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African Pilot Newsletter 51 - 2010
Monday 20 December 2010
This African Pilot weekly newsletter is the final edition for 2010. On behalf of the African Pilot team, I wish you a happy Christmas and a safe New Year.
“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win themâ€. Ralph Waldo Emerson
African Pilot's January and February editions
Our brilliantly printed January edition is complete and will go into nationwide distribution this week. The main features are a survey of South African Air Force types as well as the trip Divan Muller undertook to Antarctica in a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 where he also encountered three Basler turboprop DC-3s. Over the past year African Pilot has strived to be different to other aviation magazines since we are often all reporting on similar or the same events. With the publication of the January edition I can honestly say we have achieved a remarkably different magazine, which will have very little, if any overlap with the other magazines.
The main feature of the February edition will be business jets and this time we are going to treat the feature as an article rather than the listings we provided in the past. This is an exciting project as I have made contact with almost all business jet manufacturers and the required information has been sent to me. The closing date for editorial material and advertising has been set at Friday 7 January so that we can prepare the magazine for printing during the following week. For further information please contact me at: editor@africanpilot.co.za or call me on 082 5522940 since I will be working throughout the holiday period. Although we will re-open the business on Tuesday 4 January, our full compliment of staff will return to work on Monday 10 January.
Douglas DC-3 75th Birthday bash
On Friday 17 December 2010 the Douglas DC-3 celebrated 75 years since her maiden flight. To celebrate this prestigious occasion Captain Flippie Vermeulen and his wife Maryna and their team at Dakota Lodge and Springbok Classic Air planned a series of pleasure flights, a formation flypast and a dinner dance in hangar 5 at Rand Airport for Saturday 18 December.
On the day of the anniversary, the 17th there were five C-47/DC-3s ready and waiting to take part in the formation flypast the next evening. Two C-47TP Dakotas arrived from Cape Town, 6840 serial number 25311 and 6852 serial number 27002 of 35 Squadron (6852 carried the 75th logo). The SAAF Museum Swartkop piston engined C-47 6859 serial number 12586. The others were Phoebus Apollo's ZS-DIW serial number 11991 and ZS-NTE serial number 11926 of Springbok Classic Air featured on the December 2010 cover of African Pilot. I was fortunate to be flown by Captain Pierre Gouws in a Harvard with the rear canopy removed in order to capture pictures of this prestigious formation for an article to be written by John Austin Williams African Pilot's February edition. Although the weather was not perfect with some rain, the sortie went off without a hitch and between us our photographic team consisting of Cheryl on the ground, Willie in ZS NTE and me in the Harvard captured some very special pictures of a remarkable flight that will probably never be repeated again. On behalf of the African Pilot team I wish to thank Captain Flippie Vermeulen and his wonderful family for planning such a successful event.
Looking towards 2011
May 2011 bring hope and encouragement to our fragile democracy, honesty to our politicians, fairness to our courts, swift justice to those that are constantly dishonest, wisdom to our educators, integrity to people in positions of power, a mirror to the ANC Youth League, education to the Young Communists, a slow and painful death to rhino poachers, swift action from law enforcement agencies, actual work to be undertaken by our municipalities, proper training for our lazy armed forces, a swift kick in the buts of our fat traffic officials, fairness and honesty in the aviation magazine publishing business and above all, love for our fellow South Africans. However, I must be dreaming because I don't believe that any of us will witness this scenario in the 'New South Africa'.
Perhaps there is a better way of saying - 'blue skies and happy landings!' Please keep the 'snakes' in the distance, especially at Lanseria International Airport and in other sectors areas of the aviation business. Please don't kill snakes, because they are useful for keeping the rodent population at bay and snakes are not really our enemies. When I was a young man I learnt that the wheel was round and it turned - yes the wheel turns, but sometimes not fast enough in the magazine business. I sincerely believe that this coming year we will witness the 'turning of the wheel' to a point where the blatant dishonesty some individuals will be revealed to everyone in the aviation business.
