Monthly Archives: February 2021
TR Eagle Air (Pty) Ltd and COVID-19
TR Eagle Air (PTY) Ltd has been in operation as an approved Training Organization (ATO) for a period of more than 19 years. Before incorporation as a company with limited liability, Eagle Aviation was conducted as a sole proprietorship for the preceding years until 2015 when Eagle Aviation was incorporated as a company under the name T R Eagle Air (PTY) Ltd with company registration 2015/040049/07. As such Eagle Aviation, now known as T R Eagle Air (PTY) LTD has been registered as an Aircraft Training Organization (ATO) with the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). Eagle Air is authorised to conduct flight training on Fixed Wing as well as Helicopter, PPL to ATPL.
Eagle Air has since become operational and moreover after incorporation as a private company with limited liability, complied with all its Statutory Taxation obligations and has a valid Tax Clearance Certificate of Good Standing.
Eagle Air is situated at Wonderboom National Airport, Pretoria South Africa. Wonderboom have a fully functional Air Traffic Control Tower, with a ground and tower frequency so students are exposed to radio work from the start and this creates confident and polished pilots. Their pledge to all their clients is to provide safe, efficient and cost-effective flight training. Situated at Wonderboom students have 2 General Flying Areas, both minutes after take-off which leads to a cost saving for students.
Eagle Air has obtained their pledge even during a world-wide pandemic. They did not allow the pandemic to stop them from growing into one of the best flying schooPs in South Africa. Eagle Air was the first ATO to draft and submit a Covid-19 Protocol to the SACAA.
Eagle Air did not come to a halt when the rest of the world did. In the months of lockdown, they developed an online system where students could authorise their briefings and flights, update personal information and keep track of all related training. The Flight Training might have been placed on hold, but their instructors found a way to still assist students as far as possible. Briefings were conducted online through multiple online platforms, small videos were sent to students with little motivation and training notes. Eagle Air kept an open communication channel with all students to keep them in the loop on all new developments. Eagle Air was also one of the first ATO’s to implement Computer Based Training (CBT) doing away with the traditional hard-copy aviation study material.
Even it’s Maintenance department did not just sit back when flight training was not possible. Their Fleet was still regularly maintained to ensure that all aircraft was airworthy for operation once training could commence. Such maintenance was authorised by the SACAA as essential maintenance.
And most importantly, the pandemic did not deter any prospective student to make enquiries on joining Eagle Air Family. Around 20 new students was enrolled during level 5 lock down and have started their new adventure. Since being allowed to operate under level 3, a further 80 students have enrolled and have commenced training.
The number of their students have increased astronomically this year, and have even double in figures in comparison with last yeaös rate. Eagle Air took this opportunity to not only employ qualified Senior Instructors from the Airline Industry to accommodate the influx of students, but also admin staff members to assist where necessary.
Due to this booming growth in the Eagle Air Family, Eagle expanded their facilities by the addition of a new Hangar with more comfortable office space and ample study areas for students. A crew room has also been provided for the instructors.
The expansion also included additional aircraft which increase the Eagle Fleet from 18 Training aircraft to 24 Training Aircraft. The overall expansion would mean that all current and prospective students will be accommodated fully with their training needs.
Eagle Air has, and still, adheres toa Il Covid-19 Rules and Regulations. Sanitising stations were erected, and every main building has a section where hands can be sanitised. Eagle has appointed its own Covid-19 compliant officer who ensures that all regulations are strictly complied with. Sanitisation certificates is also available for all offices, hangars, Simulator and for each individual aircraft.
Everybody at Eagle predicts even bigger things to come, and as one big family standing together, nothing can withhold the Eagle from spreading his wings even wider and flying even higher.
To support the above contention, Eagle is in the final stages of acquiring an AOC for Charters and intends to expand their helicopter training before the end of the year.
Click on photo to enlarge
Bell, Rotorcraft, Transforming the Logistics Operations of the African Mining Industry
Transforming the Logistics Operations of the African Mining Industry
For centuries, the African continent has been the leading source of natural resources and is home to 30 percent of the world’s mineral reserves, shaping the various economies of the region. A number of international companies now work in the mining industry, constantly looking for new ways to streamline the process of transporting mined minerals to their desired locations. Historically the process of transportation has always faced issues and delays with many mines in inaccessible locations.
