SA Flyer Magazine July 2022

FlightCm African Commercial Aviation

Edition 317 July 2022 Cover: Grant Duncan-Smith

FLIGHT REPORT:

AIRBUS H155 heli!

GUY: TOM CRUISE & JOHN TRAVOLTA

JIM DAVIS: L39 JET AIRSHOW CRASH JOHN BASSI: BACK CHASING POACHERS!

SAA:

New CEO John Lamola speaks 1

NEW COLUMN: CAA Compliance

WONDERBOOM AIRPORT AVIATION COMPANIES GUIDE July 2022 June 2022

AERO EXPO 2022

p

W E HAVE AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE – ACTUALLY, IT’S IN THE COCKPIT The PC-12 NGX’s Advanced Cockpit Environment (ACE) sets the bar for ultimate pilot control and situational awareness. Its single lever digital power control and integrated auto throttle reduces pilot workload, while tactile feedback adds another level of security. With a cockpit this advanced, no tricks are necessary. pilatus-aircraft.com Contact Pilatus PC-12 Centre Southern Africa, your nearest Authorised Pilatus PC-12 NGX Sales Centre for further information on Tel: +27 11 383 0800, Cell +27 82 511 7312 or Email: aircraftsales@pilatuscentre.co.za

POSITION REPORT I don’t think that two years ago any of us imagined that Covid-19 would cost us the existence of Comair.

COMAIR WAS THE POSTER CHILD of what a successful South African airline should be – especially given 80 years of unbroken profits.

Yet now it has all ended in tears.

The collapse was not due to any one factor but many. One of my favourite sources of insight on airline matters is www.avcom poster ‘evanb’ who reckons the beginning of the end started as far back as 2014 when; “They made some poor moves with regards to fuel hedging, taking out hedges for 26% of its fuel demand at $82. Oil prices then collapsed in 2015 and 2016. This squeezed operating margins in years when they otherwise should have been flying high.

This leveraging suddenly became catastrophic once Covid came around since cashflow dried up suddenly, but they still needed to make repayments to banks. It's questionable what happened from there. The Directors favoured business rescue rather than direct engagement with the banks (Nedbank was the biggest, but also RMB, Citibank, Investec and US EXIM).

They were big loans with in some cases, a lot of equity in the assets.

When Covid hit, revenue dried up, but the monthly repayments of about R60 million on aircraft debt alone would have been a huge drain. Instead of working with the banks to reschedule or refinance, or even working with aircraft lessors to sell and lease back, they chose business rescue since this would protect them from the creditors. In doing so, they lost control of the process.

COMAIR WAS THE WEAKEST

“This meant that the share price was massively depressed which meant going to market to raise capital for the new fleet was impossible. They had to borrow and were entirely reliant on debt for financing the new B737-800s, the last four of which were delivered during this time. This meant they were highly leveraged, but this wasn't itself a problem since interest rates were low and the business was generating more than enough cash. In 2015, 16, 17, 18 and 19, they were generating R600 million, R750 million, R973 million, R946 million, R854 million, respectively from operations. One sees the effect of this in Comair financial statements during this period, with operating margins rising (lower lease, fuel, maintenance costs) but depreciation rising (more assets to depreciate).

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July 2022

Comair struggled to regain operational integrity after COVID lockdowns. The March 2022 maintenance grounding was the final nail in the coffin.

Comair's grounding by the CAA couldn't have come at a worse time, just when they were regaining their operational performance. Not only did the grounding mean lost revenue, but also big costs reaccommodating passengers, big costs getting aircraft back in the air and a massive loss of confidence by the public.”

Looking back – they were the weakest and had little chance of survival. But the loss to South African aviation is huge.

j

Guy Leitch

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July 2022

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If you're waiting for a sign: here it is.

The new Macan. Dare forward.

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Macan: Combined fuel consumption: 8.8 l/100 km; Power: 195 kW (265 hp); Torque: 400 Nm; 0-100 km/h: 6.2 sec; Top speed: 232 km/h Priced from R1 112 000 including a 3 year/100,000 km Driveplan.

Edition 317

CONTENTS FLIGHTCOM

SA FLYER

16 26 32 38 80 72

Guy Leitch - ATTITUDE FOR ALTITUDE Peter Garrison - QUESTIONS

Bush Pilot - HUGH PRYOR Pilots - LAURA MCDERMID

SAF 68

COLUMNISTS

06 10

George Tonking - HELI OPS Jim Davis - PLANE TALK Jim Davis - ACCIDENT REPORT Ray Watts - REGISTER REVIEW

FLIGHT TEST:

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TH E AI R B US 155

July 2022

PT6A FLAT RATE OVERHAUL (FRO)

ME, CRUISE & TRAVOLTA No surprise pricing

No surprise pricing No compromise on quality No sweeping exclusions No sweeping exclusions

No compromise on quality

No wonder it’s so popular!

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StandardAero Lanseria, a Pratt & Whitney PT6A designated overhaul facility (DOF) and the sole independent approved for&the PT6A-140, is StandardAero DOF Lanseria, a Pratt Whitney PT6A pleased to support operators across Africa with designated overhaul facility (DOF) and the sole P&W’s flat rate overhaul (FRO) which independent DOF approved forprogram, the PT6A-140, combines quality with is pleased OEM-level to support operators acrossguaranteed Africa with “not exceed” Meaningwhich that P&W’stoflat rate capped overhaulpricing.

(FRO) program, combines OEM-level quality with guaranteed you can plan your maintenance expenses with “not to exceed” capped any pricing.

Meaning that confidence, and without compromises. you can plan your maintenance expenses with confidence, and without The FRO program doesany notcompromises. incur extra charges

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Edition 317

CONTENTS FEATURES SA FLYER

42 FLIGHT TEST - THE AIRBUS H155 68 AERO SOUTH AFRICA 2022 78 AEROBATIC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 82 NATIONAL NAVIGATION RALLY 92 OBITUARY MARK SAMPSON 88 WONDERBOOM AIRPORT – AVIATION COMPANIES GUIDE

FLIGHTCOM

16 John Bassi - Lockdown Freedom 22 The Regulatory Round Out 28 Face to Face - SAA 30 Face to Face - CemAir

REGULARS 14 Opening Shot 76 Register Review 88 SV Aviation Fuel Table 90 Aviation Direct Events Calender

FLIGHTCOM

09 AME Directory 34 ALPI Flight School Listing 35 Atlas Oils Charter Directory 36 AVES Technics AMO Listing 38 Aviation Directory 10

July 2022

KINGJAMES 56498

Commercial drones manifest as a legacy-creating force

The use of commercial drones will have as strong an impact on everyday life as the mobile phone market has had. So intense will be their use, says the Alliance for Drone Innovation, that sustainable growth will culminate in more than US$82,1 billion by 2025, creating some 103 776 jobs – and that’s just in the United States.

“This growth is believable because Santam Aviation has more than doubled the number of insured commercial drones on its books in the past year alone,” says James Godden, Head of Santam Aviation.

In South Africa – the largest drone market on the continent – the commercial use of drones has, however, been sluggish, largely because of regulation that is currently “onerous, restrictive and expensive”, say some commentators.

“This is somewhat sad, because South Africa was the first in the world to promulgate comprehensive drone regulations, and now that momentum has been stunted,” says Godden.

“However, this is an incredibly lucrative market for businesses and government, the applications of which are evolving continuously.”

Growing popularity in numerous sectors Largely commercial drones are used in the energy, mining, security, medicine and agriculture sectors. Their use in agriculture specifically has been touted to be one of the most radical industry transformations, because they can crop-spray 100% of a field faster and

more accurately than traditional planes.

“They are also far more cost-efficient,” says Godden. “The cost of such a drone is between R200 000 and R300 000, and it can provide up to 1 000 hectares of spraying from a battery’s lifetime.”

Drone delivery of life-saving health services is also growing in South Africa.

The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is soon to launch drones delivering blood to hospitals in remote areas, and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) is evaluating their use in the fight against malaria by identifying mosquito breeding sites.

“Drones are also incredibly useful for inspection purposes. Not only do they minimise, even eliminate, the risks associated with human inspection – they also respond quickly to lifethreatening situations, be that rescue searches or building threats,” says Godden.

“This is also true within the insurance industry, where drones are becoming popular in undertaking the inspection of claims, fraud detection, and the prevention of incidents.”

Transforming life as we know it Santam Aviation’s commercial drone insurance policy is only applicable to South African Civil Aviation Authority(SACAA) registered drones that are operated by qualified drone pilots who need to have passed a medical examination that defines the operator’s physical competence.

Also mandatory is proof of SACAA’s issuance of a remote pilot licence to

Santam is an authorised financial services provider (FSP 3416), a licensed non-life insurer and controlling company for its group companies.

operate, which requires theoretical and practical examinations and proof of training, and these can only be granted to individuals over the age of 18 years who are also proficient in English.

Specific to companies employing the use of drones is the need for a company operating licence.

The policy ensures cover if a drone is lost, damaged or causes damage, loss or injury to others. To date, says Godden, Santam Aviation drone insurance claims have been largely loss-related, either through theft or damage.

“Interestingly, some of the drone damage claims have been accredited to birds of prey, particularly the yellowbilled kite, which is territorial and obviously finds drones invasive in their environment.”

Unlike “pure” aviation, which is static – and according to Godden, a market that is likely shrinking – the drone market is undoubtedly a legacy-creating force.

It is not inconceivable that in the nottoo-distant future, we will have drone air corridors. Not only are they going to transform the viability, and ensure the sustainability, of sectors, but they will be included in all specialist insurance needs, including those of the marine, heavy haulage, war (under which riots and strikes are covered), hospitality and leisure, real estate and construction, business and personal sectors.

For more information, speak to your intermediary or visit santam.co.za.

Exhilaration at first sight.

Bentayga S.

Discover seductive style and addictive performance at BentleyMotors.com/BentaygaS. Contact Bentley Johannesburg on 010 020 4000 or Bentley Cape Town on 021 000 2100.

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July 2022

The name ‘Bentley’ and the ‘B’ in wings device are registered trademarks. © 2022 Bentley Motors Limited.

BENTLEY JOHANNESBURG • BENTLEY CAPE TOWN Power: 404 kW (550 hp); Torque: 770 Nm; 0-100 km/h: 4.5 seconds; Maximum speed: 290 km/h.

Priced from R4 695 000 including a 3 year/100,000 km Driveplan Model shown: Bentayga S

Image by Richard Maier “Look out the window” Pilots see such beautiful sights on a daily basis – many start to take them for granted. Not Richard Maier who is one of our regular Opening Shot contributors.

He captured this wonderful combination of evening light and low clouds from his King Air with a humble ‘mik en druk’ Olympus SP600. Exposure was 800th second at f3.5 and an ISO of 400.

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July 2022

15 July 2022 Send your submissions to guy@saflyermag.co.za

ATTITUDE FOR ALTITUDE: GUY LEITCH

ME, CRUISE &TRAVOLTA

Sometimes I wonder if the universe is trying to make me into a scientologist. The only two mega movie stars I have been exposed to are John Travolta and Tom Cruise. Both are scientologists, and Travolta spent a long night walking me up and down the beach in Las Palmas trying to convince me to join their ‘church’.

Now Tom Cruise has just completed a two month stay at our Safari Moon Bush Lodge in Hoedspruit.

THE RELEVANCE FOR THIS COLUMN is that Travolta and Cruise are of course not just movie stars and flag waving scientologists – they are Proper Pilots. I shared some of my favourite SA Flyer stories with Cruise, such as Wynand Uys’s wonderful story of how he got to fly Chuck Yeager around Hoedspruit in his humble Jabiru. (We republished this story in our “Best of the Best” Special Edition in 2020).

stormy night when he had a total electrical failure at 12,000 feet over Washington DC in his Gulfstream 2. Without electrical power, they had no radio comms with the busy ATC airspace and were unable to squawk 7700.

They nonetheless managed to get the plane safely on the ground, albeit with four blown mainwheel tyres, thanks to the emergency brake locking-up the wheels.

20 sk ydives in one day at Ho e d s p r u i t

During the week I spent with John Travolta on an epic flying safari from Joburg to Oshkosh in the SAA museum’s DC-4, the overriding impression I took away was what an incredibly nice and engaging person Travolta is. He also shared some of his pilot stories. Such as the dark and

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July 2022

Tom Cruise is also an accomplished pilot, holding a Comm with instrument and multi-engine ratings. Cruise is famous for doing his own stunts, so it was natural that he learned to fly – most recently a Squirrel helicopter for the literally cliff hanging scenes at the end of Mission Impossible 6.

Tom Cruise stands in the heart drawn to welcome him to Hoedspruit. Image Mel Owtram.

From Hollywood to Hoedspruit Cruise was in Hoedspruit to shoot the flying scenes for Mission Impossible 8. This required two matched pairs of 450hp Boeing Stearmans; two yellow, two red. [Although everyone involved in the movie had been required to sign non-disclosure agreements up to their Yinyangs, the information I am sharing is in the public domain].

The four Stearmans were imported along with Cruise’s personal AH350-B3 (H125) Squirrel chopper, which he used to fly himself to and from the movie set’s airstrip beneath Mariepskop, to Safari Moon Lodge.

Also staying at the lodge was the movie’s director, Christopher McQuarrie, his wife and dog, Gypsy, and the movie’s editor Eddie Hamilton, plus Tom Cruises’ sister, Cass Mapother. They all used Tom’s Squirrel to commute and given the risk of having the star, director and editor all in one chopper, they must have a very un-American attitude to risk management, and a trust in Tom’s skills as a chopper pilot flying into the gloom of an unlighted LZ in the gloaming.

Cruise got bitten by the flying bug back in 1986, when as a 24 year-old he landed the role of Lt Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in Top Gun. In 1994 he began acquiring planes of his own.

His favourite is a 1946 P-51 Mustang, which is said to be one of the best kept examples in the world. For the spotters, the aircraft is serial number of 44-12840 and was delivered after WW2 had ended, so it had been donated to the Civil Air Patrol and then to a museum. It was completely restored by 1997 by Art Teeters, and four years later was bought by Tom Cruise.

Cruise had “Kiss Me Kate” painted on the nose, but it was removed when he divorced Katie Holmes in 2012.

According to World War Wings, Cruise owns at least three other aircraft and helicopters, but he may own as many as five. His biggest is his Gulfstream IV which, hard to believe, is said to be equipped with a jacuzzi.

Cruise has earned his success. He may have had a lucky break with the now iconic Top Gun, but he has an incredible work ethic. Now aged 59, he reportedly requalified his skydiving July 2022

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Cruise pulling real 8-G forces in an F-18

qualifications by doing 20 jumps in one day at Hoedspruit.

The shooting schedule of MI8 was frenetic – they worked seven days a week, from early until sundown, only taking a break from the flying if the weather was bad. When that happened, the three key figures, Cruise, McQuarrie and Hamilton, sequestered themselves in my study at Safari Moon and reviewed the hours and hours of ‘film’ they had shot.

rands – and yet they are expected to amount to around just 12 minutes in the final movie.

Top Gun Maverick While MI8 is only scheduled for release in 2024, we have finally seen the release of the Top Gun sequel; Top Gun Maverick.

The movie premiered on 4 May, setting a hard deadline for when Cruise had to leave South Africa. Again, this bears an eerie echo with John Travolta who had to leave the SAA DC-4 safari to Oshkosh early, to get back in time for the premier of the arguably even more iconic Pulp Fiction movie that launched Quintin Tarantino’s unique brand of film noir productions.

“ De s p i t e your best effor ts , you refuse to die”

The MI8 movie reportedly has the gigantic budget of U$280 million and no expenses were spared. New airstrips were carved out of the bush and hangars built. The aircraft and pilots were imported on an American AOC and accommodation found for the approximately 300 movie crew.

After eight weeks shooting in and around the Blyde River Canyon at Hoedspruit, the entire operation decamped to Winterton in the Drakensburg for a change of scenery. It’s quite likely that the South African flying sequences must have cost a couple of hundred million

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July 2022

Like millions of fans of the first Top Gun, I could not wait to see Top Gun Maverick. So, without spoiling it for those who have not yet seen it, here’s my take on it. Given the more than 30 years which have passed since the first movie, the challenge was to find a way to justify Cruise still being an active pilot. The answer

the scriptwriters came up with was that, “after more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. He finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialised mission, the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen.”

The movie features a memorable scene where the Rear Admiral (Harris) reads off a long list of Maverick’s accomplishments and scornfully discusses his tendency to take risks by saying, “Despite your best efforts, you refuse to die.”

The much-revered style of the original Top Gun has been carefully retained, complete with the iconic shirtless volleyball, bar room and airport motorcycle scenes. It is, in the words of producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a love affair with flying.

Echoing another famous Top Gun 1 scene in Hoedspruit Cruise delighted his fans by doing a fly-by of the air force base tower – only this time at the request of the ATC.

What non-pilots do not appreciate is just how hard ACM G-forces are. Unlike light aircraft, jets can sustain 9 G turns which are unbelievably punishing on even the most G-fit pilots. By using real aircraft with hi-res Go-Pro cameras, the G forces can at least be seen, even if not actually experienced in your movie seat.

In the final analysis I reckon this is a movie that lives up it its hype, with in my subjective view, the only disappointment being the bland title song by Lady Gaga. The response from critics has been overwhelmingly positive. We Live Entertainment journalist Scott Menzel tweeted, “Top Gun Maverick is going to completely blow away fans of the original and may even make some new ones along the way. Truthfully, even though the plot is very dependent on that of the original, I found the film to be better than the original in almost every way.”

Top Gun Maverick has also shot the lights out at the box office – with a record more than U$200m from the first two weeks alone. Top Gun 3 anyone?

j

guy@saflyermag.co.za Of necessity, the brutal F-14 Tomcats with their swing wings are no longer flying, so we see Cruise having a blast in a special liveried F/A-18F Super Tom Cruise's P-51 Mustang at Mojave Spaceport in 2011 - then called Kiss me Kate.

Hornet. There is of course a romantic interest: Penny (Connelly) who is now a pilot and not just a sexy PhD in Air Combat Manoeuvring (ACM) as played by Kelly McGillis.

In thirty years movie production has come a long way. No longer shot on 35mm celluloid, the movie is shot digitally in 6K resolution. The aerial footage is mind-blowing and almost all real, with minimum computer graphics.

July 2022

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SKY VOYAGE

– BRIDGING THE GAP FROM COMMERCIAL TO PROFESSIONAL PILOT

The founder and CEO of Sky Voyage, Ricky Smit, started her aviation career less than 10 years ago, when as an ab-initio pilot, she saw a gap in the market for the creation of not just commercial pilots, but properly skilled professional pilots.

SKY VOYAGE HAS ALREADY established a worldwide reputation as a centre for aviation training excellence and now more than half of its client pilots come from outside South Africa, particularly from Algeria, Kenya and Angola.

Ricky Smit is also thrilled to say that she is finding strong interest from the USA, and making headway into the Middle East and Dubai..

Ten years ago, in a moment of inspiration, Ricky mapped out a business plan and logo on a paper serviette in a coffee shop. Due to her

dedication to standards and her commitment to hard work, Sky Voyage has grown into a highly respected key player in the advanced aviation training sector.

Under the mentorship of Captain Anton Rousseau, Sky Voyage is proud to have assembled a team of highly respected senior pilots, instructors and designated flight examiners (DFEs), all of whom are passionate about what they do.

Sky Voyage helps pilots make difficult career decisions.

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July 2022

Ricky Smit is the dynamic owner of Sky Voyage.

Sky Voyage provides advanced training on: Boeing 737, Airbus A320 (pending), Pilatus PC-12, Cessna Caravan, Beechcraft: B200, B350, B1900, Embraer: E120, E135/145 and more. It also provides initial ratings, renewals, PPC's, ground school courses, ATPL prep and skills tests. The curricula are solidly grounded on ICAO approved course material for all courses offered.

As a specialist advanced pilot training organisation, Sky Voyage has access to the full spectrum of fixed base and full motion Class D simulators – in locations as diverse as France, Brazil and India, and with companies such as Flight Safety International, Simuflight, Aeronav and SAA. Sky Voyage offers quality advanced training solutions for every pilot and together they consult and plan a client pilot’s career path by assisting with the different career choices, especially in a complex post-Covid environment.

Each client has access to Sky Voyage’s personal one-on-one consultation with mentors who help them to make the right choices.

The team of experienced pilots and instructors at Sky Voyage continuously find ways of streamlining the training procedures by keeping up to date with the latest technology and information. Training is a huge financial outlay, but Sky Voyage are confident that their systems and structures will benefit the client financially. It also saves much time as the client gets the best training to lay the groundwork for becoming a respected professional pilot.

There is a widespread concern that the industry is steadily losing skills, particularly DFEs and Ricky is anticipating an increasing shortage of instructors.

Sky Voyage is proud of its constructive relationship with the South African Civil Aviation Authority who have helped them in their steady growth by always being available to find a solution to the sometimes tricky licencing and rating problems associated with ATO compliance.

j

Clients benefit from Sky Voyage’s ‘gap analysis’ which establishes each client pilot’s specific needs and thus is able to map out the best course to achieve and maintain professional standards and experience.

July 2022

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Come Fly With Us For all advanced training requirements, Sky Voyage has you covered.

Flight Training We offer a very high standard of advanced training solutions to our clients which is specifically for those pilots who want to grow their career and start taking on advanced and complex aircraft - together we take them to the next level of flight training.

We consult and plan their career path by assisting with the different choices they have to make. Each client has access to individual consultation with our mentors which help them to make the right choices in their training decisions.

Our Team The team consists of dynamic legendary aviators, instructors and DFE’s, who are passionate about what they do using ICAO approved course material for all courses offered.

Soft Courses In the Class room. No aviation training is actually valuable or complete without the execution of the practical elements and soft courses to round off all training. Our courses are designed and approved by SACAA and exceeds international standards. We continuously improve and research our course material and training techniques to deliver superior quality of training to you.

Tel: +27 (0) 83 231 6458 | Cell: +27 (0) 83 231 6458 Email: rickysmit@mweb.co.za | Website: www.skyvoyage.co.za 22

July 2022

Visit us:

NEWS

GARMIN DELIVERS 25,000 FLIGHT DECKS

Garmin has celebrated the delivery of over 25,000 integrated flight decks, including forward-fit and retrofit solutions for general and business aviation.

GARMIN FLIGHT DECKS have been certified on over 80 aircraft models representing 20 different aircraft manufacturers—more than any other avionics manufacturer.

