Tag Archives: avporn
South Africa’s Sea Furys- Where are they now?
How fast can you go!
Reigning World Champion to set another South African record (Note this was the Durban Virginia Airshow which took place in 2006)
Glen Dell(RIP) , current Advanced World Aerobatic Champion, South African Airways Captain and Red Bull sponsored pilot, is set to establish a South African airspeed record on Friday the 7th July by flying a point to point distance of 400km or more in the shortest possible time recorded.
Glen will take off from Rand Airport in Johannesburg in a Hawker Sea Fury flying via Heidelberg to Virginia Airport in Durban. Glen anticipates flying the route in about 53 minutes, similar to that of a Boeing 737 Jet aircraft.
The Hawker Sea Fury is the fastest piston engined aircraft ever built. This magnificent machine has impressive statistics such as a 2550hp, 18 cylinder, 57 litre Bristol Centaurus Engine, a height of 4.9 metres (16.1ft) and a maximum flying speed of 740km per hour.
Picture by Malcom Reid
Not only has Glen logged an impressive amount of over 22 000 flying hours on various aircraft and helicopters but in addition Glen holds another record, that of being the only South African to ever win the Advanced World Aerobatic Championship title.
Glen’s deep passion for flying and specially that of aerobatics shows not only in his utter enjoyment of being in the “drivers” seat of an aerobatic aircraft, performing breathtaking manoeuvres, but also in his skilful handling of a commercial Boeing Jetliner flying people of all walks of life to various destinations.
Visitors to this years Durban Airshow will truly enjoy the awesome, precise displays by Glen, one of the most talented pilots in the world.
The Hawker Sea Fury was a British fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. It was the last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, and one of the fastest production single reciprocating engine aircraft ever built.
During the glory days when warbirds we a many in South Africa at the time, there were two airworthy flying Sea Fury flying in South African Skies, one aircraft that belonged to John Sayers and the other being based down in Port Elizabeth flown by Stu Davidson.
Picture by Malcom Reid
Picture by Pete van Der Spek
Today the only flying example of the Hawker Sea Fury is Stu Davidsons second Sea Fury after selling his previous Sea Fury overseas.
Before that John Sayers also sold his Sea Fury, but has still got a good collection of aircraft at his private Airfield near Brits, including a T28 Trojan, Beechcraft Staggerwing and many more exotic aircraft in his possession!
The Ex Pat Sea Furys are regulars on the airshow circuit in Europe and Australia as we believe.
What a treat it will be to see the last surviving Sea Fury roar through the skies at a airshow in South Africa. George and Stellenbosch Airshow, maybe you will be in luck!
SAA Offers Irresistible Fares To Major Destinations
Johannesburg, 27 February 2020 – South African Airways (SAA) is offering irresistible fares to major destinations.
“At South African Airways, the time for change has come. Change that sets a new flight path and prepares our business for take-off. We’re changing our route network to be smarter and more efficient whilst ensuring our best customer service. Most importantly though, is that we’re changing to keep you flying,” SAA said in its first advertising campaign since the business rescue process began in December 2019.
SAA is offering customers three days to take advantage of competitive fares to New York, London, Washington DC, Perth, Frankfurt, Blantyre, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, Harare, Lilongwe, Lagos, Lusaka, Livingstone, Maputo, Mauritius, Nairobi, Victoria Falls and Windhoek. The fare deals are available in Economy Class as well as for travel in Business Class.
From Wednesday, February 26, to Friday, February 28, travellers can book all-inclusive return flights to a number of regional and international destinations including New York and London from R8999, and Lagos and Lusaka from R4554. Customers can book on www.flysaa.com or contact their nearest travel agent. T’s and C’s apply.
The airline’s revised route network – which comprises of its most successful routes, will ensure customers keep reaching their destinations while enjoying SAA’s 4-star experience along the way.
The South African Airforce Involved in a Joint Sea Rescue Mission In Cape Town
The South African Air Force (SAAF) received a request for sea rescue assistance from the South African Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) to rescue 13 people who were on-board a rubber duck boat that capsized between Clifton beach and Oudekraal in Cape Town.
The Chief of the SAAF, Lieutenant General Zimpande Msimang has since authorised 22 Squadron, based at Air Force Base (AFB) Ysterplaat to join other sea rescue entities involved in the joint sea rescue efforts.
A SAAF Oryx helicopter crew (Major Juan-Pierrie du Preez – pilot, Major Tebogo Selepe – Co-pilot and Warrant Officer Gerard Usher – Flight engineer), managed to rescue two (2) survivors and brought them to safety. The remaining people who were on-board the ill-fated inflatable boat are still unaccounted for and a joint sea and land rescue mission is ongoing to locate them.