Now to planning for your 2011: Please make some New Year resolutions and ensure that they are achievable. Enter into a contract with yourself that you will conduct your business as honestly as possible. Laugh lots and have fun doing what you do best. Remember your friendships are also important, so spend time with your friends. Encourage those around you, even those that are less fortunate than you are. Don't be jealous of those that have more than you do, but embrace them as your friends. None of us are taking anything away with us when we depart this world, so why do we become by obsessed with our possessions? Rather share them with people who are less fortunate than we are and enjoy ourselves seeing these folk understanding our lives in aviation.
Now I sound like I am delivering a sermon, but I needed to get this off my chest. You are all special and in some way each of you has touched my heart, my head and my life for which I thank you.
What is happening in South African Aviation over the holiday period?
I am not aware of any scheduled aviation fixtures until 2011. However in this the final newsletter of the year I have provided you with the complete aviation calendar for 2011. Should you wish to have a 2011 wall calendar with all the fixtures published, please obtain your copy of the January edition of African Pilot, which has an A2 calendar loosely folded into the magazine.
22 January SAPFA Rand airport challenge
Contact Frank Eckard e-mail: frank.eckard@mweb.co.za
19 & 20 Sport Aerobatics Club Gauteng regionals - Vereeniging
February Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za
26 February SAPFA Mini Air Race at Kitty Hawk
Contact Robin Spencer-Scarr e-mail: robin@creativetiles.co.za
5 March Swellendam airshow
Contact Marius Heyneman e-mail: marius@falconinflatables.co.za
or 082 556 8184
12 March Bultfontein airshow
Contact Piet Vermaak e-mail: avermaak@absamail.co.za 082 5713422
18 to 21 March EAA 322 Sun 'n Fun Volksrust
Contact Karl Jensen e-mail karlpiz@icon.co.za
19 March Mile High festival and airshow Volksrust Tel: 011 827 9301
Contact Hannelie van der Walt e-mail: hannelie@placo.co.za
or 082 3790346
26 March SAPFA Fun Rally in Durban at Virginia airport
Contact Mary de Klerk e-mail: maryd@expandingbranding.co.za
26 March Worcester Fly-in and Fun Rally
Contact Tony e-mail: tonyr@clarotech.co.za
2 & 3 April Sport Aerobatics Club Cape regionals FAOH to be confirmed
Contact Annie Boon chunge@mweb.co.za
8 to 10 April SAPFA National Precision Championships selection with Fun
Rally on 9 April Contact Tony e-mail: tonyr@clarotech.co.za
9 April Ermelo UD Truck Ermelo airshow
Contact Andre van Rooyen 082 4170174 e-mail:
tolderia@gmail.com
8 to 10 April SAA Pilots' Association fly-away to Zebula
Contact Chris Potgieter e-mail: chrispotgieter@flysaa.com
Paul Weich e-mail: pdweich@mweb.co.za 083 2906525
16 April Parys Wings 'n Wheels
Contact Dominique Kruger e-mail: sparkair@telkomsa.net
23 April Margate airshow
Contact Evan Roberts e-mail: xanchi@gmail.com 073 999099
30 April Polokwane airshow
Contact Amanda Nooll e-mail: Amanda.nooll@gmail.com
082 6651505
1 May EAA Chapter 322 'A Festival of Flight' at Tedderfield airfield
Contact Karl Jensen e-mail: karlpix@icon.co.za
7 May Stellenbosch FASHKOSH at Stellenbosch airfield
Contact Alison Navarro e-mail: architecnic@intekom.co.za
or 082 728 7386
7 May Warbirds at Tempe, Bloemfontein
Contact Kassie Kasselman e-mail: flypiper@telkomsa.net
082 4041624
7 & 8 May Sport Aerobatics Club Free State regionals - Parys
Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za
13 to 15 May Battlefields Fly-in - Country Lodge
website:http://www.battlefieldslodge.co.za/
Contact Nan Roos e-mail: stay@battlefielslodge.co.za
14 May SAPFA Fun Rally - venue to be announced
Contact Frank Eckard e-mail: frank.eckard@mweb.co.za
14 May Heidelberg airshow