In the past, the industry has been behind in adopting new and innovative logistics techniques to help facilitate its growth. Only recently has technology played a critical role, leading to improved efficiency of processes, and reduction of costs, as stated by the Journal of Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration in their recent paper on the topic.
However, an increased use of rotorcraft and even unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer the industry solutions to some longstanding logistical challenges. These aircraft can be used to carry heavy loads and assist in the transportation of vital equipment to and from remote and difficult-to-access locations. These important developments are being supported by local authorities with, for instance, the South African Civil Aviation Authority recently approving the use of a remotely piloted aerial system for the mining sector to help revolutionize the industry.
Meanwhile, the capabilities of rotorcraft in assisting with complex and heavy logistical challenges have been exemplified in the work of Rocky Mountain Rotors, an American helicopter chartering company founded by Mark Taylor. It has been using a Bell 505 helicopter to assist in transportation operations and rescue missions in the Rocky Mountains. With a payload of up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) at and an altitude range of 22,500 feet density altitude (6,096 meters) thanks to its Arrius 2R engine, the Bell 505 has proven a worthy companion against heavier and more expensive competition.
Mark and his team have tested the durability of the 505 on numerous occasions. His first job was to transport almost eight tons of equipment across six miles (nine kilometers) of dense forest at 7,700 feet (2,347 meters). On another occasion, Mark used a 505 to transport over 750 pounds (340 kilograms) of load up the mountains. The Bell 505 flew in at 9,200 feet (2,904 meters) and performed a delicate set down of the cargo on the frozen Delta Lake at 9016 feet (2,748 meters).
The Bell 505’s extreme towing capabilities, as well as its power to weight numbers mean that it can operate at a lower cost the other, larger aircrafts. This in turn provides a new alternative to the mining industry in Africa, which historically is heavily reliant on trucks to access the harshest of terrains.
Bell is actively collecting information for the future of mobility and aircrafts like the Bell 505 are perfectly suited to accommodate everything from VIP transportation to external cargo lift missions. This is because it is reliable, cost-effective, and safe to perform a wide variety of missions in efficient travel times.
Another transformative technology that could reshape the mining industry in Africa is the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in operations. UAVs have been used traditionally in geological mapping missions, but never to carry significant pay loads.
In an effort to save time and costs, UAVs such as Bell’s Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) might just be the answer. The vehicle is capable of autonomous flight and taking off and landing vertically. It has demonstrated the ability to carry a payload of 110 Ibs (50 kilograms), offering a solution for mining companies who are looking to transport goods away from mining sites.
Bell understands the need to modernize the mining industry and is developing tools to solve this. With the 505, it can offer customers an opportunity to hoist larger cargo to and from different locations, while with the APT, swifter and less costly aircraft for smaller payload. Both aircrafts open a new world of possibilities for logistical transportation. By efficiently moving goods from one location to another, they provide safe, cost and time efficient solutions for mining companies looking at alternative means of transportation.
Sameer Rehman, Managing Director of Africa and the Middle East, Bell, commented: “With the Bell 505, we have an aircraft that has shown time and again that it can be trusted to operate in high-risk locations and with heavy payloads, providing a capable machine for logistics operators. With APT, Bell is set to re-define on-demand logistics support across a number of industries, Thanks to its autonomous flight capability and intuitive interface, the simplicity of the UAV’s operation means that it can go further, faster and carry payloads at increased ranges all while saving time, cost and energy.”
To find out more about the 505’s cargo hook capabilities, the APT’s capacity and the rest of Bell’s existing product line up, please visit https://www.bellflight.com/
The Aircraft Unlimted Witbank Speed Navigation Rally
The Aircraft Unlimted Witbank Speed Navigation Rally – 13 February 2021 by Rob Jonkers
This first of the 3rd Season Aircraft Unlimited Speed Rallies for 2021 has been held at Witbank, organised by SAPFA and hosted by the Witbank Aeronautical Association. This event was held virtually a year ago at the same venue, and the world of course has changed substantially since then, although it seems yesterday that we were last here.
