African Pilot Newsletter No. 25 - 2011

African Pilot Newsletter 25 - 2011

Monday 20 June 2011

“Laugh when you can. Apologize when you should and let go of what you can't change... Love deeply and forgive quickly... Take chances and give it your everything. Life is too short to be anything but happy. You have to take the good with the bad... Love what you have... Always remember what you had... Forgive and forget and always remember that life goes on. Life is too short. Cheri Byers Henke

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Dave Becker - an aviation legend

From all of us at African Pilot, we are shocked at the news of Dave's passing. Dave was a true legend in South African aviation and he had an unbelievable memory for detail. Dave was to travel with us to Oshkosh this year as he has done on several occasions. We loved Dave's bantering talk in the hut at the campsite as he downloaded his pictures and discussed what he had seen that day. Some of you may not know this, but Dave was a past President of the EAA in South Africa. To Thia, we are sorry you have lost your partner and a true gentleman. Dave we will miss you at airshows and aviation events. God speed to you on this your final journey to that great hangar in the sky. Dave may your soul rest in peace.

Passing of Captain Mick Mitchell

On Friday evening Captain Mick Mitchell suffered a massive heart attack that claimed his life. Mick Mitchell was the chief of SAA's flight operations before he retired. He then accepted the post of head of flight operations of Air Mauritius for some years before he hung up his flying gloves. Mick Mitchell formed the company Global Aviation, which operated as a flight training organisation with great success. The funeral of the late Captain Mick Mitchell will take place on Wednesday 22 June at 11h00 at St' James Presbyterian Church, Oxford Road in Bedfordview.

African Pilot's August edition

Now that the July edition is complete and has entered its distribution phase well ahead of the end of the month, we have started with the preparation of the August magazine. Traditionally the main feature of the August edition is our Light Sport Aircraft survey, which I the fastest growing sector within General Aviation in South Africa. For advertising positions please contact our marketing department: 0861 001130 or e-mail: marketing@africanpilot.co.za.

What is happening this week in aviation?

Cirrus migration

Next weekend the famous Cirrus migration will travel to the Chobe River Lodge and African Pilot will be accompanying the Cirrus pilots. I understand that this will be the largest Cirrus migration ever in the history of South Africa.

7th Africa Aerospace and Defence at AFB Waterkloof

The highly successful international biennial Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibitions that has been staged at Air Force Base (AFB) Ysterplaat returns to its traditional base. The 7th AAD will be returning to AFB Waterkloof Centurion, South Africa from 19 to 23 September 2012 as the exhibition venue for AAD 2012 and many more to come. Centurion is situated in heart of South Africa's commercial region and is adjacent to two of the biggest cities in South Africa; Johannesburg and Pretoria. The trade exhibition is expected to have net sales of 13000m² indoor space and 15000m² outdoor space (static park).

The organisers of AAD 2012 aim to increase the record attendance of 13 000 trade visitors and 350 exhibitors who were at the previous show in Cape Town. The first three days 19, 20 and 21 September 2012, will be allocated to the trade only, completing this event with two public days over the weekend of Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 September 2012, featuring the largest international airshow in Africa.

The impressive exhibition will again be presented under the partnership between South Africa's Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industry Association (AMD), the Armament Corporation of South Africa (ARMSCOR) and the Commercial Aviation Association of Southern Africa (CAASA) with full supports through the national Department of Defence and CAASA as the lead partner for the 7th AAD. The organisers are fully aware that this change in venue could cause some discomfort for many of the stakeholders of AAD, particularly the Cape Town based exhibitors. Returning the show to Centurion, Pretoria has been seen as a positive move by many local and foreign exhibitors.  The partners and organisers are confident that this move will add additional stimulus and new challenges to broaden the scope of this well-known event on the international civil aviation and defence exhibitions calendar.

Appointments at Africa Aerospace and Defence

We are pleased to announce the AAD 2012 team: Leona Redelinghuys as Exhibition Director, Ms Vhongani Shumba as Marketing and PR manager and Danie van Wyngaard as accountant. Once again AAD will be offering comprehensive services to all our exhibiting companies and have reappointed Expo Solutions as General Service provider and Chattels for Hospitality Chalets construction.

