Tag Archives: AviationNews
SAAF Museum Airshow 2023 to be a returnable hit
The South African Air Force Museum Airshow at Mobile Deployment Wing (MDW) Swartkop previously Air Force Base Swartkop is shaping up to be an airshow spectacular!
This will be a welcome return of the SAAF Museum Airshow after the covid-19 pandemic and no airshows taking place at MDW for three years.
The build-up to the show will see the now-familiar Gautrain vs Alouette race on the morning of 3rd May. As well as the start of airshow validations with a lot more aircraft activity over the city of Tshwane skies.
The youth development program will also take place the day before the show for a handful of high school learners wishing to choose a career in aviation.
A number of airshow favorites from the South African Air Force fighter line, the Gripen from 2 Squadron and the Hawk Mk120 from 85 Combat Flying School from AFB Makhado will be put through their paces on the 6th of May 2023. Central Flying School will also provide a Pilatus PC7 MKII display
The SAAF Museum will put most of its flying exhibits into the show including the Cessna C185, Kudu, Bosbok, Harvard, Alouettes, and Puma Helicopter.
Rotary assets we will see Airforce Station Gqeberha based BK-117 from 15 Squadron “Charlie” flight.
16 Squadron mighty Rooivalk will also be flown showing South Africa’s locally built combat support helicopter. We will also see an Agusta A109LUH and Oryx helicopters!
Civilian participants will include the Puma Flying Lions Harvard’s, Goodyear Pitts Specials, and Classic Flying Collections de Havilland Chipmunks, Tiger Moths and Auster as well as many others!
Members of the public are to be aware aircraft can be pulled off the program due to operational needs, serviceability, and weather dependent.
A variety of beverages will be on sale on the day from many of the kiosks as well as memorabilia from different squadrons, restoration projects, and others!
Tickets are on sale at Computicket nationwide, tickets will also be available at the gate on the 6th of May. Gates open at 7 am and the show starts at 9 am
Tickets are available on the link below!
https://tickets.computicket.com/event/saaf_museum_air_show/7212629/7212658/129083
Where to find the Airshow Venue / Airport
Also, Read Do’s and Don’ts attending an Airshow
Also, Read Airshow photography, the Canon way
The Elders Flight – Brakpan Airfield 2023
Many people across the world have never had the opportunity to fly in an aircraft let alone even set foot inside one.
The 22nd April, a cool autumn breeze swept along the Brakpan airfield for the 2023 edition of the elders flight. A day many South African elderly from communities around Gauteng,this including a handful of ex South African Air force pilots once again sitting up in their former office.
Excitement was definitely on ones mind for some of the 300+ elderly members joining for their day of flying for the first time and a day dedicated to them.
Felix Gosher, the event organiser, put together a huge program of sponsors to pull off the event. With a large safety team, beverages, fuel and aircraft just to name a few.
Felix Gosher a Air Line Transport Pilot license holder and a newly qualified Beechcraft 1900 rated pilot. Felix who also organisers the annual Children’s Flight at Orient airfield. Felix is supported by his wife Belinda at these events which sleepless nights make these events a success with a large amount of hard work from behind the scenes.
The day without a doubt was planned to the last full stop landing of each aircraft and every last passenger receiving their wings from South African Air Force Major General Lance “Lancelot” Mathebula who is director of force preparation at SAAF Headquarters. He arrived in a 17 Squadron Agusta A109LUH.
A bit of a different ride for a fighterjock, Lance has flown the Pilatus PC7MKII,Impala Mk1 and Impala MKII, Hawk Mk120 and Gripen. The Major General who is also a qualified weapons attack instructor, former 2v1 display pilot and foreign exchange pilot to name some of his achievements!
Brian Emmenis from Capital Sounds, provided commentary throughout the day, also during the Puma Energy Flying Lions Harvard’s display. A flat show was provided by Scully Levin and the team, with some height restrictions, with Brakpan airfield being so close to OR Tambo International Airport airspace.
