December - 2020

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Dec 22, 2020
4 min

Editors Wrap-up, 2020 in Review

Entering into 2020 one would be hard-pressed to find anyone that was not very positive about the coming year, 2020 had an almost perfect ring to it. Unfortunately, as we all know, the year had other plans for the whole world and the promising year has become one we would rather forget. One of the first blows to hit the South African aviation lovers was surprisingly not from Covid-19 but our very own South African Air Force. The powers that be decided to deny the proud men and

2,556 views

The Piper Pilot 100 - Affordable and Proven Trainer

Garth Calitz

Dec 22, 2020
2 min

The Piper Pilot 100 - Affordable and Proven Trainer

Piper Aircraft recently announced that it had received type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the Pilot 100. The Pilot 100, which was announced during Sun-n-Fun in 2019, is the value-priced addition to Piper’s trainer-class line. Following certification, Piper began deliveries to its launch customer, American Flyers, who will be taking delivery of eight Pilot 100i aircraft before the end of this year. “We are excited to add the Pilot 100 series

1,874 views

Aerobatics – The South African Story, a must-have by Quintin Hawthorne

Garth Calitz

Dec 22, 2020
2 min

Aerobatics – The South African Story, a must-have by Quintin Hawthorne

I recently received a copy of Aerobatics The South African Story, a real gem of a book for all aviation enthusiasts. From the forward by Annette Carson, herself a brilliant author of books like Flight Fantastic: The illustrated History of Aerobatics and Camel pilot Supreme, you will be riveted. This is the second edition of the book the first was released in 1977, so one can understand that an updated edition was long overdue. Quintin, who incidentally is rated as the top aer

2,349 views

Move over Maverick! Canadian Pilot graduates TOPGUN programme

Garth Calitz

Dec 22, 2020
4 min

Move over Maverick! Canadian Pilot graduates TOPGUN programme

By Emily Lindahl With so much skill and talent all throughout the Canadian Armed Forces, we often take for granted just how good our people really are. RCAF pilots operate at a world-class level, and we have the TOPGUN patch to prove it. On Tuesday, November 24, 2020, Captain Chris ‘LIME’ Swartz graduated from the United States Navy (USN) Fighter Weapons School - Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, more commonly known as TOPGUN. As part of the virtual graduation ceremo

1,925 views

Why 6 Countries Choose MH-60R for their Toughest Maritime Missions

Garth Calitz

Dec 22, 2020
3 min

Why 6 Countries Choose MH-60R for their Toughest Maritime Missions

Seventy-one per cent of Earth’s surface is covered by water. With each passing year, what lurks beneath – enemy submarines, torpedoes, mines – become harder to stop. That’s why now more than ever, navies around the world need something they can rely on to protect their shorelines. Enter, the Sikorsky MH-60R Romeo helicopter. Learn how it’s catching the eyes of seafarers around the world. What Can it Do? The MH-60R is known as “the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter.” A

2,002 views

Textron Aviation Introduces the King Air 260 to its Turboprop Lineup

Garth Calitz

Dec 15, 2020
3 min

Textron Aviation Introduces the King Air 260 to its Turboprop Lineup

Textron Aviation is launching an exciting new era for its renowned Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft with the introduction of the Beechcraft King Air 260 turboprop. Featuring the latest technological advancements to the cockpit and improvements in the cabin, the King Air 260 reflects the company’s continued commitment to making substantial investments to its current industry-leading products. Assembly production for the King Air 260 is already under-way, and certificati

464 views

Garth Calitz

Dec 15, 2020
4 min

Avgas vs Mogas

Wanna start an argument among other aircraft owners where passion will ring louder than logic? Either bring up Tail wheel vs Nose wheel or ask whether you should use mogas in your engine. Of all the hangar talk one encounters at airports, the subject of using automotive gasoline in airplane engines is among the most contentious. Some particularly owners who have an mogas supplemental type certificate (STC) -- will tell you that it's perfectly safe, and even better for an air

366 views

The EcoPulse hybrid aircraft demonstrator achieves its first key milestone with success

Garth Calitz

Dec 15, 2020
3 min

The EcoPulse hybrid aircraft demonstrator achieves its first key milestone with success

The EcoPulse™ distributed propulsion hybrid aircraft demonstrator – which is being developed by Daher, Safran and Airbus with the support of France’s CORAC civil aviation research council – has successfully passed its Preliminary Design Review as a first key step toward validating the project’s feasibility and firming up the architecture for a first flight scheduled in 2022. Incorporating a distributed propulsion configuration from Daher, Safran and Airbus, this shared hybrid

553 views

Leonardo’s vision for training of future military pilots

Garth Calitz

Dec 15, 2020
4 min

Leonardo’s vision for training of future military pilots

During the 2020 Military Flight Training Conference – usually held in London, but inevitably online this year – Leonardo’s Aircraft Division presented its vision of potential developments of existing integrated training systems for military pilots to respond to future requirements. With its M-345 and M-346 jet trainers, Leonardo is now the only company in the world to offer a complete training system for military pilots, from the basic phase to the pre-operational stage, with

267 views

The SACAA deny the existence of LIFT Airline (Now retracted by The SACAA) - Amended article

Garth Calitz

Dec 10, 2020
2 min

The SACAA deny the existence of LIFT Airline (Now retracted by The SACAA) - Amended article

The newly formed LIFT Airlines that operated there first commercial flights today seem to have run into a few legal difficulties already, the SACAA have denied any knowledge of the airline in a statement released today. A second statement was later released by the SACAA retracting the original statement, claiming the original statement was a leaked "draft copy". Incompetence at this level begs the question "What is going on at the regulator?" (see retraction below) The South

2,769 views

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1/19

980x179_DJA_Flightline Weekly - Apr

Fly Gear 3-2

Top Ecko

Editors Wrap-up, 2020 in Review

The Piper Pilot 100 - Affordable and Proven Trainer

Aerobatics – The South African Story, a must-have by Quintin Hawthorne

Move over Maverick! Canadian Pilot graduates TOPGUN programme

Why 6 Countries Choose MH-60R for their Toughest Maritime Missions

Textron Aviation Introduces the King Air 260 to its Turboprop Lineup

Avgas vs Mogas

The EcoPulse hybrid aircraft demonstrator achieves its first key milestone with success

Leonardo’s vision for training of future military pilots

The SACAA deny the existence of LIFT Airline (Now retracted by The SACAA) - Amended article

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