SAPFA National Rally Flying Championships 2025

By Garth Calitz

The South African Power Flight Association held the National Rally Flying Championships at Brits airfield in the North West province. Unfortunately, the turnout was pretty disappointing, with just four teams showing up. There was also one unofficial team that joined in just for the experience. Their scores didn't count because they were given way more time to finish their plotting.

The lack of interest may be attributed to the cost of competing and to the lack of smaller competitions throughout the year. In years gone by there was a fun rally organised on an almost monthly basis at various airfields around the country. The cost side of things can also be a limiting factor as it takes lots of practice to master the sport, and practice equals flying, flying equals costs and time.

The last few years the National Championships were held in Gauteng and the Western Cape simultaneously, sadly this year there were no takers for the Stellenbosch competition leaving only the four teams at Brits to fight it out for the title of National Rally Flying Champion.

In Rally Flying, it's all about teamwork with a pilot and a navigator. The main focus is on getting the plotting and observation just right. Fifteen minutes before takeoff, the navigator gets a sealed envelope. Inside, there are clues for each turn along the route. The navigator has to figure out where these turning points are on the map using the clues, so they can guide the pilot along the right path.

The pilot needs to fly precisely along the route at a chosen speed, with the plane being tracked by GPS loggers. The team has to hit the turning points right on time based on the speed they picked. Along the way, there are photos to find, and there are also photos for the turning points. These photos might not always be accurate, so at each turning point, you have to decide if they're true or false. You can lose points by flying off course, missing the turning points on time, or misidentifying the photos. Each part of the competition wraps up with a landing contest, which counts toward the final score.

The start of the competition on Saturday got pushed back because of bad weather that almost stopped any flying. Luckily, the weather cleared up enough for a safe flight in the afternoon. However, the scores weren't great since most teams hadn't flown competitively since the last World Rally Championship.

Sunday presented excellent flying conditions, allowing the first teams to take off as scheduled. The scores improved significantly on the second day, demonstrating the necessity of practice to excel in this enjoyable yet challenging sport.

Upon the return of each competitor, they are required to perform a spot landing, which contributes to their final score. Unfortunately, the landing scores from Sunday were not counted. After the second competitor's landing, an A115 helicopter approached from the northwest, as the crew slowed for landing, the engine failed, causing the aircraft to fall a few meters onto the runway. Fortunately, it appears that the helicopter was undamaged. However, this incident brought the landing competition to a halt, as only half of the runway remained available.

After all the planes had landed safely, it was time to announce the 2025 champions. Piet Meyer and Adrienne Visser snagged fourth place. Piet had just gotten his rating on a new aircraft type only an hour before jumping into the competition. He decided to fly a C172 instead of his usual Jabiru because that's what they'll be using in the World Championships later this year.

The veteran team of Hans Schwebel and Ron Stirk came home in third place with a total over the 2148 points, Ron and Hans are rumoured to be the oldest active team in world rally flying.

In second place was Jonty Esser and Sandi Goddard, Jonty's almost Bingo landing on day two may have secured them first place if it were not for the unscheduled visit by the helicopter. They scored a respectable 2033 points.

The National Rally Flying Champions for 2025 are the husband and wife team of Tarryn and Iaan Myburgh, who scored 1812 points. Tarryn and Iaan have represented South Africa in both the 22nd and 23rd World Rally Flying Championships, held in Brits, South Africa and Mâcon, France respectively.

The National team to represent South Africa in the 24th FAI World Rally Flying Championship will be held in Ferrara, Italy from August 30th to September 5th, 2025. They will be Tarryn and Iaan Myburgh, Jonty Esser and Sandi Goddard, Piet Meyer and Adrienne Visser they will be joined by Ron Stirk as team Manager. We wish them all the best in their preparations and the competition.

Special thanks must go to Brits Flying Club for the use of their amazing facilities and to Frank and Cally Eckard for setting up the routes and facilitating the competition. As always Barbara Friebose stepped up to take over the marshalling duties.