GADGET OF THE MONTH
ONE OF THE REASONS IT IS TRICKY is that over time the requirement for my flight bag has changed - and the bag went from being a fat briefcase to a squashable tog bag and finally shrank to a small across-the-body sling bag just large enough to take my headset, iPad and fuel tester and - oh yes - my license. In the end the bag I used was a cheap canvas satchel - that may have been effective - but was seriously uncool.
It is therefore great news that a proper pilot, who had time on his hands during the Covid lockdown, sat down and applied his mind and flying experience to what a modern flight bag should be. And yes, he has come up with what I consider the perfect flight bag. But not everyone shares my minimalist tastes and so there is still a selection of much larger bags for those who don't travel light.
The pilot who re-invented flight bags - and himself is Hein de Waal. He explains, "When lockdown started in March 2020, I suspected that this was not going to pass quickly. My busy mind helped prevent me from falling into a deep hole. For a friend's birthday, we contributed to a leather duffel bag. When I saw the bag I was intrigued by the work of a seemingly unknown local craftsman, Patrick Sibanda.
This story is from the August 2022 edition of SA Flyer Magazine.
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This story is from the August 2022 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.
