African Pilot
CAPE TOWN FLIGHT TRAINING CENTRE
Operating at Cape Winelands Airport since 2003, Cape Town Flight Training Centre (CTFTC) is Cape Town's premier fixed-wing pilot training establishment. Cape Winelands Airport is unique to the area in providing an excellent weather record, a safe learning environment and multiple runways at a location which allows immediate access to the General Flying Area (GFA) and Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) controlled airspace.
1 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
YOUR TURBOPROP IS FAST REACHING ITS PT-6 ENGINE OVERHAUL TIME NOW BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO YOUR AIRCRAFT
As the accredited African for a variety representative of aftermarket performance enhancement systems, Absolute Aviation is ideally situated to work with you to plan a significant upgrade for your aircraft.
9 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
BILL HARROP'S ORIGINAL BALLOON SAFARIS NIGHT GLOW OF HISTORIC BALLOONS
We were invited to spend Sunday 30 Aprill, late afternoon early evening at Bill Harrop's Original Balloon Safaris vintage balloon night glow evening. This was a special occasion because about fifteen hot air balloons were set up on the vast expanse of the balloon field and as darkness fell the pilots all did a simultaneous 'night glow' which was very beautiful to watch and record.
4 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
NICOLE STOTT SPEAKS AT SKYHAWK AVIATION
In my lifetime of reporting on aviation events, I have met some pretty famous people, but I have never met and hugged a real live NASA astronaut, especially someone as competent and beautiful as Nicole Stott who when to the International Space Station (ISS) twice on board the NASA Space Shuttle.
4 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
SAAF MUSEUM SWARTKOP AIRSHOW
After a long three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic this very popular airshow returned to the delight of all South African aviation enthusiasts and they came in their thousands to enjoy the show.
3 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
BONA BONA GAME LODGE FLY-AWAY
What a wonderful weekend we spent at Bona Bona Game Lodge attending the annual fly-away and speed rally. I was told that 61 aircraft and four helicopters were present on Saturday and a total of 19 teams took part in the SAPFA speed rally.
2 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
USAF TO RETIRE U-2S IN 2026
In accordance with ongoing efforts to reshape the manner in which the service surveys nations, organisations and persons not supportive of US policy, the USAF is proceeding with plans to retire its fleet of storied, high-flying U-2 Dragon Lady spy aircraft in fiscal 2026.
2 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
HUMAN FACTORS: NO GENTLEMAN
In the closing chapters of Ernest K. Gann's novel 'Gentlemen of Adventure,' Gann's anti-hero Kiffin Draper, who is terminally ill, suffering great pain and very near the end of his life steals two things.
4 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
TEXTRON AVIATION BRINGS PEACE-OF-MIND TECHNOLOGY TO THE BEECHCRAFT DENALI COCKPIT
With customer input at the forefront of its product investments, Textron Aviation announced it is bringing the revolutionary Garmin Emergency Autoland system to its new clean-sheet design Beechcraft Denali single-engine turboprop. The new feature is being implemented into the aircraft's development and flight test programme and will be available as a standard feature at time of entry into service.
2 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
SINGAPORE AIRLINES POSTS HIGHEST NET PROFIT IN ITS 76-YEAR HISTORY
Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced that its net income for the group, which includes budget arm Scoot, totalled S$2.16 billion ($1.62 billion) as the world reopened from COVID. It posted a loss of S$962 million the previous year. Revenue was S$17.78 billion, up from S$7.6 billion.
4 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
PREPARING FOR YOUR AIRLINE PILOT INTERVIEW
The aviation community is buzzing and the much talked about pilot shortage is threatening to shake up the industry. With the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) predicting that by 2026 more than 350,000 pilots will be required to sustain operations, it could seem that it would be easy to get a pilot's role.
3 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
PTAR 2023 STAGED AT MIDDLEBURG AIRFIELD
Over the weekend of Friday 26 to Sunday 28 May, the South African Power Flying Association (SAPFA) staged the annual President’s Trophy Air Race (PTAR) at Middleburg airfield. Although there were only 28 entries the event was safe and a huge amount of fun.
8 min |
June 2023
African Pilot
ALASKA AIRLINES TO RETIRE A321 NEO FLEET
True to its north-western roots, Alaska Airlines is preparing to transition back to an all-Boeing fleet. For a period of time measurable in years, the Seattle-based air-carrier has been divesting itself of Airbus narrow-body aircraft come to it by way of the carrier's 2016 acquisition of Virgin America, which operated an all-Airbus fleet.