Contact Andre Vorster e-mail: andre@wearcon.co.za 083 654 2793 or
Walter Doubell 079 8306452
21 May SAAF Swartkops Air Extravaganza
Contact Lt. Col. Willie Nel 083 305 3700 e-mail:
willemnel@webmail.co.za
22 May Grand Rand airshow
Contact Anton Kruger e-mail: Carolyn@randairport.co.za
011 827 8884
26 to 29 May SAPFA President's Air Race at Mafikeng airfield
Contact Robin Spencer-Scarr e-mail: robin@creativetiles.co.za
28 May Kimberley airshow
Contact Erika Venter e-mail: sunhelicopterscs@inext.co.za
084 5522063
3/4/5 June Newcastle airshow
Contact Johan Pieters e-mail: info@champ.co.za or call
082 923 0078
5 June Tedderfield Fly-in on Sunday
Contact Howard Betts e-mail : Howard@btpm.co.za
11 & 12 June Wonderboom airshow
Contact Sue Kaluza e-mail: suek@wonderboomairport.co.za
012 567 1188/9
15 to 18 June Sport Aerobatics Club nationals - Mkuze (to be confirmed)
Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za
18 & 19 June Klerksdorp airshow
Contact Cliff Lotter e-mail: exodus@gds.co.za
16 to 19 June SAPFA Fun Rally and Fly-away - venue to be announced
Contact Frank Eckard e-mail: frank.eckard@mweb.co.za
25 & 26 June Kitty Hawk mini airshow
Contact Nigel Musgrave e-mail: Nigel@metanet.co.za
083 6752211
2 July SAPFA Fun Rally - venue to be announced
Contact Frank Eckard e-mail: frank.eckard@mweb.co.za
9 July Durban Wings Club airshow - Virginia airport
Contact Stuart Low e-mail: stuart@acheraviation.com
John Neilon e-mail: john@eastcoast.net 082 4855514
30 & 31 July KZN Regionals - Ladysmith (TBC)
Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za
25 to 31 July EAA's annual AirVenture to be held in Oshkosh USA
Camping on the airfield contact Neil Bowden e-mail:
neil1@telkomsa.net
Hotels in Appleton contact Calvin Fabig e-mail:
calvin@designer.co.za
9 August EAA National Convention to be held at the Wings Field,
East London
Contact East London Chapter James Wardle (082) 639-0395.
13 August SAPFA Unlimited Challenge Air Race - venue to be announced
Contact Robin Spencer-Scarr e-mail: robin@creativetiles.co.za
26 & 27 August Bethlehem Airshow
Contact Derek O' Connor e-mail derek@erwil.co.za or
083 6295 242
3 September SAPFA Grand Central Fun Rally
Contact Frank Eckard e-mail: frank.eckard@mweb.co.za
1 to 4 September Barberton Airshow & Bush Pilots Fly-In.
Contact CC Pocock e-mail: cc@bushair.co.za
10 September Vereeniging airshow
Contact Sarie van den Berg e-mail: airshowvereeniging.co.za
083 449 3378
17 September SAPFA Polokwane Fun Rally
Contact Jonty e-mail: jontye@x7online.co.za
17 & 18 Sport Aerobatics Club Extravaganza & NW Regionals -
Klerksdorp
September Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za
24 September Swaziland airshow e-mail: swazilandairshow2009@realnet.co.za
Contact Lyndon Hermansson 00268 6044310
1 October SAAF AFB Waterkloof Airshow
Contact Col. Christo Stroebel 083 4157538 e-mail
stroebelc@yahoo.com
1 October SAPFA Kitty Hawk Fun Rally
Contact Frank Eckard e-mail: frank.eckard@mweb.co.za
22 to 29 SAPFA World Precision Flying Championships
October Contact Tony Russell e-mail: tonyr@clarotech.co.za
29 & 30 Sport Aerobatics Club Judges Trophy - Brits
October Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za
30 October Lesotho International airshow
Contact: Makhabane Molapo - 079 982 6826
e-mail: gabbi@homemail.co.za
5 November Aero Club of South Africa Annual Awards Dinner
Contact Aero Club at 0861 018018
12 November SAPFA Fun Rally
Contact Hans Schwebel e-mail: hans.s@britsgranite.co.za
3 December SAPFA Fun Rally at Springs airfield
Contact Frank Eckard e-mail: frank.eckard@mweb.co.za
3 & 4 Sport Aerobatics Club Ace of Base - Vereeniging
December Contact Annie Boon e-mail: mailto:change@mweb.co.za
Should you know of o if you are planning an aviation event in 2011, please send the details to me at: editor@africanpilot.co.za. Thank you.
