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" is awarded to the pilot who achieves the highest score in any class.

Saturday, December 2, was designated as a practice day, but persistent rain resulted in few pilots attending. Fortunately, the weather improved significantly on Sunday, with the only minor issue being a strong wind blowing from the north.

Following a safety briefing and final inspections, the Sportsman Class took to the skies, with ten pilots participating. Chris Joubert narrowly edged out Kayle Wooll by less than 1%, with Dustin Hughes finishing third. The lineup continued with Jonty Esser, Walter Goodrich, Derek Bird, Roger Deare, Wim Kotze, and Bern Asbeck. Unfortunately, Charlie Marais did not complete the second round.

Chris Joubert Zlin50

Kayle Wooll Extra 300L

As soon as the last of the Sportsman Class landed, the Intermediate competitors soared into the pristine blue skies. Charles “Borris” Urban emerged as the clear winner in this class, outperforming Jason Beamish, who took second place, by 5%. Andrew Blackwood-Murray secured third place, with Andrew Puchlowski and Conrad Botha following.

Charles Urban Extra 300L

Jason Beamish Extra300

Andrew Blackwood-Murray Extra 300L

The Advanced Class followed, with Gary Glasson emerging as the winner, narrowly defeating Elton Bondi and Eugene Du Preez.

Gary Glasson Pitts Special S-1S

Elton Bondi Extra 300

Eugene du Preez Extra 330SC

The masters took the stage in the Unlimited Class, which represents the peak of aerobatics. Barrie Eeles emerged victorious, with Mark Hensman following in second place. Unfortunately, Nigel Hopkins was unable to finish the second round due to technical issues with his aircraft.

Barrie Eeles Extra 330SC

Mark Hensman MX2

Nigel Hopkins Extra 330SC

After all the individual classes concluded, the identity of the "Ace of Base" was still unknown. Charles Urban was declared the overall winner of the day with a score of 77.96%. Chris Joubert followed closely in second place with 77.58%, and Kayle Wooll secured third place with a commendable 76.95%.

Charles Urban

Chris Joubert

Kayle Wooll

Contest Director Adam Puc, Chief Judge John Gaillard, and Scoring Director Natalie Stark, supported by Judges Helm Ludwig, Laszlo Liszkay, Quintin Hawthorne, Mike Stark, and Johnnie Smith, performed exceptionally well despite enduring the intense December heat. It was also wonderful to see Natalie return after her severe motor accident earlier this year during WAC 2017 in Malelane.

We must express our gratitude to the wonderful people of Vereeniging for providing the airfield for this incredible competition and for their warm hospitality.

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