Garmin avionics have revolutionised the aviation industry for nearly two decades, ushering in the era of fully integrated flight decks for light aircraft while also expanding the capabilities of turbine aircraft.

Garmin’s G1000 integrated flight deck was first introduced in March 2003 when Cessna announced it had selected the system for the Citation Mustang, which was in development at the time. Additional announcements by a variety of aircraft manufacturers followed, and the first customer deliveries of the G1000 began in June 2004 by both Cessna and Diamond Aircraft in their single-engine product lines.

jets in the adversary air market. Garmin flight decks have long been the standard in the flight training industry, utilised in flight schools across the globe to allow student pilots the opportunity to train on the technology they’ll use later in their flying careers.

With an estimated 600,000 new pilots joining the industry in the next 20 years, Garmin’s integrated flight decks are the systems of choice for flight training aircraft preparing the next generation of pilots for the future of aviation.

“Pilots around the world have spent millions of hours flying behind a Garmin flight deck and it’s a true privilege to know that our avionics help them safely reach their destinations time and time again,” said Phil Straub, Garmin executive vice president and managing director, aviation. j

In 2010, the G3000 and G5000 were unveiled for the turbine market, offering an intuitive pilotvehicle interface with the industry’s first certified touchscreen vehicle management controllers.

Today, Garmin integrated flight decks are installed on a broad range of aircraft spanning from piston-powered aircraft to turboprops, rotorcraft and turbine aircraft, including tactical fighter

Top of the range G5000 in a Citation XLS.

July 2022

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Introducing the Huracán Tecnica. The purest Lamborghini driving experience combined with the freedom of everyday use: a bridge between past and future, lifestyle and performance, road and track. Huracán Tecnica brings out a pilot’s attitude in every driver, delivering the most rewarding performance and the ultimate fun-to-drive experience – simultaneously. Aerodynamic efficiency and lightweight engineering energize every element while retaining a distinct elegance. The naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine produces 640 hp and 565 Nm of torque and reaches 0-100 km/h in only 3.2 seconds. Unleash the unique character of the most versatile Huracán yet.

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Sold with a 3 year/100,000 km Driveplan at no additional cost.

July 2022

LAMBORGHINI JOHANNESBURG

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Showroom C, Matrix Building, No. 8 Bridgeways, Bridgeways Precinct, Century City Phone 021 419 0595 / 076 611 2437 www.capetown.lamborghini

July 2022

25

PETER GARRISON

A reader comes to the rescue of a blocked brain.

From time to time I get letters suggesting topics for future articles. I welcome them. After several decades of writing, I sometimes feel panic welling up as I try to think of something new to say.

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SOME READERS, sensing that a question may not be large enough, send several. One, who identified himself only as “Mark,” sent five. Here they are:

the CG at its most forward possible location.

Fortunately, most aeroplanes are designed so that the most forward CG does not coincide with the maximum weight.

1. Horizontal stabilisers can be huge, but rarely do we see winglets on them. I see it claimed on the web by some that the down forces are not so large as to require them. If that was true, then why make the horizontal stabilisers that big?

Flaps also increase the load placed on the horizontal tail. Flaps make an aeroplane want to pitch nose-down, and so the larger and more powerful an aeroplane's flaps are, the larger the stabiliser it requires for control during landing and takeoff.

Answer: The size of horizontal stabilisers reflects two different requirements: stability and control. Stability means a tendency to return to a trimmed attitude after a disturbance.

When its centre of gravity is forward of the aerodynamic centre, or “centre of lift,” of the wing, an aeroplane is naturally stable, and does not require a very large horizontal stabiliser. But there is also a question of control: The stabiliser has to be big enough to hold the nose up at the minimum speed with the flaps down and with

Conversely, when the CG is behind the centre of lift the horizontal stabiliser is needed to supply stability. Think of the horizontal stabiliser as a chunk of the wing that has been detached and moved aft. It shifts the centre of lift aft with it, so that the CG, even when it’s behind the apparent centre of lift of the wing alone, is still in front of the centre of lift of the two surfaces – wing and tail – combined. The larger the stabiliser, the farther aft the CG range can extend. Since a wide CG range is desirable for most types of

July 2022

Are T-tails on a light aircraft just a fashion statement - including Peter Garrsion's Melmoth?

aircraft, stabilisers can get quite large - much larger than would be required for control alone.

CG limits are expressed on weight-and-balance charts in terms of distance from the datum, a reference point usually located somewhere around the nose. This is a convention that has probably confused a great many fledgling pilots, who naturally think that “forward” and “aft” limits should be measured from the centre of lift of the wing.

static margin, and it is typically around 10 to 20 cm in a small personal aeroplane. As the CG moves forward, speed holding becomes more positive and the stick forces needed for pitching manoeuvres become greater. In other words, the larger the static margin the more stable the aeroplane is in pitch.

t h i n k o f t h e CG range in terms of distance from the neut ral point

Perhaps it makes the most sense to think of the CG range in terms of distance from the neutral point. The neutral point is the place at which, if the CG were there, the aeroplane would cease to have any natural pitch stability. The distance from the CG to the neutral point is called the

As for putting winglets on horizontal stabilisers – winglets are really useful only when a surface is operating at 40 percent or more of its maximum lifting ability, and that is true of horizontal stabilisers only during landing, when trim drag is of no concern. (By the way, “lift” in this context just means the force acting at a right angle to the direction of flight – no distinction between upward, downward and sideways.)

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2. What are the factors determining the acceptable range of CG position and control authority at the limits? What are the differences between experimental vs certificated?

Answer: For the factors, see #1. Are there differences between experimental and certificated aeroplanes? Yes. Certificated aeroplanes are required to demonstrate a certain degree of longitudinal stability in all configurations. In the US, at least, amateurbuilts face no such requirement; they need only demonstrate that the pilot is still alive at the end of the 40-hour (or whatever) initial test period. In general, the FAA does all that it can to avoid having to bother with amateur-built aeroplanes, whose numbers would overwhelm the manpower of the agency.

Other countries, by and large, impose more rigorous requirements on homebuilts. Australia, for instance, once required some Lancair models to have larger horizontal stabilisers, even though designer Lance Neibauer argued that his customers wanted their aeroplanes to be have low stability, which translates into fingertip stick forces in pitch.

3. Airlines are adding circular bumps at the top of fuselage back towards the tail to house the wireless internet antenna. One pilot for a major airline claimed that the drag caused by that bump offset the gains of a winglet. You buy that?

Answer: Nope.

The key point is that phrase “back toward the tail.” If the antenna bump were near the nose, its drag would be significant because the airflow near the surface there is moving at high speed.

As air flows back along the fuselage, however, friction slows it down. By the time you get close to the dorsal fin of an airliner-sized fuselage, the layer of decelerated air is 5 or 6 inches thick, and within a couple of inches of the surface it is very decelerated indeed.

For that matter, if the drag reduction from a winglet were no larger than the drag increase from an antenna, airlines, notorious pennypinchers that they are, would not be spending millions of dollars to equip their fleets with winglets.

The small inboard aileron on a Boeing 777 here deflected slightly downwards - is there for structural reasons.

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4) I recently flew on a B777 and noticed that in addition to the conventional ailerons there was a stubby aileron very close inboard. It seemed to move first before the conventional outboard ailerons, or at least for fine corrections it moved but I did not see the outboard aileron move. As well, the spoilers seemed to be deployed as a third stage. Presumably efficiency considerations?

Answer: No, structural ones. Outboard ailerons can make the slender outer portion of the wing twist in a way that cancels the effect of the aileron, so they are locked at high speed.

The inboard ailerons, smaller and located on a thicker, broader portion of the wing, do not have this “control reversal” effect, and are sufficient for the lateral-control needs of cruising flight.

Spoilers, because they are hinged farther forward and farther inboard on the wing, aren’t subject to control reversal and can augment the effect of inboard ailerons.

probably had more to do with mark eting than w ith aerody namics 5) What are the structural and aerodynamic implications of V vs T and conventional tails?

as good. Their performance can be improved by making them of unusually high aspect ratio, but there’s a weight penalty for that. There’s also a control power problem: The effectiveness of flaps like rudders and elevators diminishes beyond about 15 degrees of deflection, so it’s hard to get the full effect of both when they’re combined in a single surface.

Now, as for T-tails, they enjoyed a vogue in the 1970s after they appeared on aft-engined airliners and business jets. The motive for their adoption in front-engine general aviation aeroplanes probably had more to do with marketing than with aerodynamics, although it was usually justified by arguments to the effect that the stabiliser was in undisturbed air and therefore more efficient. This was true, except during takeoff, when it is often desirable for the elevators to be in the propeller slipstream.

A T-tail is obviously structurally more complex, and heavier, than one mounted on the fuselage, because control runs are longer and the fin is forced to deal with the horizontal tail's aerodynamic loads in addition to its own. It also introduces new potential flutter modes, and at least on swept-wing jets may be susceptible to a deep stall from which recovery is difficult or impossible.

Sounds pretty bad. But T-tails look great, and looks count too.

Thanks, Mark!

j

Answer: V-tails seem like a good idea, because for the same apparent areas in side view and top view they are smaller and lighter than the usual horizontal-plus-vertical arrangement. With fewer intersections, they have less intersection drag. Trouble is, the damping they provide is not

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HELICOPTER OPS: GEORGE TONKING

When you fall in love with flying at a very young age, that childlike wonder stays with you into your adult years. For example, to this day, whenever a helicopter or an aeroplane flies over my house, I drop whatever I’m busy with and run outside to see what it is. Although, to be honest, I invariably know what it is before I see it. The thrill never gets old, though.

Top Gun bringing aviation to a whole new generation (Ethan my eldest son).

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The one thing Mav and I have in common is the Airbus Squirrel.

IN 1986, WHEN I WAS SEVEN, the world found a new love for aviation, in the form of Top Gun. Unfortunately, this meant many of our loved ones had to survive screeching-cat renditions of Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” from the bathtub or the back seat of the family car. Eventually I, for one, won them over (and continue to) with sheer repetitive lyrical persistence.

(Note: because this is a “helicopter” column, I should mention that a Coast Guard Sikorsky HH-3F “Pelican” had a cameo in Top Gun, doing what it does best, plucking Maverick and Goose out the drink, post-ditch.)

We love the Maverick character because he was dangerous (after all, he told us as much). He was also a little too reckless, lived life on the edge, but learnt from his mistakes. When he was flying, it felt like we were sitting in the front seat of a Grumman F-14 Tomcat in a High-G turn, evading an enemy missile. But it was more than the flying even – what I loved was the fraternity of pilots (and that the hero gets the girl in the end, of course.)

“ Sw itching t o g u n s . . .”

I believe they are now eternally grateful to be able to quote at will the most famous flying characters of all time, like Maverick, with his corny, "I Feel The Need … The Need For Speed!"

And now, all my children are hooked too, with Top Gun my 7-year-old son’s favourite movie, turning every available piece of paper into a jet and helping his siblings fashion Lego pieces into dogfighters.

It seems Maverick wasn’t unique in his recklessness. One former SAAF pilot I spoke July 2022

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to told me about his time in the air force in the late 1980s, flying the AM.3C “Bosbok,” not the sexiest of military planes. One day, en route from Potch to AFB Swartkop with a second Bosbok, and a little bored, they decided to carry out “combat manoeuvres” and to buzz the tower. Only when they landed did he realise that his duffel bag wasn’t on the back seat where he had stowed it. It was nowhere to be found.

The guilty pilot tried not to say too much, until he was called in to the officer commanding, to ask whether it was all that wise to practice “target marking” with his kit on the base adminbuilding’s roof.

The helicopter environment can also include monotonously long hours of route-flying over

vast spaces. As pilots, we need to constantly find ways to keep the environment interesting and avoid becoming complacent, aka bored.

I’ve known several pilots who invent games or challenges to keep them sharp. Our little squadron has one in particular.

It all started innocently some years ago when I was to rendezvous with a relief crew out in the field. We had planned to meet up in the air over Bundu Fly-Inn Estate north-west of Pretoria to facilitate a seamless swap-over. As I arrived a bit early, I decided to sneak in behind the Magaliesberg hills in anticipation, flying up sun to surprise the other crew. Like I said earlier, I fell in love with flying as a kid, and this came to the fore right then. Seeing the other ship pass

Searching out bogies up-sun.

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by me, I swung in behind him with a “Tally-Ho, 12 o’clock low!” to myself, “Switching to guns…”

Before my compadre knew he was in a dogfight, he was cannon fodder as he heard me softly saying, “Pew, pew, pew!” over the radio. I broke away. “Was that you, George?” he asked, clearly confused. “I heard this strange noise on 124.8 … Damn it!” as realisation dawned. Needless to say, this started a long, ongoing “air war” because, like Maverick said; “This is what I call a target-rich environment.”

At some point in Top Gun, Charlie says to Maverick, “You’re not going to be happy unless you’re going Mach 2 with your hair on fire.” In reality, flying an F-14 Tomcat or the modern rendition, the F-18 Hornet, in air combat manoeuvres, chasing through canyons above the “hard deck” limit, is for the most elite US Navy pilots only a tiny part of a long career mostly spent away from home on an aircraft carrier at sea. But I leave you with this. Tom Cruise, whose love of flying led him to the role of Maverick, now chooses as his everyday ride an Airbus Squirrel helicopter.

I fly an Airbus Squirrel. My childhood dreams are being realised. I am Maverick. (Or something like that…)

My c h i l d h o o d dreams are being realised

To this day, we’ve “shot down” all of our pilots and many other friends from Netcare, Fidelity and anyone who dares fly in our wide territory!

If you hear our callsign, just wait for the lock-on tone … the now-standard “pew pew pew.”

j

QUOTE OF THE MONTH WWW.AVCOM.CO.ZA POSTER

QOM

Referring to the James Reason Swiss Cheese model of accident causality, with regard to a very concerning incident that happened to an SAA A330-300 from Accra Ghana to JHB and the infamous Alpha Floor event after takeoff for the Brussels flight, both reportedly operated by the SAA Chief Pilot, www.avcom.co.za poster “Ugly Duckling” wrote:

“The holes are lining up. The next Alpha floor event will be below ground level.”

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PLANE TALK - JIM DAVIS

LET A PUPIL IN YOUR LIFE

"I'm a very gentle man, even tempered and good natured who you never hear complain, Who has the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein, A patient man am I, down to my fingertips, the sort who never could, ever would, let an insulting remark escape his lips A very gentle man.

But, Let a pupil in your life…"From My Fair Lady, with apologies to Alan Jay Lerner I am nearly always extremely nice to pupils in the air, but I have occasionally let them have a broadside on the ground. The second worst example was with Frank the Yank – a middle aged guy from New York.

AT MY LITTLE FLYING SCHOOL in George we always had a braai to welcome new pupils.

While standing around the fire with beers in our hands and good will in our hearts, we chatted to the new arrivals to make them feel at home. I think there were only three of them that month.

I was asking Frank to tell me about New York as I had never been there. I said something stupid like, “I’ve heard that New Yorkers have a reputation for not being very friendly,” rather hoping he would refute this allegation. On the contrary, and I remember his exact words – he replied, “What’s there to be friendly about?”

I thought he was joking – but he wasn’t. He was

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the most unfriendly, obnoxious character I had ever had to deal with. We all hated him.

One day I was on the phone when he came into my office and started waving his arms around and bitching at me. I put up a hand to silence him, so he strode outside and banged the door shut. Then he paced up and down on the lawn outside my window – glaring in at me. As soon as I put the phone down he exploded into the office and started yelling.

I don’t remember what his problem was but I do remember thinking I can’t put up with another minute of Frank the Yank. I waited until he had finished his rant and was standing there, red

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The handy bottle of CO2 used for pumping up oleos.

faced, with his hands on his hips. “Frank,” I said quietly, “Why don’t you pack up your stuff and f*ck off back to New York?”

“Okay,” he replied. “I’ve been expecting you might say that – what took you so long?” And so saying, he exited my life for ever.

But I said Frank was the second worst pupe – the worst one was a home grown farmer from Klaarstroom who we called “The Voice.”

He was an unbelievably loud and painful human being. Small of stature but strong on decibels.

He always seemed vaguely unwashed and malodorous – the sort of person who would attract his own herd of flies. Look, it’s possible he was kind to old ladies and bunny rabbits, but if so, these virtues did not shine through on our day to day dealings with him.

But, for all that, he had one hugely redeeming feature – he was really enthusiastic about flying.

And I mean REALLY REALLY keen – which is a quality every instructor loves.

So I generally managed to grit my teeth and put up with his cobblers (awls). However, one morning he pushed me beyond the limit. I had sent him out to do a preflight on my little blue

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and white Colt, Charley-Xray-Charley, then I went into the office to make a quick phone call.

While I was on the phone I was vaguely aware of The Voice standing in front of my desk with his hands on his hips. This was a sort of déjà vu of the Frank incident.

As I put the phone down I was assailed by his ghastly, nasal, whinging voice. “The bloody aeroplane is broken again, isn’t it?”

“What’s actually broken about it, Leo?” “The bloody spring’s broken.”

I knew instantly that he was talking about the nose oleo, which was slightly low, but I played dumb. “Oh, that’s interesting. Exactly which spring seems to be causing the problem?”

“The one in that bloody front wheel thingie.”

“There’s a spring in the nose oleo?” I ask innocently.

“Of course there bloody well is.”

“Do you know I have had this aeroplane for three years and I never knew it had a spring in there. Are you sure about this?”

“Well I don’t think you are much of a pilot if you don’t understand simple mechanics.”

descended upon my little flying school for about half a year.

“Oh, hang on, I think I’ve got a spare spring in this bottle.” I fish around in the bag that holds the chocks, tie-downs and pitot-cover, and produce a CO2 fire-extinguisher, which has a flexible connection for pumping tyres. At the sight of this he becomes exasperated by my stupidity. “Can’t you even understand simple English? The bloody spring is broken.”

During that time ‘Porky’, Norman Joseph, started instructing for me. He claimed he was called Porky, not because he was fat – he wasn’t – but because he ate like a pig – which he did.

“I am sure I can syphon a new one out of here.”

I tell him.

“Don’t sod around – just find me another aeroplane.”

Anyway I screw the connection on to the top of the strut and give it a short squirt, and presto – it develops a wonderful new springiness.

I give him a dose of hairy eyeball, which he foolishly ignores. I am waiting for an apology.

Porks also had the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein. He really did. He was a kind and gentle character, and an excellent instructor.

He came to me one day and said he had a new pupil. “Reel him in, Porks, let’s have a look at your catch.”

“Well it’s not that simple – he says you don’t like him.”

“That’s crap – I like everyone.”

my poor litt le air craft l y ing on it s back

Now, instructors instruct for one of two reasons, either they need the money and the hours, or they actually enjoy teaching. I am one of the latter. I am easily gratified by the process of turning a pedestrian into a pilot. The occasional word of thanks goes a long way towards helping us to be the eventempered and good-natured individuals referred to by Professor Higgins.

Had Leo used the magic words, “Thanks Jim – I have learned something today,” his flying training would not have been put on hold for six months. Unfortunately he failed the test and I blew a gasket.

“Leo, go back into the clubhouse, collect your clobber and f*ck off out of my life. I never want to see you again.”

And so a period of peace and tranquillity

circumstances.”

“He says you chased him away and told him never to come back.”

The penny dropped, “Oh, for heaven’s sake Porks you are talking about Leo The Voice. I am absolutely not having him back, under any

Over the next half hour Porky begged and pleaded with me to let him train Leo. His only selling point was that The Voice was SO enthusiastic. There I had to agree – I don’t think I have ever met anyone so utterly besotted with aviation. Eventually Porks wore me down and I agreed that he – Porky – would do all The Voice’s training and lectures and briefings, and that I would never have to speak to him.

For the next few weeks The Voice would drive over the mountain every day and park his Datsun bakkie out of sight, where I would never have to see it. He and Porky would then get in a huddle at the back of the lecture room. They would fly, and huddle again, and then The Voice July 2022

41

would disappear until the following day – an arrangement which suited me well.

Porky would occasionally let me know that The Voice was not the easiest person to get on with, but in general an air of calm prevailed.

The next thing that happened was a seemingly unrelated event.

I had employed someone who I think must have been a Swiss spy. Andre Widmer was certainly Swiss, and a hell of a nice guy – everyone liked The Spy. He refuelled the aeroplanes and washed them. He tidied up and swept the floors.

He answered the phone and did all the chores.

He also ran a little snack bar in the pub, making coffee and saamies for the pupes and staff. In exchange for all this he got flying hours. It was an excellent arrangement.

sideways across the apron for a couple of seconds and then tumbled into their inverted possie.

Now, I am a slow thinking guy. A sharper flying school owner who found that South African Airways had destroyed a third of his fleet would have contacted ATC, his lawyer, the aerodrome manager and a passing policeman, and demanded that the party of the second part not be allowed to leave the scene of the crime.

This would almost certainly have caused SAA to admit liability and hand over a fat cheque that would cover repairs and a bit of a booze-up.

Unfortunately the mind was not quick enough, and it took me nearly a year to get the bucks out of them.

So now we can fast forward to a meeting I had in my office with a couple of SAA guys and the company’s legal blood sucker. They had come to negotiate a settlement which involved them denying liability.

t he s un r os e in t he wes t

One day, however, the tower called me to say that my Colt had blown away, with The Spy on board. As it was a totally calm day, I thought I had misheard them – and that my Colt had FLOWN away. Not a totally unreasonable thought because Andre always had that secretive and mysterious air about him.

Anyhow the tower suggested that I come and see. This made no sense – if Andre had flown away there could hardly be much to see.

As I approached the apron – where Andre had been refuelling at the kerbside pump, I saw my poor little aircraft lying on its back waving its feet in the air. A battered Spy was staggering around it, and a very guilty looking Boeing, parked nearby, was trying to hide its face in shame.

I gathered that Andre had just finished refuelling and had climbed aboard to taxi back to the club, when the Boeing hove into port. The pilot, who was on his very first flight as a new Captain, somehow misjudged the turn and had to use an unexpected handful of thrust to get round. The result was that Andre, and the Colt, skittered

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Naturally I wanted them to know they were dealing with a professional, no-nonsense company – I had put on long pants and wore a tie for the occasion. We were meeting in my office, which was next to the lecture room. All seemed to be going rather well until I heard Porky’s agitated tones. “Don’t talk bloody crap to me.” This was followed by the whinging sound of The Voice. I did my best to cover these distractions by coughing and noisily opening and closing desk drawers. But I was not winning.

