SA Flyer Magazine
SOUTH AFRICA STILL CONSIDERING C-390
Defenceweb reports that South African Air Force (SAAF) representatives were among a high-level government delegation given a tour of Embraer's facilities in Brazil, including C-390 Millenium and A-29 Super Tucano production lies.
3 min |
February 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
SACAA WINS TOP EMPLOYER AWARD
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has been recognised as a Top Employer for 2025 by the Top Employers Institute.
1 min |
February 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
INTRODUCING BIG WATER AERO
The Gariep Dam Airport has changed hands. The new owners are rsa.Aero Winelands Airport.
1 min |
February 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
BOEING VS AIRBUS 2024
In 2024 Boeing delivered 180 fewer commercial aircraft than 2023 after a year which began with the door plug failure on an Alaska Airline 737-9 Max.
2 min |
February 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 26 SPINNING
I have been doing some long-range mentoring of a new instructor. I called her the other night to find out how she was getting on with her patter and preparation for the flight test.
9 min |
February 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
FLIGHT DESIGN INSOLVENT
The very successful Light Sport Aircraft manufacturer Flight Design has filed for insolvency. The aircraft builder says it has run out of cash because a major customer hasn't paid its bill.
1 min |
February 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
DECEMBER 2024
This month's column closes off 2024. The year has flown by quickly and by the time you are reading this column you will already be well through the first month of the New Year!
4 min |
February 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
MAKE AVIATION GREAT AGAIN - IT'S TIME TO TURN BACK.
How wonderful it is to have an incoming president who is, by his own admission, a leading, if not the leading, world authority on most subjects.
4 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
LARGEST EVER RHINO RELOCATION
Specialist air cargo operator ACS mobilised all its skills to successfully complete a very challenging project – the translocation of 39 White Rhino from Namibia to the USA.
1 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
TWINCO FUEL
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT
6 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
CC POCOCK MAKES HISTORY IN THE USA
In strong contrast to the South African Civil Aviation Authority's obstructionism, aviation history was made when veteran South African airshow performer Milne “CC” Pocock received FAA-approval for the first-ever laser show from an aircraft.
2 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
2024 - Winners and losers
In South Africa it’s been another bleak year. As write this in early December, many people seem to be shaking their heads and wondering what the hell is going on. But in the rest of the world, things are literally going bananas.
7 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
FLYING THE HAWKER HUNTER
Flying a Hunter starts hours before actually walking out to the aircraft. This machine is a legend, but it is first of all about the highest performance machine that it is feasible for a civilian to fly. Flying it is not to be taken lightly.
10+ min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
RON WHEELDON'S HUNTERS
RON WHEELDON is a Johannesburg based trademark and IP attorney. He writes, \"My love affair with Hawker Hunter jet fighters started in approximately 1963 when the Rhodesian parliament opening was marked by a fly-by of nine recently acquired Hawker Hunters in diamond formation.
1 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
QUEEN AIR TALES
In the early seventies Esquire Airways acquired a pre-owned Beechcraft Queen Air. This top of the range 8,800 lb MAUW model had nine forward facing commuter seats and I flew it as a single pilot operation for several months.
10 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
LIVING THE DREAM Part 2: Planning and Pax
Part 2: Planning and Pax
5 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
HELICOPTER PILOTS SHOULD UNIONISE
Helicopter pilots are stuck in a 12-month flying cycle. While they will have periods of rest and active rest (performing ground-based tasks and planning ventures) within their work source campaigns, it's not a good situation. They need programmed periods to catch their breath.
2 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
AFTERMATH of the Engine Fire
Iris McCallum continues her stories about her early years with Air Kenya. This month she tells us about the immediate aftermath of her dramatic engine fire and crash, and her subsequent 'getting back onto the saddle'.
4 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
NOVEMBER 2024
November sees strong growth in aircraft registrations with 16 additions, but 10 aircraft are cancelled as exported. The Type Certified additions are a mixed bag.
4 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 25 SLOW FLIGHT
Most of us feel a bit edgy when the ASI creeps down within 10 KIAS of the stall. Jim Davis has some hints on how to be comfortable and in control - even when the airspeed is 20 KIAS below the stall.
10 min |
January 2025
SA Flyer Magazine
SOLAR CHARGING FOR PLANES
Saxon Air has completed the installation of what it calls a 'pioneering electric charging point' at its Business Aviation Centre in Norwich, believed to be the first of its kind at a UK regional airport, with the purpose-built infrastructure featuring a solar energy array specifically tailored for electric aircraft.
1 min |
December 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
SLING H2 - HYDROGEN FLIGHT
A team of aeronautical students and their lecturers in Switzerland are building a Sling High Wing with hydrogen propulsion.
2 min |
December 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
AVIATION'S GOT THE CAREERS - BUT ARE YOU READY?
Now that Covid is receding into being a bad dream and the aviation industry is bouncing back strongly, the aviation press, blogs and websites are abuzz with predictions that we're facing a massive skills shortage. The only way to address this is by dramatically ramping up training to ensure an ongoing flow of new professionals into the industry
4 min |
December 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
FRENCH FLIES
Like it or not, the French know how to make great planes - even if their cars are funny. So imagine what you get when you take French flair to the world's best-selling plane.
4 min |
December 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
AERO CLUB OF SOUTH AFRICA AWARDS: 2024
General aviation is a dynamic and multifaceted pursuit that celebrates the freedom and exhilaration of flight. From piloting aeroplanes and helicopters to soaring with eagles in a glider, it offers a rich tapestry of experiences.
5 min |
December 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
The Amazing PT6A Story
The famous slogan says - 'Trust in God and Pratt & Whitney'. And it is largely thanks to the ubiquitous PT6A that this statement is still true.
6 min |
December 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
LIVING THE DREAM - Part 1: Life in the Trailer Park
A harsh, piercing sound jolts me out of a restful, deep sleep. My alarm clock. Where am I? The ceiling is not familiar, the bed is hard, and the room smells. Well, I know I'm not home. My mind is racing to identify my location on this planet. Oh yes, I'm at work. Houma, Louisiana.
5 min |
December 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
RODGER FOSTER STEPS OUT THE COCKPIT
At the end of November 2024 Airlink announced a change of leadership following the decision by current CEO and Managing Director, Rodger Foster, to step down at the end of March 2025. Rodger Foster founded the airline almost 33 years ago.
2 min |
December 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
OKAVANGO ECHOES
One Okavango evening, at the luxury Khwai River lodge, a young well-bred English pilot of good character and eloquent public-school accent and I had too much to drink.
5 min |
December 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
RIGHT SEAT RULES NO.24 SLIPPING IT IN
What a graceful thing a sideslip is. When you watch an aeroplane slip gently onto the very threshold of a grass field and straighten out just before the wheels brush the turf, you know you are looking at an aviator - not an aeroplane driver.
10 min |