Most Powerful Rolls-Royce Business Aviation Engine’s Takes To The Skies For The First Time
Two Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines have successfully powered the brand new Gulfstream G700 to the skies for the first time. The purpose-designed engine, the most powerful in the Rolls-Royce business jet propulsion portfolio, is the exclusive powerplant for Gulfstream’s flagship aircraft, the world’s most spacious business jet.
The Gulfstream G700, which used a 30/70 blend of sustainable aviation fuel for this first flight, took off from Gulfstream’s headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, USA, at 1:19 p.m. local time and landed 2 hours and 32 minutes later. The aircraft and its engines will now undergo an intensive flight test programme ahead of certification.
Dr. Dirk Geisinger, Director – Business Aviation, Rolls-Royce, said: “This is a truly great moment for all of us and we are very proud. The cutting-edge Pearl 700 is a perfect fit for the Gulfstream G700 and will help the aircraft deliver an unrivalled combination of ultralong-range, speed and performance. We have already achieved more than 1,500 testing hours and 5,000 cycles, and we are fully committed to supporting the G700 flight test programme.”
With more than 3,200 business jets in service today powered by Rolls-Royce engines, the company is the world’s leading engine supplier in this market. The Pearl 700 is the newest member of the state-of-the-art Pearl engine family, first introduced in 2018, and marks the seventh new civil aerospace engine introduced by Rolls-Royce over the past decade. Gulfstream’s selection of the Pearl 700 to power its new flagship aircraft reaffirms Rolls-Royce’s position as the leading business aviation engine manufacturer. The engine was developed at the Rolls-Royce Centre of Excellence for Business Aviation Engines in Dahlewitz, Germany.
The Pearl 700 combines the Advance2 engine core, the most efficient core available across the business aviation sector, with a brand-new low-pressure system, resulting in an 8 per cent increase in take-off thrust at 18,250lb compared to the BR725 engine. The engine offers a 12 per cent better thrust-to-weight ratio and 5 per cent higher efficiency, while maintaining its class-leading low noise and emissions performance. The result is an engine that is highly efficient, but also able to propel the aircraft nearly as fast as the speed of sound (Mach 0.925).
It brings together innovative technologies derived from the Rolls-Royce Advance2 technology demonstrator programmes with proven features from the Rolls-Royce BR700, today’s leading engine family in business aviation. This includes a highly-efficient 51.8” blisked fan, a high pressure compressor with a market-leading pressure ratio of 24:1 and six blisked stages, an ultra-low emissions combustor, a two-stage shroud-less high pressure turbine and an enhanced four -stage low pressure turbine, that is one of the most efficient and compact in the industry.
The Pearl engine family is part of the Rolls-Royce IntelligentEngine vision of a future where product and service become indistinguishable thanks to advancements in digital capability. As well as a new-generation Engine Health Monitoring System that introduces advanced vibration detection, the family benefits from the incorporation of advanced remote engine diagnostics. It is also enabled for bi-directional communications, allowing for easy remote reconfiguration of engine-monitoring features from the ground. Cloud-based analytics, smart algorithms and Artificial Intelligence continue to play an increasing role in delivering exceptional levels of availability and greater peace of mind for our customers.
22 Squadron to the Rescue-Toitskloof Western cape
Big wall rescue for Base Jumper this past weekend in the Cape. Rescue 37 of 2020 for the Western Cape teams.
A foreigner was critically injured after striking a cliff while BASE jumping in Du Toitskloof near Cape Town.
A small WSAR team of 3 (2 medics and a climber) were deployed with the AMS (Western Cape Government Department of Heath) helicopter just before dark on the 14th. They abseiled 170m to the patient, where a Metro ALS Paramedic stabilised the patient overnight on the cliff face.
At first light on the 15th 21 members of MCSA Mountain Rescue team assembled as part of a greater WSAR team.
A South African Air Force (SAAF) Oryx helicopter from 22 Squadron Airforce Base Ysterplaat inserted a MCSA Technical Rescue Climbing team, who assisted in retrieving the patient, the gear as well as the rest of the team on the cliff face.
After extraction the patient was treated at the landing Zone by doctors and paramedics then flown by AMS Air Ambulance Agusta A119 to Cape Town for further urgent treatment.
On behalf of the MCSA and patient we would like to extend our gratitude to the South African Airforce!
We wish the patient a speedy recovery.Thank you to the MCSA for the upbove detailed wording on the weekends rescue operation!
Virgin Atlantic -to start daily flight service to Cape Town in October 2020
Winter sunseekers can head down to South Africa on our new daily service flying from London Heathrow on a 787-9 aircraft.
The new service launches on 25th October and will complement our existing daily A350 service between London Heathrow and Johannesburg. The VS478 will operate as a night flight departing Heathrow at 16:20 arriving into Cape Town at 05:55 whereas the inbound, the VS479, will depart at 08:00 landing later that day at 18:00. Return Economy fares start from £713 per person.
