By Rob Russell On Thursday, March 26th, the Air Mercy Service marked its 60th anniversary. A gala cocktail party was held at the organisation's hangar complex at Cape Town International Airport to commemorate the occasion. From its humble beginnings in March 1966, based at Youngsfield airfield, next to Kenilworth racecourse, the Organization evolved into an independent Trust in 1994. The AMS is a non-profit organisation with active operational bases in the Western Cape (Cape

By Rob Russell Saturday, the 21st March, heralded the first SAAF technological show at AFB Overberg. Air shows are in rather short supply and are normally very well attended by both the flying communities and the general public. So it was with much excitement that people turned up expecting a good old traditional SAAF air show. It had a late start, in short, due to the finale, that being a 500-strong drone storm. Something not seen in this part of the world and many people ma

Exercise Cold Response 26, a Norwegian-led multinational training event, has concluded following several weeks of operations across Norway, Sweden and Finland. The exercise brought together more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel from over a dozen NATO and partner nations, with a focus on improving interoperability, readiness and coordination in Arctic conditions. The training event incorporated air, land and maritime components, with air operations playing a central

By Garth Calitz In an era when long-distance flight still carried an air of daring uncertainty, a silver bomber named Lucky Lady II quietly redefined what was possible. In early 1949, a modified Boeing B-50 Superfortress completed the first non-stop flight around the globe, remaining airborne for just over 94 hours. At a time when even transoceanic travel remained a complex undertaking, this mission demonstrated that the physical limits of distance could be overcome through i

By Garth Calitz South Africa’s recreational aviation community once again converged on Middelburg Airfield in Mpumalanga as the Aero Club of South Africa hosted its annual Airweek gathering, normally one of the country’s largest fly-ins in the country. This year, the weather had other plans, a combination of tropical moisture and an unstable low-pressure system over the interior created ideal conditions for severe thunderstorms and iclemnet rain, and rain it did. My original

Bell is set to make a strong impression at Verticon 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia, showcasing its latest aircraft, technological developments and comprehensive customer support solutions. The event provides Bell with an opportunity to demonstrate the versatility of its helicopter range while celebrating significant milestones achieved over the past year. In a symbolic opening to the show, Bell plans to become the first operator to fly an aircraft into Verticon 2026, arriving with

By Garth Calitz In a moment that neatly blurred the lines between motorsport theatre and precision aviation, Red Bull athlete and Rotax brand ambassador Luke Czepiela has become the first pilot to fly the complete racing line of the Bahrain International Circuit from the air. The low-level flight, captured in the short film Aircraft Meets Racetrack, was unveiled by BRP-Rotax in February 2026 and premiered during the circuit’s official Formula 1 pre-season press conference in

Boeing has reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to the global aviation community by announcing the continuation of its Platinum Level sponsorship of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) flagship event, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The renewed agreement, announced on 5 January 2026, extends the partnership for a further three years and ensures Boeing’s continued prominent presence at what is widely regarded as the world’s greatest aviation gathering. Since formally begi

By Garth Calitz Photos by Trevor Cohen, Esias Riekert and Garth Calitz On 18 November 2025, the quiet skies over Krugersdorp’s Jack Taylor Airfield (FAKR) were filled with wings, cheers and smiles, as hundreds of senior citizens from across Gauteng were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sample the joys of flight first-hand. The event was almost stopped in its tracks. Firstly, the date had to be hastily changed as the original date clashed with the G-20 summit that too

By Garth Calitz On 14 November 2025, the South African civil aviation community came together in Gauteng for the third instalment of the glittering Civil Aviation Industry Awards (CAIA), hosted by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). The event, now firmly established as the sector’s premier celebration, honoured both individuals and organisations for their outstanding contributions across a range of categories from safety and security to innovation, transformat