What happened in aviation this past weekend?

Bantams to Hazyview

The Bantams fly-in to Hazyview broke the world record for the most Bantams at a single airfield on Saturday when all 58 'parrots' landed at the Baghdad strip. Organised by Andrew Pappas of Micro Aviation who has been responsible for marketing and assembling all of the more than 150 Bantams in South Africa, the long weekend was a resounding success. Bantams flew from far and wide and from all corners of South Africa to the Hotel Numbi in Hazyview. This was an amazing weekend of fantastic comradeship with another group of enthusiastic pilots, their wives and children. The August edition of African Pilot will feature this most successful weekend with colourful pictures of the 'parrots'.

Alldays fly-in - by Willie Bodenstein

Five months ago the Alldays Flying Club did not exist and in this short period of time those that formed the club did not only organise an event attended by more than 200 aircraft, the members also took on the task of upgrading the seriously neglected airfield at their own cost. This past weekend's event proved that a few dedicated individuals can make a difference as I did not hear one single word of criticism but only praise for a event that that surely will become one of the 'not to be missed' on the aviation calendar. A full report and pictures will be published in the August edition of African Pilot.

South African's to Oshkosh

This will be my 11th tour in a row with Neil Bowden's camping group of about 90 persons this year. I can seriously recommend that those going should become EAA US members so that you can purchase your six day pass at a discounted price. This also means that you don't have to stand in a queue every day.

This year I have an opening for a photojournalist to assist me. The reward is a FREE media pass with a value of at least R1000, access to restricted areas, a free ride over the grounds in a vintage Bell helicopter and other privileges. I would like that person to be a seasoned photographer who understands airshows and aviation events as well as someone who can write English reasonably well. I will on hand to assist the successful candidate throughout the event. You can contact me via my e-mail: editor@africanpilot.co.za.

Remember we are allowed two suitcases not exceeding about 23Kg each. Air France does not like loose articles and from experience there is a very good chance that they might get lost. Last year I couldn't believe the amount of iPads the guys bought at prices well below those of South Africa. Those South Africans that will be making this annual pilgrimage, please register at the international tent so that we can give those Aussies a run for their money. We also need to beat the Brazilians since their group is getting bigger every year.

To those that are not coming this year, there is always next year so start saving. AirVenture is a fantastic opportunity to see so much aviation in one place in one week. Apart from the daily airshow, there is so much that is new every year, especially in avionics, glass cockpits, general aviation and home built types. American aviation enthusiasts are wonderful people that are very interested in South African aviation.

EAA SA council to start a new Chapter in Bloemfontein

The inaugural meeting for Chapter 1503 is scheduled for Wednesday 22 June at 18h00 at the New Tempe airfield, Bloemfontein. This meeting is open to all aviation enthusiasts who would like to attend. Please contact Jack Onderstall who has been appointed as the inaugural Chairman by EAA National President Paul Lastrucci e-mail: jack@cp.bftn.co.za.

Website to battle secrecy bill By Chandre Prince

While the ANC is forging ahead with its controversial secrecy bill, a group of former South Africans is opposing the ruling party head-on by setting up a website for whistle-blowers. In less than a week about 41300 people have signed the first of a series of petitions to be submitted to parliament opposing the highly contested Protection of Information Bill. In a bid to counter the ANC's determination to pass the bill into law, expats in Australia and Scotland are fine-tuning a website that will allow citizens to expose corruption without fear of being persecuted.

The website, http://www.sagovleaks.com/ is to be launched soon and will mirror the WikiLeaks site - which publishes private, secret and classified documents from anonymous news sources, news leaks and whistle-blowers. The expatriates, none of whom will reveal his / her name are keeping details of the website under wraps for now, but a relative of one, who lives in Sydney, Australia, said the website was in the final stages of construction and might be launched in the next few weeks. He said the setting up of the website was a direct response to the introduction of the Protection of Information Bill, debate on which was scheduled to be finalised by 24 June.  The deadline has been extended to allow further discussion by a special parliamentary committee. Anyone will be able to send classified information to the new website anonymously.

