Our little piece of the sky

"A Fly-in is not a "fly-in" unless you fly in". At least this was my rational when I decided that the best way to experience the biannual Overberg fly-in/ air-show was to arrive in an aeroplane. Added to that, the easiest way to ensure a camp site for myself on the Friday night was to provide a wing to camp underneath, logical conclusion, take my 'own' aircraft. Little did I know as I booked one of FTC's C152's for my adventure, what a cocktail of experiences I was lining up for the weekend.
Navigation log - check, filed a flight plan - check (for two aircraft in formation), in my mind this was going to be a fairly straight forward flight to Overberg with Jaco in the right seat and Koos and "J" in ZS-IIK flying just off my wing. Princess LIA who has not been much of a princess to me in the past was being given a second chance... As forgiving as I am, I'm not sure I'll be giving her a third!! After take off we were climbing through 800 ft when LIA coughed, not a chesty cough but certainly enough to get my attention, being the "Princess" I gave her the benefit of the doubt, another cough was enough to turn both Jaco, (my passenger) and my heads briefly before the third cough which prompted an immediate call to the tower & a right turn back towards the field! It would seem there was definitely a change in the tone of my voice because we landed out of a low circuit with fire engines on the taxiway eagerly anticipating some excitement for the day.

Half an hour later it was round two for our flight to Overberg, this time in good ol’ faithful, PIC. Flight time planned at a record breaking 90kts was 1 hour 30 minutes but as we glanced at the GPS, it was clear that our shadow on the ground was moving considerably slower than planned, 30kts slower at times. This became an amusing aspect to our adventure because relative to the speeds that Overberg controllers are used to it was akin to watching paint dry as we plodded out our track towards their reporting points. I believe this painfully slow moving blip on their radar screen became more of an intriguing fascination than an irritation by the way that they were routing us from a very long final approach to the coast, back to the final approach and back to the coast again several times as they fitted three or so crowd pleasing displays in front of us on a single approach. Eventually it was our turn, the combination of scarred perspex and direct sunlight as we squinted into the setting sun didn't help matters, particularly as Overberg appears to have two parallel runways, a glance at the plate on my lap confirmed that the left “runway” was in fact a taxiway that is built to double up as a runway in an emergency situation. At one point it became easier to sideslip the aircraft looking out of the corner of my windscreen and I was having visions of doing a very tricky landing trying to maintain an ounce of dignity as hundreds of people witnessed me approaching sideways and skidding all over the runway, until a large cloud saved the day as the sun slipped behind it. The rest was easy as we landed and were directed to our parking where we'd be camping under the wing for the night. For a young pilot, it's the stuff dreams are made of... until of course you're trying to knock your first tent peg into concrete solid ground with a rock that bears no resemblance to a decent mallet. Relieved appreciation doesn't do justice to the feeling as the last peg barely penetrates the ground, only just anchoring the last of the guy lines.










The show itself being predominantly military meant thundering jet engines, those of the Grippens, Hawks and Mirages, absolute precision demonstrated in the formation display of South Africa's pride, the Silver Falcons











and aerodynamically defying manoeuvres by the unsung heroes of the SAAF flying their rotary wings, the Oryx, Augusta and Rooivalk. Unfortunately though, there are occasions in this life that can blow a sombre dark cloud over even the most exhilarating, electric atmosphere and humble the most passionate of aviation enthusiasts. An aircraft crash forces all of us to remember that it is a privilege to taste the sky and not a given right, as much as we long to be, we are not birds and we are fallible in our flying machines! As Dave Stock's Lightning disappeared as a plume of black smoke on the horizon there was an instant, tangible lull in the atmosphere. The cause, the blame, the investigations, all futile in turning back time and in consoling those who knew him. The irony, he died fulfilling a passion and purpose that sustained his life. It may have been this fact that prompted the organisers to continue with the show as planned and it was only fitting that the day ended in a tribute to Dave as the Silver Falcon's flew the “missing man” formation. Few dry eyes witnessed that formation.

