Fuel Prices & Aircraft Rates
As you are all aware, fuel prices have been increasing at an alarming rate lately. The Cape Town Flying Club has tried to soak up this worldwide problem but sadly we have no choice but to increase aircraft rates again. The price of aircraft fuel has risen by more than R4 per litre since the beginning of 2008 alone! We shall always endeavour to offer good value to our members and the new increases are the minimum required to offset our high fuel bills. We trust you understand that we have little choice in this matter.
New Aircraft Rates Effective Immediately
- Normal Members Rates
- Piper Tomahawk: R810 per hour
- Cessna 150: R910 per hour
- Piper Warrior: R1060 per hour
- Cessna 172: R1060 per hour
- Cessna 172RG: R1290 per hour
- Temporary Members Rates
- Piper Tomahawk: R1000 per hour
- Cessna 150: R1090 per hour
- Piper Warrior: R1270 per hour
- Cessna 172: R1270 per hour
- Cessna 172RG: R1490 per hour
State of the Fleet
KKU and PMY are still out of action but the other aircraft are all flying. JDN is in for a brief MPI but should be back on Thursday.
From the Front Desk
Fuel
When BP has finished re-fueling aircraft from Bowser pilots must insist on receiving the yellow fuel slip which must be handed in at reception.
Flight Folios
As per the notams on the booking system re flight folio’s fines will be implemented if not correctly completed. Despite this it is still not being done correctly.
This means that all information MUST be completed on the flight folio including if you turn to a new page to carry over the details to the top of the page.
Fly-away to Charles' Farm
Join us on the 15th of June at Charles Dickinson's farm near Wellington. The strip is located between Wellington and Voelvlei dam. Be sure to book an aircraft and contact Charles on 082 586 5075 if you wish to organize accomodation for the evening.
Runway information:
12/30 730m grass
S33 31 44 E19 02 24
Rally Report-Back
The weather played its normal tricks on the CTFC rally, alternating between VMC/IMC and just plain horrible. Luckily the weather gods relented by 12 O'clock, which meant that all the pilots and navigators hard to start frantically working out their plan of action.
13 teams took part, and all the club aircraft flew (except for AAX - due to her slightly slow speed....).
Most teams managed to find all the turning points, although the marshalls were suprised by the direction some of the aircraft were flying. Apparently magnetic variation plays a huge part in navigation...
The spot landings were a great success, with both Pierre Myburgh (IDL) and Justin Visser (JDN) managed to land on the correct zone. A slightly more disciplined circuit meant that Pierre won the spot landing contest.
Overall, Pierre also managed to win the rally hands down (even though he was in IDL, the slowest a/c in our fleet - proving that accuracy is more important than speed.
A huge thank you must go to Jaco and Tony for organising and running the rally, with Tony setting up a sophisticated base centre updated continuously by the marshalls, scattered around the FAR45 and D200.
Another thanks must go to the marhsalls, who stood in the middle of nowhere waiting for each aircraft to come do a fly past.
The rally is definitly going to be a regular feature on the club's calender.
We are also looking at creating a "default" rally that will be kept at the front desk for anyone who wants to practice rally flying, as an alternative to burning holes in the sky.
For those who missed Tony's rally briefing, it can be found
 The Student Pilot
Contributed by Steve Davies
Steve Davies is busy with his PPL at CTFC with Tony Russel. After every lesson, he writes his impressions and thoughts on the flight. Although initially just for his facebook profile, they make excellent and highly entertaining reading. Every week we will present one of Steve's "Facebook notes"
Solo Circuits at Cape Town
This was to be the last flight of my solo consolidation - I had 0.7 more hours of solo to get to get up to the required 3 hours, and Tony wanted me to do those 0.7 hours at Cape Town for the “controller” experience.
As usual with these solo jaunts, the format was to do some dual with Tony - and assuming my flying was up to an acceptable standard I’d get the green flag to head off on my own.
Our aircraft was ZS-KKC - lately I’ve been mainly flying her. Why? Probably unconscious superstition mixed with wanting to keep my solo time on aircraft that I’m used to. (Each Tomahawk is a little bit different from the others in the way it flies - or it seems that way).