Another website for South African whistle-blowers is zaleaks.com. This website, much to the impotent rage of the Department of Public Service and Administration, made available to all and sundry the Ministerial Handbook, used by top politicians to justify extravagant expenditure of public money on cars and luxuries and a copy of the medical report on Schabir Shaik that was used to award him a medical parole.

A petition, jointly initiated by the Right2Know campaign and http://www.avaaz.org/, urges people not to allow the government to take South Africa 'back to the dark days of impunity'. “Secrets with a bearing on national security must be determined by an independent panel appointed by parliament and not the minister of state security,” the petition says.

Editor comments

The fact that the ANC government wants to silence 'whistle blowers' in the media is a direct challenge to South Africa's constitution and will affect all traditional media publishers including African Pilot. However, in this age of modern electronic communications via the internet, the law makers have failed to realise that this will be a futile law if it is passed. Whistle blowing will continue via a different method, which ultimately may be far more powerful in the long term.

SAAB discloses secret 'arms deal' payments by defenceWeb

Swedish defence multinational SAAB says BAE Systems paid defence consultant Fana Hlongwane R24 million a decade ago to help secure contracts that formed part of the still-controversial Strategic Defence Package signed in 2000. The Swedish company adds that news of the payment was hidden from it by its partner in the deal. The local Mail & Guardian newspaper says today Hlongwane, an adviser to Defence Minister Joe Modise at the time the deals were negotiated, has received so-called 'commission' payments of more than R200 million from entities controlled by BAE.

Dow Jones Newswires reported from Stockholm overnight that SAAB Chief Executive Håkan Buskhe had told it in an interview yesterday that a person employed by BAE Systems had, without the company's knowledge, signed a contract, processed transactions and approved the audited and inaccurate financial statement for 2003. “We can only assume that the BAE employee wanted to hide this,” he added. “We have informed BAE Systems of our findings and how we regard this matter,” he added. SAAB launched an internal investigation into the matter last month. The agreement between SANIP and Hlongwane was 'completely new to us,' Buskhe said at a press conference at the time. Nothing supports that SAAB has paid out any money based on the contract,” between SANIP and Hlongwane. “We have zero tolerance regarding bribes, corruption and unethical conduct when it comes to doing business. … We have no desire to cover up anything.”

The allegations of corruption surfaced in a May 17 report aired by the Swedish TV4 channel. Relying on bank statements, TV4 said SANIP paid Hlongwane nearly US$8 million in several installments from 2003-05 to make sure that South Africa would go through with an order of 26 Gripen fighter jets. The UPI news service added the dealings of SANIP 'are a bit obscure'. The company was founded to promote business activities in South Africa. SAAB says it was operated by BAE Systems but owned by SAAB until 2004. That was 'not too clever,' Buskhe said, adding that SANIP was now dormant.

Last week BAE Systems sold the last of its shares in the Swedish defence company and its representative on SAAB's board resigned. SAAB and BAE Systems still own an equal share in a joint venture company called Gripen International, Dow Jones noted. Buskhe added SAAB has now handed over 'all investigation material' to the country's national anti-corruption unit that will now look at whether there 'are grounds to initiate an investigation of bribery, at the individual or corporate level, in connection with the sale of the ... Gripen in South Africa.'

The M&G adds the development “casts new doubt on National Director of Public Prosecutions Menzi Simelane's decision to halt the investigation of Hlongwane.” In March last year Simelane ordered the Asset Forfeiture Unit to abandon its bid to freeze Hlongwane's assets, mostly held in offshore accounts. The unit had obtained an interim order and was preparing to make a case to seize the assets as the proceeds of crime. Simelane invited representations from Hlongwane's attorneys and thereafter accepted that the consultancy agreements presented to him were above board, in spite of the fact that there was no evidence of legitimate services provided to account for the enormous sums paid, the M&G said.