Another Agusta helicopter crashes by Dean Wingrin & defenceWeb
A South African Air Force Agusta A109 light utility helicopter has crashed near Ballito on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast while assisting the police and 'Business Against Crime' in conducting an assessment of crime high risk areas and in the identification of accurate navigation coordinates in and around Durban. The incident occurred about lunch-time on Wednesday last week.
“The SANDF (South African National Defence Force) is currently deployed in all provinces in support of the SAPS (SA Police Service) in Operation Duty Calls. The operation is aimed at supporting the SAPS in combating crime over the festive period which began on 1 December and ends on 28 January,†the Department of Defence says in a statement.
“During the flight, the pilot lost control of the helicopter and had to execute an emergency landing. There were no serious injuries reported, but the commander of the aircraft and a civilian were taken to the Ballito Hospital for observation.†Initial reports indicate that the crew and passengers only sustained light injuries, but the aircraft has been seriously damaged. A witness has said that a possible reason for the crash was the failure of the tail rotor and that the pilot did well to land the aircraft without serious injury.
This is the second loss of a SAAF A109 helicopter in three weeks. Last month an A109 was involved in a hard landing near Potchefstroom in the Northwest Province, causing severe damage. By good fortune the crew were also not seriously injured. An A109 was lost with its three crew members in May 2009 when it crashed into the Woodstock Dam while en route to a mountain flying exercise.
The Italian-designed A109 has served the SAAF for just over five years. The first of 30 aircraft was delivered to the SAAF on October 19, 2005. The rotorcraft, acquired under Project Flange, cost R2.451 billion, according to Treasury figures. The A109 replaced the Sud Aviation (later Aerospatiale, Eurocopter) Alouette III in the command-and-control, casevac, trooping and cargo-slinging role.
Teledyne-Continental bought by Chinese interests
Teledyne Continental Motors has been sold to Technify Motors, a subsidiary of AVIC International, a Chinese government-owned holding company with diverse business interests in the aerospace sector. The sale price, according to AVIC and Teledyne Technologies, was $186 million and terms of the sale included a commitment to remain in Mobile, where Continental has been on the former Brookley Air Force base since the 1960s.
Dassault targets a deal with China's AVIC
Reuters says Dassault Falcon is eyeing a major manufacturing presence in China as a way of tying up 40 percent of the said-to-be burgeoning market for business jets in the country. Reuters says the New Jersey company is negotiating with the Chinese government-owned AVIC to either set up shop in China or work on the development of an indigenous Chinese business jet. “There should be a decision in 2011/12. We will then know, yes or no, whether we will collaborate more seriously with them,†Reuters says Dassault Falcon Chief Executive Jean Rosanvallon told La Tribune. Reuters says Dassault believes that in the long term China will be home to 3 000 business aircraft and he hopes to sell $500 million worth there in 2011.
The Kestrel lands in Brunswick
Midcoast Regional Redevelopment A0uthority (MRRA) is pleased to announce the landing of Kestrel Aircraft Company's JP-10 carbon composite business aircraft at the soon-to-be disestablished Naval Air Station Brunswick (NASB). While the airfield is not yet open to the public, the Navy granted special permission for the Kestrel to land on the runways so that the company can begin developing and producing its composite-based turboprop aircraft. “Flying the Kestrel onto the runways at the future Brunswick Executive Airport was exhilarating,†said Steve Levesque, Executive Director of MRRA. “This is a beautiful plane and I am thrilled that it was the first aircraft to land since the Navy closed the airfield in January.†Kestrel Aircraft Company announced its intentions of setting up shop at Brunswick Landing in June, investing more than $100 million and creating up to 300 jobs for the State.
P&WC announces $1 billion research programme
Pratt & Whitney Canada says it will spend up to $1 billion to create a new generation of fuel-efficient and lighter-weight engines. Although no actual engine projects were announced, the research cuts a swath across P&WC's traditional market. “P&WC is developing the most advanced propulsion technologies for improved environmental performance, including reduced fuel consumption, lower emissions and less noise,†the company said in a news release. “These technologies will be leveraged across P&WC's product lines for new turbofan, turboprop and turboshaft engines for business, regional and helicopter applications.†The company is already engaged in some cutting-edge stuff at the higher end of its market, including the geared turbofan that will power the Bombardier C-series and the PW800 that will go in big bizjets. P&WC got a big boost from the Canadian federal government in putting together the five-year research programme.
