Despite crabbing quite a bit, the flight to Wartburg was completely uneventful, and low, thick inversions gave the mountainous view a dream-like quality, but it made "following the leader" a bit trickier. At least everyone made it in the end.
Wartburger Hoff's owners expected us last week, he was rather surprised to get a call that 24 hungry pilots and pax are waiting at the nearby airfield. They still fetched us with a smile, and the hospitality they showed us made for a very social, fairly loud bunch of pilots on the Western veranda. John Young decided to look after our aircraft at the quiet and deserted strip, and was rewarded with a slice of dry toast, but then again, John is at his happiest when he's serving, and especially taking care of others.
Thanks to John Young, all our aircraft were safe back at the airfield, and we left into smooth, thick midmorning air with full tummies and post-social glows
As always, flying over the escarpment is an awe-inspiring fealing. Leaving grean sugarcane and pine-plantations behind, the landscape drops away into breath-taking rugged kranses and valeys
Kim firmly at the controls:
Surprisingly, the flight back at 10:30 was quite calm. That was until Dave Schaller, leading the pack, had the presence of mind to tell us all: "Look at the chop on Hazelmere Dam, the southerly is really pumping!". For all the low-hour pilots this was not the most encouraging words, and most had white knuckles until well after landing.
Kim was my pilot for the day, and it was great to sit in the back enjoying the scenery for a change, and great to have an old pilot back in the cockpit (or maybe box office...).
We were about halfway between Hazelmere and La Mercy when Razz, flying a borrowed Aquilla, came on the radio "Man!, did you guys see my f%*&^ing landing". On 124.2. David immediately came on and asked if Razz is OK, knowing its kinda trashy at La Mercy. 11:00, rotors over the hill, gusty Southerly. Razz comes back "Dawie, that was skygod stuff!" Only Razz.
A short while later Lucy became pilot of the day when her radio call was "I am in the bush, but I'm ABSOLUTELY fine!" The conditions were really cra@p , and Lucy was the lowest hour pilot on the flight, but she managed to put it down reasonably safely in the bush next to the runway. Well done for keeping her head and not putting full power when she started to leave the runway. After some help from all the boys who came running (being a girl has many advantages...), she freed the undercarriage from the guava trees and taxied back at a leisurely pace.
Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Wartburg breakfast. Great to see Jan v. Vuuren, John Young, Brad Isaacson and pax, Frans Otten and pax, Noel McDonnough and Anton Engelbrecht from Cato Ridge. From La Mercy we had Dave Schaller and pax, David Daniel, Lance Waberski, Mark Hudson, Lucy Erasmus, Razz Erasmus and son, Kim Tragear, Brett Hill, Raanan Tidhar, Anette Kruger, Wayne Smith and pax, Phillip Pretorius.
I am pleased to announce that for a change female pilots outnumbered fixed wing microlights. We were 3 female pilots, and of the 13 microlights, only one was a fixed wing.
Thanks to Dave Herridge from Ballito for flyin' over as well. Next time, buy a plane that can land on these strips
Talk Later,
David and Anette
La Mercy Flight Park
Tel: 084-COME-FLY