I’d booked a three hour slot and the idea was to get an hour or so of dual circuits and then for me to go get my 0.7. KKC had slightly less than half tanks - we decided to decide before my solo time as to whether we needed to fill up or not.
Our dual circuits went fine. On the last one Tony asked what I’d do if the controller asked if I was able to fly a short approach. I guess he expected me to say that I was “unable”, but instead I said “I’d be up for that”. So, unsurprisingly Tony asked me to request a practice short approach. That’s agreed and the procedure is to do your base leg basically aiming straight for the runway threshold. No-messing descent rate (think I remember 1500ft/min or so). Too fast for the flaps - so leave them for now. As you turn onto final you’ve got to lose the speed. So raise the nose and patience as it comes off. Once below the flat-limiting speed then all the flaps. Flare and wait (patiently!) for the aircraft to slow and touch down.
We taxi back to the Safair hangars. Now: the controllers at Cape Town do differ, and Tony has briefed me that I might get one of the more awkward ones (should I name the name?). For instance: he clears you on a right hand circuit for the first one or two, then for a plain “circuit” - you are supposed to know that that is a left-hand one. Go right and get a chewing out for the error.
Anyway - Tony hops out to dip the tanks and see if there is enough. But the right tank is empty. So off we go to BP to get some more. I’ll be flying alone, so we get the tanks filled. And Tony walks off back to the club and leaves me to get on with it.
Having done my run-up, checks etc, I call as “Student KKC, at Safair, one on board, ...”. I’m cleared to the hold on Hotel and off I go. As usual, as I get onto Hotel taxi-way I’m cleared through to the hold on Echo. When I get there, its “Student KKC on Echo ready”, and I’m told to wait. There’s commercial traffic up at the threshold. “He’ll send me on my way after them”, I think. But I wait and wait. A departure, an arrival, another.... Start to wonder if I’ve been forgotten since there was certainly space to get me on my way in between the other traffic.
Eventually - after maybe 20 minutes - I crack and call ready again. “Student KKC - I haven’t forgotten you”. Doesn’t sound happy with me. Still - after a few more minutes I’m cleared for takeoff. After take-off I’m to turn right and go west. So I read it back, get off the ground and do what I’m told. It passes through my mind that Tony has just signed me off for solo circuits and not for being sent off into the distance by a grumpy controller. But he calls me again and tells me to turn north. I’m definitely being patronised; I’m no expert, but I do know how to fly a circuit without step-by-step instructions.
As I get abeam the 19 threshold he calls me again and puts me in a left hand orbit - “expect to hold for one zero minutes”. Oh boy. I try my luck and read it back as “one minute”, but he just corrects me. So that’ll be about 40 minutes elapsed to get half way round my first circuit.
Still - I make the best of it and concentrate on flying nice standard 2 minute orbits and keeping my position whilst allowing for the wind. Nice view of the airport too. I also remember that one of the points of this solo is to learn to follow controller instructions.
Eventually I’m instructed to follow a 737 down and I get my first touch and go. In that amount of time I could have done 6 or 7 at Fisantekraal.
As I’m climbing out I notice that he hasn’t specifically said my next circuit must be right-handed. I remember the warning from Tony and call and ask. “Standard left-hand circuit” is the reply. So I avoid that trap... (I must say this all feels rather childish and unprofessional. But it takes all kinds to make a world, and I guess us student-pilots are fair game to liven up a shift).
I don’t remember if more holding was required - probably was - but I do get in a second touch and go and this time I’m sent to the right. And (you guessed it) instructed to hold abeam the runway threshold...
By now I’m already well passed my needed 0.7 hours. But I’ve only got two circuits to show for my time. I want to do at least a couple more, but I can’t afford to do more lengthy orbits. But how to phrase the request? Can’t really call and say “listen - if you are going to mess me around with more endless orbits then this will be a full-stop, otherwise a touch-and-go”. I think I say something like “Can you accomodate me with another couple of touch and go’s in the next 10 minutes?”. The response is a “no problem” from a new voice - Fanie. He is always very accommodating and slick with the way he slots everyone in. A big difference.