SAAF boasts 23 trained fighter aircrew by Leon Engelbrecht DefenceWeb
The South African Air Force currently musters 23-operational fighter aircrew. The Ministry of Defence says the flying service musters 10 Gripen aircrew (eight pilots, two navigators) and 13 Hawk aircrew, all pilots. Last November Sisulu stated the SAAF had 60 posts for combat pilots, of which 34 were filled at the time and 26 were vacant. The SAAF currently operates 24 BAE Systems Mk120 Hawk lead-in fighter trainers and 15 SAAB Gripen advanced light fighter aircraft, the former with 85 Combat Flying School and the latter with 2 Squadron, both co-located at Air Force Base Makhado in Limpopo.
To solo on the Gripen should typically take new pilots five years, 2 Squadron's operations officer, Lt Col Musa 'Midnite' Mbhokota told journalists in October. This includes basic military training (three months), officers forming course (a further three months), the Military Academy (one year) and basic pilot training (one year). The latter includes 180 hours on the Pilatus PC7 MkII. Next follows some 390 hours on the Hawk at 85 CFS before posting to 2 Squadron where conversion to the Gripen takes place, starting with six weeks in the classroom followed by 70 hours on the Squadron Level Mission Trainer (a flight simulator) and a further 70 hours on the aircraft. Both periods include 30 hours of conversion training, 20 hours of air warfare training and 20 hours of surface warfare training. It then takes a further six sorties to solo. At the same briefing, to mark the graduation of the first locally qualified Gripen fighter pilots, officers told reporters the squadron mustered three locally qualified pilots and six qualified in Sweden a total of nine. Three more were expected to qualify next year.
In response to a question by Freedom Front Plus MP Pieter Groenewald, tabled in Parliament last week, the military added two of the current Gripen pilot cadre are black men, one is an Indian male, one a white female and the remaining six are white males. The Hawk aircrew comprises 11 white men and two black males. In addition, 21 Hawk aircrew are under training - 17 as pilots and four as navigators. The racial breakdown is given as nine black males, one Indian male, one Coloured male, nine white males and one white female.
Groenewald asked the question last month after South African Air Force director air capability planning Brigadier General Wiseman Mbambo told the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans he could not tell them the current number of qualified combat pilots as this would compromise national security. In the briefing, Mbambo reportedly told MPs that 'inadequate funding' of the Hawk and Gripen combat systems had placed these 'in the balance' and the SAAF 'has not been able to generate the required number of flying hours and re-provision the systems adequately'.
According to SAPA Mbambo said that to save on costs, pilots were training on Pilatus aircraft rather than the Hawks, because these were cheaper to operate. This prompted at least two MPs to inquire on the number of qualified combat pilots available for the Hawks and Gripens. Mbambo then called on then-committee chairman Mnyamezeli Booi to advise him whether or not to answer this question. “I would like to get some advice on that one because it touches exactly on the... security of the country in terms of what we have currently for combat readiness.â€
Mbambo had earlier been cautioned by the chairman not to venture into areas that touched on national security. His call for advice prompted an objection from Groenewald. “That is nonsense, I have asked for this information before and it has always been supplied,†Business Day quoted him as saying. “That can't be a threat (to national security). I've asked this question in Parliament a couple of times,†the South African Press Association had him say. “What is the threat? To know how many combat pilots we have? Let us know!†he said. Booi then asked Mbambo if he was saying that divulging this information was a threat to national security, SAPA added.
Mbambo responded: “It's digging into the actual capability that we have. Another thing... the combat readiness of pilots will differ from time to time. I can give you an answer now, but as I walk out of this room, the answer is not perfect anymore.†Booi then ruled that the question was “bordering on national securityâ€, that Mbambo was not in a position, as a serving officer, to answer it and would have to consult Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu before providing an answer. He further suggested the question could be “posed through the parliamentary system to the minister herselfâ€. This has now happened.