For me the air-show was a first, a first where I was not only a spectator but also a part of the aviation fraternity. To experience the show alongside contemporary's in the aviation world, students and instructors from FTC was unlike any I had previously felt and it was good to feel a part of something. Flying had become more than flying alone and I understood now why little boys want to be pilots!

Flying out of the Overberg show confirmed to me that this is my life, to touch the sky, taste adventure and find our God in places that few others do. Gazing down on His creation gives a perspective reminding me of how small I am in the grand scheme and it's humbling rather than heroic for me to be in a tiny flying machine above our blue green planet. I did however, in my frailty feel a little more heroic as one of the most humble of aviators himself, Maj. Scott Ternent agreed to formate with his exemplary team, the Silver Falcons on our 70's Cessna 152 ZS-PIC. As we had been briefed, as they strapped in, Scott gave us a call to let us know, I hastily started up and squeezed in a radio call to Overberg Tower between a dozen other enthusiasts departing. We received our clearance to route out coastwards, turning right along the coast for Arniston where the Falcons would find us and formate with us. As I advanced our throttle, balls to the wall with a slightly nose down attitude to maxmize our speed, Scott with the Falcon's in formation had an optimistic over-estimation of our cruise speed and did the same to “catch” us, suddenly, from nowhere, five Pilatus Astras appeared behind... and then as suddenly in front of us, air-brakes deployed in an attempt to slow down to our speed. Number 3 and 5 broke off left and number 1, 2 & 4 to our right to rejoin us in a more “civilized” manor for Cessna pilots, with full flaps and gear extended, positioning themselves either side of us, Scott's voice came over the radio, “How does it feel to be lead of the Silver Falcons Paul?”, ZS-PIC was the lead of the Falcon's, the excitement I felt cannot be described, I was like a child receiving the gift he'd waited for all year on Christmas morning, it was a privilege and an honour like none other. For a moment, I did feel a little heroic! An equally elated Jaco in my right seat and I were taking turns to fly and take photographs because after all, who would believe us if we had no solid proof? “Smoke on... go” five minutes of pure exhilaration and “flaps up... go, gear up... go” and they were gone, but not the experience, that will always remain. All I can and must say is, “Scott, and Silver Falcons, thank you for sharing your little piece of the sky with us, it made our little place in the sky a whole lot bigger, we are honoured!”

One weekend, one little Cessna 152, one tent, one reminder of the privilege and frailty of life and one National aerobatics team. A simple combination maybe, but one to remember for life. A simple note to students of FTC and any other flying schools, don't let opportunities like this pass you by, a little planning and a whole lot of enthusiasm is all it takes. Happy landings!!

From Solo to Wings

Certainly not a long journey if one looks at the time that has elapsed but it feels as if I'm living in a parallel life with amount of knowledge that has been crammed into my head in two and a half months. I am struggling to comprehend my levels of responsibility now as I consider my license to fly not only myself but passengers who will put their confidence in me just as I did in so many young pilots over past years!

As students around me go solo for the first time I am reminded of the 19th of February in Oudtshoorn with just over 10 hours of training behind me, as I ran through my checks alone for the first time, and only Terrence, my instructors confidence behind me. "What to do last", open throttle to full and only a mixture of self confidence and nauseating nerves in the pit of my stomach accompanied me as I left the runway. As I turned onto left crosswind for runway 22, the tension eased and for the first time I was able to look to my right at an empty seat and "whoop whoop" to myself just before the full impact of this solo flight hit me square between the eyes, "it's not a success until these wheels are safely on the ground again!" It's incredible what a small realisation like that does for one's concentration and focus. Never before had I done my checks so efficiently. As I turned onto finals and muttered PUFFCL to myself, and broadcast my final approach, took a deep breath and ended my first solo flight ever in style! I have to say... life has not been the same since, the exhilaration, the challenge, the satisfaction, and the passion just keeps getting better!