The argument became louder and more robust, each onslaught being preceded by Porky yelling, “And another thing…”

My meeting with SAA and the leeches was being drowned out by the racket.

The next thing Porky burst through the interleading door and slammed it shut. So great was his rage that he didn’t seem to realise that he was interrupting a formal gathering.

He glanced round at us, unseeingly, before

delivering his coup de grâce. He opened the door and bellowed. “Leo, just pack up all your crap and get the f*ck out of here – I never want to see you again.”

It seems that on his previous visits to the flying school, Porky had been giving him lectures and briefings on navigation. This was in preparation for a dual cross-country. Leo was meant to go home with his maps, rule and protractor, and draw lines, measure angles and produce a flight log. This hadn’t happened. The Voice had turned up for the cross-country without doing a single thing.

I told you Porky was a patient man – he took a deep breath and sat down with Leo at a desk. They spread out the maps and started discussing it all over again. One of the first topics to arise was the flight level they planned to use on the initial leg – which was towards the east. A difference of opinion sprang up almost immediately, causing serious disharmony between the parties. It seems that The Voice got his east and west round the wrong way. We have all done it momentarily and then realised our error. Not Leo. He patiently explained to Porky that he was a farmer and that he got out of bed early every day and this led him to observe where the sun rose, with total reliability, on all the days, weeks, months and years that he had been farming. He pointed towards Cape Town and insisted that that’s where the sun rose – and it was called east. He suggested that Porky follow his healthy lifestyle – rise to the call of a cockerel, go outside and see for himself.

coast to Margate for their magnificent annual airshow. While I was standing around watching activities, I spotted an unusual looking aircraft on final approach. It was a single-seater, opencockpit, low-wing, fixed-gear affair that looked as if it was made from a collection of bits out of an aircraft scrap yard. As it taxied in, I saw I was correct – I quickly recognised a set of Piper fabric wings. And the next thing that caught my eye was a black screen, about the size of a book sitting above the instrument panel, and completely obscuring any view through the windscreen.

You have guessed it – the screen was a GPS. I went over and chatted to The Voice. He was so proud to show me what he had built, and my memories of his massive enthusiasm flooded back. I shook his hand warmly and congratulated him on his aircraft, and getting his license eventually.

I give him a dos e of hair y eyeball

This was the point at which Porky stripped a gear and came round to my way of thinking visà-vis The Voice’s suitability for aviation.

After that a few years went by and I had completely forgotten about The Voice.

As I went to look more closely at his aeroplane he chucked his jacket casually over the windscreen and instrument panel – “to protect it from the sun.”

I glanced inside the cockpit and mentioned that I didn’t see a pocket for his maps and nav equipment. I guess he realised he couldn’t navigate, so he decided to follow the magenta line instead.

But the Voice must have been better than we thought because he eventually died in bed.

Sadly our joke about Andre being a spy might have been correct. He was killed during a shootout with a special branch of the cops in his flat in Cape Town.

Porky went on to become a senior captain and instructor with SAA. j

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FLIGHT TEST: THE AIRBUS H155

The H155 provides a new level of size, comfort and speed to the Cape tourism market.

THE

AIRBUS

H155

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Airbus makes superb helicopters that usually come to dominate their market segment. Then they take that design and grow it – sometimes with mixed results. The H155 may be a good example of these mixed results – a great helicopter on paper – yet it has achieved just modest market success.

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SOUTH AFRICA HAS A VERY LIMITED range of VIP helicopters. Seeing the possibilities in acquiring an Airbus H155, the owners of Silvercross Helicopters, based at Cape Town International Airport, jumped at the opportunity to acquire a relatively low time H155 from New York.

been imported into SA. The first was by Nicky Oppenheimer, so as it was not the first of its kind in SA, the importation of ZT-RMT should not have been much of a challenge, yet it has taken Silvercross a year and counting to get it onto their AOC.

it neve r caught on w it h Ame r ican exe cutives

The first owner of N55WH was Wayne Huizenga, a former owner of the Miami Dolphins football team who had made his fortune in garbage collection and Blockbuster video stores. This helicopter was imported into South Africa

by Silvercross Helicopters in 2021 and has become ZT-RMT. It is a 2000 model with just 1,800 hours total time.

Silvercross owner James Blomerus believes that there is a clear gap in the South African market for a high end VVIP helicopter – especially for bespoke charters around the Cape and winelands, and for government work – especially in Africa for elections.

ZT-RMT is just the second H155 to have

The Origins of the H155

The H155 was originally developed as the EC155 – EC for Eurocopter. In 1992 Aerospatiale merged with Deutsche Aerospace and created Eurocopter. Then Eurocopter was taken over

by Airbus Helicopters in 2014 and the EC155 became the Airbus Helicopters H155.

The EC155 first flew in 1997. It was certified in 1999 and approved for single-pilot IFR operations in January 2000.

For anyone familiar with medium French helicopters, the family resemblance to the Aérospatiale SA360 Dauphin is immediately evident. The Dauphin entered production in

Cruise of 150 KTAS possible with 175 KIAS Vne.

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1975 and its various versions were in continuous production for more than 40 years.

The Dauphin 2 was created by converting the underpowered and commercially unsuccessful single-engine Aérospatiale SA360, or Dauphin 1, into a twin. The Dauphin 2 entered service with the original designation of SA365 until January 1990 when Aerospatiale became Eurocopter and it was redesignated the AS365. Such was the market success of the Dauphin that Eurocopter decided to make the basic design bigger and more powerful – and thus the EC155 was born.

The H155 started with the hugely successful Dauphin, added improved engines and systems, and a larger cabin. When it was introduced in 1999 it was expected to depose the Sikorsky S-76 as the preferred ride for the Wall Street set and in the offshore oil industry it was expected that the upcoming AgustaWestland AW139 would be pushed back.

Mark Huber of Business Jet Traveller says

that for the most part though, the EC155 never caught on with American executives. Nor did it do well in oil and gas, where its larger cabin should have helped against the S-76. It sold better in Europe, but many of those sales were subsidised. Thus, Airbus Helicopters is owned

by EADS, which until recently was controlled by the French and German governments, and so the German Police ordered 20, which seems a bit over the top for a police helicopter.

After the initial slow start in sales, in 2002 Eurocopter released an improved variant, the EC155-B1, with yet more power and improved systems. However, Huber claims that the H155’s popularity continues to be retarded by the fact that its direct operating costs exceed those of the Sikorsky S-76 and Bell 430, which both come in at around $1,500 an hour. A 2003 EC155-B1 has an hourly direct operating cost of about $2,400, according to Conklin & de Decker.

Increased fuel burn accounts for part of that; the EC155 burns 95 gallons an hour compared with 88 for both the Sikorsky and the Bell. Higher component costs account for much of the rest.

Sliding doors both sides for pax and two doors for pilots.

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The H155 is approved for single pilot IFR.

On the Ground The H155 B1 features 697 kW (935 shp) Arriel 2C2s engines. Huber reports that the operators’ experience of the H155s’ Arriel 2C2s is “solid.

And they warm up quickly—going from light up to liftoff can take as little as 30 seconds.”

A key distinguishing feature is the main rotor which features a five-bladed “Spheriflex” head, known for its low maintenance. With its allcomposite blades, Spheriflex main rotor head and Fenestron tail rotor, the H155 claims the lowest vibration and noise signature in its class.

The Fenestron has ten blades asymmetrically spaced around the hub. Airbus claims that the overall noise level of the helicopter is more than 3 dB below the latest ICAO standards.

The H155 airframe is a combination of composites and light alloys. For utility and maritime work, the H155 is approved for hoist winches, cargo slinging, a fast-roping system, externally mounted life rafts and push out windows.

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While maintenance access is considered easier on the H155 than on the S-76 or Bell 430, the H155 does require a minor periodic inspection every seven days or 15 flight hours.

So basically, this rotorcraft needs to live with, or close to, a mechanic.

It has proven to be an excellent Emergency Medical Services (EMS) machine, thanks to its large cabin and good range and a typical cruise speed of 140-150 knots. EMS operators say they can accept missions as far as 350 nautical miles distant without refuelling and carry pilot, patient and five medical professionals in the cabin. The H155 is approved for single-pilot instrument conditions.

For a helicopter in this category, the large flatfloor passenger cabin is a strong selling point. In American terms its 235 cubic feet plus 88 cubic feet luggage room is bigger than some midsize med-rescue jets. In utility configuration there is space for 13 passengers and in executive configuration there is luxury seating for five to nine.

Nose radar a prominent feature - as is easy access.

Because of its comparatively small rotor disc diameter of 41.3 feet—smaller than that of the S-76 or AW139—the EC155 is better suited for operations into tight spaces.

Cockpit

The H155 features the Eurocopter integrated digital flight control system, the MEGHAS, from Thales. The system consists of seven displays – two for flight controls; including an electronic artificial horizon, two displaying route information, three central displays showing the engine and systems parameters and the warning indicator lights. An eighth optional, 6in x 8in multifunction screen is dedicated to mission equipment displays, for example: electronic maps, FLIR (forward-looking infrared) and radar.

t he large f lat -f loor pas s e nge r cabin is a s t r ong s e lling point

The all-glass cockpit is equipped with an 'Avionique Nouvelle' integrated digital flight control system featuring Eurocopter's Vehicle and Engine Management Display (VEMD), which uses liquid crystal displays. The four-axis digital autopilot is coupled to the engine FADECs for full-envelope protection, and is offered with a Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS).

The helicopter can be fitted with a health and usage monitoring system (HUMS), Honeywell Mark XXII Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and EADS Hellas (Helicopter Laser Radar) obstacle warning system.

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Low maintenance and vibration 'Spheriflex' five blade rotor head.

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Cabin As noted, the big thing about the H155 is its large cabin – ZT-RMT has 12 luxury seats for passengers and plenty of legroom. Access to the cabin for all three rows of 4 seats is excellent thanks to the large sliding doors on both sides of the fuselage. The large cabin windows give a great view out and make the cabin feel light and spacious. In metric terms the cabin is 2.55m long and 2.10m wide with a large sliding door on each side.

The H155 can carry up to 13 passengers with high-density seating, nine in the VIP configuration or six stretchers in the medevac role. The baggage compartment is behind the cabin rear bulkhead.

Engines The H155 is powered by two Turbomeca Arrius 2C1 turbine engines, fitted with FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control). Each engine is rated at 635kW (851shp) for takeoff and 597kW (800shp) max continuous power.

and user friendly. The steps for climbing up to inspect the rotor hub and blades are sturdy and well positioned.

The baggage compartment is spacious and easily able to fit bulky VIP luggage, such as golf-clubs, for up to twelve people going on a weekend away.

As noted, the H155 has a Starflex rotor head, almost identical to the Squirrel and EC130, except the H155 has five blades, not the four of the Dauphin or three of the smaller aircraft. The five composite blades are attached to the head by spherical thrust bearings and, as the name suggests, the rotor head flexes allowing for improved damping and a smooth ride.

Being a solid component with no ball bearings requiring lubrication means low maintenance. It requires on-condition maintenance only, as any damage is clearly visible.

a bold inves t me nt in impr ove d VIP he licopte r t rans por t

There are four fuel tanks, mainly under the cabin floor, giving a total standard fuel capacity of 1,225 litres.

Pre-flight For such a substantial and complex helicopter, the pre-flight is surprisingly straightforward.

Airbus claims most of the essential checks can be done by just walking around the helicopter.

The round glass windows for the engine oil and hydraulic fluid levels are clearly visible. Cowling latches and maintenance steps are simple, neat

While a Fenestron tail rotor adds weight, it reduces the noise and vibration levels and makes for safer operation on the ground than an exposed tail rotor. The large vertical fin decreases the power demand of the Fenestron.

The instrument panel and overhead fuel control levers will be familiar to Squirrel pilots. ZT-RMT’s spacious cockpit is equipped with a conventional instrument panel and although setup for twopilot operation, the H155, with its 4-axis autopilot is certified for single pilot IFR operations. Most operators would however only operate with two pilots under IFR.

Flying the H155 Standard pre-start checks require: Overhead switches off; instruments: check volts, check fuel July 2022

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Large Fenestron tail rotor provides greater ground safety.

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flow levers closed, and then move through the rest of the checklist. A quick look out the window confirms the passengers’ steps are stowed.

Then, with the cyclic in neutral position and the collective locked down, you are ready to start the first engine.

For those familiar with the Squirrel, starting the H155 will hold no surprises: Engage the starter while moving the fuel lever slowly forward to the Start position. Watch the needles rising on the gauges while listening to the turbine spool up.

Engine One generally starts a little hotter than Engine Two, and the turbine inlet temperature, or T4, rises quickly. A slight adjustment on the fuel lever ensures that the engine starts within limits. As the gas producer turbine rpm reaches 40%, the starter can be released, and once the engine oil reaches operating temperature, switch to flight idle; there’s no need to warm up the engine at ground idle.

Repeat for the second engine – but with one engine already running you can’t hear the

second engine and have to rely on the gauges to monitor the start up.

With both engines turning and burning, all temps and pressures in the green, you are ready to lift.

Raising the collective slowly, you get light on the undercarriage. The right wheel is the last to lift.

The H155 hovers slightly right side low, as can be expected with the clockwise rotating rotor.

At sea level, with an outside temperature of 20 degrees C, two hours fuel and only three crew, there is plenty of power to spare.

We gain height and speed and at 60 kts the landing gear is retracted. All the controls are powered by a dual hydraulic system and with the loads trimmed off the cyclic, control inputs are responsive and light. Flying straight and level you pick up speed with no noticeable increase in vibration. Typical fast cruise is 140 KTAS. Airbus boasts about their smooth flying helicopters, and the H155 lives up to that claim.

There’s little need to wear a headset and little ZT-RMT has 12 comfortable seats in the cabin.

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Access to the engines for checking and maintenance is easy.

vibration. This is, no doubt, thanks to the ZT-RMT’s interior which comes with extra noise dampening.

For normal ops the H155 cruises at about 135-140 KTAS at 3000 ft. Lifting 1225 litres of fuel and burning it at 170 litres per hour per side (350/hour total), translates to about four hours’ endurance, or 420 nm range. For a mid-size helicopter, that’s pretty good.

Of course, you won’t be able to fill the seats in this full tanks scenario.

Noteworthy is that Silvercross Chief Pilot James Blomerus reckons that on a point to point basis over distances of 200 nm or more they will be able to compete for VIP and tourist business against fixed wing aircraft such as the King Air 200 and PC-12.

Returning to the Silvercross helibase in the Cape Town Airport General Aviation Area, the approach is flown at 60 knots. This causes the landing gear warning to illuminate – a reminder to lower the gear. With the right wheel touching first, we settle onto the undercarriage, then forward pressure on the cyclic allows for a smooth taxi towards the hangars.

Shut down doesn’t take long. Park brake is applied and the fuel flow levers set to ground idle. All other electronics are switched off, and the two big Turbomecca Arriel engines only need a minute’s cooling before shut down.

Conclusion The H155 is, like all Eurocopter/Airbus products, a great all-round performer. Yet it has had mixed success building on its illustrious predecessor, the Dauphin. Like the Dauphin the H155’s

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precise handling, speed and power make it wellsuited to utility, EMS, coast-guard and military operations, while the quiet, smooth ride has made it a popular VIP transport.

Silvercross Helicopters are to be congratulated for making a bold investment in improved VIP helicopter transport and already there is a new market demand emerging for the H155.

The price of a new H155-B1 with an executive cabin is around $15 million; however, you can buy a 2007 model with fresh interior and avionics for less than $4.75 million. That’s a great deal of helicopter. j

Specifications and Performance Airbus H155 SPECIFICATIONS Crew:

1 or 2 pilots

Capacity:

13 passengers or 2,301 kg (5,073 lb) payload

Medevac transport

1 or 2 pilots + 2 stretchers and 4 attendants

Length:

14.3 m (46 ft 11 in)

Height:

4.35 m (14 ft 3 in)

Empty weight:

2,618 kg (5,772 lb)

Gross weight:

4,950 kg (10,913 lb)

Useful load

2,301 kg / 5,073 lbs

Sling capacity

1,600 kg / 3,527 lbs

Powerplant:

2 × Turbomeca Arriel 2C2

Take-off Power,

697 kW (935 hp) each

Main rotor diameter:

12.6 m (41 ft 4 in)

Main rotor area:

124.7 m2 (1,342 sq ft)

PERFORMANCE (MTOW, ISA) Fast cruise speed at 6,000 ft

278 km/h / 150 kts

Max range: std tanks

784 km / 423 nm

Ferry range:

985 km (612 mi, 532 nmi)

Never exceed speed:

324 km/h (201 mph, 175 kn)

Service ceiling:

4,572 m (15,000 ft)

Rate of climb:

8.9 m/s (1,750 ft/min)

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JIM DAVIS

L -3 9 A I R S H OW

CR A S H Date: 30 June 2012 Time: 0802Z Pilot: ATP Age: 49 Total hours: 2019 Hours on type: 41

Hours in the past 6 months: 39 • •

This report is to promote aviation safety and not to establish legal liability.

The CAA’s report contains padding, repetition, poor English and incompetence.

In the interest of clarity and readability I have corrected and paraphrased extensively.

Meteorological info: CAVOK Manufacturer: Aero Vodochody Model: L39C Registration Marks: ZU-HIT Type of Operation: Display POB / people killed: 1 / 1 Place: Klerksdorp, 4444 ft AMSL

CAA SUMMARY On 30 June 2012, two L-39C aircraft were scheduled to perform aerobatics at the air show at Klerksdorp in the North-West province.

The pilots discussed the procedure the day before the accident, but no safety briefing was held on the day of the display.

Shortly after both aircraft took off from Runway 36, they completed one uneventful loop in close formation. The lead pilot turned on his smoke and made a steep left descending turn and the

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accident aircraft dropped back in line astern. As the accident aircraft entered the smoke of the leader, the nose pitched up and the aircraft then rolled to the right. It then entered a steep inverted dive from which the pilot was unable to recover before it hit the ground.

The pilot of the lead aircraft stated that the exit of the loop was at the same altitude as the entry altitude of 5500ft AMSL (1000’AGL).

The aircraft was equipped with a serviceable ejection seat which the pilot did not use. Safe escape is provided for most combinations of aircraft altitude, speed, attitude and flight path, within the envelope including zero altitude and

150 km/h minimum speed. On 5 October 2011, the Bowdene ejection seat was inspected and found to be serviceable.

Stalls on these aircraft are conventional, with a break that is not sharply defined, and does not result in the nose dropping. The stall is preceded

by an easily identified low-frequency rumble.

The investigation revealed no anomalies with the engine or the airframe that could have caused, or could have contributed to the accident.

The two L-39s takeoff in formation with ZU-HIT following the lead

JIM’S COMMENTS You may be wondering what formation, display aerobatics, in a jet, has to do with day to day safety in general aviation. Read on – it concerns us all.

My aim with this column is to highlight dangerous situations, behaviours and attitudes, and then try to persuade live pilots not to follow the poor decisions made by the now dead ones.

The key word is discipline.

When Bob Hoover was asked where he learned to do low-level aerobatics, he famously replied, “at ten thousand feet.”

Well, I am proud to say that I followed Bob’s example, and eventually progressed to doing my low-level aerobatics right down at 3000’ AGL. Except at two airshows where I broke this discipline.

We have all seen videos of pilots desperately trying to pull out of a dive and not quite making

it. Another twenty, or maybe fifty feet, and they would still be around now to look after their families and enjoy a beer with their mates. It’s called showing off, and it’s a lack of discipline. I did it twice at airshows and both times was lucky enough to have the extra few feet. That’s called luck – not skill.

This makes me remember that terrible airshow crash that took the life of my mate Glen Dell.

Then, in December 2021, Glen Warden, one of our top aerobatic pilots, was killed while doing low level aerobatics during an Ace of The Base competition at Baragwanath. And now, sadly, as I write, news has come in that Mark Samson from the Marksman aerobatic team has just been killed during a low level display in Harare.

When you fly an aeroplane, near the ground, on the limit of both its, and your own ability, it can only be safe if it is: • • • •

Well planned Well-practiced Professional Disciplined.

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ZU-HIT pulling the loop tight.

One second later and ZU-HIT has stalled and rolled inverted.

Airshow organisers and pilots know this. When something goes wrong it’s because of a failure in one of these areas.

It only takes one maverick to turn a polished display into a tragedy. Actually, the word maverick is too strong – all it needs is one small lapse of discipline.

From talking to display pilots, who were on the spot and saw what happened, I gather that this accident failed in the planning stage which brought all the other stages tumbling down with it. Let me explain.

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These guys were not planning to do formation aerobatics. After the first loop it was to become a tailchase. This term is possibly not familiar to many – a tailchase is potentially the most dangerous sequence in the book. And certainly requires the most careful planning and greatest skill.

At the time of the accident the British CAA were the only aviation authority in the world to issue special approvals (ratings) for both leading and following pilots. The South African CAA only did this in February 2021. So at the time of the accident it was illegal as an airshow display manoeuvre.

Perhaps strangely, there are more stringent requirements for the leader than for the number two, as this accident demonstrates.

If the following aircraft has to manoeuvre too violently he is likely to stall – which is exactly what happened here.

There is some debate about what happened next. The pilot had two options, one was to eject the moment he saw the danger, the second was to simply level the wings by rolling to the nearest horizon. He didn’t eject, and some reports say that he tried to pull through – as in the second half of a loop. Obviously there was not nearly enough height. Whatever happened he wasn’t able to recover in time.

Of course low level is a variable term. It depends on the aircraft type, the manoeuvres to be performed and the pilot’s proficiency. The pilot in this accident had a display/aerobatic rating which limited him to the following: • • •

Formation flying 200’ AGL Jet aerobatics 750’ AGL Jet level fly-past 500’ AGL

According to the pilot of the lead aircraft the loop started and finished at 1000’ AGL, so it seems he was legal. He also had plenty of height to operate his bang seat, and this is perhaps where we run into murky waters.

There was never enough altitude to recover so the jet impacted almost vertically.

sources tell me that this is unlikely because the vortices at those speeds are minimal, and it is far more likely that he simply pulled the turn too tight, and that caused the stall.

The report makes much of the fact that although the pilots discussed the display on the previous day they did not have a formal briefing on the day of the display. This makes perfect sense – if they were planning a non-approved tailchase they would certainly not brief this in the presence of the authorities.

all it ne e ds is one s mall laps e of dis cipline

I suspect that had this been a military flight the pilot would not have hesitated to eject. But when the aeroplane is privately owned, and expensive, he may have been tempted to try saving the airframe.