The final flights that took place were for many ex South African Airforce Pilots flying in some extraordinary aircraft. This included aircraft types members flew or had the opportunity to fly for the first time, one being retired Lieutenant Piet Visser in his P-51 Mustang almost 70 years after he flew the P51 in the Korean War. Former Chief, retired Lieutenant General Fabian ‘Zakes’ Msimang, flew in a alouette II with owner Charles Fuller.
Some of the aircraft that were present at this years elders flight most probably the biggest fleet committed ever.
We a number of fixed wing aircraft including a Antonov An2 ZU-FOO, Cessna C208 Grand Caravans, Cessna C182,C210s,C150s.A large continent of taildraggers, chipmunks, austers, bosboks, Kudu, tiger moths and even a P51D Mustang owned and flown by veteran elders flight partner Menno Parsons.
Helicopters that were present had a bell 407s,Brakpan based Alouette II and Alouette III flown by Charles Fuller and Rob Osner. Bell B206 Jet Rangers, Hughes 369 and a Bell 205
Please browse through our gallery!
Platoon Aviation Receives Their Sixth PC-24
Once again Pilatus and Platoon Aviation can celebrate this year the handover of two more PC-24 aircraft. With the handover of Super Versatile Jet, serial number 306, the German charter operator has grown its fleet to six PC-24s within just three years.
At the AERO Friedrichshafen aviation show, Deniz Weissenborn, Managing Director of the Hamburg-based company, emphasised the unbroken demand for fast, direct connections to all European destinations: “Besides business travel, holiday destinations in the south such as Nice, Olbia or Paris are particularly popular in the summer. Our strategy of providing first-class service and the most spacious, most comfortable jet in its class, is a complete success.
“Our customers appreciate the cabin size, otherwise only available in mid-size jets, and the comfortable, individually adjustable seats in the eight-person Executive configuration. The PC-24’s generous cargo hold and large cargo door are a huge plus, especially for holiday travel. They allow cases and sports equipment to be easily and safely stowed in the cabin”.
At the same Aero Friedrichshafen event Ignaz Gretener, VP General Aviation at Pilatus, was looking forward to expanding the business relationship further in the near future: “With its Europe-wide charter operation, Platoon offers a service which only the PC-24 can provide to perfection. The ability to land at small, remote airfields with very short runways means faster, more direct travel and massive time savings for customers. Transfer times to the final destination can be significantly shortened.”
Successful Business Jet Operator
The charter company’s excellently trained and above all young team achieved another important milestone in the company’s as yet brief history when certification as an independent air operator (AOC) was obtained in December 2022. Since its founding in March 2021, the German business jet operator has grown to 50 employees and has 35 pilots under contract.
RwandAir and Turkish Airlines sign landmark codeshare agreement
RwandAir has signed a major new codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines as it continues to expand its global reach.
The new codeshare partnership will offer the African airline’s customers greater travel choices and seamless connection opportunities in both Kigali and Istanbul.
RwandAir customers travelling from Africa can now enjoy easy access to Turkish Airlines’ extensive network of over 300 worldwide destinations, giving Africa even greater global connectivity.
Those travelling with Turkish Airlines can also benefit from this codeshare agreement, with customers arriving in Kigali now being able to enjoy smooth onward connection across RwandAir’s African network.
Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “We are incredibly excited to have signed this new codeshare agreement with one the world’s largest and leading carriers, Turkish Airlines.
“This landmark move will not only allow our customers to access the 124 countries served by Turkish Airlines, but will improve connections for inbound travellers to Africa via our extensive continental network.
“RwandAir is always exploring new commercial opportunities to expand its reach into markets which can deliver financial return and benefit our growing customer base.”
Currently, Turkish Airlines offers daily flights between RwandAir’s Kigali base and the carrier’s home hub in Istanbul.
This agreement follows the African airline’s recently launched codeshares with leading airlines such as Qatar Airways and British Airways.
From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is renowned for its excellent on-time performance, customer service, and safety.
