By Garth Calitz

Jack Taylor Airfield was a hive of activity on Saturday, 19 August. Krugersdorp Flying Club hosted the annual spot landing competition. The event was held earlier in the year but had to be abandoned due to terrible weather.

The competition saw a great turnout with thirty-seven entries. Unfortunately, not all participants were able to compete due to some aircraft experiencing technical issues, and one entrant did not arrive.

The spot landing competition took place alongside the KFC festival, which invited aircraft owners to showcase their cherished planes.

The day began with a harsh wind that threatened to cancel the event once more. However, the wind eventually subsided, allowing the competition to proceed. The judges took their places, and the first participant took to the air.

Whenever possible, aircraft with similar performance are grouped in the same slot to prevent one from overtaking another in the circuit.

Each aircraft is allowed three attempts to land as close as possible to the zero (Bingo) line. Lines are marked both before and after the zero line at one-meter intervals, numbered from one to seventeen. The scores are totaled, and the pilot with the lowest score is the winner.

Overall honors for the day were claimed by Peter Lastrucci in his Cessna 152, earning an impressive 2 points. He was closely followed by Dale de Klerk in a Cessna 182, just 3 points behind. Charles Pratley secured third place in a Cessna 172 with a commendable 8 points, indicating that Cessnas excel in this type of flying.

Marie Reddy was the first woman to finish, achieving a score of 23 in her impressive Ikarus C42. The first non-KFC participant was Willem Greyling, who scored 29 in his Savannah S.

The Graeser of the Day prize is given to the pilot who executes the smoothest landing, and this esteemed award was claimed by Dieter Bock. What made his achievement even more noteworthy was that he accomplished it in an exceptionally fast Lance Air.

Without the support of sponsors and volunteers, events like this wouldn't be possible. This year, the sponsors were exceptionally generous, with the total sponsorship value reaching nearly R60,000.00.

Special thanks go to the judges, John Addis, James Engelbrecht, Dave Lister, Deon Schlebusch, and Tobie Weber, who braved the chilly wind at the threshold all day.

Chris Kayle, the safety officer, did an outstanding job of ensuring proceedings were safe and orderly, assisted by Paul Lastrucci, who served as the chief Marshall. Steve George managed the tower, a challenging task with arrivals and departures scheduled between competition slots.

Congratulations to everyone involved, and we hope to see you all again next year.

Please Browse our Gallery of this Event

#SpotLanding