I had just accepted a job offer from Robin Hurt, a well-known and respected Professional Hunter (PH). He had recently set up his own company called Tanzania Game Trackers Safaris in Arusha, the safari capital of the world, and had asked me to set up the aviation side of his business.
I RESIGNED FROM LIMBE Leaf Tobacco in Malawi where I had worked for the past three years piloting a Citation SP1, packed up my scant belongings, and in January 1986 began my new job.
I was tasked with finding a fleet of reliable aircraft which would be used to ferry the clients of Tanzania Game Trackers Safaris from the major airports to various bush camps.
I asked a good friend, Buster Ray, to help me with this task. Buster’s father and my dad were PHs together at White Hunters (Africa) Ltd and I recall changing baby Buster’s nappies when I was eight years old. I reckoned he owed me for that, and he was only too keen to join me in this new venture.
Within five months we had managed to source and register a Cessna 206 Stationair 5H-TGT and a Cessna 404 N68071T. In June I bought our third plane through my contacts at Wilson Airport, a Cessna 402C N268PA.
My job was varied; apart from ferrying clients, I was tasked with transporting their precious custom-designed guns. Existing firearms were often modified or in many cases, new ones were built from scratch to ensure that the gun fitted the user’s body type, shooting stance, and preferences.
Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de SA Flyer Magazine.
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Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de SA Flyer Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
SACRIFICE
John continues his anecdotes about the sacrifices he has had to make in the course of his helicopter bush flying career.
KENYA - SAA PARTNERSHIP DELAY
KENYA AIRWAYS AND South African Airways announced the establishment of a highly anticipated Pan-African Airline Group three years ago.
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.
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.
HYDROGEN POWERED PLANE TESTED
WORLD’S LARGEST liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft, using a 1 MW fuel cell engine, has been tested.
CAMEROON - BLAMES BOEING
BOEING JUST CANNOT STAY out of trouble. It has become the whipping boy for endless absurd claims.
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.
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.
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.
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.
