For the aviation fans

[Robbie Stewart]

So our fleet of 400s all had the RR engines. Then as we started retiring them there was still a market to fly the jumbo so we got 2 newer ones (ZS-SBS and ZS-SBK and these 2 had the GE engines). When the exit check test flights were being done we would stand outside hanger 8 and watch them take off. On the one occasion, good old Scully Levine was doing the one test flight. Now Scully IS a die hard BOEING fan and didn't take lightly to SAA get busses. He got to the aircraft and said to us he would be using runway 21R so that meant it would be taking off over boksburg so it would be airborne when it passed us watching from Technical. He told us that he was going to give this aircraft the takeoff it deserves and give it max thrust(with basically like 10 people and little fuel it doesn't need much thrust). He said by the time he passed us the gear would be up. Someone still joked with him that this is not a harvard using a few hundred Metres to take off. Well I will remember that day for the rest of my life, the entire airport was shaking, the hanger doors were vibrating and true to his word he gave that beast the exit test flight it deserved. The time I saw the B1 bomber was about the only thing that came close to one of the greatest moments in my aviation career. 

We flew three -400s(ZS-SAZ, ZS-SBS and ZS-SBK) for a year or 2 after that before eventually getting rid of them to Transaero Airlines(not sure if they still flying those 3 aircraft, but I doubt it)

 

I will never forget seeing Scully Levin fly a 737 in tandem formation with another at Africa Aerospace & Defence at Ysterplaat around 2008. To see that man's skill was something special. I really did not think you could do that with such a large bird, but he really flew like he was piloting a Harvard.

 

[patham]

 

We flew three -400s(ZS-SAZ, ZS-SBS and ZS-SBK) for a year or 2 after that before eventually getting rid of them to Transaero Airlines(not sure if they still flying those 3 aircraft, but I doubt it)

 

Great story. Transaero went bust in about 2015, I think a lot of their ex-planes are stored in the Mojave desert.

 

They had ordered 2 of the 747-8 before they went bust. These have been taken over by the USAF and are being converted into the next AF1's.

[Long Wheel Base]

On another occasion, I was coming around runway 29 on the way to Mosselbay just in time to see Kulula on short finals. Now on that day the North Westerly berg wind was howling down the Outeniqua like only a Georgian will know, and this plane was crabbing in with the right wing aimed almost back to Vicbay (an exaggeration, but it looked waaay off from my perspective). I chose to stop at the other end of the road in-line with the threshold and watched the pilot make touch-down. Except he didn't. Instead the plane floated over the threshold and carried on going. It looked as if he was in ground effect. I climbed onto the bonnet at that stage and watched him carry on floating down the runway. I started thinking he is going to abort and rather do a go-around, but to my surprise horror he decided to smack that B737 onto the runway and smash reverse thrust and brakes. Methinks there were some soiled underpants on that plane that day.

 

That plane was still reverse thrusting as it turned onto the taxiway at the end of the runway on the other side. I became convinced I was witnessing a crash in motion, but luckily it ended well.

 

And on another occassion, I came back from Mosselbay to see the Airlink Embraer that overran the runway and ended up in that same road. Ja, George airport is interesting to say the least.

You will be surprised at how quickly a B737-800 can stop. I have never been on a test flight like that but my colleagues that have say when they do the max braking landing, the seat belts actually hurt and some guys have bruises afterwards.

[Long Wheel Base]

I will never forget seeing Scully Levin fly a 737 in tandem formation with another at Africa Aerospace & Defence at Ysterplaat around 2008. To see that man's skill was something special. I really did not think you could do that with such a large bird, but he really flew like he was piloting a Harvard.

 

ScullyLevin.png

Yeah he is seriously skilled. He has passed his skills down to his son, Ellis. There are a few SAA pilots that do aerobatics. One of them is even a world champ if I am not mistaken. Pierre Gouws and Nigel Hopkins compete globally in aerobatic events(it could be one of them that is a world champ).

