Tag Archives: CessnaC185
SAAF Museum Flying Day March 2023
The South African Airforce Museum hosted their monthly flying day at the now known Airforce Mobile Deployment Wing (Air Force Base Swartkop) in Pretoria this past Saturday.
The Museum allows the public to attend these flying days to learn more about the SAAF from both past and current through the static and flying exhibits.
The flying day started with the rotary wing inventory Alouette II’s taking to the skies followed by the Aerospatiale Puma not long after.
The Museum bosbok was one of the first fixed wing aircraft to get airborne for the day, followed by the Cessna C185 and Harvards 7111 “Nelson” and Harvard 7480.
These aircraft are flown to keep pilots current ,get new younger pilots rated and keep the rich aviation heritage flowing through the South African Air Force.
The friends of the museum who look after a lot of the static exhibits at the base, including raising funds to restore the Museum Spitfire!
They had refreshments and memorabilia on sale for the day.
This flying day was also the build up for the SAAF Museum Airshow that will take place Saturday 6th May 2023. Tickets are on sale at Computicket!
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SAAF Prestige Parade 2023
The South African Airforce Prestige Day Parade once again took place at Air Force Base Swartkop in the City Of Tshwane, celebrating 103 years of airpower in South Africa.
Most years prestige parades have seen some awful weather including alot of rain downpours and low cloud, resulting in no flying for any aircraft and parades been cut short.This year we were welcomed with clear skies and scorching hot temperatures as we neared midday.
The South African Airforce is the second oldest air force in the world after the Royal Airforce after been formed of the 20th February 1920. Making the SAAF 103 years old this year!
Air Force Base Swartkop is South Africa’s oldest air force base and operational and houses the South African Air Force Museum and 17 Squadron just to mention the flying squadrons.
The evening before ,Heartfelt Arena near 1 Military Hospital, hosted the SAAFs Prestige evening. The venue was also the perfect place to capture some amazing sunset shots of various flypast including the Museum Helicopter Formation, Silver Falcons and Hawk Mk120 Formations. A number of awards were handed out to various bases and squadrons for their outstanding contribution to the Airforce.
The parade began with the national and South African Airforce flag flown by two Agusta A109LUHs while the chief of the South African Airforce Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo took the general salute with canon fire in the background below bays hill.
Colonel Donovan Chetty, the Officer Commanding of Air Force Base Overberg, in the Western Cape,was announced the trophy of Best Performing Air Force Base!
With the theme Free the “Eagle as the air forces motto now stands. Invited Guests and media at the parade got to witness marching columns, Airforce band, a flypast, a fast jet air display and a VIP protection display to conclude the days activities by 500 security squadron.
The mass flypast began with a number of rotary wing assets from various squadrons around South Africa as well as the SAAF Museum.
The helicopter formation was led by a 15 Squadron “Charlie Flight” BK-117, with two Oryx,two Agusta A109LUHs,two Alouette IIs and two Alouette IIIs helicopters.
The Museum fixed wing formation were overhead next with a Cessna C185,Bosbok and two Harvards.
The next formation of the mass flypast were The Pilatus PC7MKII formation from Central Flying School, AFB Langebaanweg with both Silver Falcon members and Central Flying School pilots.
The final flypast with the form of three Hawk Mk120s lead in fighter trainers from 85 Combat Flying School, based at AFB Makhado.The invited guests were also treated to a solo display by the Hawk Mk120 flown by Major Rehan “Kaine” Venter.
After the parade the Chief of Airforce Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo invited the media to a media briefing in the WAAF officers mess near the museum hangar exhibits area of Swartkop. A topic that has been on the cards for a while now was the acquiring additional Lockheed C-130s, said “in our road going forward, the medium lift capability is right in the centre of our attention.”
“Also, there is a lot of talk around the strategic lift capability. This is not a surprise as to why this capability is being mentioned. The reality we face is South Africa is not in a strategic position. Our location cannot be changed. We need to have very strong legs to connect ourselves to the rest of the continent and the world.”
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SAAF Museum Flying Day April 2022
The first Saturday of the month means its the annual SAAF Museum Flying day,a day where some of the SAAF Museum inventory get to fly, pilots get current and a day for visitors to explore the museum from 102 years of South African Airforce history.
Air Force Base Swartkop is South Africa’s oldest air force base and houses the South African Air Force Museum as well as 17 Squadron as well as non aviation squadrons.
We go back and remember all who served the South African Airforce and who is no longer with us but some that were the driving force to the Museum as the likes of Rama “Dynamite” Iyer ,Des “Bishop” Barker ,Glen “Gringo” Warden” and Kim Pratley.
Saturday saw a bigger crowd then previous flying days, as Covid-19 restrictions start to become a lot calmer and starting to get aviation back to normality after the successful first airshow after the pandemic in the Western Cape at the Stellenbosch flying club the previous weekend.
The day started out with the rotary museum assets that being the Alouette II flown by Colonel Dave Keijer and an Alouette III flown by Colonel Billy Port.
Was good to see some of the former school master of the sky the North American Harvard flown by Martin Louw and Darryl Wright.
The Museums Kudu, both Cessna C185s made up of the rest of the tail draggers that flew during the course of Saturday.
One has to be thankful to the ground crew that keep these time pieces serviceable. Was good to see Colonel Keith Fryer as he was safety director for April’s flying day.
We looking forward to the SAAF Museum airshow and AAD later this year!
Please browse through our gallery below!
