Track me live when I fly

I have found a cool App for my phone and linked it to this blog.. see panel to the right. Provided I activate my live tracking App on my iPhone as I fly, you can click on the link (South African flag) in the LiveTrack box and it will come up with my name (Dave Mc Naught) and give you the status of my flight and location, or last location when logged on. When you land, the phone App asks you if you have landed ok or need help and from the blog link this is displayed.

So it works as a sort-of personal locator beacon and will tell if you have landed safely. Pretty neat App and facility. Here's the link to their website, and you need to activate the App on your phone.. mine is an iPhone and I got the App through the App Store, but I will also load it onto my iPad and activate it when on distance travels as I keep EasyCockpit live on my iPad as I fly.

Weekend away to the eastern Free State

Amazing flights past the northern Drakensberg mountains as we winged our way around Lesotho and the Maluti Mountains to the eastern Free State province and the vibrant little town of Clarens for a weekend jol. Here's a short You Tube video clip.

4 Slings met up at the Ficksburg airport - ZDL, FRP, SAA and Jal where we bedded them down for 2 nights, being picked up by the lodge owner to stay at Shumba Farm

The town of Clarens from the air, encircled by mountains

Sunset over the koppies as we head back to the farm after a day of eating and drinking in Clarens

Lush green veld surrounded by little mountains and rocky outcrops

On our way home the clouds were hanging over the mountains as we skirted them

Clouds to the right were a but hectic so we kept left then dived below to get the gap between the clouds and the land which was now falling from 8500 ft to below 5 000 ft.

In the cockpit of ZDL - Llewellyn (left) and myself Dave (right)

This was a painting we saw in Clarens which looks like home

A view of home - Durban's Bluff, harbour and the northern beaches

Back to Clarens.. photos got mixed here.. Dave posing on a tractor

We did some beer-tasting at the Clarens micro Brewery

Windmills, farmhouses and yummy food and drinks.

In the back-seat of the handy 7-seater that Bob, the farm-owner took us back and forth in

A scary storm we passed on the way to Clarens - 8500 ft up and the staorm system sucked the planes up another 1000ft in a few seconds.

Well organised airfield at Ficksburg where we landed - privately owned, beautifully kept and with an enclosure of lions alongside the asphalt runway.

Horses and animals living happily together on Shumba farm where we stayed for the weekend.



A welcome dip in the reservoir to escape the afternoon heat.

I'm in da movies

It is quite a sweat making a movie with a GoPro, but here is my effort keeping it short with 1 1/2 minutes of footage holding the GoPro in my hand whilst taking off from Virginia then doing a touch-and-go at King Shaka International. It's only a few short seconds with music and credits but here it is... click on this YouTube link.

Durban Skyye Flight School

My instructor mate Brad and I have started a new flight school - Durban Skyye. Here we are checking out our first aircraft for the register, a weight-shift controlled Aquilla Microlight ZU-CLL which we purchased for the school. Brad will also be using his own trike ZU-COF (wing visible back in the photo) which are presently hangared at Ballito airfield. We hope to have our ATO (Aviation Training Organisation) licence shortly and will operate 3 planes out of Virginia for NPL - Microlight and Light Sport Aircraft licences.

 

 

Brad and I check out ZU-CLL

A bit cloudy with rain afterwards, but an easy flight to Ballito - first time I have landed there

Craig joins Dave for a flight



Cameron is trying out his Magicam recording a flip out of Virginia in ZDL

Joining us at Victoria Falls?

The plans for The Airplane Factory and Sling Enthusiasts trip to the Okavango Delta in Botswana and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe have been finalised.

The plan is to fly to Tedderfield Airfield, home of The Airplane Factory and manufacturers of the Sling aircraft, then depart from there for Botswana on Thursday 13th March for a week adventure that takes in the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Game Reserve and Victoria Falls, finishing the jaunt at Sun City on the way home.

The full information, routing and accommodation options have been loaded onto a Skydrive and can be downloaded by following the link here.

The plan is to clear immigration and customs in Botswana and continue on to our first 2 night stop in the Okavango Delta where accommodation choices range from camping to chalets to suit all pockets. The next two nights are at Kasane which is at the conjunction of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe where we stay for 2 nights on the Chobe River. The next two nights are spent at Victoria Falls where we hope to catch a "moonbow" - rainbow over the falls with the full moon at night.

After the Falls, we fly back over Botswana, either to our homes in Johannesburg, or for those returning to Durban or the Cape, for a last night at Sun City, before the final flight home. It's going to very exciting traversing 3 countries and hopefully a flight over the falls!! Join us by downloading the information bulletin and letting us know you are joining in... all and all plane types welcome!! We're also at Slingfans@gmail.com and Dave 083-7033329. 

Do Eagles Dare?

