Jaunt to East London

I did a quick jaunt to East London a few days ago with my mate Louis in his Savannah to get it checked out in time for the sale of the plane (the trip we postponed from last week due to the high winds). East London is the home of the Savannah factory. We landed half-way at my favourite landing strip at Port St Johns - up on the top of the mountain and also went past Hole-in-the-Wall, part of the magnificent coastline along the Wild Coast from Durban to East London.. a 3 1/2 hour flight away (with headwind) and 2h 50mins returning (with small tailwind).

 

Hole-in-the-Wall : Wild Coast of South Africa

On top of the mountain at the Port St Johns airfield

Landing at Port St Johns



Destination What's Landing - aeropark in East London. Beautiful homes with hangars attached

New Year flying

The plan was to fly to Margate then spend the 5 days holiday flying around the wild coast for breakfasts or lunch. However, the weather was playing up so we ended up driving there and spending 4 nights under low cloud and steamy hot or rainy days. We then drove back to fetch the planes - our Sling ZDL and Marc's Sling SAA - on Thursday and spend the day flying the Wild Coast and Port St John's, then overnight in Margate and back to Durban on Friday early... in time to put in half the morning and the afternoon back at work.

 

So Happy New Year to everyone. Here's to some happy flying in 2013. Next trip on the cards is our first international flight to Mocambique in April. The weather should be great and Inhambane is calling us. Again both ZDL and SAA will convoy it there and have some fun in the Mocam skies.

 

 

On the apron at Margate Airport

Our friends Marc and Lee with Sling IS SAA

The approach to Port St John's is quite scary flying over one mountain, then a gorge gap to the next with the runway, and possibilities of up or down-drafts on finals.

Port St John's - my favourite, mountain-top runway

Maps - yes I do take them with!

Me at the controls.. coming up for the coastline



Margate 122,7 and runway 22 on the way

Ready for an early morning start back to Durban

The South Coast coastline stretches out with the dot of SAA above the spinner

Look ma, no hands.. autopilot snap as I fly solo to Durban

This looks like home - Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban

Lake Eland Fly-in

Dad Dave and daughter Kate-Lynn prepare to zip across the Oribi Gorge

Marc and I flew while Llewellyn and Lee drove with the kids

Llewellyn gets ready for the Wild Coast Navigation exercise

James (centre) and Andrew (left) from The Airplane Factory

Chatting around Red Rocket ZDL at Port St Johns

The amanzing Port St John's airfield atop the mountain

The Lake Eland Fly-In at Oribi Gorge this weekend took us on a navigation exercise along the wild coast to Port St Johns and back on a course to Lake Eland and Fredenheim where we landed and left our planes for 2 nights.

In addition we did a spot landing competition power on and power off gliding, did the incredible zipline across the Oribi Gorge down 15 ziplines spanning the gorge and lake.

James and his brother Andrew from The Airplane Factory came down in the Sling 4 and James treated us to a spell-binding recount of his pioneering trip around the world in the prototype Sling 4.

What a superb venue for the fly-in and thanks to brothers Billy and Wes who took delivery of the first Sling with the fuel injected 912 IS Rotax engine the same weekend.