African Pilot, Aeroclub and us "thugs" (NOT)

[gertcoetzee]

4) Perhaps I got a little carried away reporting on the Aero Club's AGM and now that things have settled down, I will not place anything further about the negative side of the AGM into the December magazine report.

A retraction then in the next issue?

[Bundy]

Thank you for your reply Athol, and indeed...welcome to our forum. I sincerely hope you will engage with us here on a regular basis.

I will accept as you claim that you did not refer to our community as "thugs". Done, let's all move on.

That said, I refer to your comment that we must all get behind the AeCSA and work together. I couldnt agree more Sir. It is highly unfortunate that things have got to a point where quite a few of the subsections have been seriously considering the almost unthinkable option of breaking away from such a well respected and age old institution. Misasa has always stood tall and tried its best to work towards a common goal. A Change of attitude is needed. We are not the renegade Ass that we are portrayed to be.

We remain steadfast in our resolve to work with the AeCSA towards the growth of recreational aviation both within our sector and outside of it....but co operation must come from both sides.

[ZS-NEL]

Welcome Athol. For the record I have never badmouth you or your publication with anyone on this forum or in the aviation industry for that matter. Judging by the amount of e-mails forwarded to me by your own clients, unfortunately you cannot say the same. When are you going to learn that this behavior of yours is doing your business more damage than good. Your "pen is mightier that the sword" attitude might just land you in trouble one day.

African Pilot was not the "only" media present at the African Cup 2012 in Hazyview. Infozone Aviation Web TV was also represented by Adam Barnard for which MISASA (like with Willie Bodenstein) paid for.

Maybe you should consider leaving my name out of correspondence to your clients so that I can just carry on with my "Mickey Mouse" business Infozone TV (as you call it) with which I am earning a living.

[Tumbleweed]

Ek se maar niks.

[Asterix]

ZU NEL - shot boet!

As for the belated reply from A F:



The future of recreational flying here and globally, lies in Microlights and LSA's, as the cost of living / aviation rises and more and more people who want to fly for the sake of flying adapt the lighter form of flying. Start to live with it as a FACT, and stop all the condescending nonsense. I would wager that on any given day there are more Microlighters / LSA pilots in the air than the traditional PPL type. Also, with a block vote next year, properly orchestrated, we could probably hijack the whole Aeroclub, and let YOU sit on the sideline.

As we say in Afrikaans - "moenie op jou eie voorstoep kak nie"

[John Boucher]

Ek gaan vir jou dronk maak ASTERIX

And looking at your footnote... we are then Generally : ANARCHISTs

[Asterix]

Ek gaan vir jou dronk maak ASTERIX

And looking at your footnote... we are then Generally : ANARCHISTs

As long as you don't feed me stroh rum. Or if you do - make sure Thatchman is there - he likes my seconds.

"Anarchy" is often misunderstood. People think that it means violence and a lack of order. What it actually means in its truest form is purely the abolishing of all these instances of bureaucracy that we are faced with every day in all aspects of our lives.

It implies free markets, freedom of association based on mutual interests, very limited taxes - (and these are paid by agreement within a community, AND utilised for the sake of THAT community), a sense of belonging, and most important - NO POLITICIANS, of any form, in any sphere of society. They have to go and look for REAL jobs!

In that sense - I am a BIG anarchist. This includes all this shit paperwork with a multitude of bureaucratic institutions, and politics around aviation. I fly for the personal freedom it affords me - I have enough politics already in the rest of my life - flying takes me away from it.

But - in the meantime, I am willing to use the system against itself.

I propose a timely reminder and drive next year, two months before the AGM. Let us arrive as a block, and nominate and vote into office our own people. Let's pull our own version of democracy on the Aviation Bureacracy, a-la ANC. One man, One vote, and bugger the "old timers"! Lets pull a microlighter version of BEE on them.

(Most of them are probably old " Suzman - PFP supporters" in any event, so they will respect the outcome of the majority vote. Won't you now? )

The "Microlight Spring" is coming. Feel it, it is here....

[dumpy]

Welcome Athol. For the record I have never badmouth you or your publication with anyone on this forum or in the aviation industry for that matter. Judging by the amount of e-mails forwarded to me by your own clients, unfortunately you cannot say the same. When are you going to learn that this behavior of yours is doing your business more damage than good. Your "pen is mightier that the sword" attitude might just land you in trouble one day.

African Pilot was not the "only" media present at the African Cup 2012 in Hazyview. Infozone Aviation Web TV was also represented by Adam Barnard for which MISASA (like with Willie Bodenstein) paid for.

Maybe you should consider leaving my name out of correspondence to your clients so that I can just carry on with my "Mickey Mouse" business Infozone TV (as you call it) with which I am earning a living.

And earning a honest living!!!!!!!!!

[D2O]

Surely you cannot publish:

Although the AGM held at the Harvard Café at Rand Airport went off well, there was unfortunately an element from the Microlight Association that did their level best to disrupt the meeting. Despite this all the motions tabled were passed and a new board elected.

in your newsletter, AND have it on the African Pilot facebook page, and expect an apology on just the Microlighters forum to be sufficient, while still keeping the wording on your Facebook page without apology?