It has for sure been an event fraught with challenges, from the start of having to postpone it from the original planned date of 6 February as the last throes of cyclone Eloise was still drenching the Highveld, to having to line up a new ground support team (as many of the stalwarts were not available this weekend), to having to ride through a number of mistakes on the day. Nevertheless, the end result was at least a safe and successful rally.
There were 30 entries, quite a full field given the current situation, with a number of local aircraft taking part. Three flight schools entered, Legend Sky from Rhino Park, Mach 1 from Springs and a large contingent with 5 entries from Bird Aviation based at Vereeniging. The weather outlook was predicted to be poor, and on Friday the wind was pumping at between 15 – 20kts from the north-east with 6/8 cloud, with the forecast for Saturday giving low cloud with afternoon rain – seemed the next tropical depression was on its way from the east coast.
The Friday afternoon initial briefing started at 18h00, with Rob Jonkers who took to the stage and provided a briefing on what to expect for the next day in terms of the planned route, how many turnpoints, distance, departure and arrivals protocol, and a weather outlook. After this Jonty did his signature event promotion of handing out race numbers, where after the club provided a nice dinner spread, before retiring for the evening.
Saturday morning dawned with more promising weather, the predicted low cloud did not materialise, and by 9 am the cloud base had risen to above 6500 ft, with a still strong easterly wind. The briefing was held at 08h00 am and was concluded at around 08h30, where everybody dispersed first for a group photo and then to park their aircraft and prepare for the scrutineers. The route for the day was intended to be a scenic one, mostly north of the Loskop dam in the Groblersdal area which has many rivers and hills.
Each team were supposed to get their envelops with their loggers 20 minutes prior take-off, somehow the papers hand-out team received an incorrect time list which showed an hour ahead of when the papers were supposed to be given. Although the first 5 aircraft were given their papers early, once the mistake was realised, a reset had to be brought into effect. 1st take-off was at 09h53 for the slowest aircraft and last take-off at 10h40, with planned arrival at 11h30.
With all the competitors off towards the northwest, the route had a mix of easy and challenging turnpoints, especially TP6 which required good navigating skills to find the canal and road crossing, from the results this turn point seems to have been difficult to home onto. With the windy conditions the aircraft coming over the line were more spread out than before, most competitors were over the line within 10 minutes, with one straggler that decided a visit to Nylstroom was in order….
After all teams having returned and safe on the ground, the scoring team got to work to analyse the results, with the tracks for a number being quite accurate, although some had wobbles, three had got significantly lost.
Getting the results out on time proved to be a challenge, with changes in the scoring system there were some gremlins that had to be fixed, and that required extra time, also with impending bad weather moving in, many competitors started to depart. Aiming for a 2 pm prize-giving was just not working out, and with too few left at the field, it was decided to postpone the prize-giving to later the day, however a small prize giving was held for the most creative route – which turned out to be the Cessna 310 that found its way to Nylstroom, the trophy for the host club, and the most enthusiastic crew which went to ZS-PJK.
Given the additional time for scoring, and having to check of anomalies of the results, particularly the track error accuracy, it was decided to review go-pro footage to assess any auto-pilot usage, which given the size of the files, could only be checked the next day. Once the review was done and no anomalies found, could the results be published, although some mistakes crept in when the prize giving information was compiled. Nevertheless the scores on the leader board results are correct (given on the website), and the trophies granted remain with the recipients as given.
For the Navigation Accuracy category, third place went to Jonty & Jonathan Esser in their C150 ZU-BLL, in 2nd place Phil Wakeley and Mary de Klerk in their C210 ZS-CNY and in 1st place Hendrik & Jandre Loots in the Sling ZU-IHK. For the Handicap/Speed category, third place went to Roger Bozzoli & Nadine Brooker in their Piper Arrow ZS-KFM, in 2nd place John Sayers and Jack Coetzer in their Mighty Mouse Harvard ZS-WSE and in 1st place Mad Dogs Von Hamman and Ron Stirk in their C150 ZS-NBT. Overall Winners in third place went to Leon Bouttell and Martin Meyer in their Harmony ZUFWS, in 2nd place Mike Blackburn and Steve Briggs in their Sling ZU-IBM, and in 1st place Ryan and Chris Shillaw in their Cirrus ZS-ACA.
