iraq, according to the European Union Performance (RNP) operations, including RNP Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). and RNP (Authorization Required) approaches.

Triggering of terrain warnings, possibly with pull “For some countries closer to the front, who may up commands. Inconsistent aircraft position on the be less advanced in putting in place contingency navigation display; Loss of automatic dependent plans, the current situation has served to highlight surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), wind shear, terrain and surface functionalities. Failure or degradation the need.” of air traffic management (ATM), air navigation On March 17, EASA published a safety information services (ANS) and communication, navigation bulletin warning pilots that spoofing and/or jamming and surveillance (CNS) and aircraft systems which had intensified in the four geographical areas due to use GNSS as a time reference. Potential airspace infringements and/or route deviations due to GNSS Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. degradation. 

FlightCom: May 2022

43

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www.avesholding.com 2022 2021 FlightCom: May 2022

47

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

Algoa Flying Club Sharon Mugridge 041 581 3274 info@algoafc.co.za www.algoafc.co.za

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

Alpha One Aviation Opelo 082 301 9977 on@alphaoneaviation.co.za www.alphaoneaviation.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 AES (Cape Town) Alpi Aviation SA www.comporob.co.za Erwin Erasmus Dale De Klerk Corporate-Aviators/Affordable Jet Sales 082 494 3722 082 556 3592 Mike Helm erwin@aeroelectrical.co.za dale@alpiaviation.co.za 082 442 6239 www.aeroelectrical.co.za www.alpiaviation.co.za corporate-aviators@iafrica.com www.corporate-aviators.com AES (Johannesburg) Apco (Ptyd) Ltd Danie van Wyk Tony/Henk C. W. Price & Co 011 701 3200 + 27 12 543 0775 Kelvin L. Price office@aeroelectrical.co.za apcosupport@mweb.co.za 011 805 4720 www.aeroelectrical.co.za www.apcosa.co.za cwp@cwprice.co.za www.cwprice.co.za Aerocore Aref Avionics Jacques Podde Hannes Roodt Dart Aeronautical 082 565 2330 082 462 2724 Jaco Kelly jacques@aerocore.co.za arefavionics@border.co.za 011 827 8204 www.aerocore.co.za dartaero@mweb.co.za Atlas Aviation Lubricants Aero Engineering & PowerPlant Steve Cloete Dart Aircraft Electrical Andre Labuschagne 011 917 4220 Mathew Joubert 012 543 0948 Fax: 011 917 2100 011 827 0371 aeroeng@iafrica.com Sales.aviation@atlasoil.co.za Dartaircraftelectrical@gmail.com www.atlasoil.africa www.dartaero.co.za Aero Services (Pty) Ltd Chris Scott ATNS DJA Aviation Insurance 011 395 3587 Percy Morokane 011 463 5550 chris@aeroservices.co.za 011 607 1234 0800Flying www.aeroservices.co.za percymo@atns.co.za mail@dja-aviation.co.za www.atns.com www.dja-aviation.co.za Aeronav Academy Donald O’Connor Aviation Direct Dynamic Propellers 011 701 3862 Andrea Antel Andries Visser info@aeronav.co.za 011 465 2669 011 824 5057 www.aeronav.co.za info@aviationdirect.co.za 082 445 4496 www.aviationdirect.co.za andries@dynamicpropeller.co.za Aeronautical Aviation www.dynamicpropellers.co.za Clinton Carroll BAC Aviation AMO 115 011 659 1033 / 083 459 6279 Micky Joss Eagle Aviation Helicopter Division clinton@aeronautical.co.za 035 797 3610 Tamryn van Staden www.aeronautical.co.za monicad@bacmaintenance.co.za 082 657 6414 tamryn@eaglehelicopter.co.za Aerotric (Pty) Ltd Blackhawk Africa www.eaglehelicopter.co.za Richard Small Cisca de Lange 083 488 4535 083 514 8532 Eagle Flight Academy aerotric@aol.com cisca@blackhawk.aero Mr D. J. Lubbe www.blackhawk.aero 082 557 6429 Aircraft Assembly and Upholstery Centre training@eagleflight.co.za Tony/Siggi Bailes Blue Chip Flight School www.eagleflight.co.za 082 552 6467 Henk Kraaij anthony@rvaircraft.co.za 012 543 3050 Elite Aviation Academy www.rvaircraft.co.za bluechip@bluechip-avia.co.za Jacques Podde www.bluechipflightschool.co.za 082 565 2330 Aircraft Finance Corporation & Leasing info@eliteaa.co.za Jaco Pietersen Border Aviation Club & Flight School www.eliteaa.co.za +27 [0]82 672 2262 Liz Gous jaco@airfincorp.co.za 043 736 6181 Enstrom/MD Helicopters Jason Seymour admin@borderaviation.co.za Andrew Widdall +27 [0]82 326 0147 www.borderaviation.co.za 011 397 6260 jason@airfincorp.co.za aerosa@safomar.co.za www.airfincorp.co.za Breytech Aviation cc www.safomar.co.za 012 567 3139 Aircraft General Spares Willie Breytenbach Era Flug Flight Training Eric or Hayley admin@breytech.co.za Pierre Le Riche 084 587 6414 or 067 154 2147 eric@acgs.co.za or hayley@acgs.co.za Bundu Aviation 021 934 7431 info@era-flug.com www.acgs.co.za Phillip Cronje www.era-flug.com 083 485 2427 Aircraft Maintenance @ Work info@bunduaviation.co.za Execujet Africa Opelo / Frik www.bunduaviation.co.za 011 516 2300 012 567 3443 enquiries@execujet.co.za frik@aviationatwork.co.za_ Celeste Sani Pak & Inflight Products www.execujet.com opelonke@aviationatwork.co.za Steve Harris 011 452 2456 Federal Air Aircraft Maintenance International admin@chemline.co.za Rachel Muir Pine Pienaar www.chemline.co.za 011 395 9000 083 305 0605 shuttle@fedair.com gm@aminternational.co.za Cape Aircraft Interiors www.fedair.com Sarel Schutte Aircraft Maintenance International 021 934 9499 Ferry Flights int.inc.