[Long Wheel Base]

Great story. Transaero went bust in about 2015, I think a lot of their ex-planes are stored in the Mojave desert.

 

They had ordered 2 of the 747-8 before they went bust. These have been taken over by the USAF and are being converted into the next AF1's.

Ah ok thanks. Man I don't want to see those planes just parked. It really hits home when you know that you personally have often been one of the last signatures in the logbook to release the plane for service.

[The Ouzo]

whats happening at ORT ?

 

Late last night we heard the sounds of jet engines much louder than normal.

This morning again my wife working from home has messaged me to say its very loud.

[Long Wheel Base]

whats happening at ORT ?

 

Late last night we heard the sounds of jet engines much louder than normal.

This morning again my wife working from home has messaged me to say its very loud.

Nothing out of the lockdown normal. BUT the wind has turned so usually it blows from your side towards the airport and last 2 days it has been the opposite. 

 

EDIT: I say usually but it's a pretty even split. They have been using RWY21 for the last week or so at least and then from yesterday started using 03.

Edited July 23, 2020 by Long Wheel Base

[patham]

whats happening at ORT ?

 

Late last night we heard the sounds of jet engines much louder than normal.

This morning again my wife working from home has messaged me to say its very loud.

 

Not Russki cargo jets maybe, they don't have the worlds best sound signature ?

[dev null]

Speaking of size comparisons.  I loved this pic BA took when they took delivery of their first A380.  They put the A380 and the A319 head to head for a pic here ...

 

airbus-a380-a318-size-comparison-nose-to-nose.jpg

 

That A380 is butt ugly. Justifies it's name.

[Bateleur1]

That A380 is butt ugly. Justifies it's name.

 

I always thought they could have refined the nose a bit, but I suppose that would have made the aircraft even longer.  I find it "mooi van lelikheid".  Quite a piece of engineering though.

[kosmonooit]

Nothing out of the lockdown normal. BUT the wind has turned so usually it blows from your side towards the airport and last 2 days it has been the opposite. 

 

EDIT: I say usually but it's a pretty even split. They have been using RWY21 for the last week or so at least and then from yesterday started using 03.

I saw some interesting traffic on FR24  a few evenings ago, I think it was a AF 777 that left on 03L and then almost immediately an inbound Emirates or Qatar 777 land on 21R (that is the same runway!) - maybe the change to active happened immediately but the inbound was on long finals for 21R from the get-go. WTF.

 

There are quite a few 777's coming and going, I assume freight.,

Edited July 23, 2020 by kosmonooit

[Long Wheel Base]

I saw some interesting traffic on FR24  a few evenings ago, I think it was a AF 777 that left on 03L and then almost immediately an inbound Emirates or Qatar 777 land on 21R (that is the same runway!) - maybe the change to active happened immediately but the inbound was on long finals for 21R from the get-go. WTF.

 

There are quite a few 777's coming and going, I assume freight.,

Sjoe that is dangerous.

Yeah Majority of the wide bodies at the moment are freight. In fact majority of the traffic in general, even with mango, safair and airlink flying is freight.

[CDK]

Saw this on a group on Facebook.

Apparently somewhere in Mapumalanga.

 

 

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by CDK

[Skylark]

IMG_4164.JPGIMG_4166.JPGIMG_4164.JPGIMG_4165.JPGIMG_4163.JPGSaw this on a group on Facebook.

Apparently somewhere in Mapumalanga.

Why would those be mothballed and in the middle of nowhere?

[Long Wheel Base]

IMG_4164.JPGIMG_4166.JPGIMG_4164.JPGIMG_4165.JPGIMG_4163.JPGSaw this on a group on Facebook.

Apparently somewhere in Mapumalanga.

First pic is a Cessna Citation 500. Looks like ZS-MCU. 2nd pic looks like a learjet 35. Will google the citation and see what it says but it could very well be true as the 500 is an old aircraft.

[Long Wheel Base]

Looks like the Cessna is for sale.

https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/151610275/zs-mcu-1973-cessna-citation-500