RwandAir currently operates to 24 destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
New airline contributes to East London’s’ leisure and business travel
The arrival of CemAir in East London has been great news for the Buffalo City Metropolitan as it will provide the flying public with additional travel options as well boost the regions leisure and business travel.
The airport welcomed the new stakeholder on Thursday 6 April, with flights initially scheduled to service the Cape Town route.
“The launch of CemAir Airlines air services to East London is a welcome addition to King Phalo Airport, improving the much-needed capacity on one of South Africa’s most popular routes – East London Cape Town,” said Local Airport Manager, Nicola Smith.
It is crucial to have a vibrant and competitive aviation industry as it not only facilitates international trade and drives rapid growth in tourism, but brings with it great business and employment opportunities.
“We have no doubt that this event will contribute immensely to our efforts of attracting more visitors to the city as we aim to surpass 2019 passenger numbers.”
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, King Phalo airport handled 916 192 passengers with between twenty and thirty flights a day, serviced by five airlines. With CemAir servicing the Cape Town route, the airport will be servicing 20 flights a day, possibly taking us back to 2019 where the airport was extremely busy.
King Phalo Airport has been fully operational since 2022 and has continuously been working on improving the infrastructure and undertaking projects to accommodate and improve passenger experience to meet international standards.
Lizelle Maurice, Border Kei Chamber of Business CEO, “We extend our warmest welcome to FlyCemAir. The launch of the new route is significant to the region, as it stimulates our tourism and business sectors. East London has many untapped opportunities, and through this additional airline, we trust that these will be further unlocked. As the business sector, we pledge our full support and look forward to the growth of the airline in our region.”
Czech aircrew completes Marine-Led training ahead of aircraft delivery
Members of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron (HMLAT) 303 and the H-1 Light/Attack helicopters program office (PMA-276), recognized a group of airmen from the Czech Republic Air Force during a ceremony on Feb. 9 for completing maintenance and flight training on the H-1 family of the aircraft.
The students have been embedded with the HMLAT-303 since July 2022, taking the same courses and hands-on training utilized by the U.S. Marine Corps’ military occupational specialties (MOS) for the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom. The syllabus is designed to provide the initial knowledge, skills, and experience required to maintain, operate, and fly the H-1 platform.
“The training we did with the Czechs provided the foundational knowledge to fly and maintain these machines [AH-1Z and UH-1Y],” said Lt. Col. Mark Koval, Commanding Officer, HMLAT-303. “They now have the basic skills to transition to tactical training with their own fleet of helicopters.”
In 2019, the Czech Republic selected the H-1, specifically four AH-1Z and eight UH-1Y aircraft, to modernize the country’s armed forces and strengthen its homeland defense. As part of the foreign military sales contract, the customer had the opportunity to send its first wave of H-1 aircrew and maintainers through the HMLAT-303 training pipeline, preparing them for aircraft deliveries throughout 2023.
The training syllabus included familiarization, navigation, ordnance, formation, night vision goggle, terrain and instrument training. In addition, maintenance students completed training with the Center for Naval Aviation Technician Training Detachment Camp Pendleton, Ca.
“This training is part of our larger efforts to ensure the Czech Republic Air Force has all of the tools and resources required to fly its new aircraft for decades to come,” said Col. Vasilios Pappas, PMA-276 program manager.
Once back in country, the H-1 crew will continue training, working with representatives from the H-1 original equipment manufacturer, Bell, and their supplier, Pinnacle Solutions. Based on a “train-the-trainer” model, pilots, crew chiefs and maintainers will learn the final skills required to operate and sustain its fleet of AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters, and train other members of its force.
The Czech Air Force squadron is expected to be independently operating in late-2024.
“We are committed to the success of our customer in their deployment of the H-1 platform and grateful to HMLAT-303 for their role in that success story,” said Pappas.
PMA-276 manages the end-to-end procurement, development, support, fielding and disposal of the Marine Corps rotary wing close air support, anti-armor, armed escort, armed/visual reconnaissance and fire support program systems.