South Africa ordered 28 Gripen C & D advanced light fighter aircraft in 1999 as part of a 'strategic defence package'. The order was later trimmed to 26. The Gripen were acquired as a package with 24 Hawk. At the time Treasury put the figure for the two types combined at R15.772 billion. Only in 2007 did separate figures emerge: R7.2 billion for the Hawk and R19.908 billion for Gripen, making for a combined R27.01 billion, a considerable increase over the original figure.
In his briefing last month Mbambo sketched a picture of an Air Force that was desperately short of funds. The SAAF's budget allocation for 2009/10 had been R3.1 billion, of which R1.6 billion was for personnel and R1.5 billion for operations out of a total defence budget of R30.7 billion. “In the year under review, the SAAF was under-funded to the tune of R132 million, specifically on operations,†he said.
Reporting on the SAAF's air combat capability, he said it had been planned to fly 950 training hours, but only 715 were achieved. “The reasons include: substantial under funding of the systems, long lead times on spares, the Gripen support package has not been fully delivered (during the year under review) and a software upgrade on the Hawks which affected availability,†Mbambo said. He said the strategic objective of flying 11 920 hours in helicopters was not achieved due to low levels of experience of ground crew and low availability of systems. In the transport and maritime surveillance category, the 11 825 hours were not achieved because of financial constraints and the age of many of the aircraft.
The air combat objective of 950 hours (for Gripen and Hawk aircraft) was not achieved because of substantial under funding. He said a 'fair balance' had to be found between the air forces mandate and the funding allocated to achieve it. This prompted Maynier to observe that “one can only infer that the SAAF is in deep crisisâ€. MPs also heard the SAAF had been forced to dig into its severely strained operations budget to fund capital equipment. “If we do not take operational funds to buy spares, we will not be able to fly the aircraft,†an unnamed official told the committee.
Local Cheetah fighter jets sold to Ecuador
South African company Denel Aviation has sold 12 Cheetah C supersonic fighter aircraft to Ecuador. An agreement to conclude the deal was recently signed by the CEO of Denel Aviation, Mike Kgobe in the capital city of Ecuador, Quito.
Denel Aviation is the design authority of the single-seat fighter that was locally developed as a variant of the Mirage lll in the 1980s. In terms of the agreement with the Ecuadorian Air Force, Denel Aviation will continue to provide a comprehensive maintenance and support service for at least five years following the sale, with an option for renewal. “The on-going maintenance contract reflects the global reputation of Denel Aviation to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) work to a wide range of aircraft models,†says Mr Kgobe. Our offer met the needs of the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) that was looking to modernise its fighter fleet.
“This is an exciting business deal for South Africa,†says Mr Kgobe. “The Denel Cheetahs have been in storage since they were retired from active duty in 2008. Denel Aviation and the South African Cheetah Support industry in conjunction with the South African Air Force were directly involved in the decommissioning and packaging for storage of the aircraft and support infrastructure. The Denel Cheetah C and D aircraft were retired from service following the acquisition by South Africa of its new fleet of Saab Gripen fighter jets under the Strategic Defence package acquisition programmes.
Negotiations between Denel Aviation, Armscor and the FAE have been continuing since 2009. A FAE team visited South Africa in April this year to inspect the Cheetah fleet and to witness specific evaluation flights. The aircraft have been made available for sale through Armscor, the state agency responsible for the sale of surplus military products and equipment.
Denel Aviation (formerly Atlas Aircraft Corporation) was the prime contractor in the development of the Cheetah, a variant of the Dassault Mirage III, in the mid-1980's and holds the design authority for, and the maintenance expertise on the Cheetah. Complete maintenance and acceptance flight testing will be conducted in South Africa and in Ecuador, now that the deal has been finalised. Denel Aviation earlier visited FAE facilities to review the infrastructure and technical capability of the Ecuadorian Air Force to accommodate the Cheetah aircraft to evaluate the level of support required and to identify the need for further training. “This is a huge breakthrough for Denel Aviation and it will open up a number of new opportunities for Denel and other players in the local industry involved in Cheetah support,†says Mr Kgobe.
