Prominent South African company Starlite Aviation has been sold to French company SAF Hélicoptères to form part of a global aviation group: SAF Aerogroup. SAF Aerogroup, is consolidating its position as the French leader and a major player in the helicopter and fixed wing service sectors worldwide, by opening upRead More →
(Text and images: Grant Duncan-Smith: Subiaco Photography) Flying a medical rescue helicopter is one of the most demanding roles for a helicopter pilot. Often it is literally a matter of life and death to get the patient to the hospital. We chat to Air Mercy Service pilot Donovan Kohl aboutRead More →
Darren Olivier – Africa is characterised by asymmetric warfare which requires the larger, more technologically advanced combatant to be able to exercise dominance over small, convoluted and inaccessible places. These places may be dense urban environments such as cities or shack settlements, or remote jungles. This requires small, agile helicopters that can provide fast point to point intervention. The most successful of theseRead More →
Joe Biden will likely be the first president to call the VH-92 “Marine One”. The VH-92 Presidential Helicopter has been making near-regular flights around the Washington, D.C., area of late, most recently on Dec. 4 when it was spotted flying south along the Potomac River. Still in test, the Sikorsky-builtRead More →
The Denel Rooivalk AH-2 is an attack helicopter manufactured by Denel Aviation of South Africa. Rooivalk is Afrikaans for “Red Falcon”. Development of the type began in 1984 by the Atlas Aircraft Corporation (a predecessor of Denel Aviation). The first Rooivalk was officially handed over in April 2011, and are flown by 16 Squadron, AFB Bloemspruit (Bloemfontein). Development The South African Defence Force recognisedRead More →
Airbus Helicopters’ five-bladed H145 has been certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), clearing the way for customer deliveries towards the end of summer 2020. The certification covers the full range of capabilities, including single-pilot and instrument flight rules (IFR) and single engine operations (Cat.A/VTOL), along with nightRead More →
This month I’m taking a slightly different tack to my normal – away from the adrenaline of playing cops and robbers – to show a different side of flying: The beautiful side. Whenever I have the opportunity to take someone on their first helicopter flight, I start by explaining aRead More →
Most of the time, flying helicopters is pretty mundane. I cruise overhead, busy with a particular project or task and watch people commute to work, from my little cockpit office. You see, helicopter pilots are normal people too, you know! We have jobs, homes and families, gardens, pets and allRead More →
