Pietermaritzburg jaunt

Durban Harbour in the background as I head to Pietermaritburg in ZDL to bring back my partner who has taken our flight school Sling for another 100 hour service - we've just topped 1100 hours in that plane now

The rolling green hills and sugar cane of KZN just passed the toll plaza - I didn't have to pay

The onboard computer EFIS logs the journey via Light Flight, Cato Ridge

Pietermaritzburg Airport - well worth a visit and fabulous coffee shop

Another of my famous Stadium pics 

In the flight school taildragger this time

Another of my famous selfies ha ha this time in FYA bringing the serviced aircraft home

Saturday flight lesson with my student Gordon who can now fly by himself!!

Pietermaritburg again

Yip, made it to Pietermaritzburg and back again today to fetch my Sling from it's service. We went there in our flight school taildragger and then I flew FYA back. It was a bit murky and there was a little rain in the air and the clouds came down a bit low on the way back, but got there and back and the plane is now good to go for another 100 hours.

Selfie of myself at the flight controls

Coming along the Bluff headed past the city for Virginia Airport

Earlier selfie flying in the taildragger to Pmb

Pietermaritzburg and back

It's crazy, we are turning over 50 hours a month in my flight school Sling, which means that we need our 100 hour service every two months. So it's back to PacAir in Pmb for the service.. it requires a ferry flight to Pmb, then a ride home in my other Sling, and a repeat journey the day after to fetch the serviced plane. So look out for my follow up pics.

Pietermaritzburg Airport where they serve a lovely breakfast

The onboard computer efis of the Sling

Without rain, high air pressure and a temperature inversion makes for hazy visibility

Broadcasting live from FYA somewhere over Camperdown

Left or Right

As joint owners of our Sling ZDL we have notched up well over 100 hours flying together over huge mountains, past many scary clouds and thunderstorms from one side of Southern Africa to the other, but this was the first flight we have done together with Llew in the left seat and me in the right with me being comfortable flying from both sides now. Most right-handed instructors prefer the right seat, but I am left-handed and it has taken a bit of adjustment to fly with my right hand. Fortunately I did my early training in the Foxbat which has a centre Y-stick, needing the pilot's right hand to control the plane from the left seat so my first flying experience was with my right hand. 

Llew gets into the left seat while I handle the selfie

 We did a jaunt to Pietermaritzburg hoping to have a toasted sandwich in the coffee shop there which opens when the scheduled Airlink jet flies in, but unfortunately they don't serve food over the weekend.

The air was pretty bumpy today with crosswind landings in both Pietermaritzburg and Durban, but the visibility was excellent and we got some good snaps of Durban's beautiful stadium and coastline.

Llewellyn prepares for the flight to Pietermaritzburg

Gazing intently ahead for oncoming traffic

Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium in all its glory

On a clear day you can see forever

Thumbs-up Dave (left, in the right seat) and Llew (right, in the left seat) ha ha

Durban Harbour as we turn inland for Light Flight, then on to Pietermaritzburg

Pietermaritzburg Airport

Looking a bit windswept as the wind was gusting 25kts

Our Durban Skyye Sling ZDL at Pietermaritburg Airport

In a first, our flight school CFI, Brad, was passing by in the flight school Sling FYA and took a snap of us alongside before we continued on our separate ways

The Bluff and Harbour entrance as we rounded it on the return leg to Durban

Congratulatory drink after our first flight in reversed seats

Cruising at Night

The air was quite warm tonight with what appeared to be an inversion.. many fires and lots of smoke being capped in and hanging over the cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban where the Spingboks took on Wales defeating them in an international rugby match. Taking off from Durban we could see the huge traffic jam of fans getting to the Stadium and on our return in the dark we were in time for the closing minutes of the game and defeat for the Welsh team. Go Bokke Go!

To keep current with my night rating I need at least 3 take-offs and landings every 90 days, so I did some circuits in Pietermaritzburg, each landing becoming darker as the sun had set on our way there. Llewellyn waited for me on the ground whilst I perfected my landings, then joined me for the flight home in the darkness. The lights of the homes are amazing, but the darkness is crazy.. not even Alverstone tower in the dark of the mountain could be seen. Stunning evening to be out and the full moon was rising as we landed. 

Sunset as we fly from Durban to Pietermaritzburg

Ready to practice some landings in the gathering dark at Pietermaritzburg

The computer EFIS and GPS in the dimmed night mode is still quite bright

Durban Harbour and the Bluff as we fly over Cooper's Lighthouse

Llewellyn (left) and Dave fly to Virginia

The red cabin and headlamp lighting is optimal for night vision

Pietermaritzburg Airport

Practicing Navex

Llewellyn does his navigation exercise to Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday so we did a practice one today, making sure he could file a flight plan and handle the navigation by map with the plane onboard computer Efis switched off. The sky was bright and clear, although the sun was baking down and the workload handling headings, radio work and timing the legs of the flight almost overwhelming. But we had a great flight and noted that the upgrade of Pmb airport is almost complete. What a lovely little airport. Llew should have his licence in ZDL by the time we fly to Botswana in March.

Nagle Dam and KwaZulu-Natal's own Table Mountain to the left

Llew is sure he can do this when he does his training exercise on Tuesday

The harbour and Durban's Bluff on our return from Pietermaritzburg

Sortie away from the cabbage patch

Tomorrow is a public holiday in South Africa - Heritage Day - and everyone will be having a braai. Anyways, many took today (Monday) off to make it a long-weekend, and as it appears to be one of the few days this week that is going to be cloudless and dry I did a little sortie to Pietrmaritzburg and Light Flight and back, doing a few touch-and-gos and my first aileron roll solo. WooHoo!! Did it!

 

Stopping at my training school Light Flight to meet up with my mates Marc and Ian in Sling SAA

In the air shortly after take-off from Pmb

Mid-week jaunt

Durban on a sunny day this week

I did most of my initial NPL flight training over the winter months May - August when the weather in Durban is perfect and clear every day, apart from a little early morning mist up in Cato Ridge where my training school was based. Llewellyn is sharing the plane doing his training for his PPL now and every morning the skies are blue and clear... so I'm getting FOMO - Fear of Missing Out!!

So mid-week I had to escape for a little jaunt to Pietrmaritzburg for lunch. It also gave me the chance to fly over a farm near Pmb - see photo above, which has a level section suitable for a future runway and hangars we are looking into. Could be good if we can get the landowner on board.