SA CAA introduces new rules and airspace for Grand Central Airport
Following requests from the aviation industry to investigate safety concerns related to flight operations in and out of Grand Central Airport in Midrand, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SA CAA) has announced the introduction of a new Aerodrome Traffic Zone (ATZ). The new ATZ is being established to assist pilots using the airspace in and transiting through the Kyalami VFR Blue Route to become familiar with the visual reporting points, the correct frequencies to be used and the frequency change-over points.
“As the regulator, the SA CAA takes safety concerns seriously and strongly believes that aviation safety can only get better through a closer cooperation between the SA CAA and the aviation community. As such, this initiative is just one of such classic examples of a closer cooperation between the SA CAA and its stakeholders,†explained Jeoffrey Matshoba, Senior Manager: Air Navigation Services at the SA CAA. In accordance with the applicable regulations, the new Aerodrome Traffic Zone (ATZ Glass G Airspace) will be published by the SA CAA in an AIRAC supplement and will be effective as from 5 May 2011. The initiative is the result of a Work Group formed by the National Airspace Committee (NASCOM) and comprising key role-players such as the South African Air Force, Grand Central Management, the Aero Club of South Africa, the Commercial Aviation Association of Southern Africa, Air Traffic Navigation Services and the SA CAA. “We are confident that when the new ATZ glass G airspace comes into effect, we will see a reasonable improvement in safe flight operations in and around the Kyalami and Midrand area,†concluded Matshoba.
Rights panel slams US security vetting
A Canadian human rights panel has ruled that Bombardier violated the rights of a man who was denied flight training because he was on a US list of suspected security threats. One member of the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal said Bombardier should have ignored warnings from the US about Javed Latif, a Canadian of Pakistani origin and conducted its own assessment of whether Latif posed a threat. Bombardier was ordered to pay Latif $319,000 CAD in compensation. Latif applied in 2004 to train on Challenger 604 business jets at Bombardier's Montreal facility under his US pilot certificate and was rejected after background checks revealed his status as a suspected security threat. He then applied under his Canadian pilot's licence and was rejected again because of the U.S. designation. That is when the rights violation occurred, according to the tribunal. “Those rules do not apply here in Canada, were not adopted here in Canada by Canadian law,†said Athanassia Bitzakadis, the lawyer who represented the Quebec Human Rights Commission, which brought the case before the tribunal. “So Bombardier cannot simply refer to those rules to justify a discriminatory decision to refuse to someone a service, a service that they offer to everyone here in Quebec.†Latif was taken off the security list in 2008 and has since trained at Bombardier three times.
Composite issue stops Corvallis deliveries
Cessna has suspended deliveries of the Corvalis line of high-performance singles after the composite structure of the wing of a newly built aircraft un-bonded during the plane's shakedown flight. “During a production flight of a new Corvalis 400, a wing fuel leak was detected,†Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver said. “Working closely with the FAA, we took immediate steps to understand the root cause. We now fully understand the cause and a solution.†The FAA issued the emergency airworthiness directive Friday and said seven feet of skin de-bonded from the upper forward wing spar.
Cirrus expands footprint in China
A Chinese company has opened an FBO that will focus on Cirrus aircraft but offer traditional services to transient and based aircraft at Zhuhai Airport. The Zhuhai Cirrus FBO is aimed at promoting general aviation activities as China's rules regarding private aviation relax. Zhuhai Tianyi Aviation Trading Co. also bought three SR22s to use at the FBO. The deal, which was a year in the making, will become the focus of Cirrus's activities in that area of China, be a Cirrus Sales Centre and offer flying club and Cirrus service, training and import services. “We expect the Zhuhai region to become the centre of Cirrus activity in Guangdong Province and the surrounding area,†said Scott Jiang, Cirrus's China Director.
Teenager fell from Boeing 737 wheel well
Last Friday Boston authorities said that at a teenager whose body was found in a Boston suburb last month appeared to have stowed away inside the wheel well of a B-737 arriving from Charlotte, North Carolina. The remains of Delvonte Tisdale, 16, were found in Milton, Massachusetts, below the approach path to Boston's Logan Airport, according to a report in The New York Times. Tisdale was believed to have gotten on the flight in Charlotte, although authorities, including the TSA had no idea how he breached airside security to get to the aircraft.
Aviation humour
Until next year, please be 'Serious about flying'.
Athol Franz (Editor)
African Pilot 'Serious about flying'
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