Students

Well the "holidays" are over so there's no been too much time for flying my own plane yet in 2015. The flight school has also been quite demanding with over 300 flights being handled over the December / January period.. not too much my own, but I have the admin behind it all to keep up to date. My own few students have also kept me busy, although the heat of Durban is on us and the best flying time is after 4pm as the sun gets lower.

Getting our flight school aircraft out of the hangar for another flight

My student Bill who has taken up his life-long ambition to fly

Great photo of Durban's Moses Mabhida World Cup Football Stadium on the wingtip of my flight school Sling FYA

Durban city and harbour en route seawards of the Bluff to the Virginia General Flying area inland of Amanzimtoti

Some airtime

We're having a great flying season at the flight school and I broke my record of 5 hours instruction in one day with my student Federico, training towards his NPL (LSA) licence in our Sling FYA. The flight school is open every day, including New Year's day, and bookings can be made if you check our website.

New Durban Skyye logo

Dave and Brad are proud of their new training approval from the CAA

Showing off our new Aviation Training Organisation Certificate for Part 61 - PPL pilot training

Sling Durban Agents

Our flight school has been appointed by The Airplane Factory as their Sling aircraft Durban Agents. 

This means that we are now the official distributors of this incredible aircraft in Durban. Thanks guys, it really has been a journey with our own Sling ZDL # 34 and we have watched you grow from strength to strength of the past few short years. We are delighted to be part of this amazing team of incredibly driven people who have become our Sling family as much as our fellow aviators and friends who also own Sling aircraft.

This blog started when I took my first steps towards getting my pilot's licence and my decision at that early stage to buy a Sling airplane after looking at everything else that was on the market. I have loved every step of the journey and that journey has had our own Sling ZDL as an integral part. With the Durban agency I hope to see the family in Durban grow even stronger.

Thanks guys for this opportunity.

The 3 Slings in production - 4 seater, 2 seater and taildragger

Civil Aviation Authority gets going

It took a visit to the SA CAA offices in Midrand Johannesburg this morning to get a commitment, in line with their Quality Management System, to get cracking on our application for approval as an Aviation Training Organisation (ATO). To date it is 4 months since I first made contact with them, and it was apparent at the meeting that they have not actually begun to read the over 300 pages of documents I submitted for the application process. This is unacceptable and service delivery at it's worst. I have now been promised fast-track attention in getting the certification process completed so that Durban Skyye Flight School can get airborne. Thanks to Jason for his thanks and reminder that it is us aviators who keep them in their jobs, and without aviation there would be no need for any CAA.

I also paid a visit to Grand Central Airport, which is situated close to the CAA offices and would for future visits be a handy airport to land at.

The unusual water tower near Grand Central Airport.

The CAA's quality management system promises a documented process with continuous feedback!! Let's hope that they can actually start living up to this pledge.

The customer's (that's me) expectations should be exceeded

The damaged building at OR Tambo in Johannesburg where a British Airways plane recently collided with it after taking a wrong turn

Mango charged a very reasonable R430 to fly from Durban to Johannesburg, but an outrageous R1500 to fly back

Durban city and the harbour from a slightly higher altitude than I am normally able to take a photo from in our plane.

Durban Skyye

In preparation for the opening of our flight school, Durban Skyye, I was up in the air from 5.30 this morning to take some pics of what Durban has to offer, from the harbour, along the golden mile to Umhlanga and Ballito.

Umhlanga beachfront

Durban beachfront with the Moses Mabhida Stadium in the background

GoPro view of the plane and beachfront

Durban's harbour entrance

Virginia Airport - FAVG

Louis gives me a hand whilst I take some pics

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