IN MY CAREER AS A HELICOPTER PILOT, being in a high-pressure industry, I have had a few key moments where I've had to deal with both potential losses. To succeed, I had to fail. A lot. And those failures could quite easily have pushed me towards a different vocation, or simply into the foetal position, sobbing under my winter duvet.
The early days of flying security at Protea Coin in South Africa come to mind. Not only was I severely under-experienced, but so was the industry.
"Buy a helicopter, get a pilot, and voila, we have an airwing," thought my boss, Waal. "I quickly learned, though, that the security industry and flight safety were the proverbial "oil and water." Both fraternities were in their developmental adolescence and required constant adaption. Having purchased a helicopter, Protea Coin had virtually 24-hour access to an aerial vehicle. Which meant the newly-minted security pilot, aka George Tonking, also needed to be available 24 hours a day. Both my employer and I soon learned, however, that humans and machines have limitations. I was away from home a lot, which is fine for a bachelor, but was not helpful for me, with a young family. Instead of becoming just another burned-out pilot, I sought other options.
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Bu hikaye SA Flyer Magazine dergisinin August 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
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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.