Last Flight of 2011

Cheers to 2011

Umhlanga lighthouse and beachfront from the air

 It's the last day of 2011 and the last flight of ZDL before the New Year. And what a year it has been.. started flying lessons at the end of May, got my NPL licence during September and took delivery of our brand new Sling!!! I've clocked nearly 100 hours and 40 since getting my licence in the Red Rocket.

Today the clouds had settled over Alverstone so the passage through to join my mates at Light Flight diminished, so I decided to take a short last flight up the coast (which was clear), wave hello to the Control Tower at King Shaka International, and do a turn-about at Ballito returning for another perfect lading at Virginia. Goodbye 2011. 2012 is going to see us do a trip to Johannesburg for the Red Rocket's 100 hour service as well as a trip to Cape Town to visit my son Mark, stopping off probably at Plettenburg Bay, Stellenbosch and maybe Saldhana Bay.

Marc the "troll" Trollip tries out ZDL over Table Mountain, Cato Ridge, on a quick jaunt out of Light Flight on  Friday.

Christmas Sky

The wind was blowing... what's happening to our weather?.. some 20knts, but it was straight down the unmanned runway at Virginia (it being Boxing Day public holiday) so we decided to take-off, fly to Alverstone (the big radio and tv mast) and see what it was like before attempting a landing on the airstrip next to the tower.. the runway leads straight to my aunt's house across the road where we were scheduled to have a family lunch. The wind was calmer there so I decided we would make the landing. A bit scary with the approach being a cliff-face and the rough grass runway leading away from the cliff to the road. But the landing was perfect, as was the lunch, the take-off and the landing into a 25knt headwind at Virginia. On the last leg home the wind was up to a 30knt headwind and the groundspeed was only 55knts at some points.  Great outing and new experience at Alverstone. Llewellyn was chewing his nails in the seat next to me!!

Boxing Day lunch with the Galways and Andersons at Alverstone

Sling WRJ visits Durban

It's a Santa Sling/Sleigh!!

Flying back from Cato Ridge in our Christmas hats today, we were being tailed by Warren in his Sling WRJ flying in from Johannesburg for some days in Durban in the sun and then to Knysna. Welcome to Durban Warren.. always great to meet other Sling owners. Hope to do some flying with you.

Airborne - first photos

Thanks Marc.. these are the first photos we have of the Red Rocket airborne.. taken on our jaunt to Himeville (see story below). The pics were taken just as we had crossed over the Bulwer mountains on the way back to Light Flight via Richmond after breakfast.

Blue sky, will fly!

It was a lovely Saturday morning, there were patches of cloud and some wind, but had an awesome flight to Himeville where we met up with the pilots of two other Light Flight planes for breakfast at Moorcroft Manor. Superb, and thanks to Mario for fetching us and returning us to our planes. Attempted a hectic cross-wind landing at Light Flight on the way home but aborted it and preferred my perfect landings at Homeville and Richmond and lastly home at Virginia. Not sure how much longer Virginia will be "home" for the Red Rocket as we are considering putting up our own hanger possibly at Light Flight.

Getting what you pay for?

One wonders how well the fuel bowsers are calibrated. Here is a pic of my measured container showing 2 litres less fuel given by the petrol station when the bowser showed 25l and charged for 25 when giving 23 - that's a 10% loss. Going to phone the calibration company to complain.

Light Flighters take to the coast

My friend Marc in the Yellow Submarine and two other planes from Light Flight converged on Margate early this morning for breakfast and some great flying in convoy back down the coast.

Taking my kids in the Red Rocket

My daughter Kate-Lynn joins me in the cockpit 

Goodbye cruel world.. into the blue we go! - my son Mark

Crazy-Ace Dain can fly the Red Rocket

 I took turns this morning taking my budding pilot kids and mates up into the skies over Durban. The wind was picking up to 22 knots by the time I did the last flight, so a couple of the landings were a bit bumpy, but what a first experience for the brats.

Brad says he prefers playing guitar

Brunch in the Economy Lounge at Virginia with the brats



Durban from the air