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

Standard Bank Golf Day winner

I sponsored two prizes in this year's Standard Bank Golf Day as Mc Naught and Company's contribution to the day and yesterday I took up Ranil for a complimentary flip over Durban. Ranil won the closest to the pin prize on hole 2 and has never flown in a small plane before.

 

Ranil was pretty calm and relaxed and enjoyed spectacular views on the clear, windless day as we zoomed over the city and to Queensburgh, then down to the old Durban airport, out to sea and back to Virginia.

 

To Margate for breakfast

A stunning view of the Bluff as we rounded the harbour entrance taking advantage of the glorious summer sunshine to have breakfast in Margate this morning.

View of the Durban Stadium on take-off from Virginia

My son Mark has a holiday job for engineering experience as part of his 3rd year curriculum, working at the coal terminal at Durban Harbour.... seen here in this pic from over the Bluff.

The bridge across to the Wild Coast Sun



We had a great tailwind to Margate but then of course a headwind back - the flight there only 35 mins, the flight back 50 mins

Great breakfast and coffee at Margate airport before heading back.

 

Into the blue for Christmas

Our office Christmas lunch today was the opportunity to show our Sling 2 to the staff and selected clients... and they are hooked!

The sky was clear for the first time in weeks and we managed a short flip to the Bluff Lighthouse and back. At one stage both Mark and I, partners in the firm flew together.. not a good idea putting all your eggs in one basket, but I delivered all staff safely back to Virginia after a brief but fun flight.
 

Back into the night sky

It's been hard to find a clear day or night for flying in Durban over the past month, but last night was perfect. I am trying to complete my night rating and we managed to get 1,6 hours over an incredible almost full-moon lit Durban city and harbour. We practised VOR techniques to the old Durban International airport and the reciprocal as well as rate 1 level, descending and ascending turns to instructor Warrens's stopwatch. The Virginia ATC closes at 7pm, so we also managed a few free touch and gos. The wind was calm although the air was a bit trashy near the threshhold and for some reason each time we got within 50 feet of the ground the windshield fogged up slightly then cleared again. The red cabin lights of the Sling were supplemented by our red headlamps to improve readability of the cockpit instruments.

 

Fredenheim and Leopard Rock

ZDL visits Light Flight, Cato Ridge

Flying over the sea from Durban down the coast

5 Planes and their crew fly in to Leopard Rock for breakfast

With the beautiful weather on Saturday 5 planes took off from Light Flight and Virginia and we met up at Fredenheim, a private airfield on the edge of the Oribi Gorge where the airfield owner dropped us ff at Lepard Rock for breakfast. Oribi is about an hour's flight south of Durban, just inland from the coast. We followed the coastline until Hibberdene and then cut inland to Fredenheim.

 

The Oribi views are breathtaking and we all took some chances perching on the edge of the rock after a scrumptious breakfast. We finished off the morning flying with a stop-over (and bumpy landing on 19) at Light Flight before returning to Viginia.

Here's a link to the full set of ZDL photos.. first red, then white.
 

 

 

Back in the air

On the ground at Light Flight

Umlaas Road area from the air

Sling visit to Light Flight



Durban from the Bluff

It is great to be back in the air and this weekend the weather let up enough to enjoy a flight down the coast on Saturday and around the Camperdown area on Sunday.

 

It looks like the flight school where I did my training may be relocating due to a sale of the airfield so alternatives for landing and hangarage are still being sought in the Camperdown area.

 

ZDL is home at last

Mike Blyth congratulates Dave on arrival at Virginia

My perfect landing

Mike Blyth, partner of The Airplane Factory, maker of the Sling airplane, and around-the-world celebrity, congratulates Dave Mc Naught taking delivery of the remodelled ZDL this week.

 

ZDL has been fully dismantled, treated with anti-corrosion protection, rebuilt and resprayed, and now sports rainbow stripes. It's been a 3-month process and co-owner Llewellyn and I are delighted to be able to get back into the air again. We also made a few improvements in line with the new-spec Slings now coming off the production line. This includes a 4-position flap selector, new interior panneling and pockets and fine-tuning of the efis on-board computer instruments. Thanks guys for the great job!

 

Home at last at Virginia airport

Back in the captain's seat!

Llewellyn wears matching colours in our first flight together in the cockpit of the new ZDL

Rich new colour scheme

My second flight over Durban harbour in the new ZDL

 

Celebrating the arrival home of ZDL as well as the maiden flight of Marc and Lee's Sling SAA are Dave, our instructor Brad, Marc, Lee and Llewellyn

 You can see more of the before and after photos in full on our Facebook group here.