SAAF Museum Flying Day April 2023
There was no time for jokes on the April edition of the SAAF Museum Flying day at Mobile Deployment Wing Swartkop.The now Mobile Deployment Wing known as MDW, was the old Snake Valley, then Swartkop Airfield which then fell under AFB Waterkloof after the base was disbanded.
This was the final flying day to be held before the SAAF Museum Airshow on 6th May 2023,where the public will be able to see both current and museum aircraft of the South African Air force, as well as civilian display teams!
The friends of the South African Air force museum had refreshments on sale as well as as giving guided tours to visitors. The SAAF Museum Spitfire restoration also had memorabilia on sale and were able to show you the restoration progress on the museum spitfire and newly built hangar. The team at the Buccaneer 421 restoration also allowed visitors to sit in the cockpit of the buccaneer.
From the flying exhibits we saw the Museums Cessna C185,Bosbok and brighly coloured Siyandiza Harvard from the fixed wings.
Rotary Museum flying exhibits had the Aerospatiale Puma Helicopter, Alouette II and Alouette III. One of the other Museum Alouette III departed for Nasrec near Johannesburg, where it will be on static display during the duration of the Rand Easter show from Thursday, April 6th, 2023 – Monday, April 10, 2023.We also had a surprise fly-past by a Aerospatiale SA 315B Lama a French single-engine helicopter developed to meet hot and high operational requirements.
We look forward to seeing you all at the SAAF Museum Airshow 6th May 2023.
For now keep them up where they belong
TAAG ANGOLA Airlines join WTM AFRICA 2023 addressing intra-regional cooperation as major topic for the Aviation Eco-System ahead
TAAG ANGOLA AIRLINES is invited to discuss critical issues affecting the aviation and tourism
industries in Africa during two not-to-be-missed content sessions at WTM Africa, which is taking
place at the CTICC in Cape Town from 02 to 05 April.
In conversation with Aaron Munetsi, CEO Airlines Association of Southern Africa, Abdérahmane
Berthé, Secretary-General African Airlines Association and Olivier Ponti, Vice President ForwardKeys,
the discuss will focus on critical initiatives to liberalise civil aviation and boost intra-regional travel.
This content session, which aims to highlight the importance of regional cooperation in tourism
across Africa, will take place on Monday, April 3 from 16h00 – 16h45 on the Global Stage at the
CTICC.
On Tuesday, April 4, from13h30 to 14h15, TAAG ANGOLA AIRLINES will also have a seat and
participate in a panel on WTM Africa’s Global Stage to debate the opportunities for aviation into
Africa and what to expect in the future. Joining the panel will be David King, Project Manager at
WESGRO: Cape Town Air Access and Rodger Foster, CEO & Managing Director, SA Airlink.
“The importance of boosting intra-regional cooperation in Africa and improving intra-African
connectivity cannot be overemphasised. As such, TAAG is committed to playing a significant role in
achieving these objectives. With direct connections to nine cities in Africa, two in the Americas, and
two in Europe, TAAG is the interlink enabler for North-South and South-South connectivity. We
strongly believe that Luanda can be a central hub in Austral/Africa, offering strong opportunities for
East-West (e.g., Asia-Africa-Americas) and North-South (Europe-Africa) connectivity,” says Eduardo
Fairen, CEO TAAG.
Angola’s long transatlantic coastline and TAAG´s relevant connections highlight the country´s hyper-
competitive geographic advantage. With the continent’s attractive potential for business
development, TAAG is well-positioned to be the airline of choice for bridging connections to and
from Africa.
WTM Africa is expected to be a crucial platform for leaders in the travel and tourism industry to
share insights, best practices, and form partnerships to boost Africa’s tourism sector. TAAG
representative at the event will be Rui Carreira, as a Board Member while this a significant
opportunity for attendees to hear from a leading aviation expert on the importance of intra-regional
cooperation in Africa.
