With the crash of a SAAF C-130BZ Hercules in Goma in early January, South Africa’s search and rescue mission capability is also woefully inadequate, particularly since the retirement of the SAAF 35 Squadron C-47TP turbine Dakota ‘Dakeltons’. Meanwhile across the south Atlantic, the industrious Brazilians got on with building theRead More →
China has been a latecomer to African aviation. Ethiopian Airlines started flying to China in November 1973 but there were precious few other air links between Africa and China for 30 years. Imperialistically speaking, African aviation has been a bit of a mixed bag. The involvement of former colonial powersRead More →
In his opening Address to this year’s Airline Association of Southern Africa (AASA) conference AASA CEO Chris Zweigenthal addressed the key question: “What’s stopping us? What’s not?” This is an edited version of his address presented in a question and answer format. HOW IS THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY DOING? The InternationalRead More →
To the delight of aircraft spotters and the confusion of most neutral observers, two of the Russian Air Force’s (VVS) Tupolev Tu-160 long-range supersonic strategic bombers touched down at Air Force Base Waterkloof on 25 October. TU-160 visits outside of Russia are so extraordinarily rare that South Africa is onlyRead More →
The cargo compartment smoke warning came as a surprise. This was a heavy-weight take-off, well above maximum landing weight and the aircraft was not even through a thousand feet above ground level (AGL). Air Traffic Control were informed of the intention to return immediately. The ECAM (Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitoring)Read More →
It is reputed that the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter was designed by a committee of six Swiss farmers to carry hay into the high Alps, so that they could keep their cattle up there for longer. They knew pretty well what a hay cart looked like but didn’t know muchRead More →
Aviation authorities the world over have the responsibility of overseeing aviation safety and security as well as developing the aviation industries in their countries. Aviation safety and the development of aviation are two things that are mostly at loggerheads with each other: a terrific safety record can be achieved byRead More →
The Hawker-Siddley125 range was around for so long that many corporate flight departments tend to overlook it in favour of new and far more expensive biz-jets. And then in 2013 Hawker stopped building it, so now only exceptionally smart operators know how good it is. I was surprised when myRead 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 →
It had to happen. General aviation autopilots have been advancing at such a pace that it is now possible to install a switch on light aircraft that will take over from the pilot, fly to the nearest suitable airport and land on it. This must be great comfort to allRead More →
