REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

The Bugatti 100P was a beautiful blend of art and engineering.

Prepare to Meet thy Boom by 2030?

Aviation has a fascinating ability to suck people, who should know better, into investing in fundamentally absurd ideas.

STARLITE AVIATION TRAINING ACADEMY - Now Training Mission Networked Pilots

Advanced network flight training simulators have become a core part of pilot development. They provide an environment that fully immerses the student in the entire mission, and not just the actual aircraft flying.

THE SECOND AERO SOUTH AFRICA EXPO

The second edition of AERO South Africa took Wonderboom Airport in from 7 - 9 July 2022 at Tshwane (Pretoria).

ULTIMAX AVIATION - EVERYTHING ABOUT HELICOPTERS

ULTIMAX AVIATION is a Cape Town based Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO), renowned for its top-level experience in helicopter maintenance.

CAPE TOWN SUPPLEMENT

Aviation in and around Cape Town is bouncing back strongly after the Covid lockdown and associated restrictions of travel.

SLING HIGH WINGS - Epic Adventure to Oshkosh

The intrepid entrepreneurs of the Sling Aircraft Factory have done it again.

JET-A DIESELS - NOW A MATURE TECHNOLOGY

As Avgas prices head for R40/ litre the need for an alternative to Avgas powered planes becomes ever more pressing. The good news is that, for the past 16 years, Jet-A diesel piston engine technology has been quietly maturing. It has now become a well-developed aero engine that is a serious contender to compete in the piston market.

THE TRUTH ABOUT EXPERIENCE

"Money lost - nothing lost; health lost - little lost; spirit lost - everything lost." - Igor Sikorsky The key to a long career in any chosen profession is to never fall out of love with the work you do. Because, as the quote attributed to the father of the helicopter, Igor Sikorsky, intimates, if you lose your spirit, you lose everything. Evangelist Billy Graham took the quote a step further, saying he believed the loss of character was the greatest loss a person could experience.

BRAVE PILOTS, YELLOW ARCS

A dozen or so years ago, after the trend toward very powerful and fast turbocharged singles had begun, competition between the Lancair Columbia and the Mooney Bravo shed a fleeting light upon some odd quirks in the rules under which such aeroplanes were certificated.

Van's RV-15 too little, too late?

There is a lifecycle in owner-run businesses. The dynamic founder gets old and steps back, and the business becomes professionally managed - which means cumbersome, with slow decision making. Such a fate may have befallen the iconic Vans Aircraft.

VNAV LEATHER FLIGHT BAGS

Finding the right flight bag has always been a tricky undertaking and has deterred my wife from trying to buy me one.

REMEMBER THE GERMAN AEROPLANE?

My son Nick, who was screening a series of classic films for his friends, put on the 1981 Spielberg pulse-pounder, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which came out in the year he was born and therefore stood to him, in terms of the history of film and the decline of taste, as Casablanca does to me.

UITENHAGE WINGS AND WHEELS 2022

The Klinicare Uitenhage Wings and Wheels Festival had the distinction of being one of two airshows held in South Africa on 2 April.

PRESIDENTS' TROPHY AIR RACE 2022 – NEW TEMPE BLOEMFONTEIN

The Presidents’ Trophy Air Race has been contested annually since 1937, baring the war years and 2020, which had to be scrapped due to Covid.

THE GREAT ‘GATE GUARD' MOVE

For many years two aircraft have guarded the entrance to the Gqebetha International Airport (formerly Port Elizabeth). Then one fell off its plinth.

THE PARYS AIRSHOW – A WONDERFUL NEW MODEL.

The Parys Airshow held in the last weekend of May was an extraordinary event which looks set to define a new genre for country airshows.

THE RAINBOW SKYREACH BUSHCAT

“AN AFFORDABLE BUSH AIRCRAFT” Africa is a naturally strong market for a locally developed and built, yet thoroughly proven, light sport bush plane. The Bush Cat is one such aircraft that has evolved into what many consider the almost perfect, tough yet affordable, bush plane.

QUEENSTOWN FLY-IN FESTIVAL

The remote but dynamic Queenstown Flying Club celebrated the 90th anniversary of the De Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth.

GRAND CENTRAL AIRPORT

The Covid-19 pandemic hit general aviation hard - and Grand Central airport was no exception.

NOSE LEFT, LOW RPM HORN SCREAMING

Since the beginning of powered flight, pilots have had one unifying dread – a dead stick landing.

AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT

FLUTTER - BE VERY AFRAID

FACE TO FACE DIRECTOR OF THE CAA: MS POPPY KHOZA

Ms Poppy Khoza has been the Director of the CAA for more almost 10 years something of a record. She must be doing something right to have lasted so long in such a difficult job. Guy Leitch caught up with her.

When Airline Pilots Have Fun

Recreational pilots may be forgiven for sometimes thinking that airline pilots have a boring job, flying the same routes, day in and day out, to strict procedures, while maximising fuel efficiency to keep the bean-counters happy.

Learning to Fly Single Seat Fire-bombers

Ag Aviation Africa (AAA), the Sub-Saharan and the Middle East agent for Air Tractor, hosted an open day and launch party before the Stellenbosch airshow to introduce their newly approved Aircraft Training Organisation (ATO), Ag Aviation Flight Academy (AAFA).

Drop Test

Safety in aviation means coming down softly. I once wrote that it would be impossible for a skydiver in a wingsuit to flare and land without a parachute.

Hot Air Ballooning - The Purist Form of Flight

Hot air ballooning has always been a bucket list item for me and finally I was given the chance to experience the oldest form of flight known to man. Dale de Klerk, the CEO of Bill Harrop's "Original" Balloon Safaris, invited SA Flyer for a flight, and I jumped at the offer.

CemAir - Bouncing Back Strongly

As the airline industry slowly returns to a 'new normal', Johannesburg based carrier CemAir is thriving. The airline is pushing ahead, into the gaps in the market left by the departure of competitors such as SA Express and Mango, and the slow restart of SAA.

Blackhawk 350: The Ultimate King Air

Blackhawk Modifications have built an enviable reputation taking excellent turboprops and making them even better. This is particularly evident in the spectacular gains they have achieved with the Beechcraft King Air range.

Aerial Search and Rescue

The recent devastating flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, in which over 400 people have died, has once again highlighted South Africa's deficiency in terms of aerial search and rescue aircraft.