2014 Zwartkop Air Show

So the week before my awesome Harvard flight was the fantastic annual AFB Zwartkop Air Show, and once again it was spectacular and did not fail to deliver!

Here are a few of my pictures from the show, hope you enjoy! :D

Best Flight Ever

Hello again! 

So here is a picture of my best flight ever! It was my first experience of aerobatics and my first experience of Warbirds too!

The aircraft, Harvard 7166 (ZU-AOZ) of the South African Air Force (retired). Built in the late 1930's to early 1940's, that makes this aircraft 70+ years old! They were designed for the purpose of training WWII pilots before stepping up to aircraft like the P-51 Mustang! This was a dream come true, thanks to my parents for organising me a birthday present like no other! 

Stay tuned as I had a GoPro camera with me and will post a link to the footage once it has been edited!

This is what she looks like in entirety. (photo by Stuart Soden)

Did I mention... BEST FLIGHT EVER!

My First Video

I have recently realised what a great companion an iPhone is in the cockpit, so here is a YouTube link to a fun video of a recent flight, complete with some ATC audio! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO6UT8hvCpc

iPhone Camera!

So, it turns out the iPhone has an awesome camera on it, which allows me to have it in the cockpit while I'm flying at all times, and for you it means great perspective! Enjoy! :)

Holiday!

Well I'm back up and running for the new year!

I recently got a new computer and am struggling to get my Cape Holiday pictures onto the new one, but here are some from Plett. 

I think you can see what I prefer to photograph, even on holiday... ;)

Quick Update

So just a quick update, now as the end of the year approaches I am finished until the new year!

I am exactly halfway done with my commercial exams (4 out of 8), and have approx. 106 hours out of 200!

In less than two weeks I am leaving to the Cape for almost a month, so watch out for many (hopefully) photos in the new year! 

As for now, here are some that I took at Lanseria recently. :)

New Toy!

Hi again! 

After seeing it on special, I decided to finally spend the money on a very nice Canon zoom lens, to give me some extra reach!

Here are just two quick snaps I have taken, with more to follow in the future once I get out and about a bit more with my camera again! 

Night Rating

As of yesterday the 8th of July, I hold a night rating too! 

I passed my flight test after a wonderful evening of flying around the Gauteng area with Ross King, who also did my initial PPL test! Basically what this means is that everything my PPL allows me to do, I can now do at night as well! This is the first step towards my Commercial Pilots License so I am very glad to have it!

For the next number of months all I need to do is build my hours and write my Commercial exams. The CPL requires 200 hours minimum total time of which 100 hours must be PIC (Pilot In Command/No instructor on board). I estimate these hours to take no less than 6 months to achieve! On top of this are the 8 Commercial subjects which I have to write as well, with the 75% pass mark in the back of my mind for added err... encouragement!

Towards the latter stages of my hour building I will begin my ME IF rating. ME stands for Multi Engine while IF is your Instrument rating. What is nice is that these go hand in hand, you do the IF rating in a twin engined aircraft and get both ratings simultaneously! 

Now hopefully with all my hour building flights I will be able to take my camera with and get those pictures I have wanted to take for ages but haven't been able to due to being under instruction on most of my flights up to this point! 

With about 120 hours to go, I think I should switch the computer off and go find an airplane that needs to be flown...!

Finally!!

Wednesday, 15 May 2013...

This was the day (I know it was a while ago, and I've been lazy in updating) that I conducted and passed my Private Pilots License Skills Test! 

Ross, my flight examiner, had given me a route to plan a few days prior, and it was as follows: Lanseria to Vereeniging,where we conducted precautionary landings, and a short field take off. Vereeniging to  

Potchefstroom, and on this leg we did the upper airwork in the Johannesburg General Flying Area (GFA) consisting of stalls and steep turns etc. After the GFA we continued our routing to Potch, and further along this leg Ross gave me the mandatory diversion, overhead Klipdrift dam direct for Pilansberg International Airport!

We saw some heavy cloud in the distance, but luckily we arrived at Pilansberg before we arrived in the cloud! We also took a bit of time on this leg of the navigation to enjoy a Bar One each as we ended up being in the aircraft for almost three and a half hours! Arriving into Pilansberg was a nice experience as I love flying into controlled airspace! After our touch and go at Pilansberg I set the VOR (a radio navigation aid) for Hotel Bravo Victor (HBV, a VOR beacon) which took us straight in to the Hartebeespoort Dam area, my home ground! On the Southern shores of the dam we did the forced landing which went quite well and then it was time to head on home! Ten minutes later we were on the ground back at Lanseria!

So I finally have my little brown book, the PPL, and have already used it in taking my mother and brother for a scenic flight over the dam (my dad had previously flown with me on one of my navigational exercises). I have this week also started my night rating and look forward to this new chapter of flying! And to top it off, I received my wings! I hope to post some pics soon onto this post, so keep an eye out!

And the last word goes to the SA Civil Aviation Authority... Oh boy... ;)

Swartkop Airshow 2013

Great day of amazing flying from some of the best in the world!

Anybody want to donate a zoom lens...? ;)

K.K.