Every exercise after that initial solo was different to the last, obviousy not in definition only but in the nature of personal achievement. Flying alone beyond the airfield parameters into "uncharted" territory was a surreal experience, to the point of feeling entirely detached from the rest of the world for a moment. A sense of responsibility unlike any I'd felt before accompanied with a freedom that could only be described by someone who has been there. Forced landings over neatly ploughed fields, precautionary landings over the naked banks of farm dams, navigations over hidden jewels in the Outeniqua mountains, all leading up to that one goal, my ppl. I honestly did think that beads of blood would develop on my brow before my ppl test as I considered the propsect in early days, imagine my surprise when all I felt climbing into my aircraft for the test was slight sweaty palms and total confidence that I was ready for this. It was one of the best flights I had yet experienced, a chance to prove not only to my testing instructor but to myself that I was able to face most situations with at least a measure of confidence and proficiency that instills confidence in my passengers to be!

From a Comm students point of view, everyone knows that all a ppl is, is a license to learn, that said, as achievements go, there are very few if any that measure up to being licensed to fly & I consider it an absolute privilege to be one of a minority of blessed individuals!

From my limited experience, the one thing that I can testify to is that flying is not just about having the money and ability. It is about passion, hard work and more important than anything, a community of aviators who stand by you, support you and teach you because of their passion for flying & willingness to impart knowledge and experience to their students! Instructors must be given all the recognition and thanks due to them, all my instructors have been totally selfless with their time and expertise, big up to them and to all the other staff at FTC George.

A visit from JAS

As a bunch of pilots and aspiring wannabees at FTC George it's always exciting when something new, or more specifically, a new aircraft is seen near or at the hangars. Recently, we had the pleasure of a visit from Stew Lithgow in his and Johnny Woods new RV-7, registration ZU - J A S (Johnny and Stew) as he ferried it from Cape Town to Pretoria. It really is a beauty to look at and by the smile on Stew's face as he arrived, I would assume to fly too! Peering into the cockpit,
I saw two handheld Garmins on the passenger seat, clearly Stew was still coming to grips with the full glass cockpit, which only serves to compliment the rest of the aircraft. From my side, thanks to Stew for taking the time to swing by the FTC hangars. Wishing you many happy flying hours in your beauty!

Gigipan - Cutting Edge in photography

A friend of mine mentioned this photograph to me recently. It was only when I saw it for myself that I realised the magnitude of it. The picture was taken with a robotic camera at 1,474 megapixel. (295 times the standard 5 megapixel camera) Makes you wonder who's watching us right now !! Essentially it is a whole bunch of shots stitched together to produce one massively high res image. It was taken at the recent presidential inauguration in the USA and you can literally see every person's face clearly if you zoom into the crowds. Follow this link to have your mind blown, it is super cool!

Gigipan - http://gigapan.org/viewGigapanFullscreen.php?auth=033ef14483ee899496648c2b4b06233c

Make sure you're online while viewing because just like google-earth for those who are familiar, it has to load each photo stitched in.

She taught me to love!

A month has passed already, since I spent a Monday morning kicking myself (figuratively) for not taking an opportunity to express my undying gratitude to someone who shouldn't have to wait for the "right opportunity" to hear a simple thank you. This update is way overdue... possibly 20 or so years overdue!

The Sunday night before was one of the most significant and special evenings of my entire life. I had the privilege of Baptizing not only six of the young people I had walked a road with for the best part of a year, but also my nephew, Dillon and of course the women who taught me to love, my incredibly special mother! As I stood in this unfamiliar environment, the baptistery, tongue tied with nerves dissolving like the bubbles around me, and looking out to a congregation witnessing the life changing testimonies of children and friends, I felt I needed to acknowledge this capstone in my life. Whether it was through divine intervention or nerves combined with a frayed memory, I didn't say what I would've liked to say:

"This unbelievably resilient yet humble, strong yet gentle women, mom, is the one who has taught me to love! Through her example of grace, she has taught me the gift of giving selflessly, without expecting love in return, she has allowed me to find within myself, the potential to care for others, sometimes to the point of self detriment, she has been an example of patience and faith in the power of love to transform. She has shown me through her love that she is born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7), and she has shown us that the source of love is never ending, never depleted! She has allowed me to express myself honestly, sensitively and without reservation. She has allowed me to on occasion reciprocate her love with a lack of gratitude and recognition to the point of cruelty yet never seeking retribution for the hurt. She has taught me to cry unashamedly, tears that express deep pain or elation. It is because of her, that those few, yet not enough have received my love and selfless acts of service.

