“Prop Clear”….. and so the adventure began ! To most people, the thought of flying a small, slow, open cockpit aircraft all the way to...

Gauteng Regional Aerobatic Competition – Vereeniging Competitors in the SAC Gauteng Regionals were given a very “warm” welcome to...

By Garth Calitz Every Saturday, aviators worldwide gather to take to the skies. In South Africa, we are particularly fortunate to enjoy excellent weather and stunning destinations scattered across our beautiful country. This Saturday, I had the privilege of being invited by retired SAA captain Karl Jensen for a flight in his stunning Cessna 170B. We left Fly-inn shortly before 8:00 am, using the WK Pinedene route heading west until we exited Waterkloof Airspace, then turned s

By Jarryd Sinovich The long-anticipated event of the year finally took place. The Langebaanweg Airshow 2017 was held at the Air Force Base on December 9th. Located on South Africa’s West Coast, Langebaanweg houses the Central Flying School and the Silver Falcons Aerobatic team. Recently, the Falcons marked their 50th Anniversary, with former team members attending to witness the current team's performance. The stakes were high! Silver Falcons When we arrived at the base at 6:

By Roston Dugmore The South African team, consisting of Andre Stockwell, Roston Dugmore, Clinton Carter-Brown, and team manager Grant Brook, departed for Argentina on 30th October, traveling through Sao Paulo to reach Buenos Aires. Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, we faced an unpleasant surprise when we went to retrieve our planes—they were not there! They had been left behind in Johannesburg, which was a complete nightmare. After being on the move for 24 hours, we were exhauste

By Garth and Geraldine Calitz The quiet industrial town of Vereeniging was awakened by the roar of high-powered aerobatic aircraft over the weekend of December 2nd and 3rd. The Sport Aerobatic Club of South Africa hosted its final aerobatic competition of the year. The Ace of Base competition stands out from other competitions in South Africa. In most other contests, the overall winner is the victor of the unlimited class. However, in Ace of Base, the title of "Ace of Base" i

By Garth Calitz The Brits Flying Club held a SAPFA-organized ANR rally on Saturday, December 2. Rob Jonkers designed the route using the latest software employed in international competitions. Two routes were crafted, and the final score was determined by combining the scores from both. Each route was about 25 nautical miles long and was structured to keep the teams actively engaged in the cockpit, with turning points occurring every one to two minutes. The weather posed a th

By Jarryd Sinovich The SAAF Museum, located at Air Force Base Zwartkop in Pretoria, houses numerous static and flying exhibits, allowing the public to intimately experience the history of the South African Air Force. Typically on the first Saturday of each month, all operational aircraft are flown to maintain pilot proficiency and showcase these impressive machines to the public. This flying day marked the final event for 2017, featuring the majority of the flying exhibits th

By Garth Calitz Unfortunately, the annual Warbirds over Zwartkop event was largely washed out on Saturday. Just as the pilots began unpacking and assembling their stunning aircraft, the skies opened up, and the rain continued on and off for the remainder of the day. For the past 18 years, retired Lieutenant Colonel Gert de Klerk has been organizing the Warbirds fly-in, which first took place in 2000. Pilots who participate by flying these impressive handcrafted scale replicas

By Garth Calitz On a particularly rainy Saturday, November 25, Springs Flying Club, in collaboration with The South African Power Flight Association, organized a navigation rally. Pilots from Baragwanath, Eagles Creek, Rhino Park, Kitty Hawk, and Brits responded to the invitation. Unfortunately, the weather conditions prevented members from Ermelo, the reigning club champions, from traveling to Springs to defend their title. Fun Rallies are gaining popularity among the broade