As the final to be held on the 15^th, 16^th and 17^th of April 2021 at Stellenbosch Flying Club are being put in place, it is time to reflect back on the Stellenbosch (practice) Rally that was held on Saturday 27 March 2012.

After some rain through the night, the skies in the Cape were perfect for flying. The day started nice and cool with little to no wind but this being the Cape… wind will always arrive when you need to make that perfect spot landing. Everyone was ready for the SAPFA Rally being held at the Stellenbosch Flying Club. Easily the flying club with the best views (and breakfast as well).

Pilots and navigators met up from early to top up the bodies with some coffee and a warm breakfast have a chat with fellow aviators and friends before the briefing that was to start at 9 am. Once the briefing started, the competitive side of pilots and navigators alike kicked in. Game on…

There was ample opportunity for those who had questions to ask them follow by the prepping for kicking off. Many had made notes during the briefing, clipboards came out, energy snacks and bag prepared, and even press tick to secure the smaller piece of paper that may be needed during the flight. Then the big moment… the locators were allocated and papers handed out. People couldn’t wait to get into the air and experience the beauty of the Cape. The route was to be a challenging one but also promised some good scenery.

With papers in hand, tanks topped up (humans and aircraft) and the day getting better and better the rally was about to start.

As the first batch of pilots took to the skies and getting to their targets, the normal Stellenbosch traffic and visitors were moving around. Some breakfast runs from Morningstar were made as well. As the day progressed and aircraft heading back, the wind started making an appearance. Getting stronger and stronger and I am pretty sure many pilots were hard at focus to stay as close as possible on target with the spot landing being the last major challenge.

The Cape wind just added another level of complexity to the already challenging route, next up… the landings. There was the odd bounce here and there but all in all good and some very great landings were made as pilots kept their cool and tackled the crosswind.

The second batch of pilots took to the air and by now they were fully aware of the wind. As the pilots went to hand in their locators and awaiting their results, the normal club visitors enjoyed the scenery with a cold beer and some lunch, children having fun, dads (even some moms) excited to show their young ones the aircraft… a very relaxed atmosphere while upstairs nervous pilot and navigators awaited their results. With the last pilots and navigators back at Stellenbosch Flying Club and their papers handed in, it was time to relax and enjoy a cold one.

Time for the announcing of the winners and where each team was ranked. Everyone was in agreement that the route was challenging (the route did have a name but there are children here, so we will just go with the route that shall not be named) but everyone was in the same boat. With the competition over, the social started and friends were friends again.

We all now look forward to the SAPFA National Rally Flying Championships held here in the Cape at Stellenbosch Flying Club.

I can only speak for myself but this was a most enjoyable day out. Even though the sanitizing and masks were in place with temperature checks, it was good to be out again. To experience the beauty of our country and back to the thing we love most… flying!