For the aviation fans

[Jase619]

I'm also very tempted to look into a PPL soon...which schools are you considering? A lot of threads on avcom on this!

 

There is one in Bloemfontein, Westline Aviation that I am looking at. There is also talks of one here in Welkom, but not sure, can't seem to find any info on it past 2014. You guys are spoilt for choice up the in Gauteng, lots of places, but prices are higher than here

[Karooryder]

I don't think too many people are aware of what happened on Sunday evening, but it was pretty cool. We were having a braai at the in-laws late afternoon, when we saw a plane overhead at quite a low altitude. As most of Gauteng knows, there was a pretty significant storm that brewed that evening, so it was not too strange that it was flying under the clouds.

 

On a hunch I decided to check out what was happening on Flightradar, then saw that this plane has been flying circles all over Pretoria.

 

 

I decided to have a look further and found that everyone trying to get into ORTIA or HLA were stuck in holding patterns.

 

 

 

Went back to the first plane to see where it was in the sky as we heard it again, passed right by the house in Monument Park. Next thing we heard the sound of reverse thrust and thought, wait what? 

 

Turns out this plane had to land at AFB Waterkloof as it didn't have enough fuel to divert to Durban, so special permission was given for it to land.

 

 

 

As you can see they tried to land from the south first, but had to bail out, and then came in from the north.

 

I was insufferable for the rest of dinner.

 

Goodness..that's next level holding right there.

 

I'm in this habit of always checking FR24 when our all-too-familiar Highveld thunderstorms approach the ORT / Lanseria airspace, sometimes those flight paths look like a 2year old sketch of a beach holiday .

 

Jokes aside, ORT is apparently one of the most challenging airports in the world because of   altitude, temperature and weather unpredictability. 

[Long Wheel Base]

I have now discovered this app and I fear I will become insufferable too haha

I love FR24 but boy does it chow data. I have it on at work but it only allows for about 30 min and then stops working unless I refresh the site.

[Long Wheel Base]

I don't think too many people are aware of what happened on Sunday evening, but it was pretty cool. We were having a braai at the in-laws late afternoon, when we saw a plane overhead at quite a low altitude. As most of Gauteng knows, there was a pretty significant storm that brewed that evening, so it was not too strange that it was flying under the clouds.

 

On a hunch I decided to check out what was happening on Flightradar, then saw that this plane has been flying circles all over Pretoria.

 

 

I decided to have a look further and found that everyone trying to get into ORTIA or HLA were stuck in holding patterns.

 

 

 

Went back to the first plane to see where it was in the sky as we heard it again, passed right by the house in Monument Park. Next thing we heard the sound of reverse thrust and thought, wait what? 

 

Turns out this plane had to land at AFB Waterkloof as it didn't have enough fuel to divert to Durban, so special permission was given for it to land.

 

 

 

As you can see they tried to land from the south first, but had to bail out, and then came in from the north.

 

I was insufferable for the rest of dinner.

That's an awesome story!!!

About 15 years ago my toppie was doing some work for Air Mauritius and we went to join him for a holiday. We left MRU to come back home with SAA on the Friday afternoon and he left with Air Mauritius on the Saturday morning. We were somewhere near Madagascar and our B737-800 dropped for a few seconds due to windshear. We all still had our dinner with us and the cabin crew were busy offering hot drinks. Firstly the cabin crew poured all the hot drinks onto the carpet as the procedure calls for it to avoid it spilling on anyone and burning them. Then everyone who still had a colddrink, now had the drink dripping off the ceiling onto them. Then all our dinner plates and food was all over the cabin, it looked like a dump. Then we get close top JNB and the airport is closed due to weather so we go into a holding pattern. Eventually we fly down to Durban as we running out of fuel. Get to Durban LATE and customs is closed(the old airport was not international 24/7). So we have to stay on the plane. Of course there was very little drinks left and no hot drinks. No extra food and no catering truck to bring us anything. There was one couple that had to catch a connecting flight to Durban but weren't allowed to get off. Then the crew tell us they have now run out of time on duty so they can not fly us home. JNB eventually opens up and the first flight down to Durban had a fresh crew with ot that had been called out. They land in Durban and get on board our aircraft. We eventually got back to JNB in the very early hours on Saturday morning. My toppie arrived a few hours later and when we told him we had only just landed he couldn't believe it. I think in total it was about a 12 hour flight.

[Jase619]

Goodness..that's next level holding right there.

 

I'm in this habit of always checking FR24 when our all-too-familiar Highveld thunderstorms approach the ORT / Lanseria airspace, sometimes those flight paths look like a 2year old sketch of a beach holiday .

 

Jokes aside, ORT is apparently one of the most challenging airports in the world because of   altitude, temperature and weather unpredictability. 

 

Here I thought it was the custom staff that made it so challenging

[Patchelicious]

Here I thought it was the custom staff that made it so challenging

The people at passport control at OR are the reason I hate coming home.

[Long Wheel Base]

The people at passport control at OR are the reason I hate coming home.

But they doing you a favour...............

[Dirkitech]

It was fairly late last year, very close to the AAD Expo. I'm guessing around October.

Sorry, I was wrong! I forgot I had photos of the show on my phone and they are dated 19 August 2018, which was the Sunday, so presumably it'll run from 17 to 18 August 2019, give or take perhaps.

[Jase619]

The people at passport control at OR are the reason I hate coming home.

 

Agreed, it makes me want to turn around and go back. Give me the Dubai passport control anytime, at least they pretend you don't exist in a polite manner

[Bateleur1]

Rockwell B1. This thing is mean. I saw one many years ago at the waterkloof airshow, it did a flyby, it is massive and the ground shakes when it goes by. 

B-1B_over_the_pacific_ocean.jpg

 

Best air show I ever attended.  Think it was 1995. Still remember the Sunday morning early when those B1 went back home.  Came over our house but it soundlike the were gonna fly through the window.

 

The Red Arrows were also at that Air show.

[Bateleur1]

I am also a great fan of FR24.  I actually took out the subscription (my wife will kill me if she finds out but 60€ a year is not too bad).

 

Also seen a few occasions where planes were in a holding pattern at Innsbruck and eventually many diverted to Munich.

[Disher]

Must say - (I do love them) but im a bit "Harvarded Out" - Was at Oshkosh last year and there were no less than 4 different shows displaying Harvard's every day - That said, they are very special so I'm sure I will be over it soon.

[sawystertrance]

Imagine a Vulcan low level flyby 

I was at an airshow in London some years ago and they flew the Vulcan. It took off and climbed almost vertically. The ground did shake and the air seemed to sound like it was tearing apart. Absolutely amazing.

[Sidersky]

All time favourite plane!

 

Seeing the one in New York was the highlight of my trip there.

On the Intrepid?

[Skinnyone]

For sure they do! But drones get the Gatwick treatment.

 

Tbobtrap is one of my favourite channels...

[Patchelicious]

On the Intrepid?

That’s the one. Unfortunately we didn’t go on, only looked from the road. Wish it was up close.