2 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
FLYING BOATS
The motor launch ferried us across the tranquil waters of Lake Naivasha in Kenya. Giraffe browsed from flat topped thorn trees, while hippopotami occasionally broke the lake surface with characteristic snorts, before subsiding again, to leave their ears and inquisitive eyes visible to our passage
4 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
V-TAILS AND SAFETY
THE V-TAIL BONANZA HAS A REPUTATION for being more dangerous than its straight tailed siblings
1 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
THE V35 BONNIE - ONE OF THE BEST BUYS EVER?
When the Bonanza first emerged, it set a new standard for light aircraft design and now, 77 years later, it is still regarded by many as the most desirable piston single
7 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
GLIDE, SAIL, SOAR
A northeast wind is picking up. Two redtail hawks are circling above this ridge, rising higher and higher, sliding fast when they turn southward but seeming to hover in place when they face north. Each surge and billow lifts them higher. They must soar for pleasure; they're so far up now, no likely prey would hold still long enough for them to stoop to seize it
5 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
SOUTH AFRICA'S ON-OFF-ON RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIA.
The ongoing controversy around thea suspicious late night docking and cargo handling of the Russian ship Lady R in Simon's Town Naval Base in December shows no sign of going away. Especially not after the explosive allegation, made by the US Ambassador Reuben Brigety in April, that claimed South Africa had shipped military equipment to Russia on board it
6 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
LOWVELD AIRSHOW 2023 - A WELCOME RETURN
Nelspruit airshows, is known for hosting above average and this year was no exception
3 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
PTAR 2023 - BATTLE OF THE BEASTS
Spanning an impressive 86 years, the Presidents Trophy Air Race (PTAR) remains one of the most prestigious annual events in Southern Africa
5 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
APRIL 2023
The register amendments this month are very interesting, especially when we see that the Type Certified (TCA) additions include four aircraft for our various airlines
1 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
POL
Leopoldo was a machinery operator for a very large oil field service company of French origin. I was their pilot and we were all working in Libya, for our sins, before the bottom fell out of the oil market
8 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
THE BONANZA'S HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
IN 1944, DURING WORLD WAR 2, the Beechcraft Model 26, known as the AT-10 Wichita, was the first Beech Aircraft design to fly with a V-tail empennage
5 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
GRAND CENTRAL AIRPORT
Grand Central, as the name suggests, benefits from having an ideal location in the heart of Gauteng. It’s a quick hop from the apron to the highway to Johannesburg or Pretoria and the nearest Gautrain station is just 5 minutes away
2 min |
June 2023
SA Flyer Magazine
Single - or no - Pilot Airliners
The pilot shortage has finally arrived. To attract and retain pilots, airlines are having to pay more for pilots with less experience. This will hasten the move, which many see as inevitable, to single pilot cockpits. And single pilot flightdecks require much the same technology as no-pilot flight decks
6 min |
June 2023
Future Flight
US AIR FORCE AWARDS XWING AUTONOMOUS FLIGHT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT
Based on the Cessna 208 Caravan, Xwing and the US Air Force have begun autonomous flight trials of the firm's 'Superpilot' flight control system.
3 min |
May 2023
Future Flight
SPIRIT OF INNOVATION' STAKES CLAIM TO BE THE WORLD'S FASTEST ALL-ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT
Rolls-Royce believes its all-electric 'Spirit of Innovation' is the world's fastest all-electric aircraft, setting three new world records. We have submitted data to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) that control and certify world aeronautical and astronautical records.
4 min |
May 2023
Future Flight
STARSHIP GROUNDED UNTIL DESTRUCTION AFTER ITS LAUNCH HAS BEEN PROBED
The FAA has grounded SpaceX's Starship programme while it investigates last month's explosive test launch of the full system. However, this time the agency appears to be at least as interested in the scorched mess left behind by the booster as it is the explosion that was triggered a few minutes later when the second stage failed to separate from the main booster. The agency told CNBC that SpaceX will not be allowed to try again until it is satisfied 'any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety.'
4 min |
May 2023
Future Flight
BOOM SUPERSONIC CONTINUES XB-1 ENGINE TEST RUNS
Once again Boom Supersonic has been spotted conducting test runs on the XB-1 supersonic demonstrator at Mojave Air and Space Port at Rutan Field (MHV).
1 min |
May 2023
Future Flight
SKYPORTS DRONE SERVICES COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL DRONE DELIVERY PROOF OF CONCEPT
Skyports Drone Services has successfully completed a drone delivery proof of concept (PoC) in partnership with Kaga City (Japan) and Kanematsu Corporation. Kanematsu Corporation has partnered with Kaga City since 2021 for the promotion of regional revitalisation through the use of drones and aerial vehicles.
3 min |