African Pilot
GLOBAL HELICOPTER SALES IN 2023
Deliveries in the rotorcraft segment rose by nearly 10 percent last year compared to 2022. The turbinepowered category showed even better performance with its 753 deliveries equating to a 10.4 percent boost.
1 min |
April 2024
African Pilot
LOCKHEED MARTIN 35A officially certified to carry nuclear bomb
The designation marks the first time that a stealth fighter can carry a nuclear weapon, in this case the B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bomb.
2 min |
April 2024
African Pilot
ENSTROM Helicopter Corporation
With crisp handling, well-appointed features, incredibly smooth ride, beautiful style and roomy interior, Enstrom’s line of helicopters offers the attributes of the ultimate luxury sports car and for an unexpectedly affordable price.
1 min |
April 2024
African Pilot
POLIKARPOV I-16
Rare POLIKARPOV I-16 flies again in SPAIN
3 min |
April 2024
African Pilot
CABRI G2
Helicopteres Guimbal was founded late-2000, with the purpose of developing and certifying the two-seat helicopter Cabri G2.
1 min |
April 2024
African Pilot
HAI HELI-EXPO 20024 EXPERIENCES RECORD-BREAKIING ATTENDANCE
This year’s event staged between 26 and 29 February included the announcement that the show's producer, Helicopter Association International HAI), was rebranding as Vertical Aviation International VAI). VAI is the world’s leading membership association dedicated to the vertical aviation industry, which encompasses all aircraft capable of vertical or short take-off and landing.
10+ min |
April 2024
African Pilot
EAA Young Aviators March meeting
On Saturday 2 March I witnessed firsthand the incredible rej Jyenation of General Aviation where younger people, mostly studying for their pilot's licences that has also brought considerable diversity to the membership of the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) and specifically Johannesburg Chapter 322.
2 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
Flying Cars A fool and his money...
There is a hoary old adage - that you can fool most of the people most of the time. And that's enough to raise lots of money for screwball ideas. The Pegasus, a VTOL business jet that is nothing more than a computer graphic comes to mind.
6 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
FEBRUARY 2023
February has shown steady growth in the number of aircraft registered. Four fixed wing and one helicopter were added while the non-type certified (NTCA) register grew by seven.
3 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
SAFETY FEATURE
General aviation hides behind the safety record of its big brother - the airline industry.
3 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
ASCA'S MPUMI MPOFU: READY FOR TAKE-OFF
Ms Mpumi Mpofu has occupied the hot seat as Chief Executive of ACSA, the Airports Company of South Africa for a tumultuous past four years.
5 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
HYDROGEN POWERED PLANE TESTED
WORLD’S LARGEST liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft, using a 1 MW fuel cell engine, has been tested.
1 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
CAMEROON - BLAMES BOEING
BOEING JUST CANNOT STAY out of trouble. It has become the whipping boy for endless absurd claims.
1 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
SAA TAKATSO SALE CALLED OFF
SOUTH AFRICA’S Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has announced that the sale of a 51% stake in South African Airways (SAA) to the Takatso Consortium has been cancelled.
1 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
EAA AIRWEEK 2024
Having attended Oshkosh in 2023, I was looking forward to our own, miniature version in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.
5 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 16 FUEL SYSTEMS WHY SO COMPLICATED?
You know those aggranoying people who say, “Oh I wouldn't fly in one of those little things - you can't just pull over and fix it if something goes wrong\"? What makes this particularly irritating is that the bastards are right.
10 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
WHY CAN AEROPLANES FLY UPSIDE-DOWN¿
In 1945, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, precursor of NASA and source of much of our knowledge about practical aerodynamics, published a hefty compendium of aerofoil data, NACA Technical Report 824, which later appeared in book form under the title Theory of Wing Sections.
5 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
TRAVOLTA'S CROOKED PILOTS?
TWO PILOTS ARE CHARGED with embezzling close to $800,000 from John Travolta.
1 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
STELLENBOSCH AIR SHOW
The Western Cape does not get as many airshows as the Joburg area - which is a shame as it has great airshow performers and one of the best venues in the world for a flying club airshow.
3 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
PIPER'S COMANCHE 180 - IT TICKS ALL THE BOXES
The Comanche is a fabulous plane - that was frankly just too good to be a Piper.
8 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
TELEPORTATION
One of the best clients for whom I ever flew was BP, the British oil giant. I was with them in Algeria for about seven years, from the very start of their large gas projects, right in the heart of the Sahara Desert, near the small towns of In Amenas and In Salah.
6 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
KENYA - SAA PARTNERSHIP DELAY
KENYA AIRWAYS AND South African Airways announced the establishment of a highly anticipated Pan-African Airline Group three years ago.
1 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
TO PARIS FOR LUNCH
One morning I arrived back at Lanseria from a two day charter to a dreary Northern Cape iron mine. Entering the terminal, I removed my wings and epaulets, thrust them into my flight bag, and headed for the restaurant.
7 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
IRIS GOES TO SOMALIA
Having spent the last couple of years flying to a rota, I was thoroughly enjoying the freedom and randomness of flying charters at Sunbird Aviation.
7 min |
April 2024
SA Flyer Magazine
SACRIFICE
John continues his anecdotes about the sacrifices he has had to make in the course of his helicopter bush flying career.
6 min |
April 2024
Future Flight
LYTE launches a private version of hydrogen-electric VTOL AIRCRAFT
According to Lyte Aviation, its LA-44 X Prime aircraft will have the same 620-mile range as the other variants. Founder and CEO Freshta Farzam said she is in talks with aircraft completion specialists and aims to unveil cabin interior designs in the next few weeks.
2 min |
March 2024
Future Flight
AIRBUS CEO EXPECTS TO LAUNCH ZERO AIRCRAFT PROGRAMME BY 2028
Airbus has revealed more details on its ZEROe programme, which the manufacturer announced in September 2020. According to its chief executive, the plane maker is currently exploring two hydrogen technologies: directly burning liquid hydrogen or using it in a fuel cell to turn hydrogen into electricity.
2 min |
March 2024
Future Flight
India plans to spend US $3 billion on its space programme
According to the head of India's military, the country plans to spend about $3 billion on space-related contract awards over the next few years to reduce its dependence on foreign satellites and bolster its counter-space capabilities. Gen. Anil Chauhan's call to close the gap between India's own capabilities and other nations that are developing countermeasures in space comes amid tensions with China.
7 min |
March 2024
Future Flight
LILIUM PREPARES TO RAMP UP
production of electric jet propulsion units
4 min |
March 2024
Future Flight
VOLOCOPTER OBTAINS CLEARANCE TO START EARLY SERIIAL PRODUCTION OF VOLOCITY EVTOL AIRCRAFT
Last month Germany’s LBA civil aviation authority extended Volocopter’s production organisation approval (POA), clearing the way for the company to start serial manufacturing of its two-seat VoloCity eVTOL aircraft. The approval covers two new Volocopter production eVTOLs and hangar facilities at Bruchsal in Germany that the company built in 2023.
3 min |