You have managed to paint all Microlighters with a brush of being "disruptive" and frankly, the tone implies that we are not important to the meeting and just being a nuisance!
I am a paying member of Aero Club, and have every right to be there and voice my concerns over a distinct lack of service delivery thank you very much!

Frankly I expected better conduct than that from an editor of a major aviation magazine! Whatever happened to journalistic ethics and a balanced viewpoint without bias?
Don't you see it reflects directly on your magazine?
Those kinds of words divide the aviation community, not unite us and we can ill afford that in this country

[witwillem]

Ek was ongelukkig nie by die aeroclub se meeting nie ,ongelukkig Moët ons boertjies plant en oes om die Volk te voed. Yes mr orifice Fran's when you sit down and smother your face with food think again , I understand it is in your nature to belittle the farming community , and that at a public meeting , sis , sis for you and all who bear your name . We farmers have a saying , if you have to tell all who you are and what you do / fly you are nothing , , you must come to the vlakte where we will endevour to teach you manners and culture, sis for you once again , in future I will not ever touch your magazine again , May you think about your deeds , it taker years to build a reputation , and only seconds to lose it , Jong ek word nou sommer van voor af nukkerig vir die vent ( wit willem

[Blue Max]

Kan iemand vir ons asb n diagram teken van die gesags-struktuur van die Aviation afdeling waarin ons as Micrlolighters sorteer.
Dit sal hierdie debakel vir my makliker maak om te verstaan.!!
Want ek is nou so deurmekaar soos kots in n teumeldroeer met al die afkortings wat gebruik word.
Begin bo met Zuma en eindig onder by my as ML pilot.!!
ASB..en dankie.

[Jean Crous]

Laat my dink aan n se-ding.........Duidelik sy bek se clutch laat uitkom VOOR sy brein in gear was

[ZS-NEL]

Kan iemand vir ons asb n diagram teken van die gesags-struktuur van die Aviation afdeling waarin ons as Micrlolighters sorteer.
Dit sal hierdie debakel vir my makliker maak om te verstaan.!!
Want ek is nou so deurmekaar soos kots in n teumeldroeer met al die afkortings wat gebruik word.
Begin bo met Zuma en eindig onder by my as ML pilot.!!
ASB..en dankie.

Oom Paul kom ek probeer vir jou mooi verduidelik.
Bo aan die lys is Athol Franz, dan kom Aeroclub want hulle sorg dat Mnr Franz moet eet. Dis dan ook die rede dat hy so gou hulle kant vat sonder om na AL die probleme te wil luister. Wat hy egter nie in ag neem nie is dat as dit nie vir ons bydraes was nie gaan hy minder lekker kan eet. Dan copy en paste hy sonder om mooi te dink oor die saak. Hy maak dan K@kerige grappe oor die boere en hoe meer hy probeer hoe meer val die pap op die grond. Dan maak hy verskoning op die forum en noem ons "sy microlight vriende" en hy voel vir ons en is eintlik baie lief vir ons en dra net ons belang op die hart. As mense hom e-mail en vrae om te verduidelik raak hy enige ander poef kwyt wat glad nie relevant is nie en beledig eintlik ander mense wat heel niks met die saak te doen het nie. As hierdie groot kampvegter vir Microlights en gesienne man in die lugvaart kringe dan NOU eers na AL die jare van die bestaan van hierdie forum registreer, laat dit enige regdenkende mens wonder of dit nie net dalk 'n rookskerm is omdat hy sien die microlighters is vies vir hom nie en dat hy dalk NOG minder gaan moet eet nie.

Nog makliker as 'n prentjie kyk net na die opskrif : African Pilot - AeroClub - en dan eers ons

Ag Oom Paul in baie kort: Dit is soos om te wil land en dan te vergeet om uit te rond. Of om by JAG te land en as jy op die grond is kom jy agter JAG het geskuif.

Ek is so jammer om van jou oeps te hoor maar bitter bly jy is OK. Mag daai Dondervoël gou weer vlieg.

[Bundy]

As you can see Athol, the world of public opinion is a sensitive one.

The Microlight community is one of the friendliest and open minded flying sections around. You can see how insensed we are at being constantly treated as sub standard pilots. It is not nice to be ignored and treated like an outcast when we ourselves welcome our fellow airmen and women from other disciplines with open arms. I can assure you we are not (sub standard), and the passion for flying is close to our hearts (where it should be).

If the GA world spend half as much time trying to bring the sections together, as they do trying to further their own agenda's we would have a much healthier situation. Journalists like yourselves (and I include your "rival" here) have a great responsibility to give fair and balanced comment which includes consultation before mouthing off. Can you honestly look me straight in the eye and say you fall into that category?

I'm done with this subject now...have a flight to plan for on Sat Much more fun...

[Tumbleweed]

All that needs to happen now is for the impartial editor to interview head of the sections and then challenge the Aeroclub on specific issues in order to present a balanced viewpoint.

With the vote 21 against 22, he might see that his old boys drinking club is on thin ice and some of them might have to get off their arse and function.