By Garth Calitz The Spitfire captured the imagination, but the rugged Hawker Hurricane accounted for the largest share of RAF fighter victories during Britain's darkest hour. It is time the less glamorous workhorse received its due. Few aircraft have achieved the legendary status of the Supermarine Spitfire. Its elliptical wings, elegant lines and association with the RAF's defiance in 1940 have secured its place among the most recognisable aircraft in aviation history. Yet,

By Garth Calitz South Africa has officially entered a new era of aviation accident investigation. The Civil Aviation Amendment Act 22 of 2021 is now in force, the Aviation Safety Investigation Board (ASIB) has been established in law, and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has helpfully clarified that aircraft accident investigations are no longer its problem to explain. There is just one small detail. Who, precisely, is investigating aviation accidents in Sou

By Garth Calitz South Africa’s national airline has managed to turn the business of moving passengers around the world into a rather uncomfortable exercise in explaining where the money went. With salaries being staggered, suppliers reportedly demanding cash upfront and a R1 billion government guarantee in the picture, the obvious question is whether SAA has a cash-flow problem — or a much bigger problem dressed up in accounting terminology. There is a particular kind of fina

By Garth Calitz The SACAA completed its review of Airlink’s controversial stadium flypast, handed its report to the airline and set a deadline for a response. That deadline has passed. So, has anything happened, or has the matter entered South Africa’s increasingly familiar administrative holding pattern? South Africa’s aviation industry has a reasonably straightforward expectation of its regulators' enforcement department: establish the facts, apply the regulations and commu

By Garth Calitz Boeing has finally secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for its largest 737 MAX variant, the 737-10, marking a significant milestone for the American manufacturer and its efforts to complete the latest generation of its best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. Announced on 20 October 2026, the certification clears the way for Boeing to begin delivering the aircraft in the coming months. For an aircraft programme that has endured years

By Garth Calitz Mineral, semi-synthetic, fully synthetic, or the oil your AMO swears by? Few things can turn a perfectly civil gathering of pilots into an engineering dispute quite like asking what goes into the sump. There are few subjects in general aviation guaranteed to generate as much passionate discussion, unsolicited technical advice and outright certainty as engine oil. Mention the subject at a South African flying club and, within minutes, you will have one pilot ex

By Garth Calitz Kenya has added eight modernised MD 500 Defender helicopters to its military aviation inventory, following a refurbishment programme supported by the United States and a donation from South Korea. The aircraft were formally handed over to the Kenya Army Corps of Aviation at its headquarters in Embakasi, Nairobi, on 23 October 2026, marking another step in Kenya’s efforts to strengthen its operational capabilities in a region where security challenges rarely re

By Garth Calitz Archer’s Texas ambitions make for an attractive proposition, but the difference between a convincing demonstration flight and a commercially sustainable air taxi network is considerable. Skipping a 90-minute traffic jam in favour of a 15-minute flight sounds irresistible, until the passenger sees the fare, calculates the journey to the vertiport and discovers that the aircraft cannot necessarily depart whenever they feel like travelling. The economics of elect

By Garth Calitz For decades, the light piston twin was the aircraft of choice for pilots who wanted to travel farther, carry more and enjoy the reassurance of having a second engine. From the Beechcraft Baron and Piper Seneca to the Cessna 310, these aircraft became familiar sights at airports around the world, serving private owners, businesses, flying schools and charter operators. Today, however, the piston twin finds itself at a crossroads. Modern single-engine aircraft o

By Garth Calitz South Africa’s general aviation community has plenty to worry about. Fuel is expensive, maintenance bills have developed an alarming resemblance to small property deposits and regulatory compliance can sometimes feel like a full-time occupation. Now there is another question worth asking: what happens when the places we fly from begin to disappear? Across the country, small airfields face a combination of infrastructure problems, financial pressures, developme