Airline deal saw top SA businessmen . . . taken for a ride - from the Business Times

Top businessmen and other investors have allegedly been cheated out of more than R200-million in a disastrous deal to buy 15 jet aircraft. Shoprite chairman Christo Wiese, Ajax Cape Town football club chairman John Comitis Remgro, director Jannie Durand and property developer Paul Berman are among those fleeced. The state-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) also stands to lose R61-million. Investors signed deals to buy two Boeing 727s, seven 112-seater BAE airliners and six other aircraft to take advantage of Africa's growing demand for air transport.

But it is alleged that the aircraft prices were fraudulently inflated and investors were fed bogus reports about them flying customers around Africa. Six of the aircraft, some in a state of disrepair, are standing idle at Lanseria Airport, whilst another is parked in Florida in the US. The man who sold them, Stellenbosch financial adviser Pieter Louw, has been charged with fraud after Comitis laid criminal charges against him. The IDC is trying to sequestrate Louw's partner, Mpumalanga businessman Andre van Heerden - a director of African Airline Investments (AAI).

Investors said the investment worked like a Ponzi scheme: instead of aircraft earning money by flying, money came in by persuading new investors to buy overpriced aircraft through a web of companies. Old aircraft were left to decay, sparing operators maintenance costs. There were two major investor groups. The first, 30 business people largely from Stellenbosch, invested in AAI in 2009, which claimed to own six aircraft. Jannie Durand and his brother Jaco, who is Louw's neighbour, were among them. Hugo Fourie, a stock trader who represents this group, said their R80-million was 'gone'. The IDC put R61-million into the scheme by March 2010 and confirmed on Friday that it was looking to recover its investment. “It ... came to IDC's attention that the funds advanced had not been applied as intended and certain misrepresentations may have been made. The IDC has commenced with both civil and criminal proceedings in this matter,” it said.

A second group of 20 investors thought they bought 12 operating aircraft last year for about R150-million, through Louw's other company, Kingsfield Capital. Liquidators found that three of the aircraft were taken from the first group of investors and 'double sold' from African Airlines. Fourie said five jets which arrived from Britain “were grounded (by the Civil Aviation Authority) the moment they landed at Lanseria”. One of the aircraft co-purchased by Wiese has been 'stuck' in Miami for months. Papers before the High Court in Cape Town reveal that the US sellers will not release it because a portion of the purchase price is outstanding and there are unpaid hangar and security costs.

Wiese's partner, Cape Town investor Hugo van Veen, who put in R13-million, said, “I'll be lucky to get R2-million back.” Louw's attorney, Jacques Viljoen, said: “Due to the fact that the matter is sub judice my client is unable to debate the allegations.” Louw will appear in the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court next month.

Van Heerden said his own investments in the company were 'wiped out' and the IDC had stripped his assets in recent months, including his Summerfields Spa resort on a game farm in Mpumalanga and two sports cars. He admitted he had underestimated the time and cost of the 'bureaucracy' that kept the planes grounded for six months. “We should have been more cautious,” he said, but added: “The idea that there was intentional deceit is false.”

Comitis bought shares in three aircraft last year. He has travelled to several African countries to arrange the emergency sale of two of them, but fears that R7.5-million paid by him and Berman for a 70-seater Fokker F28 jet had 'disappeared'. “There was never a deal concluded. Our money was stolen in cold blood,” he said.