“2020 is an extremely exciting year of continued growth for Virgin Atlantic,” said our chief commercial officer Juha Jarvinen.
“We’re delighted to be flying to Cape Town again, and we’re expecting a high proportion of leisure travellers on this route, taking advantage of the winter sun, the safaris and of course, the world-famous wine region.”
You can book your place on our service from 18th February 2020, which gives you plenty of time to start planning your next trip.
If you need some inspiration, we’ve rounded up our favourite reasons to visit the Mother City, from the world renowned wine farms of the Constantia region to the challenge of hiking up Table Mountain. We’re already counting down the days.
We look forward to seeing one of Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787s and Airbus A350 airliners touching down at Cape Town International Airport in October!
First Rooivalk Flight 11th February 1990-30 Years On!
The Denel Rooivalk is an attack helicopter manufactured by Denel Aviation of South Africa. Rooivalk is Afrikaans for “Red Falcon”
The Rooivalk attack helicopter First Flight Rooivalk XDM was 30 years ago on the 11th February 1990,back in the days of the then Atlas Aircraft Coporation now known today as Denel Aeronautics.
Development of the type began in 1984 by Atlas Aircraft Coporation its development is closely connected to the Denel Oryx medium transport helicopter, both aircraft being based on the Aerospatiale SA330 Puma Helicopter and having started development at the same time on both projects.
Development of the Rooivalk was protracted due to the impact of limited budgets during the 1990s, and a desire to produce a highly advanced attack helicopter.
Developing an entirely new helicopter from scratch would have involved designing and developing many accompanying subsystems and components, such as the turboshaft engines and the dynamic systems, such as the main and tail rotor systems and the gearboxes.
Due to the great difficulty posed by the prospects of designing and manufacturing a clean-design helicopter, which would have substantially increased the cost and timescale of the project, it was decided to base the attack helicopter upon an existing design. At the time, the SAAF operated two principal helicopter types – the Alouette III and the SA330 Puma.
The Alouette III was a small helicopter which originated from the 1960s; due to the age of the design and a lack of engine power, it was not considered a favourable candidate for further development work.
The Puma was substantially larger and was equipped with more powerful engines; both factors provided a broader basis for the accommodation of additional equipment and for potential growth.
Another key factor for its selection was the parallel development of a localised and improvement model of the Puma in South Africa, known as the Atlas AS32 Oryx. The Oryx possessed an increased power-to-weight ratio and had improved performance in the high temperature climate that the type was typically being operated in; development of the Oryx was far quicker than what would become the Rooivalk as it was a more straightforward program.
Other potential sources were mooted, such as the use of propulsion elements of the Aerospatiale Daulphin ; the adoption of these components has been speculated to have likely resulted in a smaller and potentially more economic rotorcraft.
Ultimately, it was decided to adopt both the powerplant and dynamic systems of the Oryx—which bore significant similarities to their Puma and now Airbus Helicopters AS332 Super Puma ancestors—as the basis for the planned attack helicopter;
Commonality with the Oryx systems would simplify logistics and reduce maintenance costs. This meant that the attack helicopter would have a significantly large airframe, giving it long range and the capability to carry many sensors and armaments.
During the 1980s, the defence budgets of South Africa were relatively generous, especially in contrast to later decades, thus Denel sought to provide a rotorcraft that would be amongst, even potentially superior to, the best attack helicopters in the world.
The helicopter, later named the Rooivalk, was envisioned as an agile, highly sophisticated gunship, especially suited to the threats of the Angolan conflict and countering vehicles such as the T-55 battle tank.
Three Rooivalk attack helicopters have been deployed with the United Nations to support of the stabilization in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2013.
There has been more occasions where the Rooivalks have seen action with the support of fire power in the DRC on a number of peace support missions since 2013.
The Rooivalk attack helicopter is based at Airforce Base Bloemspruit in the Central Free state province, flying for 16 Squadron, also home to 87 Helicopter Flying School, flying Agusta A109LUH and Oryx helicopters. The South African Airforce have just under a dozen on strength flying to date.
General Fabian “Zakes” Msimang stated:”The continued operation and future sustainability of the hardest working air assets of the SAAF being the Oryx, Rooivalk and C130, rely on an efficient and effective Original Equipment Manufacturer and Technical Design Authority of the Rotary Wing assets” during the recent Prestige day parade held at AFB Swartkop on January 31.
Rolls-Royce Starts Manufacture of World’s Largest Fan Blades – Made of Composite Material – For Next Generation Ultra Fan
Rolls-Royce has started manufacture of the world’s largest fan blades, for its UltraFan® demonstrator engine that will set new standards in efficiency and sustainability.
