Microlighters

Just thought this might be a lekka toppic and when you post a pic please put in the year and you regiment as well as the location.

The monkey was my pet and could here an a/c 10 minutes out when she started acting funny I knew I had to in the tower.
Her name was Chooks but think twice before you get a pet like that.

The first pix I am posting was my control tower at Ondanwa 1976 and the harvards were taken at Dunnottar in 1977, me in one of the rear seats and a very old film camera.

I look forward to all the stories and pix.

The pic was taken on a Saturday afternoon having a couple of cold ones at 140 Sqn Mobile Radar Group stationed at AFB Ondangwa in 1980

1981- 83, 5 Sai Ladysmith -mostly Eenhana (43 Bat??) Buffel driver allocated to platoon patrols and ops in Angola. Also 'padvee' and fuelling up the Alo gunships during contacts.

Nothing much aviation, other than;

Running for cover whenever we heard a Bosbok overhead who bust us not chasing 'ters' but our usual braai, cricket/ kleilaat or keniekie sports in our shorts far from our weapons'

Getting vrotdronk and enduring the flossie trips green under the gills,

After 4 months, hanging around Ondongwa for 3 days over Christmas watching the PF tannies take our flight to go do Chrismas shopping in Pretoria.

Too many stories, would like to go to some of the places again with the same mates but under my terms.

'86-'87 Sector 50 stationed in Gobabis - worked for intelligence core - gathering. Worked in civvies most of the time except for the odd week or 2 patrol doing 'com-ops'. They were not big on us taking pics.

Cobra can you remember the name of the guy sitting in the front with the Marconi 1975 on the T Shirt.

Me thinks it Lappies.

Just as a matter of interest I was one of many who moved that base from Grooties to Ondangs.
Slept under a truck the first night and woke up soaked in diesel as there was a leak in some fule line, bliksem that was kak, new everything was taken from the stores.
I presume it was also called "Dayton"

The Agent wrote:Cobra can you remember the name of the guy sitting in the front with the Marconi 1975 on the T Shirt.

Me thinks it Lappies.

That is the "man" crazy fellow , he was the OC at the time. I did 4 tours at Ondangwa 1 working at 140 (Dayton) and 3 as an ATC

Cobra sounds like you were also PF.
I did the 1 tour when we moved the radar base to Ondangs and the second one as ATC.
Gee if you have some shots of both of these tours please share.

Lappies was as you said a crazy man but cool in my books, he threatenend the kitchen staff one morning with a handgrenade cause the food was kak, never did we get old food again.

Those were the days!
I applaud you all. I was also involved (1977-1978) but don't have any pictures to share. Camera's simply were not allowed. Klaar. Electronic Warfare at the time was a ridiculous concept but alive and well.
Ons het julle almal afgeluister!

Wow, does that white sand bring back memories!! My eyes still suffer!

5 SAI Ladysmith from July 1979 to Dec 1979.
Oshakati (Sector 10) Intelligence from Dec 1979 to Mar 1981.
DHQ pretoria from April 1981 to Jun 1981.

Spent lots of time all over Owamboland and specifically Ondangs. You guys must know some of my mates and family from Air Force.
Melt van Sittert (Avionics)
John Barnard (Chopper pilot)
Rik Dooley (Chopper pilot)

Good times. I would also like to go back and visit with mates under different circumstances....

Sorry, no pics.

New postby JetRanger on Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:21 pm
Those were the days!




Not on the border, but 1977 t0 1980 Rhodesian bush war, most of the time in the Zambezie valley ( Op. Hurricane )

Rhodie

I was on the border in 1979 1980 and then there was the camps every year.Our basis was Oematia in the ondangwa aria and i was a ratel driver and attended ops smokeshell and a few others. That white sand and the tents with sanbags around still is verry fresh in my mind.I could remeber one of the ops there was to little armer carriers so they had to take out the saets of the samils and fill sandbags and pack them in the vechiles witch gave a verry hard ridecause the shocks on the cab was flat with all the waight.

Hi Graham, two things- Judging by the clean white (Naas Botha) style shorts you wearing you were obviously the chap overseeing the move of the base? Secondly- was the monkey used in the early warning role as our good old Gook friends use to use them? Not to clued up as to what the SAAFs abilties were in YOUR prime days!! Only pulling your leg my old buddy. Me was in Cops checking Pass books but i really enjoy the blasts from the past- Keep them coming!!

1982 -1983 Vleisbom and based in Angola. First at the airport in Ongiva and later at Sangongo (Xhangongo) next to the Kuneni river. Lost some good friends who were shot down in a chopper. Second last chopper in a formo of 11 Pumas if I remember correct. Will have to look for some pics.

Pretoria Highlanders. Armoured car regiment at the time. (Noddy karretjies)
Border: From March till June '76.
Arrived back home just after the Soweto uprise.
When in Ondangwa, we had to patrol the airfield perimeter when the Flossies came in.
In the beginning of March, this year, we had a reunion. It was nice/shocking to see the guys again, after 33 years.

O man, what memories.... 87-88 Based at 101 workshops Grootfontein (Auto electrisain). Ops Hooper and Pekker in Angola and the fight for Loingie and Cuito Cuanavale was on. When we arrived at Grootfontein we had to sleep in the workshops next to the vihicle you were working on......Working shifts 8 hour's on 4 hours off seven days a week. After that Withings/ Mack driver for vhicle park based at Grootfontein, loding vihicles back to the states that was BER.....