RwandAir continues fleet expansion with new wide-body jet
RwandAir has expanded its fleet with the delivery of its third long-haul aircraft.
The Airbus A330-200, registered 9XR-WX, is based at the carrier’s Kigali hub, and offers customers a leading experience in the skies.The aircraft will allow the Rwandan carrier to further expand its long-haul operation, with additional flights operating between Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Customers will be able to choose from 30 seats in Business Class and 222 seats in Economy Class, giving a greater choice of flexibility. Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “We are excited to be expanding our fleet further with the addition of our third long-haul aircraft.
“Its addition will allow us to continue our route expansion and offer customers even more connections.”RwandAir will operate the new wide-body aircraft to its key destinations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, including London, Brussels, Lagos and Dubai.
The addition of the new Airbus will bring the African airline’s fleet to 13, consisting of three long-haul, one freighter and nine short-haul aircraft. Last November, the Rwandan airline received its first dedicated freighter aircraft, as the carrier highlighted the ever-increasing importance of cargo in Rwanda and the aviation industry as a whole.
From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is renowned for its excellent on-time performance, customer service, and safety.
RwandAir currently operates to a variety of destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
Elbit Systems Awarded Four Contracts to Supply Solutions to the Romanian Armed Forces
Elbit Systems Ltd. was awarded four contracts to supply the Romanian Ministry of National Defense with aircraft upgrades as well as electronic warfare suites, electro-optical infrared (EOIR) payloads and Brightnite™ systems for the IAR 300 helicopters.
As part of one of the contracts, the Company will integrate Elbit Systems SPECTRO XR™ payload onto IAR 330 helicopters to enhance the Romanian Navy’s operational capabilities. This contract, which follows a successful upgrade of the Romanian Navy’s IAR helicopters, will be performed over the coming year.
In a second contract, Elbit Systems will supply a comprehensive electronic warfare (EW) suite including Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), Laser Warning System (LWS), Infrared Missile Warning System (IR MWS) and Counter Measure Dispensing System (CMDS). The suites will be supplied to a domestic supplier for the installation and integration onboard six PUMA helicopters with an option for an additional six in the future. The contract is a follow on order to additional EW suites that are already installed other Romanian Armed Forces’ platforms. It will be carried out over a period of three years.
The Company will also provide, as part of a third contract, Elbit Systems HDTS type head systems, SPECTRO XR electro-optical systems and an aircraft mission package that includes smart displays, digital maps and reconnaissance systems. Elbit Systems will also supply Brightnite™ systems to IAR Brasov for the Romanian Air Force’s Puma 330 SAR helicopters. This contract will be carried out over two years.
The SPECTRO XR multi-spectral electro-optical payload is a leap forward in complex intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities. Suitable for today’s operational complexity, the lightweight payload system is designed for day-and-night extended-range surveillance under various weather conditions. It also provides continuous target scanning capabilities for enhanced situational awareness.
The BrightNite system is designed to overcome visibility limitations and enable to safely and effectively fly mission helicopters in pitch dark nights and in DVE conditions including poor weather conditions, brownouts, whiteouts and sandstorms. It transmits high-resolution video to the Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD), enabling pilots to fly in a head-up, eyes-out position. The system can present information to multiple pilots simultaneously on an intuitive multi-functional display.
Under a fourth contract, Elbit Systems will supply advanced avionic suites, live training embedded virtual avionics system, advanced monitors, overhead display, navigation system and weapons activation systems to Avioane Craiova that is upgrading the Romanian Air Force’s (RoAF) IAR99 advanced fighter trainer aircraft.
The IAR99 SOIM is an advanced trainer and the upgrade will support the an effective transition of RoAF pilots to fighter aircraft, including the Romanian Air Force’s F-16s. The contract will be carried out over a period of four years. This upgrade program follows a previous contract for the Romanian Air Force’s trainer aircraft in collaboration with Avioane Craiova and was awarded approximately 25 years after Elbit Systems first contract to upgraded the IAR99 aircraft.