So with Fanie’s help I get another touch and go done. I’ve now got well over an hour on the hobbs so my next I call as a full stop. I don’t really want to stop, but time is up and so I bring the aircraft down at the echo intersection, get an immediate “turn right charlie, then hotel to the hangars”.
1.2 hours on the hobbs for 4 circuits. But on the positive the other objective was to practice flying solo in controlled airspace. And I did get plenty of practice following those instructions.
So - I’ve now got 3.5 hours of solo time. You need 15 hours for a PPL, the rest comes with the exercises to follow as well as solo cross-country.
I’m also conscious that I need to get through to book-work. So far I wrote and passed the air-law exam. I’ve done (most of) the Met course and need to revise and write that. At the end of August I’m going to do the navigation course.
I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling the pressure of the economic slowdown - so I’m going to have to reduce my flying a but All the more important to make sure I get the most possible value out of each flight with thorough preparation!
Next time I’ll write all about my first real flying adventure - my trip with Tony in ZS-IXX from Wonderboom in Pretoria to Cape Town.
Aviation News
Securing 2010 from the skies
Submitted by Linda Hodgkinson
 An unknown plane is flying in the direction of Green Point Stadium. It has gone off its flight path and is not responding to the control tower. The semi-final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is under way at the stadium, which is packed with spectators and important dignitaries. It’s a potential security nightmare.
But it could happen - which is why the South African Police Service, the South African National Defence Force and other government agencies such as the Civil Aviation Authority and Air Traffic and Navigation Services are already planning for every possible security scenario over the month-long tournament, and other major events, such as the Confederation Cup just over a year away.
Part of this planning culminated in Operation Green Point – a joint exercise held between 13 and 19 March 2008 between these organisations, during which various scenarios were simulated and members of the security forces enacted parts of their emergency contingency plans.
The exercise was designed to sharpen the skills of the security forces in working together to neutralise any form of aerial threat, given the security importance of the airspace above the Green Point stadium during the FIFA World Cup. It also proved to be a major training opportunity.
An area of 50 nautical miles (just under 100km) around Cape Town International Airport was identified, and during the exercise, any perceived threat in the air (apart from normal aviation traffic) was identified, intercepted, and interrogated if necessary.
 “We proclaimed a temporary restricted airspace, and then managed that airspace. The more we can do now and interact now, the better it will be in 2010,” said Brigadier General Anton Kriegler. “It’s a learning curve for all of us, and we need to train a lot of people.”
The exercise was designed to test how the safety procedures work, by flying combat air patrols. Two teams participated, with the one team having no contact with the other, and therefore no idea of what the other was doing.
“We played all the different scenarios – from Greenpeace activists to hijackers to terrorists, to fully run through each of these.”
The highlight of the exercise was the simulated hijacking of a plane and hostage-taking of its passengers, and its intrusion into restricted air space. Air Force Cheetah pilots intercepted the aircraft and forced it to land at Ysterplaat Air Force Base, where it was escorted to a safe holding area and SAPS hostage negotiators persuaded the “hijackers” to surrender to the Special Task Force.
On the weekend of 15 to 16 March, Operation Green Point included vetting flight plans. A total of 651 flights were vetted, of which 247 were normal scheduled flights. Kriegler noted that Sunday is the most popular day for recreational and sport flying.
A smaller exercise was carried out in Polokwane last year, and there will be more exercises in Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein in July and Nelspruit in November. The Gauteng exercise will depend on the 2009 election date.
“We are doing this so we can be professional and safe, and have a secure area around Green Point Stadium in 2010,” Kriegler concluded.
Despite some complaints of noise, police spokesperson Director Sally de Beer thanked members of the public for their support and co-operation – including reporting suspicious aircraft movement during the exercise.
“Operation Green Point is an essential exercise to allow our security forces to merge their expertise to ensure that each and every South African can be proud of their country and their security forces during any major event, but particularly during the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” she said.
