African Pilot
LEONARDO'S AUSTRALIAN AW139 FLEET GROWS
Leonardo has announced further growth in presence of the AW139 intermediate twin engine helicopter in Australia with orders for a total of six aircraft by three different prime operators: Babcock Australasia, RACQ CQ Rescue and StarFlight Australia. All six aircraft will be delivered from Leonardo's Vergiate final assembly line facility in Italy during 2024.
3 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
RARE WWII TARGET DRONE TO BE DISPLAYED IN A USA MUSEUM
On 28 February 2023, Idaho's Spirit of Flight Foundation museum announced that a rare WWII era Culver target drone has been donated to the museum's collection.
2 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
BEST OF THE BEST DUTCH KINDEBERGER
James Howard 'Dutch' Kindelberger was an American aviation pioneer. He led North American Aviation from 1934 until 1960. As an extroverted character, Kindelberger was famed for his emphasis on hard work, orderliness and punctuality.
3 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
EMIRATES SELECTS DIAMOND AIRCRAFT DA42-VI FOR FLIGHT TRAINING
Emirates Flight Training Academy (EFTA), operated by Emirates airline, is bolstering its current fleet with an order for three state-of-the-art twin engine training aircraft DA42-VI and its corresponding flight simulator from Diamond Aircraft.
2 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
BLACKHAWK AEROSPACE UPDATES
Blackhawk Aerospace is adding the PC-12 to its roster of aircraft for aftermarket engine upgrade Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs).
2 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
NAMES TO REMEMBER
Famed cosmonaut Valery Polyakov dead at 80
2 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
VIP AIRCRAFT: HOW DO PRESIDENTS, PRIME MINISTERS AND HEADS OF STATE TRAVEL?
While some of the world's leaders and heads of state arrive at regional and international meetings on massive four-engined planes, others travel on smaller airliners or business jets.
5 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
SPORTS AEROBATIC CLUB TRAINING CAMP AT KITTY HAWK
Once again, the superb Kitty Hawk airfield was the venue for the SAC's aerobatics training camp over two days, Friday 10 and Saturday 11 March 2023. I drove to the venue on Saturday morning to spend some time watching the aerobatics training taking place.
2 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
SAUDIA ANNOUNCES MAJOR BOEING ORDER
On 14 March 2023 Boeing and Jeddah-based Saudia announced that the Saudi national flag carrier will add up to 49 787 Dreamliners to its long-haul fleet.
1 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
GRAVITY SUCKS
Well, I always wanted to talk about this thing called gravity.
10+ min |
April 2023
African Pilot
AERO CLUB OF SOUTH AFRICA'S AIRWEEK AT MIDDLEBURG
Once again, the annual AeCSA weekend fly-in staged at Middleburg airfield over three days Friday 3 to Sunday 5 March was an outstanding success. I drove to Middelburg on Friday morning and by 10h30 my tent office was set up so that I could report directly from this very important aviation event.
6 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
DOUGLAS's A-26 INVADER ONE AIRCRAFT, THREE US WARS
The Douglas A-26 Invader was a World War II era, American, twin-engined light-bomber and ground attack aircraft designed to meet a 1940 US Army Air Corps (USAAC) requirement for multi-role light bomber optimised for low-level and medium-altitude precision bombing attacks.
7 min |
April 2023
African Pilot
TWO-SEAT PROTOTYPE OF SOUTH KOREA's KF-21 FIGHTER JET CONNDUCTS MAIDEN FLIGHT
The test flight took place on 20 February 2023. The prototype stayed airborne for about 34 minutes flying from the 3rd Flying Training Wing of the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) based in Sacheon Airport (HIN), South Korea.
4 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
IRIS GOES TO KHARTOUM - Laura McDermid continues her stories of Iris McCallum's flying exploits.
In Part 1, Iris introduced us to the American Congressman and diplomats she was flying with three planes from Nairobi to Khartoum.
5 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
FACE TO FACE - CEO MERCHANT WEST GROUP: BRAAM VILJOEN
Guy Leitch has 10 questions.
4 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
AIRLINK TO LAUNCH NAIROBI - JNB
Airlink will become the first private sector airline service, from to offer a daily Johannesburg-Nairobi 24 April 2023.
1 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
TURKEY'S DRONES FOR AFRICA
There are few greater recent success stories in military UAVs than Turkey's rapid transformation over the past twenty years into one of the world's key suppliers, mirroring a huge advancement in the rest of its indigenous defence industry.
4 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
The SAA V2.0 Fantasy
There is rapidly mounting evidence that we are being conned by the government about the real chances of success for the new SAA version 2.
6 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 4 - PREPARATION FOR FLIGHT
Instructors, you instruct with your mouth, not your hands and feet. And the only things you have in your toolbox are words.
10 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
BOSE NEW A30 HEADSET
It's always a big thing when Bose announces their next generation aviation headset. Their last big launch was 13 years ago with the A20.
2 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
STICK TO THE RULES
Try listen to your gut, follow the POH, be ready for the unexpected...and pray.
5 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
FEBRUARY 2023
anuary is usually the slowest month for the aircraft register, but perhaps reflecting the decline in the aviation industry, this year February has it beaten by quite a bit. There were only four Type Certified aircraft registered two fixed wing and two helicopters.
1 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
AIRBUS H125
We have said it before the French make the best helicopters. In the light helicopter series the original AS350 Écureuil (or Squirrel) has been a huge success and it was natural that the giant Airbus would continue to develop it only now called the H125 after the takeover of Aerospatiale, (which gave it the AS prefix).
8 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
HAI HELIEXPO 2023: EXPLORING THE WORLD'S LARGEST HELICOPTER INDUSTRY GATHERING
South Africa may have the largest and busiest general aviation sector in Africa, but when we look worldwide, over 80% of flights occur in North America alone. A substantial number of these flights are helicopters.
4 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
CAPE TOWN HELICOPTERS' - NEW EXPERIENCE FOCUS.
Cape Town Helicopters has adopted a specific focus on tourist operations particularly in the Cape Town area which is world-renowned as 'the Fairest Cape in all the world'.
2 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
PETER AND NICK'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
A phalanx of Restricted and Military Operating Areas confronts pilots heading north out of Los Angeles. Between sprawling Edwards Air Force Base and the Naval Air Weapons Station situated at water-free China Lake, a pilot studying the chart for the first time must think the way impassable.
5 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
TRUSTY TWIN
I don't know if you are familiar with the workings of the De Havilland (Canada) Dash 6, otherwise known as the Twin Otter, but they're surprisingly complicated for what has become one of the classic bush aircraft of all time.
3 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
FUEL PUMP F-UP
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT
6 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
MISSION FLYING IN AFRICA - THE BEST AND WORST OF HUMANITY
Child rape is tragically all too common in places like South Sudan where justice isn't often delivered. Mission Aviation Fellowship comes to the rescue.
3 min |
April 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
NEW STRUCTURE STOPS EAST LONDON ILS/VOR
The ILS and VOR approach to the primary East London Runway Runway 11 has been NOTAMed as \"permanently closed\" due to a structure having been erected on the approach to Runway 11.
1 min |