From a series of photos that were taken of the event, it seems that as the accident aircraft moved from the line abreast to position behind the leader for the tailchase, this took him into the vortices of the lead aircraft. The accident report suggests that this caused him to stall and then roll to the right until he was inverted. Reliable

The ironic thing about a tailchase is that that it’s so demanding on the pilots, and so unimpressive to the public.

Like a rolling circle. Very few spectators will appreciate the skill needed – and most will be unimpressed.

As civilian pilots, after we obtain our licenses, we seldom have briefings about anything. But military pilots, and civvi pilots when planning any sort of formation flying, would never dream of doing so without a briefing – it’s part of the normal discipline.

And Discipline is the word that ties this accident, and many other airshow accidents, to each of us in our day to day flying.

I am talking about having the discipline to do a proper preflight inspection before every flight.

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The point of impact and subsequent fire.

And having the discipline to do whatever it takes to visually check the fuel in a Cessna; and having the discipline to say NO to passengers when necessary. We can never be safe pilots if we don’t discipline ourselves on every flight.

TAKE HOME POINTS • If you want to do formation flying, don’t even think about it without proper training.

• Every formation flight calls for a full briefing immediately before takeoff.

• Don’t fly near the edge of the aeroplane’s ability unless you have a lot of height and a good parachute.

• The same applies to flying near the edge of your own ability. Height and parachute.

• Showing off, legally or otherwise, is not a good idea in a car or on a motorbike, but it’s a particularly dumb thing to do in an aeroplane.

• Discipline yourself to always do the right thing around aeroplanes. You know what it is, so just do it – EVERY time.

The percusssion of the impact stunned the crowd.

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AERO EXPO

AERO SOUTH AFRICA 2022 BACK – AND BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER!

After a Covid-19 forced break of two years, the AERO South Africa expo returns to Wonderboom Aiport Pretoria.

AERO IS AFRICA’S LEADING business to business (B2B) trade show for general aviation (GA). The event’s aim is to connect global general aviation to the African market and to showcase the latest technology and trends in GA.

From ultralights and gliders to business jets, helicopters, remotely piloted aircraft and electric aircraft, as well as avionics and maintenance, many GA companies were afforded the opportunity to showcase their cutting-edge products and services.

The successful 2019 launch of AERO to South Africa welcomed over 4,200 visitors with over 100 exhibiting companies showcasing the industry’s latest innovations from 14 aviation sectors, across 4000 sqm of exhibition space.

AERO South Africa is presented in corporation with Messe Friedrichshafen, the organisers of the industry’s major tradeshow in Germany that attracts 35,000 visitors from 60 different countries. Messe Frankfurt is one of the world’s AERO Expo returns for 2022.

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The 2019 AERO Expo was adjudged a big success.

largest trade fair, congress and event organisers with a global footprint. In South Africa, Messe Frankfurt organises a broad range of Expos. Following the launch event in 2019, this trade show has garnered the reputation as the 'not to be missed' event.

Visitors and guests to AERO 2022 will discover the latest developments and technology in GA. They can meet with leading industry experts, general aviation enthusiasts and business owners, flight training schools, pilots, business and private aircraft owners. Over the three-day trade show there will be demonstrations, informative sessions, experiential activations and face-to-face business meetings.

Pilots are welcome to fly-in to AERO South Africa in their own aircraft.

There are free landing, approach and ground handling fees for flyins to the event – on condition that pilots pre-register their flight plans.

Potential buyers have the opportunity to experience aircraft features first hand as aircraft manufacturers and distributors have the opportunity to host demo flights during the event.

AERO Expo by the numbers.

The expo also presents an interactive platform offering exhibitors and visitors the perfect environment to build and foster relationships with current and future business partners. Visitors can meet leading industry experts, enthusiasts, aviation companies, flight training schools, pilots, business jet owners and private aircraft owners over 3 days of July 2022

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AERO 2019 Organisation very customer focussed including these helpful walking equiry assistants.

excitement, demonstrations and face-to-face business meetings.

AERO South Africa boasts an impressive list of respected industry leaders as part of its exhibitors this year. Visitors can be part of the conversation about general aviation safety as well as women in aviation. The exhibitors are keen to share their new products and are focused on getting you to your destination smarter, safer and faster.

There is a workshop area hosting reputable speakers covering relevant topics and to host seminars and talks. AERO South Africa attracts a broad and international exhibitor base with innovative products new to South Africa by incentivising product launches and global imports.

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July 2022

AERO South Africa has proven the ability to attract MRO representatives, government and regulator representatives, farming and agricultural community pilots (recreational, commercial and business) aircraft brokers, charter and carrier services, flight clubs and associations and most importantly - business owners, decision makers and executives, tourism, game lodges and private estate owners.

The expo will also feature: equipment and systems, pilot supplies, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), airport equipment & services, organisations, regulators and of course – the media.

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July 2022

71

REGISTER REVIEW: RAY WATTS

EI-FPC is a CL-600 now ZS-CMO as a CRJ-900 for fast growing Cemair.

MAY 2022

This month the number of certified aircraft registered is very low – only four (one fixed wing, two helicopters and a glider) THE FIXED WING IS A Bombardier CL-600 for Cemair. This is their third -900 and will be released for operation on their routes soon.

Cemair also has another DHC-8 Q400 to come.

The aircraft is already in South Africa and is going through import CofA checks before being officially registered. I guess we’ll see this one coming onto the register in the next month. It is fantastic to see how Cemair’s fleet has expanded and to me demonstrates how a wellrun private airline can be successful while state airlines are failing.

operating in Kenya for some time and was in New Zealand before that. The other is a brand-new machine. The glider is an ex-French Rolladen-Schneider LS4 club class machine.

Unfortunately a more modern and competitive ASW 27 was exported to the USA.

It is fant astic to see how Ce m a i r ’ s f leet has ex panded

The two helicopters added are both Airbus AS350s Squirrels. One is a B2 which has been

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July 2022

On the non-certified side there are another ten aircraft added. There is a good selection showing just how diversified this market is. One which is new to me is the Challenger LSS. Looking it up on the internet it looks like a very nice single seater. There is another Razzo R44 added as well. These are Robinson R44s that have been rebuilt. There are quite a few ZU registered Robinsons around.

ABOVE: 5Y-EVG is an Airbus AS350 B2 Squirrel from Kenya which becomes ZT-RFN. BELOW MIDDLE: ZS-DEL is a Beech F33A Bonanza exported to Argentina. Photo Ray Watts BELOW BOTTOM: ZS-JEA is another Beech F33A exported to Argentina. Photo Dave Becker.

July 2022

73

ABOVE: New to the register is this Challenger LSS BELOW: The well known ZS-NBO, a Beech 200, was exported to the USA as N507BP. Photo Ray Watts

There are another sixty-one drones added. I see that the SANDF and the SAPD have been using drones in KwaZulu Natal to help in the search for people in the recent floods. This is a fantastic application of these very useful machines. There were also thirteen drones cancelled off the register as withdrawn from use.

We continue to lose aircraft to the export market, with another eleven departing our shores this month. Noteworthy are the two Bonanzas that have gone to Argentina. There seems to be a growing market in South America for our aircraft. These are the third and fourth aircraft to be exported there this year. One of the aircraft exported is a very well-known King Air 200, ZS-NBO which was flown for many years by

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July 2022

well-known pilot Derek Hopkins. He told me that he’d flown that aircraft for twenty-two years and clocked up some 7500 hours on her.

Tail piece The air show season is well underway again after all the Covid restrictions and by the looks of things the people are loving every minute of the shows. It’s fantastic to see the aircraft in action again.

Winter is definitely here with the excellent flying weather that it brings. Just be careful and stay warm. j

ABOVE: ZS-DCG is a PA46 Meridian. Now in the USA as N53283. Photo Ray Watts.

BELOW: ZS-OTY was an Ayres S2R Thrush - now exported to Zimbabwe. Photo Dave Becker.

July 2022

75

MAY 2022 Register Review REG

MANUFACTURER

TYPE NAME

SERIAL NUMBER

PREVIOUS IDENTITY / EXPORT COUNTRY

New Registrations ZSZS-CMO

BOMBADIER INC

CL-600-2D24

15400

EI-FPC, C-GWFU

New Registrations ZT-R ZT-RFN

AIRBUS HELICOPTERS

AS 350 B2

4439

5Y-EVG, ZK-IHT

ZT-RFO

AIRBUS HELICOPTERS

AS 350 B3

9134

F-WWXU

LS4

4013

F-CEIC

New Registrations ZT-G ZT-GAH

ROLLADEN-SCHNEIDER FLUGZEUGBAU GMBH

New Registrations ZUZU-IWL

ICP ITALY & SAVANNAH AFRICA

SAVANNAH S

21-06-54-0793

ZU-IWM

ALAN KYNOCH

KFA SAFARI

070-01-22 SAF 3

ZU-IWN

MICRO AVIATION SA

BAT HAWK R

0093

ZU-IWO

MICRO AVIATION SA

BAT HAWK R

0085

ZU-IWR

STEFAN COETZEE

KFA BUSHBABY EXPLORER

13-D-21-EXUL

ZU-IWS

JOHAN JACOBUS NAUDESLING

SLING TSI

SK299

ZU-JIA

PETRUS JOHANNES CROUS

CHALLENGER LSS

CH2-1206-LSS-0116

ZU-KAL

SHADOW LITE CC

J170

376

ZU-RFM

GERHARDUS VAN HEERDEN

RAZZO 44 II

R12105

ZU-TDH

SHADOW LITE CC

J230

988

Aircraft Deleted ZSZS-DCG

PIPER AIRCRAFT CORPORATION

PA-46-500TP

4697055

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA as N53283

ZS-DEL

BEECH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION

F33A

CE-290

ARGENTINA

ZS-GVT

ALEXANDER SCHLEICHER GMBH & CO

ASW 27

27169

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA as N279VT

ZS-JEA

BEECH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION

F33A

CE-344

ARGENTINA

ZS-NBO

BEECH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION

200

BB-706

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA as N507BP

ZS-NID

PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD

PC 12/47E

1247

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA as N757BT

ZS-OTY

AYRES CORPORATION

S2R-T15

T15-044

ZIMBABWE

ZS-RSB

EUROCOPTER

AS 350 B3

3613

AUSTRALIA

ZS-RVZ

ROBINSON HELICOPTER CO

R44 II

10690

BOTSWANA

ZS-SEM

BEECH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION

1900D

UE-91

PAPUA -NEW GUINEA

ZS-TWP

HAWKER BEECHCRAFT CORPORATION

B200GT

BY-46

MALTA

Aircraft Deleted ZS-

76

ZU-ILY

MICRO CRAFTS AFRICA

AQUILLA 912 UL

WA 1235

JAMAICA

ZU-IKR

VANS AIRCRAFT

RV-14A

140240

NAMIBIA

July 2022

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July 2022

77

STORY - JULIAN SMITH

PICS - KYLE WOOLL, MEGAN EVANS AND MITCHELL HILL

SA AEROBATIC

NATIONAL

CHAMPIONSHIPS The picturesque Wings Park Fly-in Estate outside East London was honoured to host the National Championships for Sport Aerobatic from 15 to 18 June.

Advanced and Unlimited winners - Kyle Wooll and Patrick Davidson.

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July 2022

Competitors and organisers.

ORIGINALLY 16 COMPETITORS were entered, but due to the distances from the Highveld, challenges like the weather, and the recent death of Mark Sampson in Zimbabwe (See his obituary in this month’s edition), the final field was just 12 entries.

The 2021 Nationals had been held at Tempe Airport in Bloemfontein so this year the committee of the Sport Aerobatic Club (SAC) decided that it would be beneficial to hold the event at coastal altitude.

sufficiently for all the competitors to complete their sequences and obtain a result.

RESULTS Uncontested in the Unlimited Class was Patrick Davidson in first place with an overall score of 82,510% flying his American registered Gamebird N71PD.

high w inds w hich de laye d t he s t ar t

Thursday began with high winds which delayed the start of the proceedings until the afternoon. Friday’s weather improved and all competitors were able to complete their unknown sequences. Saturday morning again started with a fierce crosswind, but by mid-afternoon the conditions had improved

The Advanced Class saw Kyle Wooll as the winner at 78,489% flying his Extra 330LX ZS-XLX. Cliff Lotter and Pierre Du Plooy finished in second and third respectively with 78,214% and 75,521%.

Cliff flew a shared YAK 55, ZS-EHZ, while Pierre competed in the Giles 202, ZU-ZOZ. Duncan Hughes was fourth, also in the YAK 55.

Jurie Steyn, a dentist from the Western Cape, flying a Zlin 50 ZS-WSZ, came first in the

July 2022

79

Darren Hanner with ATC Megan Evans.

Jurie Steyn's Zlin 50.

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July 2022

Intermediate Class followed by Rodger Deare in his Extra 300, ZS-OLR. Darren Hanner won the Sportsman Class in a Yak 52, ZS-EWJ with a score of 75,123% followed by Wally Goodrich in his RV7, ZU-WEG. Mitch Hill took third, also in the Yak 52.

The RV Class winner was Div Visser in his RV8, ZU-SER, and in second place Ian Beaton in the RV7, ZU-FSG.

WINGS PARK AIRFIELD Wings Park is a privately owned airfield, and provides excellent facilities at the airfield that includes a game reserve, and a wedding and conference centre. The airfield also has both Avgas and Mogas with a credit card facility.

The runways are long enough to accommodate most general aviation aircraft, including an L-39 Albatross jet which uses the airfield from time to time.

This airfield is a wonderful example of what can be achieved through a partnership of likeminded individuals.

ATNS were on duty through the four day event with Megan Evans, Benji Phukubje and Sam Herman doing the necessary ATC. A big thank you to all organizers and competitors involved and to Annie Boon for making this event the success it was. j

The shared Yak 52.

July 2022

81

STORY - LAURA MCDERMID

2022

NATIONAL NAVIGATION RALLY CHAMPS

– a personal experience Dawn broke, revealing a glittering white landscape. Gauteng was in the grip of the first cold spell of the year. Frozen grass crunched under my boots as I pulled ZU-MJB out of the hangar, my breath white plumes in the frigid air.

Podium winners from left to right Steve van der Merwe, Alewyn Burger, Mary de Klerk, Nigel Hopkins, Hendrik Loots, Jandrè Loots.

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July 2022

IT WAS THE FIRST DAY of the National Nav Rally championships at Brits Airfield (FABS) and I was eager to get going. Preflight done, my frozen fingers clumsily turned the ignition key and the trusty Rotax 912 whirled into life. I kept the choke out for a bit longer than usual as the OAT was still hovering at 0 degrees.

I lined up on runway 08 at Eagle’s Creek, squinting into the bright sun which had finally levitated above the horizon. As the Pioneer 300 cut a swathe through the icy blue sky, I was struck by a sense of dèjá vu.

A year ago I was aiming in the same direction to fly the same competition. Unfortunately Covid had its own agenda and the world championships which were meant to have taken place in Stellenbosch in November had been cancelled. The rules stated that everyone had to repeat the process this year in order to re-qualify.

competitors who were sharing C150 ZS-NBT with veterans Ron Stirk and Hans Schwebel.

The third missing person was Adrian Pilling, who was meant to be flying with legendary navigator Mary de Klerk. Two days before the competition, Adrian had discovered that his license had expired. A mad scramble to renew all the paperwork and his medical ensued, but despite Adrian’s Herculean effort, the CAA deemed his situation as “nonlife-threatening” and refused to issue an immediate license.

The r outes had to be wor ld s t andar d

The same participants from last year’s nationals at FABS had entered bar three. Two of the empty slots were filled by a pair of eager new

Not to be thwarted by this unfortunate turn of events, Mary turned to flying ace Nigel Hopkins to save the day. Nigel was briefly in South Africa from his job as an international Boeing instructor pilot.

Fortunately the flying-gods were on the side of this formidable duo and they managed to pull it all together!

I practiced a few landings at FABS, getting my eye in for the spot landing which marked the end of each task. Once on the ground, I

Crews and organisers.

July 2022

83

watched the last of the arriving aircraft land and was about to head into the clubhouse when I heard the strangled sounds of a plane in distress. I headed towards the noise which turned out to be ZS-NBT. Despite all attempts, the C150 would not start and she was in the process of being hooked up to a car battery.

As with most problems, this issue began after the plane’s MPI in May and continued intermittently despite Hans’ and Ron’s best efforts at finding the problem.

Laura and Stuart McDermid with Seamus - Every Man and his Dog.

Four participants were relying on this aircraft and newcomers Von Hamman and Hannes Roos, did not need this additional stress. By now the engine was flooded; all anyone could do is to try start her again after the briefing.

Frank Eckhart, the rally organizer, was in fine fettle as he set out to brief us on the plan for the day. Having had previous experience with Frank’s routes, we were all a tad apprehensive. The routes had to be world standard and Frank was not about to go easy on us.

Mary de Klerk and Nigel Hopkins

Briefing complete, we were to remain in quarantine until 40 minutes before our allocated takeoff time after which we were given 30 minutes to plot our routes.

Fortunately ZS-NBT fired up when Jonty Esser hand swung the prop, taking the weight Tarryn and Iaan Myburg with Jabiru ZU-BSA.

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July 2022

Girl Power, from left to right Sandi Goddard, Mary de Klerk, Tarryn Myburgh, Laura McDermid, Adrienne Visser

off the shoulders of the four people whose fate depended on her. Von and Hannes were the first to depart at 10h50.

For those who have never plotted inside an aeroplane, it is quite a thing, especially in our cramped cockpit. Once you are handed your envelope the frenzy begins. My husband, Stuart starts plotting the route immediately whilst I cut out turn-point and enroute photos and stick them on a board. After Stuart plots the first 5 points he hands the map to me so that I can add bearings and minute markers. Things happen really quickly and I need to keep my eye on the time, making sure that I lift off no more than a minute after our allotted time.

Our plane is poorly suited to nav rallies; I liken it to driving a Ferrari in a 4x4 rally. Having found ourselves about 10NM off the track, we utilized the only advantage that we have, and hastened to the next turn point at 140KT. This enabled us to complete the task at the given time but it cost us a great deal in points.

a s por t t hat has t he abilit y to k nock all hubr is out of you

The first day’s route had us flying over Rustenburg and true to form Frank did not disappoint! Coming out of the arc we realized that we were hopelessly off course (read lost).

Being relatively new to the aviation industry, I had no idea of the breadth of Nigel’s experience with regards to Nav Rallies. He had previously flown eight competitions and he and Mary had won the world champs held in Sun City in 2003 as well as the Nationals in 2019.

His muscle memory reawakened quickly as was evidenced by their win on the first day, scoring a respectable 270 in their borrowed C150, ZS-PVY. In second place were Alewyn Burger and Steve van der Merwe in their C180 Skywagon July 2022

85

Steve van der Merwe and Alewyn Burger.

ZS-LOU, followed very closely by local hero Jonty Esser and navigator Sandi Goddard in their green mean machine C150 ZU-BLL. Day two yielded more cerulean skies and perfect flying conditions. The route meandered over the Magaliesberg mountains, into the valley and back over into Rustenburg. Stuart and I had identified the incorrect power line road crossing at the start and true to form the arc caught us out again! We flew more of a full moon than a crescent and realizing that we would arrive at the turn point too late, made the call to abandon it in favour of the next turn point, a decision that kept us in second-last place.

Not falling for Frank’s tricks, Nigel and Mary took first place again, scoring even better than the previous day with second place awarded to Jonty and Sandi.

In a surprise twist, the previous day’s last placed team, Fanie Scholtz and Herman Haasbroek, snatched third place from a disgruntled Alewyn and Steve who lodged a dispute over a photograph at turn point 9.

Day 3 took us North-East of Brits over virgin bushveld. There was a ‘follow the feature’ which Stuart and I forgot to do, which meant arriving at July 2022

Runway 02 lay in wait on our return to humble us in the event we thought we were clever!

Earlier that morning the runway had almost claimed its first victim in the form of a Samba which narrowly dodged a catastrophic stall spin.

ZU-MJB’s delicate Italian retractable undercarriage cannot handle the traditional method of being slammed onto the asphalt and as a result we gently floated all the way to the end of the landing box in ground effect. Some highly skilled pilots came in so far behind the power curve that they almost stalled whist several planes bounced clean out the box!

nar r ow l y dodge d a cat as t r ophic s t all s pin

The following morning a bleary-eyed Frank announced that the scoring had been adjusted due to the disputed photograph. The offensive turn point was taken out and the scores re-computed which benefited some teams while compromising others.

86

turn point 2 at least 3 minutes early resulting in some spectacular steep turns and pirouettes to avoid going over the gate prematurely. This time we smashed the arc and managed to time the rest of the flight relatively well.

Despite this, the majority of the teams performed a lot better than the previous day and the mood was convivial. Nigel and Mary held onto their winning streak with Alewyn and Steve clawing their way back into second place.

Briefing with Frank and Callie Eckhart.

The second big surprise of the event was in the form of father and son team, Hendrik and Jandrè Loots, who took third spot overall in their Sling 2, ZU-IHK. At the tender age of 25, Jandrè is proving to be a very capable navigator.

Jonty and Sandi managed a respectable fourth place with stalwarts Hans and Ron not far behind. Despite improving our scores by 30% compared to the previous year, Stuart and I came last.

Mary admitted that a couple of decades ago the winners would have been delighted with our score. That knowledge mollified me slightly but what it also means is that the standard has increased exponentially, which is wonderful news for South Africa.

Special mention goes to husband and wife team Tarryn and Iaan Myburgh who scored just slightly more than Hans and Ron despite being quite new to the sport. Von and Hannes likewise performed exceptionally well considering the lack of any formal training. These youngsters are the future of this sport and I can only imagine how formidable they will be with the correct guidance and coaching.

A good friend asked me if I had fun. I replied that it was about as much fun as stabbing myself repeatedly with a blunt instrument. Over the three days I heard many a person question why we do this. This discipline requires complete cohesion between pilot and navigator and is a sport that has the ability to knock all hubris out of even the most experienced competitor.

It most certainly stretched my resolve to the limit and had me wishing that I had taken up knitting like my mother had repeatedly advised me to do. At a fundamental level it boils down to man’s eternal quest to master the skies through the union of flesh and machine. It’s as much an internal battle as it is an external one where extreme frustration is offset by the exhilaration and satisfaction of getting it right.

Iaan put it quite succinctly; “We are like addicts looking for our next fix”.

