We have appointed Andre Schild as our marketing person to oversee the complete marketing portfolio of the business of African Pilot. Andre has a bachelors degree in marketing and has spent the past month working with myself, Athol Franz, (BA Wits, IMM) in the editorial and management capacity. Andre has displayed his competence for the delivery of marketing solutions for our clients as well as the delivery of targeted results to the business. I am a PPL pilot with a night rating and have been the sole owner of my Cessna 172 for the past 19 years. I am also a recognised writer and an accomplished photographer. Where do you get all four significantly important features offered from one marketing team?
AFS Studio (Pty) Ltd (formerly Athol Franz Studio) has been a successful photographic and design studio for 28 years and during this time has produced a multitude of successful advertising campaigns for a wide variety of clients. These days our focus is directed towards aviation clients as a result of the incredible success of African Pilot Serious about flying.
African Pilot concentrates on the business of aviation in southern Africa and shows token interest towards aviation on the remainder of the continent. After only three years, market research indicates that African Pilot is acknowledged as the market leader. In addition, AFS Studio (Pty) Ltd, the production studio for African Pilot, now produces the most creative and successful advertising campaigns in South African aviation that now exceed all other aviation advertising campaigns collectively.
A new section, to be added from the March edition, will be news from the Commercial Aviation Association of South Africa.
Apart from the above, we introduce new aircraft and aviation services to the market. We cover topical subjects including: regulations that affect all areas of aviation; a regular South African Air Force article; fly-away destinations where the cover prize can be won by a reader. We also cover regional and international airline business which includes major charter companies.
African Pilot currently prints 9 000 magazines, all of which are circulated into the market both in southern Africa as well as into the remainder of Africa. We publish the names and telephone numbers of our printers and distributors in each magazine so that our figures can be verified. We will not entertain articles on accidents or endless listings of African Air Forces and African Airlines, since most of this information is out of date and has no relevance to the market we are addressing.
African Pilot appeals to a younger market and therefore attracts the advertisements of many flight training institutions. We always keep aviation positive and view our magazine as entertaining reading. African Pilot has the highest acceptance rate amongst the broader aviation community according to independent market research conducted by a prominent advertiser. This market research was conducted at AAD 2004 amongst a significant sample of pilots who attended the event.
Airshow and Aviation events calendar
African Pilot is the only aviation publication that has taken airshow and aviation events seriously over the past three years with the monthly publication of a calendar page. We regularly update the African Pilot Website: www.africanplot.co.za with new events as the dates for these events are reserved through the Aero Club of South Africa. Airshows and aviation spectator events are likely to become the best attended in terms of number of members of the public being exposed to aviation during 2005 in South Africa. African Pilot identified a huge gap in the publication of information in this sector of the market, as it has never before been addressed or taken seriously. We therefore decided to provide this service to the aviation community free of charge.
African Pilot February edition
Our February edition has now been fully distributed throughout southern Africa, packaged in a plastic bag together with our 2005 Aviation Services Guide, a Sasol airshows wall calendar and information on aircraft fractional ownership. As is so often the case, African Pilot attracts relevant scoops such as the Yello squadron of the MTN Hunters, The Cessna Citation Sovereigns visit to South Africa scheduled for late February, and 1times new MD-82 that went into service in December 2004, as well as the Pharos sponsored Interavia I-3 one of the few in the world and many other stories.
Wanted: Reliable aircraft to manage for self-fly safaris
Nick and Christina Hanks flew their Helio Courier H-295 Trans-Atlantic, Trans-Europe, and Trans-Africa to Lanseria Airport in 1995. They formed a company (Hanks Aero Adventures Inc.) to promote sport flying in southern Africa. They split their time between Johannesburg and rural New York State. They attained permanent South African residence in 2004. Nick and Chris were in the USA for the Christmas holidays but have now returned to Johannesburg.
Please call (011) 462-3892 or 082-851-1064. Interested owners should contact Nick Hanks on email: info@SelfFlySafari.com for references and further details.
African Pilots Cessna 172 gets a new panel
This week I collected ZS FJS from Century Avionics where my trusty Cessna 172 had been fitted with a state-of-the-art Garmin GNS 430, Garmin audio panel, engine management system and the first MP-3 sound system to be installed into a small private aircraft in South Africa. A year ago I had the S-TEC System 50 autopilot fitted by Aeronautical Instrument and Autopilot who are based at Wonderboom and now all the new equipment functions together with the autopilot deliver what is arguably the best equipped Cessna 172 in South Africa. What is important in the avionics business is to focus on the superior product line up that is available and the quality of the company undertaking the installation, not the technicians of the company. My dealing with both companies has been an absolute pleasure with a level of professionalism that should be expected in the aviation business. This past weekend Russell Mackenzie and I spent some hours exploring the parameters of the new systems coupled to the S-TEC autopilot. We were flabbergasted at the level of sophistication of the new equipment. There is no doubt that the correct equipment in an aircraft makes for safer and more relaxed flying. African Pilot will be undertaking a feature on new avionics products available to the South African market in our April issue.
