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 in the circuit, including Cessna 172s and Cherokee 140s.

On 11th November 2017, a rather uncommon fly-in event took place at Brakpan Airfield, organized by Sonica and Ivan Van Der Schaar. The couple recently relocated their business, "American Flying Classics," from Petit to Brakpan Airfield. Ivan Van Der Schaar, a Captain at Comair who flies 737s during the week, spends his weekends enjoying his beautifully restored Boeing Stearman. Ivan and Sonica rebuilt the Stearman from a wreck, and for additional aerobatic excitement, he also has a Pitts S2A. They offer introductory flights at a reasonable price, and Ivan regularly participates in airshows across Southern Africa.

Stearman

Morning arrivals from airfields in the Gauteng region include a variety of aircraft, from the Skyreach Ultralight Rainbow Cheetah to a Yak 52.

Yak 52

Pilots and visitors enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast at the new clubhouse. Afterward, attendees could stroll through the static park to admire the aircraft. The event's theme was a radial and biplane fly-in, featuring several Stearmans and a Waco owned by Nico Van Staden, which flew in from the Hekpoort Valley Airfield near Brits.

Waco

Another uncommon guest was Hilton Wolf's Pakistan Mushak, the sole operational model in South Africa. It was accompanied by "Little Annie," the Antonov AN2, piloted by display pilot Jon Marc Hill.

Pakistan Mushak

The Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey, an amphibious aircraft, was on static display, appearing rather dry out of its natural habitat, as strict regulations prevent it from operating on water in South Africa.

Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey

Rob Sandler, an Alouette pilot and former resident of Petit, now residing in Brakpan, flew his beautifully restored former SAAF Alouette III. He also owns an Alouette II, which I recently had the chance to fly in.

ex SAAF Alouette III

A classic warbird, known as a Skyraider, is housed in one of the hangars. This former Gabon Airforce aircraft is undergoing restoration to make it airworthy. Once completed, it is certain to be a crowd favorite at airshows.

As the day's events began to wind down and aircraft gradually made their way back to their home bases, guests who remained for the barbecue at the Van der Schaars' new Hangar and B&B enjoyed excellent hospitality.

Congratulations to Sonica, Ivan, and the Brakpan Aero Club on an impressive turnout of aircraft and attendees. We eagerly anticipate more events at Brakpan Airfield in the near future.

#Radial #BiPlane