Jarryd Sinovich ( Hawk Eye )

Jarryd Sinovich ( Hawk Eye ), I was born in Johannesburg on the 20th July 1995.I attended Bedfordview Primary School from 2002-2008 and then attended Jeppe High School for Boys from 2009-2013.I started flying at the age of 16 and went solo at the age of 18 at Springbok Air Academy owned by Flippie Vermulen flying Cessna C150s to be more exact that being two C150s from the old Defence Flying Club which was based at AFS Zwartkop ZS-IOP and ZS-EZX. My hobbies consisted of flying, fishing, game viewing and photography. During my early days before I started flying I spent my weekends at Rand Airport in Germiston. Where I interacted with pilots, including Dennis Spence who took me for my first aerobatic flight in a Pitts Special. I also got to fly in some really exotic aircraft, A PBY Catalina being one of them, from a military point of view ,flying in my favorite SAAF helicopter an Oryx from 19 Squadron, Casa 212 and C130s.

I joined Aviation Central in May 2015,I have been following the page since January 2013,which kept up to date with airshows and other information aviation in South Africa. My first post was the 2015 Lowveld Nelspruit Airshow, which was very interesting for me as I had never done any article for any publisher. Today the Lowveld airshow is in the top three category for best airshow in South Africa. The country airshows are a favorite for me as you get interact more with pilots and the aircraft then the bigger airshows that one attends.

Before I mention anything else, let me tell you where it all started the bug I caught and could never get rid of it again. That bug was called Aviation. My dad came home from a trip to Cape Town, when I was at the age of 2,he bought for me a model of a 747.I didn’t know how to explain how happy and interested I was in that aircraft, I used to play with it day in and day out. Every time my parents went to the shop they had to buy me  a present, that present being another aero plane, over time I had a large collection of toy aircraft and then starting buying a magazine by the name of Aero Africa which I paged through to see the different aircraft pictures shown throughout the book. I then was taken to my first airshow at AFB Waterkloof in 1998,back then the show was known as DEXSA and today it is know as AAD.

During the late 90s the SAAF Museum hosted a number of flying days, which were more as airshow days, as the Museum had a large number of aircraft in flying condition at AFS Zwartkop in Pretoria. I was luck enough to go to a number of those flying days and remember seeing aircraft that we would not see flying in South Africa today. But being at Zwartkop was not just about seeing the aircraft flying, but the aircraft on static display, soaking up the art in the display halls, meeting the pilots, model display aircraft built by some of the best model fanatics out there, hearing the commentary of Brian Emmenis and probably the best lump in my throat moment would be, seeing a deadly delta behind Bays Hill screaming towards the display box.

We may not be spoilt in South Africa like other countries that have airshows with lots of warbirds and military aircraft on display, I have sure appreciated the presence of what we had, over the years I had the opportunity seeing Thunder City’s Jets, that being the Buccaneer, Lightning and Hawker Hunter. Menno Parsons in his P51 and T28 , Stu and Patrick Davidson in their Sea fury and P51 and Ron Wheeldon in his Hawker Hunters and T2 Buckeye.

It now being 2017,I have attended more than a 150+ airshows, seen people and aircraft come and go. Shared tears with others as we lost loved ones to tragic accidents, experienced some of the worlds best pilots showing off aircraft. My best airshow that I wish I could  go to one more time would be at Airforce Base Makhado, which held South Africa’s first ever Fighter Meet in 2005.The thunder in the sky from that day still gives me goosebumps. My worst airshow experience was the 2013 Secunda airshow, when Glen Dell crashed in his Extra 330.

There has been two new airshows that I have ticked off, that I attended this year that being the Matsieng airshow and Gaborone airshow in Botswana. I have one last Airshow that I will be going to with the mass SAAF participation and it being the 50th anniversary of the Silver Falcons Aerobatic team at AFB Langebaanweg on the Capes west coast.

I have so much more I can talk about in this short experience this bug has given me, I will continue doing what I love doing, and bring aviation to the world following Aviation Central and attending airshows until the day I die. Through the years there’s one person I would like to thank and for getting me this far and taking the time to take me to airshows ,my dad if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunities I have had.
J.Sinovich