African Pilot
BEST OF THE BEST - CHARLIE SUNSHINE’S BREEZY
When I visited AERO Friedrichshafen in April this year, I met a most interesting man Carl-Friedrich Schmidt who had built his Breezy aircraft and this is his story.
9 min |
August 2022
African Pilot
RUSSIAN AGGRESSION TRIGGERS NEW INTEREST IN KC-46
Boeing expects to sell up to 42 KC-46 tankers in addition to its current backlog, said Mike Hafer, the company’s senior manager for KC-46 business development.
2 min |
August 2022
African Pilot
CATASTROPHIC STRUCTURAL FAILURE
ACCIDENT REPORT
10+ min |
August 2022
African Pilot
KOREAN AIR RANKS FIRST IN GLOBAL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION FOR 18TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Korean Air took first place in the air passenger transportation sector of the 2022 Global Customer Satisfaction Index (GCSI) awards.
1 min |
August 2022
African Pilot
MULTI-DOMAIN ADVANTAGE: MQ-9B
The first quarter of the 21st century has unfortunately proved one constant from the previous one: The world is not getting any safer.
4 min |
August 2022
African Pilot
BOEING SAYS IT CAN MAINTAIN $80M PER UNIT COST FOR THE F-15EX
Boeing's Steve Parker said he expects a contract for F-15EX lot 2 and 3 'will be at the advertised price' when it is finalised in a couple months. The price claim comes after lawmakers bemoaned lack of oversight on unit costs for the fighter.
2 min |
August 2022
African Pilot
KUMBULULUKA KWA BAFANA (FLIGHT FOR THE CHILDREN)
In 2016, Felix Gosher created an initiative to provide an opportunity of flight to under-privileged children from various shelters in Johannesburg. With the support of many within the aviation fraternity, this has been very successful. As he is now Zambia based it was only logical that he has would expand this into the African continent. The first ever Zambia Children's Flight held at the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) base in Lusaka on 23 July 2022.
2 min |
August 2022
African Pilot
METAL MASTER PREPARES TO FLY SECOND FLARIS LAR-1 TEST AIRCRAFT
Metal Master expects to fly the second production-conforming Flaris LAR-1 in the coming weeks, with Polish certification to follow in mid-2023.
2 min |
August 2022
African Pilot
ROYAL INTERNATIONAL AIR TATTOO
Three years since its last edition, the world's largest military airshow made its triumphant return to RAF Fairford, United Kingdom in July with its most successful show ever.
2 min |
August 2022
African Pilot
COPING WITH THE FEAR OF FLYING
"Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me and when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
5 min |
August 2022
African Pilot
AERO SOUTH AFRICA
Staged at Wonderboom National Airport over three days from Thursday 7 to Saturday 9 July, AERO South Africa was a wonderful opportunity for aviation companies to show off their business to the market.
4 min |
August 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
REMEMBER THE GERMAN AEROPLANE?
My son Nick, who was screening a series of classic films for his friends, put on the 1981 Spielberg pulse-pounder, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which came out in the year he was born and therefore stood to him, in terms of the history of film and the decline of taste, as Casablanca does to me.
6 min |
June 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
UITENHAGE WINGS AND WHEELS 2022
The Klinicare Uitenhage Wings and Wheels Festival had the distinction of being one of two airshows held in South Africa on 2 April.
2 min |
June 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
PRESIDENTS' TROPHY AIR RACE 2022 – NEW TEMPE BLOEMFONTEIN
The Presidents’ Trophy Air Race has been contested annually since 1937, baring the war years and 2020, which had to be scrapped due to Covid.
4 min |
June 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
THE GREAT ‘GATE GUARD' MOVE
For many years two aircraft have guarded the entrance to the Gqebetha International Airport (formerly Port Elizabeth). Then one fell off its plinth.
2 min |
June 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
THE PARYS AIRSHOW – A WONDERFUL NEW MODEL.
The Parys Airshow held in the last weekend of May was an extraordinary event which looks set to define a new genre for country airshows.
3 min |
June 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
THE RAINBOW SKYREACH BUSHCAT
“AN AFFORDABLE BUSH AIRCRAFT” Africa is a naturally strong market for a locally developed and built, yet thoroughly proven, light sport bush plane. The Bush Cat is one such aircraft that has evolved into what many consider the almost perfect, tough yet affordable, bush plane.
9 min |
June 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
QUEENSTOWN FLY-IN FESTIVAL
The remote but dynamic Queenstown Flying Club celebrated the 90th anniversary of the De Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth.
3 min |
June 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
GRAND CENTRAL AIRPORT
The Covid-19 pandemic hit general aviation hard - and Grand Central airport was no exception.
3 min |
June 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
NOSE LEFT, LOW RPM HORN SCREAMING
Since the beginning of powered flight, pilots have had one unifying dread – a dead stick landing.
4 min |
June 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT
FLUTTER - BE VERY AFRAID
7 min |
June 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
FACE TO FACE DIRECTOR OF THE CAA: MS POPPY KHOZA
Ms Poppy Khoza has been the Director of the CAA for more almost 10 years something of a record. She must be doing something right to have lasted so long in such a difficult job. Guy Leitch caught up with her.
6 min |
May 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
RAND AIRPORT - AVIATION COMPANIES GUIDE
Rand Airport in capitalising on its excellent location and facilities to lead the post-Covid recovery in general aviation.
4 min |
May 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
OBITUARY TIRO VORSTER - 7 DECEMBER 1943 - 24 APRIL 2022
Tiro Vorster was a world-renowned aviation artist. He was a Fellow of the American Society of Aviation Artists (ASAA) and this information comes from ASAA and from a profile in World Airnews by Pieter Cronjé.
2 min |
May 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
LOOKING BACK AT LOCKDOWN - THE MOMENT OUR LIVES FOREVER CHANGED.
It always fascinates people when they see how much I can pack into the helicopter to go away on trips. Some call it my flying bakkie.
6 min |
May 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
PUPES - PLEASURES OR PAINS
What makes some people memorable and others not? Why can I picture Monkey May, my maths master, and Miss McDonald who taught us art, but not the catering lady? Apparently, it's to do with emotions. Monkey May frightened the hell out of me, and I was deeply in love with the gorgeous Sally McDonald who glided amongst us budding artists, offering gentle words of encouragement. The catering lady? Nah – no idea who she was.
10+ min |
May 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
Learning to Fly Single Seat Fire-bombers
Ag Aviation Africa (AAA), the Sub-Saharan and the Middle East agent for Air Tractor, hosted an open day and launch party before the Stellenbosch airshow to introduce their newly approved Aircraft Training Organisation (ATO), Ag Aviation Flight Academy (AAFA).
5 min |
May 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
CemAir - Bouncing Back Strongly
As the airline industry slowly returns to a 'new normal', Johannesburg based carrier CemAir is thriving. The airline is pushing ahead, into the gaps in the market left by the departure of competitors such as SA Express and Mango, and the slow restart of SAA.
4 min |
May 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
Hot Air Ballooning - The Purist Form of Flight
Hot air ballooning has always been a bucket list item for me and finally I was given the chance to experience the oldest form of flight known to man. Dale de Klerk, the CEO of Bill Harrop's "Original" Balloon Safaris, invited SA Flyer for a flight, and I jumped at the offer.
4 min |
May 2022
SA Flyer Magazine
Drop Test
Safety in aviation means coming down softly. I once wrote that it would be impossible for a skydiver in a wingsuit to flare and land without a parachute.
6 min |