Brits Flying Club Celebrates their 70th Birthday
- Garth Calitz
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
By Garth Calitz
Brits Airfield became the destination of choice for general aviation pilots and enthusiasts on Saturday, 31st May, all for a joint celebration of the Brits Flying Club, which turned 70 years old, and the 75th birthday of Hans Schwebel, who has been involved in the club since the 1970s. I estimate that there were well over 80 aircraft that made their way to join the celebrations.
Brits Flying Club was founded in 1955 by Arrie Bolt, Elle Bolt, Kosie Coetzer, Ben Habig, Pat Farrel, Charlie Allen, Bushy Meiring, Dennis Annandale, and Doris de Wit, establishing it as one of the oldest flying clubs in South Africa.
The pioneers successfully acquired a parcel of land from the Department of Agriculture. They constructed two gravel runways, 02/20 measuring 950 meters and 18/36 measuring 840 meters, primarily funded by the founding members with additional support from the Brits Municipality and the local community. Initially, an open thatch-roof clubhouse was built, which was subsequently replaced by the current clubhouse. The original clubhouse was converted into a rental flat.
The Johannesburg Light Plane Club extended their support by providing an instructor one or two days a week to meet the increasing demand for flight training in Brits. At that time, all training was conducted using a Tigermoth, owned by Arrie Bolt, and a Chipmunk. After a full day of instruction, students and instructors would enjoy a braai and camaraderie. This tradition has endured, contributing to Brits being one of the most welcoming flying clubs I have had the pleasure to visit.
As the membership expanded, the demand for hangar space increased, leading to the construction of two hangars. Notably, the roof trusses of one hangar were made from repurposed granite "gang-saw" blades, and this hangar remains in use today.
The club emerged as a social hub following the construction of a swimming pool and a clay tennis court, which hosted numerous tournaments. In 1965, after extensive deliberations, the club decided to purchase its own aircraft, ultimately choosing to import a Piper Cherokee 140 at a significant cost of R4,700. The aircraft, designated ZS-FTB, was sold in 1975 and replaced by ZS-ILC, a Cherokee 150. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints during the economic downturn of 1977, the latter had to be sold.
Photos by Ray Watts and Gary Shepard
The economic challenges resulted in a significant decline for the club, with membership plummeting to just six individuals. This is a stark contrast to its status in 1968 as the largest flying club in the Transvaal, boasting 58 active members and nine resident aircraft. Chairman Frans Guba, along with committee members Hans Schwebel (our birthday boy), Jan Bezuidenhout, Fred Boshoff, Gerhard Gast, and Chris Forbes, persevered through these challenging years, personally maintaining the airfield until 1988.
Hans achieved his pilot's licence in 1972, and since then, he has achieved an arm's length list of accolades. He was enticed into the world of rally and precision flying and has since represented South Africa no less than twenty-five 25 times in world championships all over the world. Hans not only excels at flying but also serves as President of the General Aviation Commission, affiliated with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the global governing body for air sports.
During the day, a squadron of Savanah aircraft arrived from nearby Kroon Airfield. They looked innocent enough, but they had nefarious motives. The band of bandits came to steal the stuffed cock mascot from the Brits Flying Club. The Brits members anticipated the attempt and had security guards posted to protect their mascot, but the numerical advantage of the Kroon crowd proved to be unstoppable and they made off after a bit of a scuffle. I'm sure some sort of revenge will be plotted for the Kroon Fly-in this coming weekend.
Don Berry, the current Chairman of Brits Flying Club, called Hans to the mic to share some of his personal stories of the club before honouring Karl Jensen with a lifetime membership. All the previous chairmen were also called to the mic, but unfortunately, they were running around making sure everyone was having a good day.
Brits Flying Club over the years have become home to many businesses and smaller specialised clubs. These include Wings 'n Tracks, the home of the Lambada, Flamingo, Samba and the Seagle light sport aircraft operated by Rainer and Barbara Frieböse, Tailwind Aviation, a helicopter AMO. Kranskop Gliding Club was established in Brits in 1994 but later moved to Warmbaths, only to return in 2001 and have made it their permanent home ever since.