Many thanks to the Witbank Aeronautical Association for hosting this fantastic event, supporting with logistics and great meals available throughout the day, Nigel Musgrave as the Safety Officer, Dirk and Louna de Vos doing the scoring, Chester Chandler on handicapping, Marc Robinson with his team from Century Avionics for Scrutineering, Chareen Shillaw for taking on the role of starter, Clarissa for handing out competition papers to the crews. Although there were some hiccups, eventually the participants got airborne. Thanks also extended to Santjie White of the ARCC who always watches over us..
Also thanks to our sponsors, Aircraft Unlimited being our signature Speed Rally Brand Sponsor, Flightline Weekly for sponsoring the race numbers, and our team sponsors, Prompt Roofing, Fast Flame Laser cutting, Century Avionics, Beegle Micro trackers, JB Switchgear.
Our next Speed Rally event will be in Middelburg on the 27th of April 2021
Nice perfect Track
Oops – Went to Nylstroom
Bell Acquires Response Technologies in Pursuit of Advancing Fuel Cell Technology
Bell Acquires Response Technologies in Pursuit of Advancing Fuel Cell Technology
Dubai, UAE (February 15, 2020) – Bell announced its acquisition of Response Technologies LLC, an innovative composite solutions company. This acquisition adds to Bell’s extensive technology portfolio in the aerospace and manufacturing industry.
“This acquisition aligns with our strategy to pursue innovative technology and will enable us to accelerate needed developments in our industry,” said Mitch Snyder, President and CEO of Bell. “We believe Response Technologies has the right solution for modernizing fuel cell systems and textile composites. We are proud to have them join the Bell family.”
Response Technologies is a startup founded in 2015 that is focused on flexible, 3D, textile-reinforced composite solutions. The company has two business areas of development: fuel cells and components and textile composites. With a focus on advanced manufacturing, Response Technologies’ mission aligns closely with Bell’s Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing Innovation team.
Having many benefits over traditional combustion-based technologies usually used in most power plants and cars, fuel cells produce significantly less quantities of greenhouse gases and none of the air pollutants that create smog and cause health problems.
“We are excited to join the Bell team, and the larger Textron enterprise, for the benefits it will bring to our customers,” said David Pettey, co-founder, Response Technologies. “Bringing disruptive ideas to the world’s largest industries has always been our vision and our team looks forward to continuing our propelled and vertical progress.”
With an 85-year history of leading innovation in aviation, from the first American jet fighter to the first tiltrotor, Bell is committed to building revolutionary and coveted vertical lift products. Today, Bell carries that legacy forward by solving complex mobility issues and supporting consumers, warfighters and industries with exceptional technology and experiences.
To learn more, follow our progress on Bell’s social channels or visit the Bell website: https://www.bellflight.com/
Hercules C130 aka “Flossie”
Hercules C130 Flossie aka “Flossie”
A while back, whilst we were running a series on SAAF aircraft, the question arose as to how the Hercules C130 got the nickname ‘Flossie’. Well, here we have it courtesy of Jan Marais from Who’s Who in the SAAF.
Here is the story of where the name “FLOSSIE” came from.
Not many years after the arrival of the C130B’s onto the SAAF register, South Africa became embroiled in a Border War along the South West African/Angolan border. There has been much good and bad written about that conflict and I am not going to add further to that issue, other than to point out that the C130’s were used on a daily basis to convey troops and material to and from the border, and in later years SAFAIR, operating L100’s, were contracted to assist in the air transport effort. To the casual observer the C130 and L100 look so much alike that one could be forgiven for thinking they were the same. Having said the above I can now get on with story.
At 28 Squadron, the operators of the SAAF C130’s, was a Flight Engineer named Phil or “Flippie”. He was a most dedicated man who ate, slept and dreamed C130. In his private life he was a most disciplined man (real old school, soldier), who never did a half job of anything. You all know the type, “if its worth doing, do it properly or don’t do it at all”
Phil was married to a lady with the real old English name of Florence. In her family she was called Flo, and among her siblings she was called Flossie. (by now you can see where this is going)
Photo: Johan Stephens
Being the consummate professional Phil would ALWAYS walk out, long before the rest of the crew, to the aircraft he was scheduled to fly in and do a proper pre-flight inspection. A few of his fellow flight engineers would pull his leg and tell him the aircraft was only due for a major technical inspection at a future date. His standard reply was “Chaps, if you treat and look after your aircraft like you look after your wife, she will never let you down” This comment always gave all of his Squadron mates a smile. Over the months, whenever his crew were due to walk out to the aircraft they would ask “where is Flippie, is he at Flossie? or Come guys we shouldn’t keep Flossie waiting” or comments along those lines.