Wonderboom michael@wcaeromarine.co.za Michael (Mick) Schittenhelm Thomas Nel www.zscai.co.za 082 442 6239 082 444 7996 ferryflights@ferry-flights.com admin@aminternational.co.za Cape Town Flying Club www.ferry-flights.com Beverley Combrink Air Line Pilots’ Association 021 934 0257 / 082 821 9013 Fireblade Aviation Sonia Ferreira info@capetownflyingclub.co.za 010 595 3920 011 394 5310 www.@capetownflyingclub.co.za info@firebladeaviation.com alpagm@iafrica.com www.firebladeaviation.com www.alpa.co.za Century Avionics cc Flight Training College Airshift Aircraft Sales Carin van Zyl Cornell Morton Eugene du Plessis 011 701 3244 044 876 9055 082 800 3094 sales@centuryavionics.co.za ftc@flighttrainning.co.za eugene@airshift.co.za www.centuryavionics.co.za www.flighttraining.co.za www.airshift.co.za Chemetall Flight Training Services Airvan Africa Wayne Claassens Amanda Pearce Patrick Hanly 011 914 2500 011 805 9015/6 082 565 8864 wayne.claassens@basf.com amanda@fts.co.za airvan@border.co.za www.chemetall.com www.fts.co.za www.airvan.co.za

48 FlightCom: May 2022

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 www.ppg.co.za Foster Aero International Dudley Foster 011 659 2533 info@fosteraero.co.za www.fosteraero.co.za

Gemair Andries Venter 011 701 2653 / 082 905 5760 andries@gemair.co.za GIB Aviation Insurance Brokers Richard Turner 011 483 1212 aviation@gib.co.za www.gib.co.za Guardian Air 011 701 3011 082 521 2394 ops@guardianair.co.za www.guardianair.co.za

Heli-Afrique cc Tino Conceicao 083 458 2172 tino.conceicao@heli-afrique.co.za

Henley Air Andre Coetzee 011 827 5503 andre@henleyair.co.za www.henleyair.co.za Hover Dynamics Phillip Cope 074 231 2964 info@hover.co.za www.hover.co.za Indigo Helicopters Gerhard Kleynhans 082 927 4031 / 086 528 4234 veroeschka@indigohelicopters.co.za www.indigohelicopters.co.za IndigoSat South Africa - Aircraft Tracking Gareth Willers 08600 22 121 sales@indigosat.co.za www.indigosat.co.za

Integrated Avionic Solutions Gert van Niekerk 082 831 5032 gert@iasafrica.co.za www.iasafrica.co.za International Flight Clearances Steve Wright 076 983 1089 (24 Hrs) flightops@flyifc.co.za www.flyifc.co.za Investment Aircraft Quinton Warne 082 806 5193 aviation@lantic.net www.investmentaircraft.com Jabiru Aircraft Len Alford 044 876 9991 / 044 876 9993 info@jabiru.co.za www.jabiru.co.za Jim Davis Books Jim Davis 072 188 6484 jim@border.co.za www.jimdavis.co.za Joc Air T/A The Propeller Shop Aiden O’Mahony 011 701 3114 jocprop@iafrica.com Kishugu Aviation +27 13 741 6400 comms@kishugu.com www.kishugu.com/kishugu-aviation

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

North East Avionics Keith Robertson +27 13 741 2986 keith@northeastavionics.co.za deborah@northeastavionics.co.za www.northeastavionics.co.za Landing Eyes Orsmond Aviation Gavin Brown 058 303 5261 031 202 5703 info@orsmondaviation.co.za info@landingeyes.co.za www.orsmondaviation.co.za www.landingeyes.com Kzn Aviation (Pty) Ltd Melanie Jordaan 031 564 6215 mel@kznaviation.co.za www.kznaviation.co.za

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

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

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 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 Maverick Air Charters Chad Clark 083 292 2270 Charters@maverickair.co.za www.maverickair.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 Money Aviation Angus Money 083 263 2934 angus@moneyaviation.co.za www.moneyaviation.co.za

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 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 SAA Technical (SOC) Ltd SAAT Marketing 011 978 9993 satmarketing@flysaa.com www.flysaa.com/technical SABRE Aircraft Richard Stubbs 083 655 0355 richardstubbs@mweb.co.za www.aircraftafrica.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 Sheltam Aviation PE Brendan Booker 082 497 6565 brendanb@sheltam.com www.sheltamaviation.com

Sky-Tech Heinz Van Staden 082 720 5210 sky-tech@telkomsa.net www.sky-tech.za.com 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 Southern Energy Company (Pty) Ltd Elke Bertram +264 8114 29958 johnnym@sec.com.na www.sec.com.na Southern Rotorcraft cc Mr Reg Denysschen Tel no: 0219350980 sasales@rotors-r-us.com www.rotors-r-us.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Witbank Flight School Andre De Villiers 083 604 1718 andredv@lantic.net www.waaflyingclub.co.za

The Copter Shop Bill Olmsted 082 454 8555 execheli@iafrica.com www.execheli.wixsite.com/the-coptershop-sa Titan Helicopter Group 044 878 0453 info@titanhelicopters.com www.titanhelicopters.com TPSC Dennis Byrne 011 701 3210 turboprop@wol.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

Trio Helicopters & Aviation cc CR Botha or FJ Grobbelaar 011 659 1022

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

www.trioavi.co.za

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

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

FlightCom: May 2022

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