The second deal was brokered by Cape Town law firm partner Deon de Klerk. Having invested his own money in an aircraft, De Klerk said he was 'horrified' that he and his clients had been fleeced. “I trusted Pieter Louw, as all of us did, and that trust appears to have been misplaced.” Berman, who is married to Pick 'n Pay founder Raymond Ackerman's daughter Suzanne, said in an affidavit that 'fraudulent representations', including the false price of a Boeing 727, had 'induced' his trust to pay more than R5.6-million. Francois van Themaat, a legal adviser to Wiese, said the businessman “does not comment on matters which are subject to legal proceedings. We are at present pursuing various options”. Van Zyl said he sold four of the jets but that only R45-million was likely to be recovered for investors. Van Veen said this was a fraction of the total “of at least R260-million” invested overall. I am not saying you are wrong ... all I am saying is that you don't seem to be having much luck with your thinking today

Goodyear blimp crashes in Germany

The pilot of one of the famed Goodyear blimps died in Germany over the weekend after the giant airship caught on fire and eventually plummeted to the ground. German newspaper Der Spiegel reports that the pilot is being hailed as a hero after he fought to keep the blimp afloat long enough, and close enough to the ground, to allow his three passengers to jump to safety.

The blimp, part of an advertising campaign for the Goodyear tire company, was about to land at an airfield in Reichelsheim in western Germany when fire broke out in both engines, according to media reports. Bild newspaper reported that the pilot, an Australian, called out to the passengers: “We're having a crash!” and told them to jump out of the cabin, which was hovering just 2 meters (6.6 feet) above the ground at the time. As soon as they had hurled themselves to safety, the airship soared rapidly to a height of around 50 meters, possibly due to the sudden loss of weight in the cabin, making it impossible for the pilot to escape, eyewitnesses said. The blimp then became engulfed in flames and fell back to the ground in a ball of fire. The passengers were a press photographer and a TV crew who had been on a two-and-a-half-hour round trip to get aerial shots of a public festival.

B-17 Liberty Belle crashes

The Liberty Belle, a B-17 Flying Fortress operated by the Liberty Foundation of Florida, was destroyed by fire after the crew made an emergency landing in a cornfield in Illinois on Monday morning. All seven people on board escaped without injury, according to the NTSB, but the airplane was a total loss. The B-17 had taken off from Aurora Municipal Airport near Oswego, flying with a T-6 in chase. It may be the pilot of the T-6 who communicated the fire on tower frequency shortly after take-off repeating, “You're on fire, you're on fire, you're on fire!” and “put it on the ground, put it on the ground, put it on the ground!” Several local residents reported seeing the plane flying low, trailing smoke and flames. An account of the event was released Tuesday by Liberty Foundation chief pilot, Ray Fowler.

Airbus concept and more at Paris airshow

The Paris airshow opens today with 2,100 exhibitors, the most ever for the show, which is held every other year at Le Bourget. The event features commercial and military aircraft as well as a handful of GA exhibitors. Airbus will introduce its 'concept cabin' for the airliner of 2050, which features a fuselage built of bio-membranes that can be made transparent to offer passengers a view of the night sky or of landmarks passing below. One of the most anticipated debuts this year is 'special guest' Solar Impulse, the solar-powered aircraft built in Switzerland, making its first public airshow appearance. The aircraft flew into the show on Tuesday evening despite several weather delays and is scheduled for demo flights every morning.

Cessna AD 'will affect 36,000 airplanes'

The FAA's final rule regarding Cessna seat rails applies to all serial numbers of Cessna aircraft ranging from Cessna 150A to T337H-SP models - 36,000 aircraft, according to the FAA and is effective as of 17 June 2011. The Airworthiness Directive (AD) supersedes a prior one; it clarifies inspections that look for cracks in seat rails and details under what circumstances parts must be replaced. Action, unless already taken, is required within the next 100 hours time-in-service or within the next 12 calendar months. The FAA estimates that the inspections alone should cost each owner about $85 and combine to produce $3.06 million for the repair shop industry. Cost of replacement parts and work as needed could add another $395 to an individual owner's tab.

Diamond secures D-Jet financing

Diamond Aircraft is recalling workers and rapidly accelerating its D-JET personal jet programme thanks to an investment from an unnamed source. The money will also enable resumption of the flight test programme and the construction of one more test aircraft as the company works toward certification. The amount of the investment was not immediately disclosed but Diamond was turned down by the Canadian government for a $35 million loan that would have formed a share of the $90 million needed to finish the project. While the D-JET was being developed exclusively by Diamond's London, Ontario facility, that has changed with the recent announcement.