The name of my blog was inspired by a 1968 classic World War II movie entitled "Where Eagles Dare". It was an action movie shot on location in the snowy mountains of Austria and Bavaria featuring movie greats James Bond actor Roger Moore, Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood.

I remember watching the movie as a kid and being awestruck and terrified by the amazing scenery of the fortress set between the craggy mountain tops with a cable car, being the only way to get to the fortress. A death-defying fight scene saw Roger Moore jumping from one cable-car to the other as they passed each other high above the abyss below where only eagles dared to fly.

Within two days of my PPL licence being issued I was winging my way on our first long trip to Cape Town, via the Klein Karoo mountains around Joubertina near Port Elizabeth. 8 500 ft was the highest I had ever been in our plane and those mountains certainly looked death-defying as we crossed and then descended into the rain and diverted to Plettenberg Bay for a stop-over until the weather cleared. So yes, eagles do dare to go up and over the mountain tops in a little tin can with wings! The adventure continues...

Up and down the coast

Umhlanga just after take-off from Virginia

Umdloti, a few kms north of Virginia/Durban

The north Durban coastline

North Durban in the King Shaka International controlled space.. they keep a beady eye on you as you fly at 500ft past the tower along the coast, and 800 ft returning.

I was going down the coast to Margate this morning, but my passengers bailed on me and then I found out the coffee shop/restaurant at the airport has closed down, which totally scotched plans for brunch there.

So I had to make do with the cabbage-patch up to Ballito and back twice, a touch-an-go at King Shaka International and a couple of glide-approaches back at Virginia. The wind was pumping, so I was keen to see how far out to sea you could go and still do a 180 deg turn and make the shore to land upwind without the engine, in the event of a failure. Both of mine were well judged and I made it to the runway which runs parallel to the shore. The temps were up in the 30s c, so it was pretty hot on the ground and a sweaty day flying, but fun.

Fly-away to Clarens end January

We're planning a fly-away to the Clarens / Golden Gate area of South Africa from the 24th - 26th January weekend which should be fun.

The stunning scenery around Clarens

The destination is the Shumba Valley Farm near Clarens which is one of South Africa's treasured places to visit: incredible mountains and scenery and a quaint town that has become a place that artists have made their home!

Details of the destination are on the Avcom website at this link.

To get there from Durban we need to fly around Lesotho and the deadly Drakensberg/Maluti mountains to the Free State Province and the airfield/lodge is situated in the eastern Free State.

Here's what the route looks like from Durban. It's an easy two hour flight from the coast and the mountain scenery I have only passed by car is breathtaking. This should be a fun event and whet out appetite for our bigger mid-March trip to the Botswana Okavango Delta and to Zimbabwe to see the Victoria Falls.

If you want to join us on the Clarens fly-away, click on the link to the Shumba Valley Farm and book your accommodation direct with Bob. Let me know as well so we can maybe co-ordinate departures.. slingfans@gmail.com - all aircraft types welcome. Dave 083-7033329

The planned flight from Durban around Lesotho to the Free State Province of South Africa's Golden Gate / Clarens area

 There is also an EasyPlan route file downloadable off our Facebook group. The lodge owner is also willing to take us into nearby Clarens and this could be perfect for Saturday morning shopping, restaurants or even white river rafting, although some scenic flights around the area would also be great.

 

 

Flying into 2014

2014 got off to a flying start with some flights around Durban. The sun has been beating down with temperatures over 30c, so later afternoons have been preferable - am also hoping for a night flight soon and a flight to Port Elizabeth to check out a second hand plane I am keen on buying for a flight school my previous instructor, Brad, and I are about to start for NPL instruction.

 

Llewellyn and I on ZDL's first flight of 2014

Visitor from Johannesburg Stephen Haupt came for his first flight over Durban in anticipation of him ferrying Slings to Durban from The Airplane Factory

It was beach weather for the Umhlanga beach north of Durban

Approaching Durban following the Special Rules routing from the south takes you along the Bluff to the harbour entrance at 1500 ft, then north to Virginia Airport

New Years Day is the traditional pilgrimage of the "Black Ants" - locals, but the 4th January was pretty busy too as they swarmed into the sea.

Last flights of 2013

The last day of 2013 was perfect for some last flights of the year in ZDL, although as the sky cleared for a perfect New Years's eve, the sun was roasting hot. After the flights the swimming pool and drinks followed, an early evening braai and more drinks on the rooftop overlooking Durban with my kids and their mates. Here's to an incredible 2014 and many happy days/nights in the sky!!

 

Mark and his girlfriend Lisa in Durban from Cape Town studies

My daughter Kate-Lynn and I take to the sky over Durban

Another first - Lisa up in a small plane for the first time

Mark concentrates, missing the view of Zimbali estate north of Durban

One hand pulls ZDL back to the hangar

 

A view of Durban's Stadium from the cockpit

We don't normally see all the leather when passengers are occupying the seats

Another selfie from the long arm of the law