We’re finally there. The other guys are already up in the air enjoying rare wind-still conditions. I see three weight shifts going off east. A couple of gyros are getting ready on the tarmac. I pull the Challenger out of the hangar do a thorough pre-flight check and start the 582. 08h00 it’s time to go. Kiss the softness good-by, climb in, set the QNH, set the alternate radio frequency, mark the route on the i-pad and off I go, the 582 roaring healthily down the runway.
Climb to 300ft do a left turn and set course. On my left the water of Langebaan lagoon is like a mirror. Climb to 700ft. I can feel the sun starting to get hot. I should not have worn a jersey. Pass 1000ft. The houses at Churchhaven look like white pearls decorating the lagoon water. 1300ft, it’s getting hotter. I fly past Rondeberg.
By the time I reach 1500ft I can see the wind-turbines of Yzerfontein, my half-way markers. It now really getting hot! Table Mountain appears in the distant haze. The Nav-Pro on the i-pad shows me that I’m right on course. Revs at 6000, temp just below 80°, airspeed 70 mph. Everything seems to be in order. I now settle down and enjoy the scenary:
And the air is clear and the wind is keen
And the clouds are filled with a silvery sheen
It’s the finest sight I have ever seen
For there’s nothing on earth so fair.
For now we’re up in the air my lad
We’re care-free men of the air my lad
And I am the king of the air my lad
Yes I am the king of the air.
I pass over Atlantis and change radio frequency to 124.8MHz. Koeberg power station looms threatening on my right but the azure waters of Table Bay are magnificent and an absolute pleasure behold. I am now boiling hot and the sun is still getting hotter. Thankfully I see the Morningstar hangars in the distance. Time to prepare for the landing. I descend through 1000ft to 700ft. The radio traffic is busy. At 500ft I join the circuit on the east side of the airfield. On downwind I pull the revs back to 4000 and drop the airspeed to 55 mph. Final over the Bluegum trees on runway 020. Level out, cut the throttle back and pull back and touchdown! Not the smoothest landing but at least the Challenger is still in one piece. Taxi to the hangar, radio off, i-pad off, magnetos off. Wave hello to the softness who has come to fetch me. Very happy to see that she has not re-decorated my car on the drive back from Saldanha. Time for a hearty breakfast. Life is good and flying makes it better!