With over 40 teams registered for the world championships taking place at FABS in November, it’s an incredible opportunity for our local aviation community to get involved. If you are prepared to lend a hand, please contact Rob Jonkers on 082 804 7032. j July 2022

87

FUEL TABLE

SA Flyer 2022|07

www.sv1.co.za Prices at 27/05/2022 FuelFuel Prices as atas 27/05/2022

Prices at 27/06/2022 FuelFuel Prices as atas 27/06/2022

Prii ces i nclude but exclude any servi ce fees Pri ces nclude VAT VAT but exclude any servi ce fees AvgasJet A1 Jet A1 Ai rfi Ai eldrfi eld Avgas Beaufort R30,85 R19,35 Beaufort WestWest R30,85 R19,35 Bethlehem R 31,97 R 23,81 Bethlehem R 31,97 R 23,81 Bloemfontei R27,19 R19,39 Bloemfontei n n R27,19 R19,39 Brakpan R32,00 Brakpan R32,00 R29,75 BritsBrits R29,75 Town R30,02 R20,39 CapeCape Town R30,02 R20,39 Winelands R30,50 CapeCape Winelands R30,50 Eagles Creek Eagles Creek No No FuelFuel London R26,85 R21,74 East East London R26,85 R21,74 Ermelo R31,51 Ermelo R31,51 ep Dam R31,00 R21,50 Gari Gari ep Dam R31,00 R21,50 George R27,24 R22,36 George R27,24 R22,36 Grand Central R32,83 R22,25 Grand Central R32,83 R22,25 Hei delberg R31,50 Hei delberg R31,50 Hoedspruit Hoedspruit POAPOA Ki mberley R27,20 R19,39 Ki mberley R27,20 R19,39 Hawk R32,20 KittyKitty Hawk R32,20 Klerksdorp R31,00 R21,39 Klerksdorp R31,00 R21,39 Kroonstad R28,75 Kroonstad R28,75 Kruger Intl Nelspruit R29,42 R23,93 Kruger Intl Nelspruit R29,42 R23,93 Krugersdorp R29,95 Krugersdorp R29,95 Lanseri R31,40 R21,85 Lanseri a a R31,40 R21,85 Margate Margate No No FuelFuel Middelburg R30,59 R23,92 Middelburg R30,59 R23,92 Morningstar R28,95 Morningstar R28,95 Mosselbay R29,75 R23,00 Mosselbay R29,75 R23,00 Nelspruit Contact Nelspruit No No Contact Oudtshoorn R28,52 R19,50 Oudtshoorn R28,52 R19,50 ParysParys POAPOA POAPOA Pietermaritzburg R30,20 R23,60 Pietermaritzburg R30,20 R23,60 Pi etersburg R28,80 R21,95 Pi etersburg Ci vi lCi vi l R28,80 R21,95 Plettenberg R29,50 R20,50 Plettenberg Bay Bay R29,50 R20,50 Alfred R33,15 PortPort Alfred R33,15 Elizabeth R34,50 R23,26 PortPort Elizabeth R34,50 R23,26 Potchefstroom Potchefstroom POAPOA POAPOA R25,77 R21,60 RandRand R25,77 R21,60 Robertson R27,25 Robertson R27,25 Rustenberg R29,50 R21,95 Rustenberg R29,50 R21,95 Secunda R30,47 R22,42 Secunda R30,47 R22,42 Skeerpoort *** Customer to collect Skeerpoort *** Customer to collect POAPOA POAPOA Springbok Springbok POAPOA POAPOA Springs R32,50 Springs R32,50 Stellenbosch R33,00 Stellenbosch R33,00 Swellendam R27,80 R19,50 Swellendam R27,80 R19,50 Tempe R28,75 R21,39 Tempe R28,75 R21,39 Thabazimbe Thabazimbe POAPOA POAPOA Upington R27,91 R20,11 Upington R27,91 R20,11 R34,16 R23,58 Vi rgiVi nirgi a ni a R34,16 R23,58 Vryburg Vryburg POAPOA POAPOA Warmbaths R32,00 Warmbaths R32,00 Welkom R28,75 R21,39 Welkom R28,75 R21,39 WiPark ngs Park R27,60 Wi ngs EL EL R27,60 Witbank R30,20 Witbank R30,20 POAPOA POAPOA Wonderboom Wonderboom Worcester R32,84 Worcester R32,84

Prii ces i nclude but exclude any servi ce fees Pri ces nclude VAT VAT but exclude any servi ce fees AvgasJet A1 Jet A1 Ai rfi Ai eldrfi eld Avgas Beaufort R33,8023.45 23.45 Beaufort WestWest R33,80 Bethlehem R36,57 R 24,81 Bethlehem R36,57 R 24,81 Bloemfontei R31,58 R23,58 Bloemfontei n n R31,58 R23,58 Brakpan R35,20 Brakpan R35,20 R32,00 BritsBrits R32,00 Town R36,97 R22,89 CapeCape Town R36,97 R22,89 Winelands R33,50 CapeCape Winelands R33,50 Eagles Creek R33,50 Eagles Creek R33,50 London R33,27 R23,40 East East London R33,27 R23,40 Ermelo R25,76 Ermelo R25,76 ep Dam R34,00 R24,00 Gari Gari ep Dam R34,00 R24,00 George R33,6623.69 23.69 George R33,66 Grand Central R34,44 R24,21 Grand Central R34,44 R24,21 Hei delberg R33,50 Hei delberg R33,50 Hoedspruit Hoedspruit POAPOA POAPOA Ki mberley R31,95 R23,58 Ki mberley R31,95 R23,58 Hawk R36,70 KittyKitty Hawk R36,70 Klerksdorp R34,38 R22,42 Klerksdorp R34,38 R22,42 Kroonstad R33,49 Kroonstad R33,49 Kruger Intl Nelspruit R34,10 R25,29 Kruger Intl Nelspruit R34,10 R25,29 Krugersdorp R32,50 Krugersdorp R32,50 Lanseri R32,20 R24,27 Lanseri a a R32,20 R24,27 Margate Margate No No FuelFuel Middelburg R39,10 R24,96 Middelburg R39,10 R24,96 Morningstar R33,90 Morningstar R33,90 Mosselbay R32,60 R21,50 Mosselbay R32,60 R21,50 Nelspruit R32,88 R25,88 Nelspruit R32,88 R25,88 Oudtshoorn R34,73 R23,10 Oudtshoorn R34,73 R23,10 ParysParys POAPOA POAPOA Pietermaritzburg R34,30 R25,70 Pietermaritzburg R34,30 R25,70 Pi etersburg R32,65 R21,95 Pi etersburg Ci vi lCi vi l R32,65 R21,95 Plettenberg R34,00 R24,00 Plettenberg Bay Bay R34,00 R24,00 Alfred R38,90 PortPort Alfred R38,90 Elizabeth R34,50 R23,66 PortPort Elizabeth R34,50 R23,66 Potchefstroom Potchefstroom POAPOA POAPOA R33,86 RandRand R33,86 Robertson R27,25 Robertson R27,25 Rustenberg R31,95 R23,65 Rustenberg R31,95 R23,65 Secunda R34,50 R22,43 Secunda R34,50 R22,43 Skeerpoort *** Customer to collect Skeerpoort *** Customer to collect POAPOA POAPOA Springbok Springbok POAPOA POAPOA Springs R32,50 Springs R32,50 Stellenbosch R35,50 Stellenbosch R35,50 Swellendam R31,60 R21,50 Swellendam R31,60 R21,50 Tempe R33,49 R21,43 Tempe R33,49 R21,43 Thabazimbe Thabazimbe POAPOA POAPOA Upington R32,66 R24,30 Upington R32,66 R24,30 R37,89 R25,30 Vi rgiVi nirgi a ni a R37,89 R25,30 Vryburg Vryburg POAPOA POAPOA Warmbaths R36,00 Warmbaths R36,00 Welkom R33,49 R21,43 Welkom R33,49 R21,43 WiPark ngs Park R30,50 Wi ngs EL EL R30,50 Witbank R32,20 Witbank R32,20 POAPOA POAPOA Wonderboom Wonderboom Worcester R32,84 Worcester R32,84

Tel: +27 10 446 9666 Danielle: +27 82 553 9611 Email: aviation@sv1.co.za Marina: +27 82 924 3015 Co-ordinates: S25°50’37 E27°41’28 88 GPS July 2022 Import/Export no. 21343829

SA Flyer 2016|11

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SEALED 200L AVGAS DRUMS • SEALED 200L JET A1 DRUMS • AVGAS 100LL • JET A1 • PETROL • ILLUMINATING PARAFFIN • DIESEL • LUBRICANTS

July 2022

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Events by EAA TAILDRAGGERS 1 – 3 July Warmbaths Airfield, Bela Bela

AERO SOUTH AFRICA – PRETORIA 7 – 9 July

Wonderboom National Airport, Pretoria

Richard: 082 490 6227 E-mail: Richard.nicholson1963@gmail.com

Annelie Reynolds, E-mail: annelie.reynolds@za.messefrankfurt.com https://aerosouthafrica.za.messefrankfurt. com/pretoria/en.html

SAPFA KITTY HAWK RALLY

FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW

16 July Kitty Hawk Airfield, Pretoria Contact Frank Eckard: 083 269 1516 E-mail: frank.eckard@mweb.co.za

18 – 22 July www.farnboroughairshow.com

SOUTPANSBERG FLY-IN LOUIS TRICHARDT

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16 July George Airport Brett Scheuble: 084 418 3836 https://gardenrouteairshow.co.za/

EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH – WISCONSIN, USA 22 – 31 July Wittman Regional Airport, Wisconsin: https://www.eaa.org/airventure Camping on the airfield contact Neil Bowden E-mail: neil1@telkomsa.net Hotels in Appleton contact Calvin Fabig E-mail: calvin@designer.co.za

KRUGERSDORP FLYING CLUB SPOT LANDING

29 – 30 July

30 July Krugersdorp Airfield ,Gauteng

Contact Jaco: 082 353 6002 E-mail: spbvliegklub@gmail.com

Contact Nandi: 083 577 8894 E-mail kfc@iafrica.com

Flying in Africa – that’s what we love July 2022

GARDEN ROUTE AIR SHOW

We would love to see you at Aero South Africa 2022 at Wonderboom 7th - 9th July 2022

Chat to us about our products, get a quick overview of how they work.

Talk to us about installing a weather cam at your airfield Tips on how to get a good weather briefing. Meet the forecasters.

And if you don’t make it to Wonderboom, call us or visit our office.

We are always available to assist and advise.

www.aviationdirect.co.za • info@aviationdirect.co.za • +27 11 465 2669 • 072July 340 994391 2022

OBITUARY

OBITUARY

MARK SAMPSON 24 JULY 1968 – 31 MAY 2022 MARK ‘SAMMY’ SAMPSON was a hugely respected and well-liked pilot. He died in an aerobatic display in Harare on 31 May. Mark had a long and passionate involvement with display flying – having taken part in airshows in China and Europe as well as across Southern Africa.

Mark earned his PPL at age 22 in 1990 before joining the SAAF in 1993. He flew as a helicopter pilot and then moved into the airlines.

Based in Cape Town he advanced to become a Boeing 747 Captain with Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong.

In 2014 Mark took up aerobatics after buying his Mark "Sammy" Sampson. Image Justin de Reuck.

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Sbach XA41 unlimited aerobatic mount. He flew the demanding Sbach extensively and in 2021 was a founder of the Marksmen Aerobatic Team.

This team had flown from Cape Town to Nairobi for a VIP air show. It was on the return that he was killed doing a display in Harare.

Frequent team mate Jason Beamish wrote, “The best four-ship –the head on passes, the twister, holding with you waiting to join for that mirror pass to roll around…so many memories…the debates on flying tighter and better…the bucking bronco….camera rigging….the many a beer, red wine, plaas specials and T-bone’s shared!

Mark Sampson is a huge loss to the tightly knit African aviation community. j

R66

TURBINE

TOWN & COUNTRY

• Glass Avionics & Autopilot*

• Extended Range with Aux Fuel Tank* • Baggage Compartment

www.robinsonheli.com *Optional equipment. © Robinson Helicopter Company. R66 and Robinson are registered trademarks of Robinson Helicopter Company

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BENVEROY – KHUBENKER ENERGY BENVEROY – A DIVISION OF KHUBENKER ENERGY (Pty) Ltd – BIOBOR AFRICA. Experience Counts Hammonds Fuel Additives, Inc. is an innovative, industry leading manufacturer of fuel biocides and additives serving some of the largest fuel users and industries worldwide. We as Benveroy have the privilege to represent and distribute Hammonds Biobor products here in Africa and Indian Ocean Islands. Our flagship product, Biobor®JF, continues to be one of the most trusted and widely used fuel biocides for preventing microbial growth and preserving fuel quality. With over 57 years of proven reliability in aviation, refineries, terminals, fleets and diesel end users. Our extensive pedigree of OEM approvals and effective use continues.

Hammonds Biobor also offers a comprehensive line of aviation, gasoline and diesel fuel products to address all of your fuel quality needs and ensures that your equipment, aircrafts, vehicles, engines and facilities operate at peak efficiency, with the highest quality fuel.

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Premium Products, Unmatched Pedigree Since 1965, we are proud to have earned a laundry list of recommendations and approvals from some of the largest turbine engines manufactures, airframe manufactures, diesel engine manufactures, and fuel users across the globe. Biobor®JF is mentioned specifically in numerous operation manuals for solving fuel contamination issues and is one of only two biocides approved for use in aviation jet fuel! The complete line of Biobor® products continue in this pedigree and provide the same level of trust and proven performance as expected from its long track record with Biobor®JF. So, when you are choosing a fuel additive, don’t take our word for it… trust the products proven at 36,000 feet and recommended by OEMs worldwide.

Contact Benveroy, a division of Khubenker Energy (Pty) Ltd for all BIOBOR family of fuel additives on: Tel: 011 726 7162 vernon@benveroy.com – 079 524 1461 ben@benveroy.com – 071 453 1517 www.benveroy.com / www.khubenker.co.za

BENVEROY Benveroy (Pty) Ltd, a privately owned South African company, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, focuses on developing environmentally sustainable solutions for fuel consumption reduction, and reduction of carbon footprint.

Benveroy offers a complete fuel enhancement product package and the related implementation of product injection blending and product dosing systems, for individual aviation companies, and airport infrastructure. This includes high level fuel quality management.

Biobor JF ® became the first biocide tested and approved by FAA, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and aircraft engine manufactures, for the treatment and prevention of microbial contamination in aviation fuels, and aircraft fuel tanks. Biobor JF ® is also the only

(PTY) LTD – BIOBOR AFRICA biocide that not only fights microbial growth, but replaces lubricity lost in ultra-low sulphur fuels.

After 57 years, Biobor JF ® continues to be the most recognized and recommended biocide for all hydrocarbon fuels, bio fuels, transmission and hydraulic fluids, etc.

Benveroy’s company directors have combined more than 60 years of experience in the Engineering, Petrol-Chemical, and Aerospace Industries.

Contact Benveroy, a division of Khubenker Energy (Pty) Ltd for all BIOBOR family of fuel additives on: Tel: 011 726 7162 ben@benveroy.com / 071 453 1517 vernon@benveroy.com / 079 524 1461 www.benveroy.com j

CENTURY AVIONICS CC Century Avionics specialises in Flightdeckand Avionics upgrades for general aviation fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Careful evaluation and planning of every project is essential – from the placing/positioning of glass displays and other avionics in the panel to enhance ergonomics and aesthetics to the final set-up and configuration of the installed equipment.

Century Avionics excel in Avionics Sales/ Marketing, Upgrades/Installations, Repairs/ Maintenance, Support and Certification making us a convenient, knowledge based avionic retrofit facility.

We are an in- and out of warranty service centre for Bose, David Clark and Lightspeed headsets as well as Garmin, McMurdo (Orolia/Kannad) ELT’s, and many other avionics manufacturers.

We are approved dealers for a host of avionics manufacturers (Garmin, Honeywell, Bendix King,

Avidyne, McMurdo ELT, Genesys Aerosystems and many others) and constantly aim to offer our valued customers the widest range of products and capabilities. Longstanding customers attest to our professional commitment, and fast and friendly service.

Our AMO and Design Organisation is approved in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Century NAVCOM, our Design Organisation, along with our qualified and experienced Certification Department and SACAA appointed DAR will assist with Avionics STC Application/ Development and/or Modification Approvals.

Please contact us for all your avionic requirements.

Tel: +27 (0)11 701 3244 Contact: Carin van Zyl / Shane Somerville E-mail: sales@centuryavionics.co.za / salesadmin1@centuryavionics.co.za

Website: Avionics In South Africa | Century Avionics July 2022

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IMAGINE IT AND WE’LL GET YOU THERE

OUT OF THE BLUE Air Safari’s

Charters • Cessna 210 • Cessna 402 • Cessna 206 King Air B200 • Cessna 150 • Cessna 206 CONTACT: Andries Venter (082) 905 5760 | Stan Nel (082) 552-8155 011 659 2965 | charters@gemair.co.za | andries@gemair.o.za | ootbas@global.co.za

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®

G E N E R A T I O N

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To learn more about G2+ Vision Jet, call 067-232-5395 or mail sales@cirrussa.co.za.

CSA Aviation (Pty) Ltd Africa’s only Cirrus Platinum Partner

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©2021, CIRRUS DESIGN CORPORATION D/B/A CIRRUS AIRCRAFT

STAND OD-01

CIRRUS AIRCRAFT Cirrus Aircraft unveiled a re-imagined Vision Jet™ – the G2+ Vision Jet – featuring optimized engine performance for expanded mission capabilities, Gogo® InFlight WiFi for a connected cabin experience, and bold, new colorways for added ramp presence. The G2+ Vision Jet is the latest demonstration of the company’s dedication to relentless innovation, and joins a host of industry-leading technologies offered in the best-selling jet in general aviation, including Autothrottle, Safe Return™ Emergency Autoland and the Perspective Touch+™ by Garmin® flight deck.

With the G2+ Vision Jet, the Williams FJ335A engine has been finely tuned with a newly optimized thrust profile that provides up to 20% increased performance during take-off. The optimized performance joins the expanded flight envelope to FL310, launched with the G2 Vision Jet in 2019, offering enhanced performance to increase range, carry more and enjoy added reassurance in hot temperatures and high elevations – providing access to additional airports at popular destinations across the globe.

From the striking exterior, pilot and passengers step into a remarkably spacious interior designed around the largest cabin in its class, featuring premium leather, bolstered seats, noise reduction and an immersive experience made possible by the panoramic windows unique to the Vision Jet. The worldwide fleet currently includes more than 265 Vision Jets with over 500 Type Ratings issued for the aircraft. Deliveries for the G2+ Vision Jet are planned to begin in August 2021.

For more information contact Eugene Prenzler email: sales@cirrussa.co.za or Cell: +2767-232-5395 j

tailBeaconX

REDEFINING THE ADS-B TRANSPONDER tailBeaconX combined with the AV-30 or supportedthird-party EFIS elevates your cockpit functionalitywhile future-proofing your ADS-B transponder to meet US, Canadian, and future ADS-B requirements. tailBeaconX replaces your existing transponder while upgrading your rear position light.

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25 5 0

At Dynamic Propellers cc we overhaul and maintain all Hartzell, McCauley, MTPropeller, Hoffmann, Dowty, Sensenich, Whirl Wind and Hamilton standard propellers to include metal and composite blades.

We do all maintenance procedures related to aircraft propeller overhauls as called for by the various propeller manufacturers including cadmium plating.

Everything is performed in-house, including cold compression rolling on Hartzell propeller blades, as well as dynamic balancing of propellers in the field. Dynamic Propellers cc is an Authorised Service

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Centre for MT-Propeller and Whirl Wind.

Dynamic Propellers cc is also appointed as the sole McCauley Authorised Service Centre for the African continent.

We carry a large stock holding of fast moving propellers, hubs, parts, de-icing parts, overhaul kits etc. in our inventory to cater for Hartzell, McCauley, MT – Propeller, Hoffman, Dowty, Sensenich, Whirl Wind and Hamilton standard propellers. We do a huge amount of travelling to local, domestic and neighbouring countries as well as abroad to cater for customer’s propeller requirements.

www.dynamicpropellers.co.za • Tel: +27 11 824 5057 • reception@dynamicpropeller.co.za 100 July 2022 Fax2mail: 086 548 2651 • E-mail: andries@dynamicpropeller.co.za • Andries: 082 445 4496

DYNAMIC PROPELLERS Dynamic Propellers, AMO No. 1150, specialises in the overhaul, repair and maintenance of propellers for commercial and privately-owned aircraft. Dynamic Propellers is an authorised service centre, approved to overhaul and maintain all Hartzell, McCauley, MT-propeller, Hoffmann, Dowty, Sensenich, Whirlwind and Hamilton standard propellers, including metal and composite blades.

Our aircraft propeller repair services are all performed in-house in our state-of-the-art aviation engineering workshop, and include Non-Destructive Examination, Cadmium Plating, cold compression rolling, blade aerofoil and blade actuating pin shot peening on Hartzell propeller blades, as well as dynamic balancing of propellers in the field.

E – WE H E L I A F R IQ U

H AV E 40 Y

Contact details: (011) 824-5057 Email: reception@dynamicpropeller.co.za Andries Visser Tel: +27 82 445 4496 Email: andries@dynamicpropeller.co.za j

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We carry a large stock holding of fast moving propellers, hubs, parts, de-icing parts, overhaul kits etc. in our inventory. This stockholding enables us to regularly realise very short turnaround times for our overhaul and repair services.

• SA341 ries • AS350/ 355 se 5 series 13 0/ 13 0/ 12 • EC s • BO105 serie • BK 117 ouglas • McDonald D 2/R44 R2 on • Robins ice available rv se ge ra ga • Han

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Hangar 56, 10 Viking Way, Rand Airport Tel: 011 827 8632  Tino: 083 458 2172  Office: 083 446 0066 Email: technical@heli-afrique.co.za and info@heli-afrique.co.za July 2022

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INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT CLEARANCES PTY LTD

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International Flight Clearances Pty Ltd is based at Lanseria but operates globally on a variety of flights (MEDVAC, Cargo, humanitarian, business & leisure charter, surveys).

issues and find solutions to the most complex of flights. No flight is too big or too small, we attempt them all. Our operation runs 24/7/365, our motto is “Where there is a will, there is a way, your success is our success.”

We have been in business for over 20 years.

