For the aviation fans

[dev null]

No man, this is crazy. 

 

I used to fly RC gliders and used to ping it into trees and rugby posts at 25km/h

 

Mine came second in an altercation with a barbed wire fence. 

[Alouette3]

Have tried my hand a couple times at dynamic soaring, it's an art. Amazing to see when done by someone with the correct kit and knowledge. Used to use the saddle at the top  of Chapmans Peak in a SE'er. Need to build them strong and ballast is your friend. Watch a friend fold his glider in half flying DS. Flapped 2 or 3 times like an eagle then plummeted straight down out the sky!

Those gliders make an awesome thump as they go through the sheer layer.

[Lotus]

Have tried my hand a couple times at dynamic soaring, it's an art. Amazing to see when done by someone with the correct kit and knowledge. Used to use the saddle at the top  of Chapmans Peak in a SE'er. Need to build them strong and ballast is your friend. Watch a friend fold his glider in half flying DS. Flapped 2 or 3 times like an eagle then plummeted straight down out the sky!

Those gliders make an awesome thump as they go through the sheer layer.

 

That second video talks about overcoming flutter, and moving ballast towards the wingtips.

 

What really impressed me was the description of how the albatross use DS by working the wavetops like cliffs.

[SwissVan]

Nothing beats the sound of a Spifire engine... according to wiki there were almost 150'000 Rolls Royce merlin engines built between 1933 and 1950 when production stopped

 

My old man used to work on the one that was restored by Atlas aircraft (now Denel) and I can remember spending weekends at "Jan Smuts" at the hangar he worked at while him and his mate worked on the engine including engine runs. I had some photos somewhere of it... think the spit was called Evelynn or something like that.

 

 

Found the pics of my oldman and his buddy working on Evelyn the Spitfire at Jan Smuts on the Bonaero Park side where my dad worked for a small airline.

 

 

 

[DJR]

Found the pics of my oldman and his buddy working on Evelyn the Spitfire at Jan Smuts on the Bonaero Park side where my dad worked for a small airline.

 

.............

Do you know more about the plane? How did she end up in SA and what became of her?

[kosmonooit]

That must be in the 70's gauging by the lighties hairstyle and pants.

 

Atlas was that side as well, a giant in its day. I got a job there but changed my mind at the last moment.

[CAAD4]

That must be in the 70's gauging by the lighties hairstyle and pants.

 

Atlas was that side as well, a giant in its day. I got a job there but changed my mind at the last moment.

I think Swiss looks quite trendy... Edited February 10, 2021 by CAAD4

[SwissVan]

I think Swiss looks quite trendy...

Haha that’s my friend Shane... I’m behind the mikndruk

camera

[SwissVan]

Do you know more about the plane? How did she end up in SA and what became of her?

All I remember was that it was sold and exported to a collector in the USA, my old man and the many people in SA who were involved with the restoration were not impressed.

 

I have a recollection that it was subsequently sold and exported from the USA, but no idea where to.

[SwissVan]

That must be in the 70's gauging by the lighties hairstyle and pants.

 

Atlas was that side as well, a giant in its day. I got a job there but changed my mind at the last moment.

The pics were taken a km or so north of the Atlas hangars. At this stage my dad was working for a private company, he later went on to work at Atlas. In those days Atlas employed thousands of people, literally the whole of impala park and bonaero park residents worked there at some stage.

[Ed-Zulu]

There's always something new in aviation, and here I will include RC. Latest thing I've learned about is Dynamic Soaring - this is extreme RC flying. Gliders that hit 548mph! Check this out: 

 

 

 

For a detailed explanation of how it works

 

https://youtu.be/nv7-YM4wno8 

Amazing that it takes those forces, obviously not a balsa model

[eddy]

Do you know more about the plane? How did she end up in SA and what became of her?

 

It was an ex-SAAF Spitfire and Larry Barnett got the local historic flight community and Atlas to commit plenty of money, expertise  and thousands of man-hours to get it flying again on the premise that we would then have a national asset.

 

I seem to remember that it was painted up to replicate the one Gen Bob Rogers (then Chief of the Airforce) flew in North Africa.

 

But soon after the Spitfire was airworthy, Barnett took the money and ran leaving many very p1$$ed off people who had donated time and money behind.

 

Edit:

 

My memory was correct. I have looked at the pictures again and you can see the RR (for Robert Rogers) on the fuselage. Although, IIRC he flew a clipped wing Mk.IX one in WWII. He later flew mustangs and Sabres in Korea. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by eddy

[kosmonooit]

My uncle flew Spitfires in North Africa with SAAF in the WWII North Africa campaign, then onto Sabres in Korea with the "United Nations" force, their first deployment of that type I believe,

 

There was a heroic episode where he landed on the desert pavement to pick up a comrade who was shot down, and they flew back to base two-up in the cockpit.

 

Ja fook they (Armscor) had a lot of money at one point. The best bursary you could wish for, unfortunately strings attached,as much as I was tempted. Some of the brightest guys in my class went on to work at Armscor subsidiaries like Kentron etc

[eddy]

Amazing that it takes those forces, obviously not a balsa model

 

Watch the full video and check out how he build it.

 

Well worth the watch.

[Bonus]

Found the pics of my oldman and his buddy working on Evelyn the Spitfire at Jan Smuts on the Bonaero Park side where my dad worked for a small airline.

 

spit1.JPG

 

Swiss - that looks like it was taken outside the Air Lowveld hanger, with possibly an Air Lowveld Beech 99 in the background?

[Bonus]

Air Namibia not having a good time . . . . :-(

 

https://simpleflying.com/air-namibia-suspends-operations/