For further information on the above please contact:
Century Avionics (011) 701 3244 e-mail: sales@centuryavionics.co.za
Aeronautical Group: (012) 567 7900 e-mail: aeronautical@mweb.co.za
Kulula.com airlines generous offer to SAPS
One of South Africas leading low fares airlines, kulula.com together with ACSA (Airports Company South Africa), announced this week that they would be forming a partnership to open up the airways for members of the South African Police Services (SAPS). This social investment for the men and women of South Africas police service was also extended to their immediate families at the dramatically reduced airfare of R199 one way exclusive on any of the routes on which kulula.com operates. Of the 141 000 members of the police services, it is estimated that 135 000 of them have not seen the inside of an aircraft. This will be an opportunity to travel and enjoy the country that the police proudly protect and probably represents a first in the world.
Gidon Novick, executive director of kulula.com, explained: Our police are this countrys unsung heroes and we would like to pay tribute to all the hard work they do whilst at the same time enhancing their lives by offering affordable transport to them and their families. It remains one of our primary goals to make flying an accessible option for all South Africans. Kulula.com has grown the domestic travel market by some 30% since its inception three years ago with its unique offer of low fares and fun flights to all sectors of the South African market.
Speech by the Commissioner for South African Police Services
Unfortunately the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Jackie Sebedi, arrived 45 minutes late for this function, thus keeping many important guests, kalula.com directors and members of the press waiting. Although the Commissioner spoke about the beefing up of security at Johannesburg International airport in particular, we were most disturbed to hear that he actually condones crimes involving bribery committed by certain police force members. In his speech he referred to the poor salaries that personnel at the lower end of the SAPS structures earned and raised the question about the morality of accepting bribes in a given situation. What hope does South Africa have when the very person who is entrusted with the policy of crime prevention actually condones criminal activity within the organisation he represents? To add to the seriousness of the statement the Commissioner made, we understand that Mr. Sebedi has been appointed / elected as the worlds Interpol chairman. Law and order is fundamental to the orderly governance of a democracy. We would like to believe that South Africa has one of the finest democracies in the world, but when crime is condoned by the very persons entrusted with the protection of this democracy, certain questions about the competence of the leadership need to be raised.
Launch of Qatar Airways to South Africa
Qatar Airways, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, officially launched their South African service to Johannesburg and Cape Town at a glittering function held at the Kyalami Castle outside Johannesburg this past weekend. The airline will operate four flights a week between Qatar and two major cities in South Africa utilising Airbus A330-200 in a two-class configuration of 24 seats in business and 248 in economy. Flights to Doha as the hub will take travellers onto a global network of 59 destinations.
The award-winning airline operates an all-Airbus fleet of 40 aircraft, with plans to double its size over the next few years following a US$ 5.1 billion order with Airbus for 34 additional aircraft. Qatar Airways is also one of the launch customers for the A380 super jumbo with four firm orders scheduled for delivery scheduled for delivery in 2009.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker, said the airline was spreading its award-winning five-star service to a new market in South Africa to give passengers a taste of its excellent levels of service. Last year, Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency, awarded a five-star ranking for service and quality to Qatar Airways only the third airline in the world to receive the accolade. By the end of this year the airline plans to serve at least 70 destinations, including cities in North America.
Qatar is located in the heart of the Arabian Gulf and has a rapidly developing infrastructure to help reach a goal of becoming the leading aviation hub in the Middle East. One week ago work began on the development of the US$ 5.5 billion New Doha International Airport, which is scheduled to open in phases from early in 2009. The airline will manage and operate the airport, of which 40% will be built on reclaimed land from the Arabian Gulf. This new airport will be the first in the world to be specifically designed to the exact specifications of the Airbus A380, capable of carrying 550 more than passengers. The all Airbus fleet of Qatar Airways currently consists of the following aircraft:
9 X A300-600s, 11 X A320-200s, 11 X A330 200s, 2 X A330 300s, 1 X A300-600 cargo freighter, 2 X long range A319LRs, 2 X A321-200s and 1 XA319CJ. The average age of the fleet is less than three years.
Aircraft on order from Airbus are:
7 X A330-200s, 12 X A330-300s, 4 X A380-800s and 10 A340600s.
The slogan of Qatar Airways is Taking you more personally and this they certainly did at the formal function in which the audience was treated to some South African live music before dinner and then Arabic music and dancers dressed in glittering outfits. The function was attended by Qatar top management, SA CAA, ACSA personnel, the media and many influential people from the travel industry. I am certain we will be hearing much more from Qatar Airways over the next few weeks as they establish their market in South Africa.
Aviation humour
The controller working a busy pattern told the B727 on downwind to make a three-sixty. The pilot of the B727 complained, Do you know it costs us two thousand Rand to make a three-sixty in this aircraft?" Without missing a beat the controller replied, "Affirm, give me four thousand Rands worth!"