As a set the composite blades have a 140-inch diameter, which is almost the size of a current
narrowbody fuselage, and are being made at the company’s technology hub in Bristol, United Kingdom.
The milestone also marks the official start of production of parts for the demonstrator.UltraFan will set new standards in efficiency and sustainability, offering a 25 per cent fuel reduction
compared to the first generation of Trent engine, and deliver the same percentage reduction in emissions.
Part of that efficiency improvement comes from UltraFan’s composite fan blades and fan case, which reduce weight on a twin-engine aircraft by 700kg, the equivalent of seven people travelling “weight free”.
Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said: “This is the decade of UltraFan and it’s exciting to enter the 2020s with the start of production of the demonstrator engine. We have got
all the building blocks in place, the design, the technologies, a brand-new testbed, and now we are actually seeing the engine come together.”
UltraFan, which will start ground tests in 2021 and be available towards the end of this decade, is a scalable design from 25,000lb all the way up to 100,000lb. It also features:
1.A new engine core architecture – to deliver maximum fuel burn efficiency and low emissions
Advanced ceramic matrix composites – heat resistant components that operate more effectively in high turbine temperatures.
A geared design to maximise high-thrust, high-bypass ratio engine efficiency
2
UltraFan is a key element of Rolls-Royce’s sustainability strategy, which involves continual research
to improve gas turbine performance as well as pioneering electrification and working with industrial
partners to accelerate the incorporation of Sustainable Aviation Fuels.
It is also part of the Rolls-Royce IntelligentEngine vision, which brings together its products,
services and digital technology.
The fan blades are created through the build-up of hundreds of layers of carbon-fibre materials, pre-filled with state-of-the-art, toughness-enhanced, resin material.
Heat and pressure are then applied,
and each blade is finished with a thin titanium leading edge, which offers extreme protection against
erosion, foreign objects and bird strikes.
Composite blades have already been extensively tested on an Advanced Low Pressure System development engine, including in-flight testing on the Rolls-Royce Flying Test Bed.
ALPS is a partnership between Rolls-Royce, Clean Sky, Innovate UK, BEIS, ATI, ITP Aero and GKN.
The portfolio of technologies being developed to enable UltraFan is supported by ATI,
Innovate UK, LuFo and Clean Sky 2.
- Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver clean, safe and competitive
solutions to meet our planet’s vital power needs. - Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and
leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear
customers. - Annual underlying revenue was £15 billion in 2018, around half of which came from the
provision of aftermarket services. - In 2018, Rolls-Royce invested £1.4 billion on research and development. We also support a
global network of 29 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at
the forefront of scientific research. - The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further
developing employee skills.
New Leader for Silver Falcons Aerobatic Team
Major Sivu Tangana has taken over Major Omphile Mutloane who has transferred back to flying helicopters at 87 Helicopter Flying School. Sivu joined the falcons as a ground liaison officer in 2016 and has since flown most of the teams position slots and now being falcon team lead for 2020.
Born in Grahams Town 26 July 1984 and matriculated in 2003, joined the South African Airforce in 2004, recieved his wings in July 2007. Sivu joined the chopper line and started his helicopter flying training at Starlite Aviation. He later qualified as an Oryx Helicopter Co-Pilot in April 2008. Spent 2008-2010 as a Oryx Co-Pilot at 22 Squadron Airforce Base Ysterplaat in Cape Town.
Qualified as a Agusta A109 Commander in December 2010, where he spent three years at 19 Squadron. He then transferred to Central Flying School and qualified as an instructor in October 2015.
Aircraft types flown, Pilatus PC7MKII, Robbinson R22, Oryx and Agusta A109LUH..
The main purpose of the Silver Falcons team, the official aerobatic team of the SAAF, is to enhance the image of the Air Force by displaying their capability to do precision formation aerobatics and as such, to instill the passion for aviation in the youth and future Air Force members.
We look forward to announcing the new team this week, and also to see the team flying over Pretoria skies ahead of Prestige Day on Friday 31 January 2020.
A Look back at past and present SAAF Centenary Logo’s!
With the South African Airforce celebrating 100 years of Airpower through 25 years of Democracy, we look back at the previous centenary logos from the past and present.
The official South African Airforce emblem is a golden African Fish Eagle with a laurel wreath in its claws. The motto on the wreath reads “Per Aspera Ad Astra”, meaning “Through Adversity to the Stars”. The roundel, which replaces the five-pointed castle with Eagle.
The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force has seen service in World War II and the Korean War. From 1966 the SAAF was involved in providing support during the border War in Namibia.
The SAAF will be celebrating with three special occasions this year:
Prestige Day AFB Swartkop -31 January 2020
SAAF Museum Airshow AFB Swartkop-9 May 2020
Africa Aerospace & Defense Airshow AFB Waterkloof-16-20 September 2020