SOME TIME AGO I SAVED FOUR LIVES, one being mine, before lunch, by doing exactly that. Here’s what happened.
I had a little flying school in Port Elizabeth, and so did the SAAF. At the Algoa Flying Club we would often all make merry together.
I soon realised that the SAAF pilots would give anything to fly my Tiger Moth. Their currency was time in a Harvard, or an Impala, and the going rate was two hours in their government-sponsored toys, in exchange for each hour in my Tiger (R2 worth of fuel).
I kid you not. This was my mate Bob Emmett’s holiday expenses when he flew his little Aeronca Champ from Knysna up the Wild Coast.
It was on the occasion of my first flight in an Impala that my prompt use of the right worm, sorry, word, saved everyone’s lives. And do you suppose they thanked me? Little buggers.
The flight wasn’t exactly what I expected. The back-slapping captain with whom I had enjoyed several pints in the pub only appeared briefly to introduce me to three spotty fourteen-year-olds. Two of them would propel one Impala while I was to be a passenger in the other. Hmmmmm. Not really what I was hoping for.
I was kitted out with overalls and helmet, both of which trailed a young snake-park of tubes, wires and pipes. We then sat in a briefing room and were talked at by someone who told me, and the acne trio, that I was to be a passenger in a low-level formo flight to the west of Kirkwood.
After going inverted and crossing a couple of ridges of high ground, we were to become uninverted, climb to plenty of feet and do some pre-planned aerobatics.
This story is from the August 2023 edition of SA Flyer Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2023 edition of SA Flyer Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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.