View video here.
Aviation Fun
How Airlines are dealing with rising Fuel Costs
Submitted by John Nicholas
Attendant: Welcome aboard Ala Carte Air, sir. May I see your ticket?
Passenger: Sure.
Attendant: You're in seat 12B. That will be $5, please!
Passenger: What for?
Attendant: For telling you where to sit.
Passenger: But I already knew where to sit.
Attendant: Nevertheless, we are now charging a seat locator fee of $5. It's the airline's new policy.
Passenger: That's the craziest thing I ever heard. I won't pay it.
Attendant: Sir, do you want a seat on this flight, or not?
Passenger: Yes, yes. All right, I'll pay. But the airline is going to hear about this.
Attendant: Thank you. My goodness, your carry-on bag looks heavy. Would you like me to stow it in the overhead compartment for you?
Passenger: That would be swell, thanks.
Attendant: No problem. Up we go, and done! That will be $10, please.
Passenger: What?
Attendant: The airline now charges a $10 carry-on assistance fee.
Passenger: This is extortion. I won't stand for it.
Attendant: Actually, you're right, you can't stand. You need to sit, and fasten your seat belt. We're about to push back from the gate. But, first I need that $10.
Passenger: No way!
Attendant: Sir, if you don't comply, I will be forced to call the air marshal. And you really don't want me to do that.
Passenger: Why not? Is he going to shoot me?
Attendant: No, but there's a $50 air-marshal hailing fee.
Passenger: Oh, all right, here, take the $10. I can't believe this.
Attendant: Thank you for your cooperation, sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?
Passenger: Yes. It's stuffy in here, and my overhead fan doesn't seem to work. Can you fix it?
Attendant: Your overhead fan is not broken, sir. Just insert two quarters into the overhead coin slot for the first five minutes.
Passenger: The airline is charging me for cabin air?
Attendant: Of course not, sir. Stagnant cabin air is provided free of charge. It's the circulating air that costs 50 cents.
Passenger: I don't have any quarters. Can you make change for a dollar?
Attendant: Certainly, sir! Here you go!
Passenger: But you've given me only three quarters for my dollar.
Attendant: Yes, there's a change making fee of 25 cents.
Passenger: For cryin' out loud. All I have left is a lousy quarter? What the heck can I do with this?
Attendant: Hang onto it. You'll need it later for the lavatory.
Aviation Rules
- Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.
- If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get smaller. That is, unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back, then they get bigger again.
- Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous.
- It's always better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here.
- The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.
- The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.
- When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No one has ever collided with the sky.
- A 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away. A 'great' landing is one after which they can use the plane again.
- Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.
- You know you've landed with the wheels up if it takes full power to taxi to the ramp.
- The probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of arrival. Large angle of arrival, small probability of survival and vice versa.
- Never let an aircraft take you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.
- Stay out of clouds. The silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another airplane going in the opposite direction. Reliable sources also report that mountains have been known to hide out in clouds.
- Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal to the number of take offs you've made.
- There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately no one knows what they are.
- You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.
- Helicopters can't fly; they're just so ugly the earth repels them.
- If all you can see out of the window is ground that's going round and round and all you can hear is commotion coming from the passenger compartment, things are not at all as they should be.
- In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminum going hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.
- Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgment.
- Keep looking around. There's always something you've missed.
- Remember, gravity is not just a good idea. It's the law. And it's not subject to repeal. 24. The three most useless things to a pilot are the altitude above you, runway behind you, and a tenth of a second ago.
Videos
 Actors pose as drunk pilots at airport
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hL6nXfBhj0
Submitted by John Nicholas
Now that South African Aiways no longer operates the magnificent Boeing 747, here are two cockpit clips to remind us of the "Queen of the Skies" in SAA colours.
 South African Airways 747-400 from FACT to EGLL Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L44EjnoTRgw
Submitted by John Nicholas
 South African Airways 747-400 from FACT to EGLL Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz_wD0GDtfM
Submitted by John Nicholas
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