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

By Garth Calitz We had just taken off from Kroon Airfield when the radio was filled with chatter from aircraft heading north to partake in the festivities at Mokopane (Potgietersrus). The Limpopo Flying School hosted their sixth annual Bushveld Fly-in, and, like in previous years, it certainly lived up to expectations. Limpopo Flying Club We touched down shortly before 8 AM on Saturday morning and were promptly invited to savor a delicious breakfast prepared by the Limpopo Fl

By Rogan McDonnell On Saturday, 18 November, the Cape Town Flight Training Centre held an open day at their base, Fisantekraal Airfield, located northeast of Cape Town. The airfield was lively with visitors discussing their flying aspirations with the CTFTC instructors, and the enticing scent of the Boerie braai filled the air. The instructors at CTFTC were occupied with a steady stream of potential pilots eager to experience the introductory flights available. CTFTC was foun

By Garth Calitz The Brits Flying Club hosted their ninth annual Peter Hengst Memorial Fly-In during the weekend of November 10. Peter Hengst was a beloved member of the Brits Flying Community and a dedicated supporter of the EAA in South Africa, where he served as the chairman of Chapter 322. Peter sadly lost his lengthy battle with cancer. Peter and Chalkie Stobbart restored a Fiarchild together, and if that wasn’t impressive enough, they decided to fly the aircraft all th

By Jarryd Sinovich Located to the east of Johannesburg, across from the Carnival City entertainment dome, Brakpan Airfield is now the base for "American Flying Classics." Established in 1953, this airfield is centrally positioned in Brakpan and is surrounded by other metropolitan areas in the East Rand region. The airfield hosts the Brakpan Aero Club, which has provided extensive pilot training from PPL to ATPL over the years. On most days, you can observe training aircraft i

By Trevor Viljoen The weekend of the 4th and 5th of November saw the Kwazulu Natal Large Scale Aerobatics Championships held in Howick at the Beautiful Howick Model Fliers Club. Great weather guaranteed an amazing weekend for the pilots and organizers. Aircraft ranging from 30cc to 150cc were tested throughout the weekend, with both Advanced and Freestyle Aerobatics sequences flown exceptionally well, making them fantastic to watch and participate in. CMC Hobbies and LSA Sou