We assist our clients with overflight and landing permits, ground handling arrangements, fuel as well as trip cost estimations. Our vast dynamic knowledge allows us to advise/consult our clients on proposed flights, point out potential

Contact us on Email: flightops@flyifc.o.za Tel: +27 11 7012330 – Let us fly together!

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M AND N ACOUSTIC SERVICES M and N Acoustic Services (Pty) Ltd is a SANAS accredited laboratory and specialises in calibrations on acoustic, human vibration, vibration and DC/LF measuring equipment.

The laboratory also operates according to the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Specification for the competence of calibration laboratories.

SA Flyer 2022|07

Our electrical calibration capabilities include: • Acoustics • Noise Exposure Meter • Sound Level Meters • Integrating Sound Level Meter • Dose Badges • Noise Dosimeters • Vibration • Human Vibration Meters

• • • • •

Vibration Meters DC Low Frequency Multi-Meters Clamp Meters Insulation Testers

With a dedicated team, they will ensure excellent turn-around times and affordable prices, while never compromising on delivering an outstanding service.

Your Calibration is our concern!

For more information, contact: Amanda Naudé Tel: 012 689 2007 Email: admin@mnacoustics.co.za

j

usticLtd o c A M & Nices (Pty) Serv SANAS Ac credited 1302 & 14Laboratory 8 We perform SANAS certifications on all your: Acoustics ( eg. CEL 350 ) Vibration ( eg. Rion VA -11) Human Vibration ( eg. Quest Hav Pro) Electrical DC/LF Equipment – inhouse or on site (eg. Fluke Multimeters, Insulation Testers)

S Q U OTATI O N T ON REQUES Contact: Marianka Naude Tel: 012 689 2007 I Cell: 076 920 3070 Email: admin@mnacoustics.co.za July 2022

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SkyTime Flying further into Africa with piston engine aircrafts has always been linked to great challenges and major planning issues till now.

Diesel engines are giving a new life of longer range and simplified operation to the best training airframe C172 ever produced.

SkyTime has a fleet of diesel C172 and one DA42 that has been dedicated to pilots and all other travelers wanting to experience our beautiful continent from the sky.

Upgraded with NAV/COM/GPS & Autopilot capabilities giving pilots opportunity to fly the same way as commercial aircraft.

Our fleet has been retrofitted with Continental diesel engines using less of the cheaper and almost everywhere available Jet A1 or Diesel Fuel.

Stand OD40

Please review our website www.sky-time.co.za for more details about our fleet as well as options to fly it.

Contact us via email info@sky-time.co.za

j

Hour Building in Southern Africa!

We Offer: • • • • • • • • •

Hour Building Prepare you for your life as a pilot under real conditions.

Flying in Southern Africa To understand the secrets of Africa, you need to experiences its wilderness.

Student Services Enter introductory content for Student Services.

Hire and Fly Aircraft Lease Aero Safaris

www.sky-time.co.za Contact us via email info@sky-time.co.za

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SkyTime – For the Joy of Flying!

PJ AVIATION TQ-Aviation, a division of the TQ-Systems Group, Germany, has made the road towards ADS-B an easier transition for South African aircraft owners with their compact Mode-S transponder KTX2-Basic.

With Mode-S requirements already upon us, the KTX2 Basic is just that – a Class 1 Mode-S transponder certified to 30,000 feet and 250 knots, at an affordable price, in compact 57mm or 160mm stack mount. You are not paying for anything more than what you need at present.

But, the KTX2 is future proof, so that when

ADS-B becomes a requirement, the owner simply enters a purchased code and has fully compliant ADS-B Out capabilities when adding a GPS source.

Just one module to mount, and two wires to connect, TQ’s KTX2 could not be easier to install and compliments its class leading KRT2 VHFCOM, featuring Dual Watch, RSA data base and VOX intercom.

For more information visit www.pjaviation.co.za AERO SA stall OD5. j

UPGRADE TO TQ-AVIONICS

www.pjaviation.co.za 083 265 0581 Stall OD5

July 2022

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POOLEYS FLIGHT EQUIPMENT Pooleys Flight Equipment understands the passion of aviation, the drive that makes people want to fly and want to become pilots.

Established in 1957, Pooleys has a reputation built over seven decades as a manufacturer, publisher and supplier of the finest aviation products.

We supply British built and manufactured products to markets across the globe from the USA to New Zealand, from Iceland to South Africa. In the 65 years since we were established, we estimate our products have helped over 250,000 pilots across six continents to learn to fly.

In 2022, we are launching a new series of PPL training manuals exclusively for the Southern African market. The series is based on the bestselling UK CAA and EASA Air Pilots Manuals first created in 1986 and currently used by students and instructors across South Africa.

The four new PPL theory manuals (supplementing the practical Flying Training Volume 1) cover the full breadth of SA CAA PPL theory requirements.

Once finalised, the new series will be available through our distributors in South Africa including WingsnThings and PilotsnPlanes.

Sample copies of the new manuals will be available to view on the Pooleys stand (OD8) at Aero SA, Wonderboom Airport from 7th – 9th July.

We look forward to welcoming you on our stand!

Tel: +44 (0) 20 8953 4870 E-mail: sales@pooleys.com Website www.pooleys.com

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Protect your engine, protect your pocket.

Increase performance and decrease maintenance costs with the most comprehensive and proven range of aviation products.

Atlas Aviation Lubricants is the proud Sub-Saharan macro-distributor for AeroShell, stocking a range of world class engine oils, greases and fluids.

Contact us today and enquire about our range of AeroShell products. www.atlasaviation.co.za | sales@atlasaviation.co.za | (011) 917 4220

BUMPPPFFF:

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WONDERBOOM AIRPORT – AVIATION COMPANIES GUIDE

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Introduction

WONDERBOOM AI RPORT ’ S

K E Y R OL E I N A I R

C ONNE C T I V I T Y Air connectivity is essential for a town, and indeed an entire country’s economic growth. There is strong evidence available from around the world that if a town is not served by an efficient and wellrun air transportation system, it will slowly die as investments move elsewhere.

SOUTH AFRICA HAS EXCELLENT examples of how regional cities and towns have experienced an economic boom simply by making themselves an accessible destination for trade and tourism by air.

For the cities, Johannesburg is being

increasingly by-passed as a key hub for South Africa as Cape Town and Durban are attracting direct flights. Since local and foreign airlines have been flying into the once stagnant cities, investment and tourists are flowing in – and boom times have arrived – all thanks to the focused strategic air connectivity initiatives by Wonderboom terminal entrance.

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The regional centres of George, and Hoedspruit are a case in point. Experience from ACSA with regional airports in Kimberly, George, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, and East London attest also to the fact that these airports make a significant contribution to the South African economy in the form of job creation, local investment in infrastructure development, and tax revenue flows all of which are pivotal to the growth of our gross domestic product (GDP).

is unprecedented and surprisingly achieved against the backdrop of the downgrade of the airport’s license status and the Corona virus pandemic which has ravaged the entire aviation industry; bringing many commercial airports locally and around the world to a standstill.

Introduction

the Dube TradePort in Durban and Wesgro in Cape Town.

It therefore does not warrant any expert reasoning to realise the strategic nature of Wonderboom National Airport to the economy of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Council – the reality however as it stands is that Wonderboom airport is not fully exploited commercially.

A par t ne r s hip w it h ACSA was s igne d in Mar ch 2021

Wonderboom National Airport is one such slumbering regional airport. It is the general aviation airport which, in terms of traffic movements, is the busiest in the country and perhaps in the rest of the African continent.

ATNS recorded traffic volumes at the airport averages 17,000 aircraft movements month-onmonth and in April 2021; reached their highest peak in recent years of 24,000. This record

As the owner and operator of Wonderboom National Airport, the Tshwane Metropolitan City Council says it appreciates the strategic importance of the airport and is therefore now pulling out all the stops to restore and enhance Wonderboom National Airport to its rightful place as the key regional airport for the Capital City’s conurbation.

The airside with its abortive attempt at streaming airline passengers.

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Introduction

The airport provides a dynamic environment for general aviation and in particular flight schools.

The ACSA Partnership In March 2021 a partnership with ACSA was signed which is hoped will enable ACSA to assist the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Council in its renewed effort to make Wonderboom National Airport compliant with all the civil aviation norms and standards applicable to a Category 7 SACAA licensed commercial airport, upgrading the aeronautical infrastructure and turning the airport into one of the most reputable regional airports with aircraft maintenance activities, flight training, chatter and scheduled flight services that connects to the other regional centres nationally and within SADC. Tshwane’s Mayor Randall Williams describes the airport as, “The training ground for hundreds of pilots across the country. Training activities account for 70% of the total airport traffic, with maintenance, flight charters, recreational flying, fly-overs and private flying constituting the remaining 30% of the traffic mix.”

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The airport is located close to a variety of resources and amenities: bulk freight and transport infrastructure is already in place, meaning that the region has high potential for business growth. “The airport is a strategic transportation asset for the city – both for air travel and tourism in the capital city,” he said.

Future Projects Wonderboom Airport has a rich history of more than 82 years and it may play a central role in Tshwane’s aim to increase the flow of business and travel to the region in support of its industry parks and housed diplomatic missions. The City is aware of the airport’s vast potential towards ensuring that the capital city is accessible by air from key tourism and trade markets. Therefore, to latch onto the current organic growth in airport operations, planned capital projects for Wonderboom National Airport amongst others

involve the extension of its primary runway, upgrade of the entire ground lighting systems, communication, navigation and surveillance systems, extension of the main terminal building; relocation of the air traffic control tower (ATC); and provision for land and bulk services for expansion of aeronautical properties and activities.

The developmental plans are aimed at supplying the right infrastructure to meet the prevailing market demand and attracting the right capacity of traffic mix for the Airport in fulfilment of the City’s’ vision for the airport with the right marketing positioning as a regionally operated airport alongside the two big international airports in Gauteng – OR Tambo and Lanseria.

The national civil aviation policy will remain the key enabler to the enhancement of

Wonderboom National Airport with envisaged air commerce which will require designated international airport status. With ACSA’s experience and guidance, the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Council is planning to revive its 2012 application for the international status of the airport with the Department of Transport.

2022 is seen as the year of recovery as with ACSA the airport is now more than ready to meet the challenges of the past and the expectations of the future. j

admin@aerotric.com or richard@aerotric.com

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DERBOOM ONAL AIRPORT

WONDERBOOM NATIONAL AIRPORT LOCATED AT THE HEART of the AERO capital ENGINEERING city, and conveniently AND POWERPLANT located in the middle of a fast-growing industrial and tourism hub, Wonderboom National Airport is proudly a dynamic base for all general aviation activities and many aviationLOCATED AT THE HEART of the capital city, and conveniently related enterprises.

located in the middle of a fast-growing industrial and tourism hub, Wonderboom National Airport is AVISYS proudly a dynamic AVIA The state-of-the-art infrastructure makes Wonderboom base for all general aviation activities and many aviationINSTRUMENTS National Airport ideally superior for all types of aeronautical related enterprises.

activities. This infrastructure includes two runways, multiple taxiways, two large aprons, Category 7 Rescue, NDB and The state-of-the-art infrastructure makes Wonderboom National Airport ideally superior for all types of aeronautical VORs, air traffic control tower, and advanced runway and activities. This infrastructure runways, multiple taxiway aeronautical ground lightningincludes for usetwo in inclement taxiways, two large aprons, Category 7 Rescue, NDB and weather conditions.

VORs, air traffic control tower, and advanced runway and taxiway ground lightning in inclement Air commerce is onaeronautical a steady increase thanks for to use superior weather conditions.

service standards and ultra-low rates for property rental and aeronauticalAir activities. commerce is on a steady increase thanks to superior

DARTstandards and ultra-low rates for property rental and service

To build on aeronautical its current activities. strengths, Wonderboom National AERONAUTICAL LOUTZAVIA SKYHORSE Airport is planned for further development.

This includes the AND PILOTS on to its create currentAVIATION strengths, Wonderboom National PLANES extension of To its build runway air links that will support Airport is planned for further development.

This includes the AEROTRIC growth in all facets of the airport’s operations. These include extension of its runway to create air links that will support turning the airport into a port of entry, and capitalising on growth in all facets of the airport’s operations. These include the industrial turning parks and the agribusiness, mining the airport into a port of entry,and and tourism capitalising on sectors primarily located parks withinand thethe northern half ofmining Tshwane. the industrial agribusiness, and tourism sectors primarily located within the northern half of Tshwane.

“Wonderboom National Airport is more than just an Airport is more than just an airport, it“Wonderboom is the meccaNational for general aviation.” airport, it is the mecca for general aviation.”

Tel: 012 358 Tel: 4028 012 358 4028 Email: info@wonderboomairport.co.za Email: info@wonderboomairport.co.za www.wonderboomairport.co.za www.wonderboomairport.co.za 114

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Based at hangar number four, at Wonderboom Airport, Aero Engineering’s services include the overhaul, maintenance, service, and repair of Lycoming and Continental aircraft piston engines and associated components.

Aero Engineering and Powerplant comprises of the following divisions: A) ENGINE DIVISION

Companies

AERO ENGINEERING AND POWERPLANT Their client base includes local & over-border operators, and owners, of piston & turbine engined aircraft, as well as local & over-border maintenance organizations.

The business was founded in 1996 and was taken over in 2006 by partners Andre Labuschagne and Derek van der Westhuizen.

They have seven qualified engineers and a loyal clientele.

Contact Andre Labuschagne on: Tel: 012-543-0948 Email: aeroeng@iafrica.com Website: www.aeroengineering.co.za

B) COMPONENT DIVISION C) PROPELLER DIVISION D) PARTS DIVISION

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FLIGHT SAFETY THROUGH MAINTENANCE Hangar no 4, Wonderboom Airport , Pretoria PO Box 17699, Pretoria North, 0116 • Tel: (012) 543 0948/51 • Fax: (012) 543 9447 • email: aeroeng@iafrica.com

AMO No: 227

SA Flyer 2022|07

é Overhaul / Shockload / Repair of Continental and Lycoming Aircraft engines; éOverhaul Engine Components; é Overhaul and supply of Hartzell / McCauley and Fix pitch Propellers.

July 2022

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Companies 116

AVIA INSTRUMENTS Avia Instruments is situated at the Wonderboom Airport. With their 60 years accumulative experience on Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft, Embraer, Bell, Eurocopter, Robinson and many other aircrafts and systems they have been servicing South Africa and the bigger Africa continent for the past 8 years.

Their services also include new installations relating to avionic,electrical and instrument systems, the repairing and overhaul of electrical equipment and electrical load analysis as well as sales of new & overhauled components.

They offer their clients a comprehensive service that includes not only instrument and avionic component repair, but also fault finding on aircraft and aircraft systems. Avia instruments specialise in most aircraft instruments including gyro instruments, general instruments, engine instruments & pitot static instruments.

The AMO is registered with the CAA as well as the CAAB (Botswana). Registration number: 1303.

July 2022

Hangar 2 Wonderboom Airport Pretoria www.aviainstruments.co.za j

Recently accredited to perform EMB145 Landing Gear Overhaul and Repair.

AviSys Aviation Systems is an established Maintenance Organization AMO 1089 with SA-CAA, and other African CAA accreditation to perform component maintenance and overhaul capabilities under its Category B rating. Currently, AviSys is equipped to cater for our Clients needs as per the SA-CAA Approved Capability List and Operational Specifications on the following: • Aircraft Braking Systems repair and full overhaul capability with SA-CAA Component Release to Service (Authorised Release Certificate) on the following OEM Makes; ABSC, Honeywell / Bendix, Goodrich and Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems.

• Aircraft main and nose wheel assemblies for the above makes, to repair and overhaul.

• Landing Gear Repair and Overhaul • Helicopter Servo Actuator Repair and Overhaul • Flexible Hose Build-up • Engine Fire Bottles HPT, Service, Fill and Re-charge AviSys Aviation Systems is committed to deliver Service Excellence and Quality Workmanship at market related prices, carried out with years of cumulative aviation experience in our field by means of dedicated hand-picked Staff Members.

AviSys looks forward to establish long and just relationships with our client base, in order to meet our high standards of customer satisfaction.

 '

7 ;

Email: dewald@avisys.co.za Phone: +27 (0) 83 442 5884 Fax: +27 (0) 86 618 6996 Web: www.avisys.co.za

SACAA AMO July 1089 2022

117

Companies

PILOTS AND PLANES Pilots ‘n Planes is an aviation related retail outlet specialising in Pilot and Aircraft Owner requirements.

Pilots ‘n Planes is one of the larger retail outlets of its kind in South Africa and has its main branch at Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria, and a second branch at Rand Airport in Germiston.

Merchandise on offer includes: •

Pilot uniforms and apparel

•

Aviation headsets (BOSE, DAVID CLARK, AVCOMM)

•

Sunglasses (RAYBAN, RANDOLPH, BONDIBLU, WAVES, OAKLEY)

•

Study material and equipment

•

A wide range of Aviation related gifts and collectables

Both our Wonderboom and Rand stores trade Monday-Friday from 8am to 5pm.

On Saturdays, Wonderboom trades from 8am-2pm and Rand is open every first and last Saturday of every month from 8am-2pm.

Contact Melanie at Wonderboom Airport on: Tel: 012 567-6775 Email: pilotshop@pilotsnplanes.co.za Or Lee/Angelique at Rand Airport on: Tel: 011 824-3339 Email: rand@pilotsnplanes.co.za

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July 2022

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Pilotsn Planes

FOR ALL YOUR PILOT SUPPLIES

SA Flyer 2022|07

PLACE YOUR ORDERS ONLINE NOW AT www.pilotsnplanes.co.za OR EMAIL ORDERS TO orders@pilotsnplanes.co.za

Pilotsn Planes PROFLIGHT SERIES 2

Now stockist of ProFlight Series 2 Bose Aviation Headset

PLACE YOUR ORDERS ONLINE NOW AT www.pilotsnplanes.co.za OR EMAIL ORDERS TO orders@pilotsnplanes.co.za

July 2022

119

Companies

DART AERONAUTICAL Dart Aeronautical was established in 2006 and is situated at Rand Airport.

We are committed to providing excellent service with the highest technical standard, not only locally, but to surrounding airfields as well. This division is headed up by Jaco Kelly and Pieter Viljoen. The team of 15 specialises in all aircraft types ranging from homebuilt to DC9 aircraft.

We are market leaders in instrument and instrument panel refurbishments, which include the use of aircraft approved paint, router cutting and laser engraving.

Dart Aeronautical is an agent for all major equipment suppliers such as Garmin, Mid

Continent, Bendix-King, Sigma Tek, JP Instruments, Airtex, S-Tec etc. Our ability to purchase directly ensures our completeness and that our customers receive value for money without any reduction in quality and safety.

We carry a wide variety of serviceable units in store that can be used as loaners while working on a customer’s unit or that can be purchased or exchanged.

Contact Pieter Viljoen on: Tel: +27 11-827-8204 Cell: +27 83-652-4421 Email: pieterviljoen@mweb.co.za Website: www.dartaero.co.za j

SKYHORSE AVIATION Skyhorse Aviation is a South African based aircraft provider based at Wonderboom Airport near Pretoria. Skyhorse is proud to be a BARS registered aircraft operator.

The company specialises in providing aircraft support and charter throughout Africa.

All our pilots are highly experienced in African conditions and field operations.

The fleet currently consists of nine, new generation AS350 series helicopters, two Pilatus PC-6 fixed-wing aircraft and one Cessna F406 twin engine aircraft. All the aircraft are either owned or on permanent lease.

Skyhorse Aviation has over 40 years of collective experience, supplying aircraft to mining houses, drilling and construction projects, geophysical companies and agencies across more than 30 countries throughout Africa, Middle East and Australia.

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July 2022

Our dedicated and highly qualified team have flown over 35 000 hours with an excellent safety record.

All aircraft are fitted with state of the art satellite tracking systems and Iridium telephones.

Appropriate survival kits, emergency locator devices, and comprehensive first aid kits are standard for all operations.

We are a privately-owned company, prepared to adapt our operations in a safe and efficient manner, to fulfil our clients’ requirements.

Skyhorse Aviation has a no-compromise attitude towards safety.

Contact Details: Hangar 38B, Wonderboom Airport, Pretoria info@skyhorse.co.za Tel: + 27 (0) 12 809 3571 j

DART AERONAUTICAL Pieter Viljoen +27 83 652 4421 pieterviljoen@mweb.co.za Jaco Kelly +27 84 498 4916 jacokelly@mweb.co.za

GI 275

Attitude Indicator (AI/ADI)DART AERO

Pieter Viljoen +27 83 652 4421 Jaco Kelly +27 84 498 4916

GFC 600 New Garmin Autopilot Options

GFC 600 GFC 500

G 5

N G A O

® CE N A FIN IONS T E OP ABL E AIL AV QUIR !

EN OW 121 July N 2022

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July 2022

FlightCm African Commercial Aviation

Edition 163 | July 2022

SAA:

New CEO John Lamola

speaks

New Column

– CAA Compliance

Miles van der Molen on state airlines 1

FlightCom: July 2022

Sudan’s mud

AMO 227

FLIGHT SAFETY THROUGH MAINTENANCE

Overhaul / Shockload / Repair of Continental and Lycoming Aircraft engines

Hangar no 4, Wonderboom Airport, Pretoria PO Box 17699, Pretoria North, 0116 Tel: (012) 543 0948/51, Fax: (012) 543 9447, email: aeroeng@iafrica.com

SA Flyer 2022|07

Overhaul Engine Components Overhaul and supply of Hartzell / McCauley and Fix pitch Propellers

airbus.com

THE DIFFERENCE IS H E A R T B E AT

Seconds count when lives are on the line. It’s why every feature of the Airbus H135 has been designed for safe, effective, and fast operations.

With easy patient loading, state-of-the-art avionics to reduce pilot workload and a safer working area on the ground, the H135 ensures people get the medical care they need as fast as possible. All of this has made the H135 the emergency medical services market leader around the globe – helping people every single day and making sure the world remains a beautiful place.

CONTENTS

TABLE OF

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

JULY 2022 EDITION 163

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 09 10 16 22 28 30 34 35 36 38

Bush Pilot - Hugh Pryor AME Directory Pilots - Laura McDermid John Bassi - Lockdown Freedom The Regulatory Round Out - Kim Gorringe Face to Face - SAA Executive Chairman and CEO Face to Face - CemAir CEO 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: SAA looks poised to return to its bad old days of fatal crashes.

OVER ITS 88-YEAR HISTORY, SAA has been one of the more dangerous airlines in the world.