For those who are still young, the bible commands, honour your mother and father. Love them despite their faults because God knows they have their faults, obey them despite their apparent unreasonable, "irrational" restrictions because those they issue out of love too. Lastly, don't wait until you are 34 or for an opportune moment to say thank you, do it now! They try to love unconditionally, the least you can do is learn from them, the potential you have in yourself to do the same.

To those parents, the greatest gift you can give a child is to love first and foremost the Lord with all your heart and outward expression through worship & secondly, love your spouse in an outward demonstration of selflessness and sacrifice, without which, a teenager will never recognise the true definition of love, grace and selflessness. We live in a world where youngsters believe that love is what others can do for us, anything other than that is considered weakness, it's time they know the truth, true power, true liberation and freedom is recognising that love is what we can do for others.

Mom, thank you for teaching us (all your children) how to love!

Fulfillment is in the journey, not the destination...

It is almost a week ago that I very quickly and haphazardly packed a car up with the essentials (and without some) and headed of for the place that is to be my home for this year, George. And what a beautiful home it is! It inspires me to breath in deep breathes of fresh air, look beyond the road at the mountains while driving and for a non-morning person, it's not a bad reason to get out of bed at six O'Clock and for the first time in a long time, it's rewarding to see the sun below ten degrees in the sky!


The trip here was a lazy affair. Never before have I ambled along stopping at every photo opportunity, some just an excuse to stop and take my time rather than rush, on the route through the magnificent Karoo to the Cape East Coast. Most times, except of course with Brian as my travel companion, have been a race against the clock to make sure we make our destination with daylight to spare. This time, Colesberg seemed the obvious half way stop and where better to stay than on the banks of the Orange River, which was where the guest house I earmarked as my night stop was situated.





Vast fields of Sunflowers didn't speed past unnoticed, Windmills and lone trees became my travel companions and talking to cows about my journey wasn't frowned upon, night fall was the best opportunity to spot the enormous illuminated cross in Springfontein reminding me why I live! Having two days meant a late start on the second and plenty of time to slow down and notice Graaf Reinet, Willowmore and Uniondale (keeping an eye out for the elusive lady hitchhiker of Uniondale... apparently she doesn't like daylight hours). The Outeniqua pass allowed a glimpse from above of my new home and acclimatized my senses to an overload of sensory stimulation.

It is now with this attitude that I approach my new chosen path, it is not about arriving at the destination quickly, it is about noticing the things around us, and more importantly, people we encouter, it is about savouring every moment, every new experience, embracing mistakes as well as accolades and enjoying every step of the way. It is about serving people as we are able and blessed to do and to laugh with others and at ourselves. Already a week has "flown by" and too much has happened too express it all. I will endeavor to remember this revelation throughout my journey.

Re-Invention

As my dad so correctly pointed out, "This is the first day of the rest of your life!", I guess it is an obvious statement, it's the first day of all of the rest of your lives but this one certainly is quite significant in mine. Today I begin an entirely new chapter, a new place, a new career, a new challenge, a new "life"! Not a new book however... why, because there is consistency, there is a story and a theme, reminding me that as I write this new chapter, I recognise the Lord's providence in all of it, His leading and His guidance and not least, His purpose to serve throughout!

Change is imperative to maintain a fresh perspective on life and I am excited to be embarking on another new adventure. Unfamiliarity is never unaccompanied by trepidation but I am "chomping at the bit" to go, a confirmation I believe that this is where I must be for now. Bring on the Re-Invention!!!