THE PARYS AIRSHOW

In 2022, the first edition of the Parys Airshow was very successful. So it came as little surprise to see aviation enthusiasts queuing from very early on the bitterly cold Saturday morning for entry to the Parys Airfield.

CENTURY AVIONICS TURNS 45!

Century Avionics celebrates its 45th anniversary in 2023. The company has been based at Lanseria Airport since being established in1978.

CESSNA 414 CHANCELLOR - CESSNA'S BEST TWIN?

The piston twin is making a comeback. In the 1980s, under the pressures of high maintenance and high Avgas prices, the demand for piston twins collapsed in the face of Cessna Caravan and Pilatus PC-12 turbines. But now, the value proposition of a 40-year old piston twin is once again hard to beat.

RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 7 - BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

So far we have been gathering the tools you’ll need to be the best damn instructor around.

BLOCK THAT COEFFICIENT!

I have to admit that when I encounter equations in a book, I usually just skip over them. Often some phrase like, “It may be readily seen that...” precedes them, and so I figure that since plenty of other people must be readily seeing whatever there is to see, there’s no reason that I need to as well.

2-stroke Diesels better late than never

For years I have moaned about how crappy piston aircraft engines are. They are prohibitively expensive, yet have antiquated technology and are far less efficient and reliable than modern car engines.

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

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

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

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

LOWVELD AIRSHOW 2023 - A WELCOME RETURN

Nelspruit airshows, is known for hosting above average and this year was no exception

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

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

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

V-TAILS AND SAFETY

THE V-TAIL BONANZA HAS A REPUTATION for being more dangerous than its straight tailed siblings

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

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

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

Squeezing Out Every Last Cent

I have been writing about the CAA for sixteen years and the more time passes, the less I’m able to make much sense of it.

HERE COMES THE PITCH

Writing about a fatal accident that resulted from the pilot’s mishandling of a balked landing, I reflected that I had never assessed the behaviour of my own aeroplane in that manoeuvre. My idea of flight testing is to take trips and wait for something strange to happen, and, as luck would have it, I have never yet had a balked landing in Melmoth 2.

MARCH 2023

March has been a pretty average month with regard to aircraft movements on to and off the register, however there are some exciting new arrivals.

SANSA: SUPPORTING MOON SHOTS AND WATER RESOURCES

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) has become a world class resource for aviation and space missions. SANSA is now supporting projects as diverse as the first Arab moon landing to monitoring water resources in the Eastern Cape.

THE LONG JOURNEY OF A MISSION PILOT

Eivind Lindtjørn is a typical Mission Aviation fellowship pilot flying in Africa, in that he combines a higher calling with a passion for flying.

RAND AIRPORT AVIATION COMPANIES GUIDE

A Management era at Rand Airport has ended. Six years since his appointment, Rand Airport General Manager, Stuart Coetzee has ‘been retired’. It is notable that he has not resigned for greener pastures but was essentially forced into retirement due to advancing age.

AERO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN 2023

Aero Friedrichshafen is Europe’s premier general aviation Expo. Unlike conventional airshows, it is an expo as it uses static displays inside the hangars, rather than flying displays, as for instance Oshkosh Airventure does. Given the German weather and a train strike, it is perhaps appropriate that the organisers were not relying on the gee-whizz crowd pull of an airshow.

BLUE LASER ATTACK GETS TWO YEARS

A Minnesota USA man whose lasered a Delta Air Lines flight was sentenced to two years in jail.

THE AMAZING ELDERS FLIGHT: 2023

As just one person, Felix Gosher does more to develop aviation in South Africa than any number of Cadet Schemes or CAA outreaches.

THE ROTAX 916

You may have to forgive us for listing a whole new aero engine as a mere gadget – and thus suitable for review in our Gadget of the Month series. But the Rotax 916iS so small, yet so powerful it represents the ultimate gadget.

CAA INDUSTRY AWARDS 2023 NOW OPEN

In the spirit of developing excellence in aviation, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) is again sponsoring a major awards event.

COBRA IN A BARON

RUDOLF ERASMUS and four friends were flying in his Baron 58 when he felt something cold under his shirt near his hip.