Boeing 787 appearing at EAA AirVenture this year

Last week EAA and AirVenture chairman Tom Poberezny confirmed that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is scheduled to make a landmark appearance at EAA AirVenture 2011 on Friday, 29 July, giving aviation enthusiasts a glimpse into the next generation of commercial airliners. “We're proud and excited that Boeing recognizes the significance of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in the global aviation community,” Poberezny said. “This represents two significant firsts - the first time anywhere that aviation enthusiasts can tour the 787 and the first public showcase of the 787 in North America.” For one day only, attendees can tour the Boeing 787 Dreamliner while it is on static display on ConocoPhillips Plaza and witness it in flight during its arrival and departure. It is scheduled to arrive at 09h30 on 29 July and depart following that day's afternoon airshow, at approximately 18h00.

“It's a great honour to be able to share our airplane with aviation enthusiasts,” said Capt. Mike Carriker (EAA #505412), chief pilot for the 787 programme. “We've made tremendous progress in finishing certification testing on our 787 flight test fleet with Rolls-Royce engines. It gives us a short opportunity to be able to share this airplane with the attendees of EAA AirVenture 2011.”

Volcanic ash cancels flights

Ash from a major volcanic eruption in Chile has cancelled hundreds of flights and stranded 25,000 passengers from neighbouring Argentina to far-away New Zealand and Australia, and experts say this could be just the beginning. "It's got a very strong satellite signal and it's right up there with the big, big eruption clouds ... it will keep going. I would suspect it will do a loop of the globe," Andrew Tupper of the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Strong westerly winds are pushing the cloud from the Cordon Caulle volcano but the plume over the South Pacific, 6,000 miles away, is expected to start dissipating soon. Australian airlines are taking no chances but New Zealand's flag carrier is still flying.

Report suggests cell phone interference happens

An International Air Transport Association report suggests cell phones and other personal electronics, notably the iPad, can cause alarming disruptions to aircraft systems. The report, obtained by ABC News, is said to document 75 instances between 2003 and 2009 in which flight crews believed interference from passengers using an electronic device caused something to go wrong with the aircraft. Anomalies ranging from autopilots disconnecting to a clock that ran backwards were said to disappear when the electronics were shut off. The report is getting mixed reviews from those who study aviation safety.

1549 passengers and crew revisit aircraft

Passengers who were thankful to have lived through it and an airline captain who became an instant celebrity because of it gathered around the battered hull of Airbus A320 N106US Sunday to celebrate the aircraft that changed their lives. The dented and gashed fuselage of the aircraft used for US Airways Flight 1549 from La Guardia to Charlotte on 15 January 2009, arrived at the Carolinas Aviation Museum on Friday and will go on permanent display there. At a private reception on Sunday Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, other members of the flight crew and some passengers gathered to remember that chilly winter afternoon when the aircraft hit a flock of geese and Sullenberger and his first officer Jeff Skiles put the airplane, carrying 155 people, in the Hudson River. Among the cabin crew was Doreen Welsh, who, with 38 years of patrolling the aisle, probably had the most time in the air of anyone on the flight. She told NY1 she thought she'd given her last safety demo when she heard Sullenberger tell the people in back to “"brace for impact” over the PA. “Thirty-eight years, who hears that? And who lives through hearing that? I'm sure a lot of people in crashes, that's probably the last thing they ever hear,” said Welsh. “I said prayers. I thought it was it.”

Terrafugia's roadable aircraft delayed

Citing challenges in production design and problems with third-party suppliers, the developers of the Transition roadable aircraft has announced a delay that extends their expected first delivery date to 'late 2012.' The company still plans to show, but not fly, one of two production prototypes at AirVenture Oshkosh this July and says its past experience suggests flight tests might take place by March 2012. Terrafugia's press release declined to expand on the problems that led to the delay and stated that the company remains committed to the success of the programme.

Aviation humour

Until next week, please be 'Serious about flying'.

Athol Franz (Editor)

African Pilot 'Serious about flying'.