Compared to Qantas with its famous (but spurious) claim never to have written off an airliner, let alone killed a passenger, SAA has had a fearful toll of fatal crashes. Think back to the Helderberg off Mauritius; the Boeing 707 Pretoria crash at Windhoek and the Viscount Rietbok into the sea off East London.

After the Helderberg the airline put in a marathon effort to improve safety and its Flight Operations department came to be rated as one of the best in the world. But now, as SAA V2.0 the Flight Operations department continues to quietly accumulate blunders. As isolated incidents, these blunders may not be significant, but added together they pile up to a moment when the airline’s luck runs out.

under the command of Captain Khumalo, who had recently been promoted to Head of Training, despite having no previous training experience.

Flight SA9053 was over the Kalahari when an engine began surging and stalled. The aircraft descended from FL410 to FL190 and continued on to Johannesburg.

The engine continued to surge during the approach and could not be increased from idle power.

Once the passengers, luggage and cargo were offloaded, the aircraft was towed to SAAT for further investigation. Significant water contamination of the fuel system and engines was found.

SAA has been one of the more dangerous airlines in the world

There have been a number of warning signs. A year ago there was the ‘alpha floor incident’ on the vaccine stunt flight when the Airbus autopilot had to take over to prevent a basic pilot error from fatally scribbling the huge A340 Airbus across Boksburg.

This flight was under the command of Chief Pilot Captain Vusi Khumalo.

Now information of a very serious incident that was quietly buried suggests that Khumalo has done it again. SAA flight SA052 flew from Johannesburg to Accra, Ghana on 14 April. The plane was refuelled in Accra and then water was found in the fuel.

The flight was delayed until 15:20 the following day when it departed Accra, operating under the callsign SA9053, the prefix indicating that it was operating out of the normal schedule. Yet egregiously, the A330 carried a commercial load of passengers and cargo

This is an incredibly serious incident. The water in the fuel could have caused both engines to flame out and so the crew should have immediately diverted to the nearest suitable airport, probably Gaborone. The SACAA’s incident report does however say that the weather at Gaborone was bad and so the Airbus continued on to Johannesburg with a known problem of fuel contamination and one engine stalled.

SAA seems to have attempted a cover-up as it was only on 25 April 2022 that the SACAA came to learn of this incident due to a report from the Ghanaian Civil Aviation Authority.

There were no repercussions to the near disaster of the Alpha floor incident and it is a very worrying sign that the airline is trying to duck the latest incident. There are already questions about pilot standards at SAA. Unless the airline gets lucky, the odds are stacking up that a serious crash is imminent. 

BUSH PILOT HUGH PRYOR

LI B I DO -

H OW TO B E A

R E AL PI LOT

Aden in 1987 was like a crumbling museum of British Colonialism. The British Empire east of Suez had died some twenty years previously, with the arrival of the Russians, who had been invited by the 'Front for the Liberation of Socialist South Yemen', 'FLOSSY', for short, to fill the newly-vacated British boots.

I

together for more than two years, without scratching each other's eyes out, which proved that we got on reasonably well together.

The Hadramaut is actually a seasonal river in a wide canyon which is inhabited by a population made all the more cosmopolitan by centuries of trading in slaves, gold and ivory from Africa and rubies, emeralds and rare exotic spices from the Orient with Phoenicians from the Levant.

Frank was a real 'Pilot's Chief Pilot'. When he did an inspection of a project, you could be sure that he had looked into every crevice.

He wanted to know every detail... for example, how was the security situation? This was very relevant on some of the projects because the company tended to operate in rather unfriendly environments and we lost some aircraft and crew to hostile action while we were there, so it was important that the crew got on with the client.

WAS FLYING A DE HAVILLAND Twin Otter for a Swiss company, on contract to a Canadian oil company. We were looking for oil in the historic Hadramaut Governorate of South Yemen.

decorated with majestic Baroque palaces

The valleys are decorated with majestic Baroque palaces, built out of sun-dried mud bricks. These are the lands of Sindbad the Sailor and Bilqis, Queen of Sheba. Sodom and Gomorah are up on the plateau to the south of the Wadi Masilah.

This is where history began and Franz and I shared this fascinating cradle of Western civilisation

6

FlightCom: July 2022

But how did the client get on with the crew? How did the crew get on with Head Office? And how did the crew get on with each other? That was of prime importance if they were stuck out in the 'Empty Quarter' with the nearest human habitation a hundred miles away beyond the furthest horizon.

FlightCom: July 2022

7

Franz and I had shared the same flight deck for more than two years with this client and we seemed to fit in like another part of the furniture, which was rather interesting, because we were two chips off very different blocks of wood...Franz's role-model was Arnold Schwarzenegger, which involved some intense physical training and careful attention to the finer points of Airline Uniform, particularly the gold bits. This even applied to the ubiquitous 'Rayban Aviator' sunglasses demanded by 'Real' pilots. They had to have the classical fine gold rims and lenses tinted dark enough to allow the wearer to inspect possible 'talent' without being obtrusive.

I, on the other hand, have been known to clean my desert boots in the washing machine and my socks have a habit of not matching each other. Wings and Bars are for getting through red tape on the way home on leave.

Where we really clicked was in the flying. We both stuck to the book, although I would say that Franz was particularly good on the technical side of things, where I was more experienced with landing in silly places.

Anyway, Frank worked his way through checking us all over and finally it was my turn.

During our initial training on it in Norway, we were warned not to select Full Flaps until totally committed for a short landing, because, in the event of an engine failure during a full-flap go-around, with full power on one engine and nothing on the other, the aircraft tended to flip over on its back and drill a smoking hole in the ground.

I stupidly mentioned this characteristic to Frank and immediately regretted it when I saw the 'Test-Pilot's

FlightCom: July 2022

So we climbed to five thousand, over the sea, in case things went as I was expecting. With shaking hands, I selected full flaps and gently put the props up to fine pitch, before nervously easing the power up to maximum.

"OK. Hugh... now try stalling her."

So we did that and the Old Girl simply wallowed about as though she didn't really want to stop flying.

Then Frank reached up to the power levers and said, "Well that wasn't too bad was it? Right, now I am going to close and feather the left engine, as would happen with a genuine engine failure. If anything nasty happens, I want you to close the right engine, select 'Flaps 15' and fly her out of it."

been known to clean my desert boots in the washing machine

Frank, with his wide experience of test flying everything from the 'Alphajet' to the Dornier 'Sea Star', also loved the old 'Twin Otter' and was keen to demonstrate its extraordinary honesty in slow flight.

8

Grin' creep across his features and he rubbed his hands together as he said "Well, Hugh... why don't we give it a try?"

By this time my heart would have been clearly visible in the back of my throat, so I shut my mouth in order to prevent it making a mess on the windscreen during the coming manoeuvre.

The wallowing became a gentle nudging to and fro and the aircraft began to waddle off to the left, reluctantly losing a bit of height as she went.

"There!" said Frank, his grin stretching from ear to ear, "So now you know!"

I managed to swallow my heart again and as we returned to the airport, Frank turned his Chief Pilot's face to me and said "Okay, Hugh, you and Franz have been flying together for a couple of years now and I want to hear, in complete confidentiality, if you think that there is anything which he doesn't like about your relationship."

"Oh no." I replied, "We get along famously!"

"So there is absolutely nothing you would like to would like to talk about?" Frank pointed his finger at me to emphasise his seriousness, "I would really like to know and we can sort things out before I go." " Well Frank," I scratched my head rather coyly, "The only thing I can think of is that he doesn't like the fact that I never wear dark glasses... but it is just a joke, I think!"

never gets to stimulate the erogenous Stapes in the eyes of the fifteen hundred candidates in the survey and this causes a marked effect on their Libido, leading to a noticeable drop in their sexual activity.

The last paragraph added, almost as an afterthought, that this effect also appears to apply to those who frequently wear Sun Glasses.

Franz didn't touch his 'RayBans' for months after that! 

"Don't worry, Hugh, we will sort that out!" said Frank as he jumped down from the flight deck and marched off, before I could complain.

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

That evening, over beers, he produced a report from the 'American Medical Journal'. It concerned the effects of artificial lighting on the birth rate among male office workers in the States. Basically the Sun

✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

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: July 2022

9

3 PART

PILOTS LAURA MCDERMID

IRIS – IN THE SUDAN

Laura McDermid continues her stories of Iris McCallum’s flying exploits in East Africa

Flying in Sudan is life-changing. It is not for the faint-hearted or the unadventurous – it tests your resilience as a pilot and as a person, and that’s just the topography!

T

HE SUDD SWAMP COVERS at least 30,000 km2 with most of it a vast wilderness area. Thick with reeds, grasses, and water hyacinth; it forms massive blocks of vegetation that shift position and blocks navigable channels, creating an ever-changing web of water that churns with crocodiles and snakes. Phragmites grass, which we call elephant grass, grew in dense stands up to seven metres high, the tips of which were sharp as spears.

Add to this the legacy of a civil war that decimated villages and killed half a million people, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced and you are left with a wild, unpredictable country where angels fear to tread.

Fourteen years later, the beginning of a second war was ripping through the country.

It was the place of polar opposites; breath-taking beauty and devastating cruelty lived side by side.

You either had to surrender to the circumstances and get comfortable with the paradoxes, or else grapple with the resultant psychoses that these contradictions evoked.

My best friend and mentor Heather Stewart and I worked in relays of ten days each at which time one of us was flying out of Loki for OLS, while the other remained behind to decompress and rest.

I had been flying for Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), an arm of UNICEF, for a couple of years.

They were one of 35 NGOs that operated out of Lokichogio (Loki) in northern Kenya on the border with southern Sudan. The purpose of OLS was to provide humanitarian relief to people from all walks of life without interference from the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) or the Sudanese government. However, this was not to be as both sides flouted the mandate, often placing us in precarious situations.

the wheels of the Cessna 402 broke through the crust

The first civil war lasted 20 years, ending in 1972.

10 FlightCom: July 2022

Heather would spend the time in Nairobi with her kids and husband while I would enjoy the company of my two Great Danes and my lush garden.

Heather Stewart with SPLA soldiers.

Our job was to pioneer new routes, to probe inland Africa, seeking footholds for the future.

I happened to be in our office at Safari Air (based out of Wilson Airport in Nairobi) collecting paperwork when the call came through on the HF radio.

Not one to get rattled easily, I could hear by the tone of Heather’s voice that something was not right. As a rule, communication between the office and the pilot happened at the start and end of each rendezvous. I’d heard Heather speaking to Dave Leonard, the chief pilot, earlier on.

“Safari Air, Safari Air, it’s Alpha-Mike-Delta, do you read me?” Heather’s strained voice crackled over the speaker.

“Alpha-Mike-Delta go ahead, I read you five out of five.”

“Iris, Alpha-Mike-Delta got stuck in the mud after I landed. We are going to push her back to the threshold, I’m just waiting for the mud to dry out and then I’ll attempt to take off. We are going to be back late.”

“Copied, we will call you again at fourteen-hundred Zulu. Switch your battery off to conserve it.”

Earlier that day Heather had taken four Belgian airforce pilots on a recce to an area called Akobo which was a strategic point of trade and transit between South Sudan and Ethiopia.

They were on the lookout for suitable drop zones for the food parcels they would drop from their Lockheed C-130 Hercules. In May the rain had arrived with a vengeance in southern Sudan. The flight had been postponed a few times due to thunderstorms and the Belgians were getting impatient.

The morning was still part of the night and its colour was grey when Heather finally took off from Loki.

We had been issued with bullet-proof vests but hardly ever wore them as they were too cumbersome when flying. Heather found that sitting on them improved visibility and spotted the ‘runway’ without too much effort. She flew over it slowly, scouting for obstacles and assessing the best approach.

The OAT was a sweltering 33 degrees and the blazing sun had sucked the moisture from the black cotton soil, hardening the surface into geometric scabs that resembled the scales on a crocodile’s back.

The scorched earth gave the illusion of solidity, but FlightCom: July 2022

11

PILOTS as Heather touched down, the wheels of the Cessna 402 broke through the crust, churning the mud beneath like cake batter before they became embedded, halting the plane abruptly.

The plan was to push the plane out of the mud back to the threshold and wait for the strip to dry. So began toil in mud that clung to limbs more tenaciously than a drowning man to a life raft.

The sky was growing darker and was One of the many victims of the Sudd swamp. roiling with sinister intensity. Heather knew that the chance of the mud drying out sufficiently to support 2 tons of Dealing with arrogant clients was part of our job. metal was minimal. However, they were in a war However, dealing with a foreign military pilot who zone where fighting had recently taken place, which deemed himself superior to a ‘mere African bush escalated the urgency of the situation. pilot’ was an entirely different kettle of fish!

The problem was compounded by one of the Belgian pilots (whom Heather christened ‘Mr. Grumpy’) becoming belligerent.

Heather configured the Cessna 402 for a short-field takeoff. Brakes on, full flap, throttles forward. She released the brakes and 5Y-AMD surged forward.

The plane moved a couple of metres before the wheels succumbed to their muddy captors once more.

Thunderstorms soon swamp runways.

12 FlightCom: July 2022

Mr. Grumpy was adamant that Heather try harder.

The process of digging the heavy twin out of the mud was repeated. This time some of the deeper ruts were fortified with vegetation.

By now the wind had whipped itself into a frenzy and the occasional fat plop of rain splattered on the windscreen as Heather lined up again. The engines screamed and the airframe shook as the

plane desperately attempted to free itself from the glutinous mud. But alas, the black cotton soil was not letting go of its prize until finally the nose wheel collapsed, ploughing the plane’s nose into the mud. The rest of 5Y-AMD surrendered to the mud’s embrace, slowly sinking up to her wings.

Cessna 402 5Y- AMD.

“Safari Air, Safari Air, it’s AlphaMike-Delta, do you read me?”

“Go ahead Alpha-Mike-Delta.”

“The nose wheel has collapsed. We need to be rescued.”

“Stand-by Alpha-Mike-Delta. We will contact you again in thirty minutes.”

Dave and I looked at each other. We knew that there was only enough food and water on board 5Y-AMD for 24 hours. It was too late to contemplate flying there now, besides the area was in the grip of foul weather.

There was no way that any of our planes and certainly not the Hercules, would be able to land there. This also meant that no terrestrial vehicle could get through.

There was only one option, a helicopter. But it was 1989 and helicopters in that area were few and far between.

We radioed back and told Heather of our plan to extricate them and to bring supplies the following day.

Night had descended over Akobo and the rain was coming down in sheets. The only respite was inside the aeroplane but Mr. Grumpy knew better. He was desperately unhappy with the turn of events and left the plane despite Heather’s warning about the dangers that lurked in the African bush.

Within minutes of him abandoning ship, Heather heard his cries of anguish. Most of them had sacrificed their shoes during their earlier attempts at getting 5Y-AMD out of the mud.

Mr. Grumpy had stood on a scorpion; proving how disastrous it is to be a fool in Africa. Considering all the things he could’ve been bitten by, an arachnid sting was the better evil.

Not much could be done besides cleaning the wound and applying a compress.

Between the feverish gibbering of Mr. Grumpy and the unorthodox sleeping quarters, no one got much rest that night.

Heather snuck out of the plane just before dawn the next morning to answer the call of nature. In the half-light, she noticed a strange branch with fingerlike projections jutting out of the ground while she was squatting. She looked closer; it was someone’s arm!

She looked around in horror noticing other body parts poking through the mud.

Nothing can close a sphincter faster than realizing that you are relieving yourself on a field of corpses!

At the appointed time of 0300 Zulu the following morning, we called Heather again.

“Please pack some morphine tablets Iris. I’ve given him all the pain killers that were in the first aid kit, we simply can’t survive another night with all the commotion.” Heather pleaded.

Dave and I took off in 5Y-ZAR, the company’s FlightCom: July 2022

13

PILOTS other Cessna 402. We had removed the lower half of the clam-shell door so that Dave could push the parcels out.

There was no real dawn, but the sun was awake and the sky was changing colour. I landed at Loki to refuel and then flew on to Akobo which took another 2 hours.

The clouds were still pregnant with rain and any hope that the runway would be dry enough to land evaporated with the mist.

We spotted the castaways and I circled overhead, looking for a suitable spot to drop the supplies.

I took a second notch of flap and lowered the undercarriage to slow down as much as possible.

“A bit more to the right Cuddles,” Dave directed.

“Okay slow down as much as you can, I’m dropping the first one.”

Dave gave an almighty shove and the canvas bag that I’d filled with tinned food, blankets, and the morphine plummeted to the ground.

Next was the water. I slowed down to just above a stall, ignoring the blaring horn, while Dave manoeuvred the bundle into position. We repeated this once more and sped off back to Loki, desperate to stay ahead of the black wall of doom behind us.

morphine tablets (Heather slipped him a tad extra for good measure) and the transformation that occurred was remarkable! The critical, cantankerous Mr. Grumpy ‘morphed’ into the giggly, placid Mr. Happy.

His colleagues had to manhandle him into the plane that night as he was running around in the dark, arms stretched to the heavens, shouting “Je t’aime Lune, Je t’aime Lune.” I love you moon, I love you moon.

This personality change vastly improved the group's mood, making the next two nights a bit more bearable.

ploughing the plane’s nose into the mud

It rained solidly the next day, only clearing up towards the evening. Dave and I had eventually managed to find a helicopter that HeliMission was recalling from the Congo.

Back in Akobo Heather and the Belgians had worked out a system and were surviving on the tinned spaghetti.

The pilot stung by the scorpion was given the

14 FlightCom: July 2022

Heather Stewart behind the controls of a Baron.

On the fourth day, the helicopter finally arrived. Strict instructions were issued to leave everything non-critical behind as the chopper was at its maximum weight limit.

Heather grabbed her flight bag and headset whilst the Belgians hoarded the remainder of the morphine tablets.

They too preferred Mr. Happy to his curmudgeonly counterpart and were desperate for a constant supply of the opiate!

A few weeks later when the earth had a chance to dry out, Kalsi Sarandar, our high priest of engine magicians, flew to 5Y-AMD intending to fix her.

But even his magic could not patch Humpty together again.

The waterlogged Sudd.

The C402 had been stripped as if a swarm of locusts had devoured her. Her metal skin had been peeled, the seats were gone and the dashboard stripped of instruments. All that remained was the frame.

Even though 5Y-AMD was not much of a bush plane, both Heather and I had come to love her and were devastated by this news.

For months after the incident, the standing joke at the Aero Club was ‘How many 402s does it take to make a million teaspoons and saucers?’

These were unusual circumstances. All things considered, losing an aeroplane was a small sacrifice in the bigger scheme of things. We lived to fly another day; what more could any pilot want! 

FlightCom: July 2022

15

BY JOHN BASSI

As I lifted off I felt as if I were floating up on a magic carpet, or peering out of a glass elevator, watching the ground slip away below. The world seemed to expand to far horizons, after living like a bug under a microscope, to seeing life as an eagle through a wide-angle lens.

E

LATION? FASCINATION? Disbelief?

Such utter freedom. Everything felt so right and natural to be piloting after a month and a half grounded, but I held a kind of guilt that I alone was escaping from the punishment that all others couldn’t.

Crossing Redhill road above Simonstown, then descending west into the valley leading to Scarborough, the surrounding peaks shrouded in mist from the fresh Westerly wind off the Atlantic, I filled my lungs with the clean moist air attempting to grasp everything, wishing that I could share the moment.

At the same instant, my heart filled with a sense of awe, that I alone was flying, free, released from the prison, privileged beyond comprehension. Radios were silent, the sky was mine – but not. Thousands of cormorants, sacred ibis and gulls filled the beaches and my intrusion felt demonic. Beaches that a mere few weeks ago were smeared with human footprints, were pristine. Brushed pure by the tides and returned to nature.

T h e Ca p e weather is special.

From the air the reality of the Covid lockdown became more tangible. Not a single person, not a car, no people walking dogs on the beaches, no surfers. Stillness everywhere. I banked to the south

16 FlightCom: July 2022

west in my three-dimensional freedom, but fearful realisation of our true situation clawed at me, now seeing the empty world for myself, that there really were absolutely no signs of human life… anywhere.

For us humans, life had become so wrong, but for the Planet and nature, everything was so right.

Abalone poachers paradise, remote and inaccessible mountains where escape is easy.

The Cape weather is special. It took me a couple of years of living in the far south to begin understanding the micro-climates and how to navigate my way between them. Even so, the lessons continue and only a fool would venture into the various mountains without careful planning. And yet, here I was, responding to a call and only assessing the viability after lifting off into a fresh Westerly.

turbulent, and the east facing cliffs of the peninsula, especially where I would need to fly, low down between the rocks, would be like a washing machine. Poacher camps are always hidden inside the thick milkwood bushes along the remote slopes on the Peninsula and are seen from above because of the litter and blue plastic bags they use to carry the abalone.

Helicopters like to fly in wind, as long as it’s not

Abalone poachers who, along with all the other

FlightCom: July 2022

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criminals, were rejoicing the Covid curfew as utopian time, no policing and freedom to operate, immune from and in many cases, assisted by the “law.”

And for those who don’t know, wildlife trade is the sale or exchange of wild animals (dead or alive) or plants, to be used for food, curios, medicinal ingredients, spiritual beliefs, skins or as trophies. The illegal trade has grown to become one of the major illegal moneymaking trades. Unfortunately most people are only aware of the effect these crimes have on elephants and rhino, most are seldom reminded about the lesser known poaching and crime syndicates involved in animals like perlemoen. Abalone (or Perlemoen) poaching is a very serious problem on the Cape coast that has far reaching tentacles into organised crime.

According to the International Wildlife trade monitoring network (Traffic), between 2006 and 2016, a total of 96 million abalone were poached in Southern Africa. On average, two thousand tonnes of abalone are bagged annually by poachers – 20 times the legal take – in an illicit industry estimated to be worth at least $60-million a year.

About 90% of poached abalone ends up in Hong Kong.

Abalone poacher highway, from the main road straight down to the cliffs. Its possible to see their tracks from the air.

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) has also formed links between abalone poaching and gangsters. According to GI-TOC, the rise of abalone poaching coincided with South African gangs bartering with Chinese criminal syndicates for chemicals necessary to produce drugs such as methaqualone. It is because of this bartering system that it is so difficult to trace cash

being paid for the abalone. The divers don’t get paid in cash; instead, they exchange the perlemoen for crystal meth. This drug is commonly known as Tic or mandrax in South Africa or as quaalude in North America. Add this to the unemployed youth in the massive poverty stricken communities surrounding Cape Town and its clear to see how easy they are to exploit. The gang wars, murders, theft and crimes

18 FlightCom: July 2022

As much as I detest the poachers, imagine how brave they are to dive in these stormy waters…at night.

happening on a large scale in these communities is often related to drugs, of which a huge element originates from perlemoen poaching.