In time the reference to Flossie was made more often at the movement control section at Air Force Base Waterkloof and more and more people became attuned to this reference and this then morphed into all troop transport, becoming known as “FLOSSIE”
You may ask how I know this bit of history. The simple answer is that Phil was my Father and “FLOSSIE: was my Mother.
RAND AIRPORT CHALLENGE 30 JAN 2021
The 17th Rand Airport Challenge was scheduled to take place at Rand Airport on Saturday 30th Jan 2021. However, the weather gods were not playing ball this time, and with “Eloise” blanketing almost the entire country in clouds and rain, we had to revert to PLAN B.
With the 22nd World Rally Flying Championships postponed to November 2021, the pressure is on to train and select the best Air Rally Team to represent South Africa at this prestigious event. With most of the “old guard” still in place and planning to take part, the opportunity, however, exists to bring some new fresh blood into the South African Rally Flying Team. 
The sport of Rally Flying is not an easy sport. It requires an exceptionally strong “2-man” team of both Pilot and Navigator. Unlike most of the other Air Sporting disciplines which are flyable at competition level, as long as one member of the team is well trained, in Rally Flying a strong pilot without a strong navigator and vice versa is as good as having no team at all.
For this reason, Jonty Esser, who himself is a well-seasoned Protea Rally Flying Pilot (as well as a local aerobatic pilot) has been selected to coach the 2021 South African Flying Team to victory, as soon as they have been selected which should be post the National Championships in April 2021. Now for the official team to be selected, this team has to be sufficiently trained in order to fly to the required standard criteria as laid down by the world organisation.
The past decade (plus) of Fun Rally Programs, introduced by Frank Eckard and Mary de Klerk, and the more recent program of Speed Rallies introduced by Jonty Esser and Rob Jonkers, has produced a remarkably high standard of potential Protea Pilots and Navigators that now need to be put through the Rally Flying Grinder Training modules.
There was no better opportunity to start the 2021 training program than the cancelled Rand Airport Challenge on Saturday 30th Jan 2021. No less than 25 exceptionally keen potential Team members arrived for the “On the Ground” training Modules. The Pilots were herded off into a separate venue and were taught some intricacies of rally flying in terms of fine tuning their approaches and timing overturn points etc by Jonty. The navigators were put through their paces by 30-year rally veteran, Mary, who spent the best part of a 4 hour period unpacking the plotting procedures, tools required and methodologies with the teams. She was adequately assisted by the other Protea Rally veterans, Frank & Cally Eckard, Hans Schwebel, Ron Stirk, Rob Jonkers, Martin Meyer, and Sandi Goddard. It is interesting to note that even though the “old guard” have between them, thousands of hours of local, national and international experience, they still managed to find time to drive through to Rand in the rain in order to sharpen their own skills and assist with all the newbies. Hats off to you guys!
Also, in attendance was the Aviation Legend Chester Chandler who, in his eighties now, still dedicated his day to visit and monitor the training session with great interest. He also stayed for the SAPFA AGM which was held at 14h00 and chaired by none other than Rob Jonkers with his dedicated SAPFA Committee members. We all welcomed Ian and Taryn Myburgh as new members onto the committee.
Rally Flying is a well renowned international sport recognised by the FAI. To represent one’s country at an international event is a supreme achievement. I applaud everyone who is taking the sport seriously in order to up weight their own personal skills and achieve what many others would only dream to achieve. However, nothing comes easy – it all requires many hours of hard work and input in order to succeed. Training training training ……
Watch this space to monitor all the upcoming training sessions and who the final SOUTH AFRICAN RALLY FLYING TEAM to represent our beloved country and the World Championships this year will consist of.
