By Jarryd Sinovich

On Saturday, November 4, the South African Airforce Museum held its monthly flying training day once more. This event featured several flying and static exhibits for the public to enjoy. It also provided an opportunity for pilots to maintain their proficiency on different aircraft types.

Seeing a De Havilland Vampire in flight is a rare occurrence, particularly in South Africa. This is made possible by the expertise of the museum's technical ground crew, who ensure that all flying exhibits remain airworthy.

The sound of radial and Lycoming engines is well-known in the Zwartkop area, thanks to the Bosbok, Kudu, Cessna 185s, and the numerous Harvards stationed there.

The museum's collection of helicopters was also on display, featuring the Puma, Alouette II, and Alouette III. The Alouette III was a common sight in South African skies until it was retired and succeeded by the Agusta A109 LUH, which is stationed at Zwartkop under the 17 Squadron banner.

AFS Zwartkop, South Africa's first Air Force Base, was established in April 1921. In late 1920, the government expropriated a private farm named Zwartkop, which was named after a nearby notable hill. The Air Station developed there retained the Dutch spelling of Zwartkop. On April 1, 1949, the spelling was changed to the English version, becoming Air Force Station Swartkop. On February 1, 1968, the station was upgraded to a fully-fledged Air Force Base.

On 1 March 1999, the Base was re-designated as an Air Force Station. The SAAF began vacating the base that year, planning to leave only the SAAF Museum and refer to the base as 'Swartkop', as an extension of AFB Waterkloof.

The SAA Historic Flight relocated to the airfield, which has been declared a heritage site. However, the SAAF reversed its decision, and it is unclear when the SAAF will eventually vacate all its operational units. The SAAF Museum is situated on the northern side of the base, while the active SAAF units are located on the southern end.

In 2012, the base's name was changed back to "Zwartkop."

The museum's supporters were involved in the Spitfire restoration, and we hope to see the Museum Spitfire flying soon. The project demands funding and technical expertise to rebuild the aircraft, which is a challenging endeavor.

We extend our gratitude to everyone at the Museum and Air Force Base Zwartkop for maintaining the museum, and to the public for their donations, without which there would be no aircraft or museum.

The Museum has a saying they live by.

KEEP THEM UP WHERE THEY BELONG

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