A local had noticed unusual vehicle activity in the early hours of that April morning. An inspection at first light revealed skid marks and fresh human tracks at a well-known pick up/drop off point close to the entrance gate at Cape Point.

Game scouts verified fresh tracks heading into the reserve, and hoped that the surprise of a helicopter appearing may uncover the whereabouts of poachers. Their usual modus operandi would be to send a courier into the reserve as a tourist. The vehicle would be laden with diving equipment which would be offloaded into a culvert or the thickets of bush near to the sea. When the diving conditions were good,

teams of poachers would be dropped off in the same way, or they simply climb through the fence and walk in at night. But now, with lockdown, they had no option but to walk in, and back out. Diving takes place at night, the poachers attach small torches to their goggles with tape and they protect their cell phones inside condoms. Once they have completed their theft, they dump the diving equipment back into the bushes and walk out carrying the shucked abalone in blue plastic rubbish bags to a pick-up point on the tar road. It’s not uncommon for gangs of 50 poachers to operate in one go.

El a t i o n , tinged with dis appoint ment

My pulse raced in eager anticipation, what would we find? How would we possibly contain and arrest a large gang? Where would they be hiding and what would be my best approach to not spook them too

FlightCom: July 2022

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Part of our recovered diving equipment from the poachers camp.

soon? The rugged mountains surrounding the area make it near impossible to apprehend scattering super fit humans desperate to not be captured. So, I made peace with myself, to fly in and hopefully capture one or two poachers, maybe equipment, and accept that all we were managing was to disrupt their efforts for a few days. Some would rely on the thick bush to hide motionlessly and wait for us to disappear; they would hopefully be surprised by the scouts who were waiting to sweep through any location we identified. The rest would bombshell, scatter and run away in different directions to get out the park. They would be surprised by our vehicles waiting in ambush if a pick-up vehicle attempted to arrive. Some would run and hide in the park awaiting nightfall to make an escape and others would flee the way they came, get out the park and head up into the mountains to vanish.

I flew in low, following the contours and along their well-worn highway through the fynbos, descending down the hillside and scouring every bush for signs.

Movement to the left, something red disappeared, I banked hard left and came into the low hover, eyes burning with focus and desire to see our quarry. Bushes moved, I pounced onto the spot and searched. He ran out behind us, a scout saw him

20 FlightCom: July 2022

flee and run straight into our waiting team. Another, ducking and diving like a wild creature sprinted in the direction of the main road, he too was welcomed by the game scouts. Two more made a run for it, I followed them but they split up, and only able to pursue one, I pressed the siren button and stayed on him herding him towards the waiting scouts.

A few more had managed to slip past us as soon as the rangers on the ground began sweeping into their hiding place. They too got away, but in return we managed to recover all their diving equipment, wet suits, fins, knives, snorkels and torch equipped goggles for 40 divers.

Elation, tinged with disappointment swept over me.

An awkward moment on the ground debriefing, awkward to be among comrades at this time of hectic social distancing, in yet sharing a moment where “Covid Lockdown” didn’t exist.

A hollow feeling grew in my gut as the reality crept back, time to go, to fly back home, back to the unknown nothingness. The mother of all anticlimaxes engulfed me, realising that it was over as I reluctantly flew along, grasping every second of freedom. 

NEWS

AIRLINK CODESHARES WITH QATAR Qatar Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with South African regional operator Airlink to expand its operations in South Africa.

QATAR AIRWAYS CEO, Akbar al-Baker, said expanding its network will give customers more choice of destinations and flights and contribute to the rapid recovery of travel, which plays an important role in South African economies.

Qatar Airways currently offers direct flights from Doha to Johannesburg 21 times weekly, Cape Town 10 times weekly, and Durban four times weekly.

The codeshare will offer travellers more choice and improved connectivity between 45 destinations in 12 countries across southern Africa, Airlink said.

The group added that travellers will be able to purchase connecting flights on both airlines using one reservation. The new codeshare flights are available for sales and will commence travel on 6 July 2022, subject to government approval.

Post Covid, Qatar has expanded aggressively into Africa by adding eight new destinations since the start of the pandemic, said Airlink.

into Africa, namely: Botswana; Namibia; Zambia; Zimbabwe; and Mozambique.

Airlink added that the new partnership would enable customers to book attractive offers from southern Africa to popular destinations in the U.S. such as New York and Dallas, cities in Europe such as London, Copenhagen and Barcelona, and points across Asia like Manila, Jakarta and Cebu.

“This development is an endorsement of Airlink’s relevance to providing air access to the entire region through our expansive network of destinations, which when considered in conjunction with Qatar Airways’ global reach creates unparalleled connectivity opportunities,” said Airlink’s chief executive Rodger Foster.  Rodger Foster and Akbar al Baker cement the new codeshare.

The agreement will increase Qatar Airways’ footprint in southern Africa, with improved access to the following destinations: Ggeberha (Port Elizabeth); Hoedspruit; Skukuza; and George.

Outside of South Africa’s borders, connectivity would be further extended

FlightCom: July 2022

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MAJOR VS MINOR

DAMAGE There is a need to distinguish between major and minor damage when it comes to the validity of Certificates of Airworthiness.

T

HERE HAVE BEEN SITUATIONS where Operators and AMO’s have felt that aircraft suffering minor damage, once repaired could be returned to service based on a valid Certificate of Release to Service (CRS) issued by the AMO. The SACAA however refuse to allow this, maintaining that where there has been damage to a Class 1 Product, which basically covers any damage to an aircraft or engine, the aircraft Certificate of Airworthiness (CoA) becomes invalid and can only be reinstated by the SACAA if the requirements of regulation 43.02.17 are met.

CATS) stipulate on the issue of the invalidation and reactivation of a CoA once an aircraft has sustained damage and whether these requirements align with ICAO Standards and International best practice on the subject.

Regulation 21.08.12 of the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) indicates that a CoA is only valid for 12 months, unless it is suspended or cancelled by the SACAA. Sub section 2 thereof stipulates that a CoA can be invalidated if the aircraft is not properly maintained, the CRS is invalidated or the aircraft no longer complies with the design aspects specified in Part 21.

There is however no mention in this regulation that damage to a Class 1 Product constitutes a ground for invalidating a CoA.

t h e A MO can approve the aircraft

The industry feels that these requirements don’t adequately distinguish between major and minor damage and negate the role of the AMO to repair minor damage and reinstate the CoA via the CRS. Regarding this difference of opinion, I want to review exactly what the Civil Aviation Regulations and associated Technical Standards (CAR &

22 FlightCom: July 2022

The main requirements for the Re-instatement of a Certificate of Airworthiness after an accident or incident are contained in regulation 43.02.17.

Here it is stipulated that once a Class 1 Product is damaged, such that an aircraft is no longer considered airworthy as defined by the appropriate airworthiness requirements, the certificate of

A ground incident which may or may not be 'minor damage'.

airworthiness of such aircraft becomes invalid until such time as the aircraft is restored to an airworthy condition. The same regulation requires that the details of the damage and repair must be submitted to the SACAA within 48 hours and the SACAA will in its discretion decide whether or not to re-instate the CoA. It is noteworthy that the associated CATS, detailing the procedures to be followed after the damage has been sustained, provide that the specified procedures are mandatory, “irrespective of the extent of the damage to a Class 1 product”.

As mentioned, the CAR define a Class 1 Product as a complete aircraft, aircraft engine, RPS or propeller which is type certificated or identical to a type certificated product.

From this information, it can be concluded that Part 21 contains a requirement that a CoA can be invalidated where the aircraft no longer complies with the design aspects of the Part. However, Part 21 does not reference damage to a Class 1 Product as a ground for invalidating a CoA. Part 43 says that a CoA can be invalidated by any damage to a Class 1 product, irrespective of the extent of the damage

and makes no direct reference to the design aspects of the aircraft.

Looking at the ICAO Standards, Annex 8 stipulates that all CoAs are to be issued on the basis of satisfactory evidence that an aircraft complies with the design aspects of the appropriate airworthiness requirements. The Annex allows States to set validity periods for CoAs or make the duration thereof indefinite. States are also given a discretion to decide whether the nature of the damage sustained by an aircraft renders it unairworthy “…as defined by the appropriate airworthiness requirements”.

With respect to International Best Practice, the FAA and the EASA adopt a similar approach, which is different to that of the SACAA. Their Part 43 regulations focus on how extensive or major the damage is and whether this requires a “major repair” to the aircraft that affects the approved type design.

Part 43 of the FAR contains a long list of what constitutes a “major repair”. For a minor repair, the AMO can directly approve the aircraft for return to service. Where a major repair is involved, the work must be done in accordance with the technical data approved by the Regulator.

FlightCom: July 2022

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The SACAA does not distinguish between major and minor damage.

In conclusion, Annex 8 stipulates that a CoA must evidence that an aircraft complies with the design aspects of the appropriate airworthiness requirements. Where there is damage to an aircraft, the rationale for invalidating the CoA should be dependent on whether the damage affects the approved type design. Although Annex 8 also permits a State to decide whether the nature of the damage sustained by an aircraft renders it unairworthy, in my view the approach in Parts 21 and 43 of the FAR and JAR is closer to the Annex 8 standard and clearer than that contained in the CAR & CATS. The requirement of mere damage to a Class 1 Product doesn’t distinguish minor repairs from major repairs. The focus of regulation 43.02.17 should be on how extensive or major the damage is and whether this requires a “major repair” to the aircraft that affects the approved type design.

A list of what constitutes major repairs could be included in the CATS. Although the CAR does contain a definition of “major repair” the definition is vague and makes no reference to the type design of the aircraft. This definition should also be revised.

If these changes are made, regulation 43.02.17 will 24 FlightCom: July 2022

link up nicely with regulation 21.08.12 (2). It will then be clear that AMOs may release repair work done on minor damage and that the SACAA will only evaluate major damage and approve the repair work based on acceptable data prior to reinstating the CoA. It is recommended that the SACAA give serious consideration to amending regulation 43.02.17.  A hopefully minor repair with speed tape which did not help passenger confidence.

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FlightCom: July 2022

25

Where romance meets nature

Located in South Africa’s Safari hub of Hoedspruit, Safari Moon is a boutique base from which to discover the wonders of South Africa’s Lowveld region. Explore a range of nearby attractions from the famed Kruger National park to the scenic Panorama Route, or simply chose to relax and unwind in nature, making the most of private July piece of Wildlife Estate wilderness.

26 your FlightCom: 2022

CONTACT: bookings@safarimoon.co.za 083 449 5868

FlightCom Magazine

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NEWS

KENYA AIRWAYS

CARRIES CARGO FOR SAA Kenya Airways (KQ) has agreed to fly cargo for South African Airways (SAA).

THE CARGO DEAL COMES at a time the two carriers are in talks to jointly expedite the implementation of common business plans to gain a competitive edge over rivals.

The cargo agreement has KQ carry cargo on behalf of SAA on routes that it operates freighter business to such as Amsterdam.

KQ signed an agreement in 2021 to establish a panAfrican airline by 2023.

This latest move gives KQ an opportunity to expand its cargo business which it has been growing since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cargo accounted for 19 percent of KQ’s Sh70.22 billion sales in the year to December 2021. "KQ is carrying cargo for us on routes where we don't operate as a third-party service provider," SAA CEO John Lamola says. "They are doing cargo for us because we don't have the capacity to do it. We only operate nine planes down from 50 because we went into bankruptcy."

The two carriers signed a strategic partnership in November 2021, in a move that is expected to see them form a Pan-African carrier. It is expected that

the partnership will improve the financial viability of the two airlines currently struggling to stay afloat.

Customers will also benefit from more competitive price offerings for both passenger and cargo segments. To date, the two carriers have signed a lounge access agreement for their customers as part of the Strategic deal to establish a Pan-African Airline.

The lounge access agreement allows KQ business class customers as well as Sky Team Elite customers (platinum and gold) to have exclusive A Kenyan Airways cargo 737. access to the SAA lounge services at O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

The partnership between the two carriers comes at a time when they are both struggling financially. SAA was declared bankrupt a while back, a move that saw it ground its services for months before resuming operations again last year.

Both SAA and KQ, making loses long before 2019.

KQ reported a net loss of Sh15.8 billion in the year ended December 2021 compared to a net loss of Sh36.2 billion the year before when travel restrictions hit operations hardest. 

FlightCom: July 2022

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FACE TO FACE

FACE T O FACE SAA EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN AND CEO: J OHN L A MOL A G

UY LEITCH (GL) ASKS Professor John Lamola (JL) the key questions:

GL: SAA is to be commended for the measured pace of its return to flying. When do you anticipate returning to Long Haul flying? And which routes first?

JL: International demand remains significantly below 2019 levels and is not expected to normalise until late 2023 at the earliest.

Considering this we foresee returning to long-haul routes late in 2023, or early 2024.

It is too early to determine which routes will launch first as SAA is constantly monitoring market conditions to inform the right time to resume service to the right destination.

GL: If not, what is your time framework for a fleet replacement?

JL: We foresee procuring a fleet of 20 to 30 aircraft in three to four years’ time.

GL: You have not increased your seat availability much if any to cater for the Comair closure. Are you currently short of aircraft and flight crew?

JL: SAA does have a small aircraft fleet, with limited capacity, but we have added capacity where possible, and are in the process of addressing the need for more capacity in the future.

The business should turn around in year

GL: Will you be able to return to long haul flying with your current fleet?

JL: The current fleet has two wide body aircraft – viz:. A330-300 and A340-300 that can immediately support long haul flying.

28 FlightCom: July 2022

SAA is taking a deliberately measured response to the reduction in market capacity. SAA has already increased Cape Town services from 3x daily to 5x daily and this will further increase to 6x daily in July.

Durban has increased from 3x daily to 4x and will increase to 5x daily in July. Mauritius capacity is also doubling. Additionally, SAA is deploying larger A320 equipment and occasional widebody aircraft when and where it makes sense as in Cape Town and Durban routes. But one accepts that we have a small aircraft fleet, thus limiting our capacity, and we are addressing the need for more capacity in the future.

GL: Could you please share your vision of what the eventual Kenya Airways (KQ) tie-up will look like: Do you envisage a new pan-African airline? Based where – in Nairobi?

Professor John Lamola is the Interim Executive Chairman and CEO of SAA. Image SAA.

JL: The goal is for SAA and KQ to create a foundation and blue-print for a pan-African airline. Cargo and lounge cooperation began in April 2022, and extensive passenger code sharing will begin in June. By June 2023, our goal is to have secured regulatory approval for broader network cooperation and operational efficiencies. The SAA and KQ brands will remain.

A new f leet o f 2 0 t o 30 aircraft in three to four years GL: Will you continue as Executive chairman, or do you foresee a return to a separation of roles? In which case which one will you take?

JL: The current arrangement is to manage the interim period during the build up to the conclusion of the strategic Equity Partner (SEP) deal. There will be separation of the roles as has historically been the case. I should in due course revert to my previous role (as non-executive chairman).

GL: Is there a budget with a planned return to profitability? – if so, when?

JL: We have re-started quite small and [the budget] in terms of the Corporate Plan anticipates that the business should turn around in year GL: When you accepted the CEO position did you have any agreement with the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) about the limitations of ‘government interference’?

JL: Not really. As you are aware the board plays a governance oversight role, management make day to day executive decisions and the Shareholder gets involved in specific shareholder issues including funding. 

FlightCom: July 2022

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FACE TO FACE

FACE T O FACE MI L E S VA N DER MOL EN

CEMAIR CEO:

A

T A RECENT AVIATION FINANCE conference in Sandton CemAir CEO Miles van der Molen was asked by SAA Chief Operations Officer Simon Newton Smith about the view that governments should recognize the value that airlines contribute to the greater economy and society and should therefore receive ongoing financial support.

Van der Molen shot the idea down, saying, “The very purpose of a business is to create economic value, and an airline is no exception.

“Part and parcel of running an airline is running the airline profitably, and airline management need to be held accountable for the financial performance of the company they steer. The cycle whereby management run up losses to the prejudice of employees, passengers and creditors only to quit and walk away with a final paycheck/bonus in hand while leaving others to bear the losses caused by their decisions has to be stopped.

“The scrap yard of South African airlines is a complete embarrassment and points to a deeper problem in the industry. It is in the interest of passengers and the industry as a whole to have a sustainable and profitable sector, even though it will require higher fares.” 

30 FlightCom: July 2022

Miles van der Molen reckons there are deep problems in the industry.

NEWS

CAPE TOWN VOTED

BEST AIRPORT IN AFRICA Cape Town International Airport is still ranked as the best in Africa, according to the latest Skytrax World Airport Awards. But its position globally has slipped from 33 in 2021 to 49 in 2022.

THAT SLIDE ISN'T AS BAD as Johannesburg's OR Tambo, which dropped 17 places in the world rankings. Durban's King Shaka International Airport, the second-best in Africa, has also dropped in the global standings, although its slide is much more muted.

Cape Town Airport's impressive terminal.

The Skytrax World Airport Awards conducts customer satisfaction surveys among travellers.

This survey evaluates traveller experiences across different airport services, including check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.

The results of the latest survey, conducted between September 2021 and May 2022, showed Doha's Hamad International Airport is still ranked as the best airport in the world, followed by Tokyo and Singapore, with little change among the top five.

Australia's Brisbane Airport, which in 2021 was ranked just one spot ahead of Cape Town, has improved its position to 22.

Airports in Barcelona, Rome, Seattle, Riyadh, Bahrain, and Bogota are just a few that have overtaken Cape Town in the global standings. Saudi Arabia's Dammam Airport has climbed from 87 in 2021 to 50 in 2022, only one spot behind Cape Town.

Despite losing ground to its global counterparts, Cape Town International airport is still regarded as being the cleanest and having the best staff in Africa.

"This award is what brings global attention and gives

airlines confidence in flying to the Mother City," said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, James Vos, in reaction to the latest rankings.

"It is also a show of economic readiness as a city, because connecting Cape Town to more cities and countries means that we can welcome more visitors and create more jobs through tourism and provide trade opportunities to increase export of proudly Cape products to the rest of the world."

Of the regional airports, Bloemfontein's Bram Fischer maintained its tenth spot among Africa's top-10 airports but couldn't crack the worldwide top 100. Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in Gqeberha, previously Port Elizabeth, was previously ranked as the ninth-best airport in Africa. Now it's nowhere to be found in the continental or global rankings in the 2022 Skytrax World Airport Awards.  FlightCom: July 2022

31

NEWS

SA GOVERNMENT SUED FOR SELLING SAA

South Africa’s government and SAA are being sued by a small investment firm that wants the sale of a majority stake in SAA scrapped and to be re-run due to a lack of transparency.

THE ACQUISITION OF 51% of South African Airways by the Takatso Consortium – made up of a local jet-leasing company and a private-equity firm – for just $3 (R51 at the time) was “unlawful and constitutionally invalid,” according to documents filed at the High Court in Cape Town by Toto Investment Holdings Pty Ltd. The transaction was “shrouded in secrecy” and “not fair, equitable, competitive or costeffective,” according to the filing by Toto founder Bongani Gigaba, who says his firm was unfairly excluded from the deal. “Toto was a direct victim of the unlawful and secretive process.”

SAA has received notice of the Toto lawsuit and the Department of Public Enterprises will respond, a spokeswoman said in an emailed response to Bloomberg’s questions. Takatso referred questions to the DPE and the National Treasury declined to comment. The DPE didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Toto, in which Gigaba is the sole shareholder, filed an expression of interest in SAA that was rejected within days, according to the documents. The government frequently said it had several interested buyers in the months leading up to the announcement of the Takatso sale, but has never identified them.

SA Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan is coming under increased pressure re SAA.

The filing is the first legal action against the sale, which has drawn criticism from the National Treasury, opposition parties and media in part due to the lack of proceeds for the taxpayer. Yet the airline had benefitted from R49 billion in state bailouts before entering bankruptcy proceedings in 2019.

After a substantial reorganisation that saw staff numbers cut by almost 80%, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan initiated a sale process that

32 FlightCom: July 2022

eventually led to the agreement with Takatso, made up of Global Airways, which owns domestic airline Lift, and private-equity firm Harith General Partners.

Toto is part of a consortium that controls a 24% stake in Richards Bay Minerals, majority-owned by mining giant Rio Tinto. The investment is worth as much as R15 billion ($938 million), Toto said in the court documents. 

NEWS

POPPY KHOZA HONOURED South Africa’s Director of Civil Aviation Ms Poppy Khoza has been honoured for her leadership and contributions to the aviation industry by the Flight Safety Foundation.

AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB networking and awards dinner in Washington DC on June 21, 2022, Ms Poppy Khoza, was recognised as the first woman to lead the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). She was awarded the Foundation’s Gloria Heath Trophy, which recognises a woman for notable achievements in civil aviation.

Flight Safety International says; “She was selected to receive the award because of her leadership of the authority and the gains the SACAA has achieved during her tenure, and for her role in promoting gender diversity in international aviation.

“It’s fitting that Poppy Khoza was chosen from an accomplished group of nominees to receive the first Gloria Heath Trophy,” said Dr Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Foundation. “Ms. Khoza has made significant contributions to advancing aviation safety and security oversight in South Africa.

In addition, she has championed a transformation that has achieved a more equitable gender representation at the SACAA.”

An award was also made to ICAO, which was selected to receive the Richard Teller Crane Founder’s Award for its leadership and coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART). Through CART, ICAO forged partnerships with a wide array of stakeholders to address pandemic-related challenges, providing coordinated international guidance for a safe, secure and sustainable restart of operations.

“From the outset of the pandemic, ICAO recognized that a successful recovery and restart would be best supported by a well-coordinated international approach and by establishing a task force,” said Shahidi. “As the pandemic continued and virus variants emerged, the ICAO task force updated its guidance and worked to mitigate the devastation of the pandemic,” he said. 

The trophy is named after Gloria Heath, an aviator, safety expert and search-and-rescue pioneer who was the only woman among the group of innovators who founded Flight Safety Foundation 75 years ago.

CAA DCA Ms Poppy Khoza has been honoured by the Flight Safety Foundation.

FlightCom: July 2022

33

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FlightCom: July 2022

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www.avesholding.com 2022 2021 FlightCom: July 2022

37

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.atlasaviation.co.za 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.

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38 FlightCom: July 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

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

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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: July 2022

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