SA Flyer — Edition 263 — September 2017

38 SA Flyer Magazine

This month’s amendments to the

South African register show a

steady growth in aircraft imports.

A

total of 14 aircraft,

including three

helicopters, were added to

the Type Certified Aircraft

(TCA) register in July. The

arrival of three Pilatus PC-

12s onto the register in one month has got

to be a record. All three are used aircraft:

two from Namibia and one from Botswana.

One of Global Aviation’s Airbus A320s

has returned from lease to Cote d’Ivoire.

There is a new Jonker Sailplane and two

new Cessna 208B Caravans.

Solenta Aviation has received another

ATR72 and Airlink has taken delivery of

the second of ten Embraer 190s. Airlink

introduced the E190 on the Johannesburg

to Pietermaritzburg route in late July. There

is also another Beech 1900D for Cemair.

I mentioned last month that there was a

BK117 added for the SA Police but I didn’t

know where it had come from. I have since

found out that the aircraft was previously

registered in Kenya.

In terms of Non-Type Certified Aircraft

(NTCA), another eight aircraft have been

added, including a Tecnam P2002 that has

returned from the US registry. The CAA’s

insistence on using people’s names as a

type of amateur-built aircraft is unhelpful

when trying to ascertain what type of

aircraft it is. For example, a GZ160 built by

G E K Zidek has been added this month. It

is a rebuild of a crashed Robin HR 100, now

with a 160 hp engine. This delightful little

French aircraft is based in the Cape.

Two RVs and another Bat Hawk have

been added. Of note is that a second

AHRLAC – the ADM, or advanced

demonstrator – has joined the register. The

ADM will be used for testing armaments

and mission systems. See the Defence

column by Darren Olivier for more

information on this remarkable aircraft.

Other NTCA additions include another

rebuilt Stinson, and a good looking Sonex

Waivex. This little beauty is powered by

either an Aero Vee 80 hp engine, which

will give it a cruise speed of 150 mph, or a

Jabiru 120 hp engine which increases the

cruise speed to 170 mph.

As is the case each month, the drone

(RPAS) side of the register just continues to

grow, with another 40 added this month.

Quite a few TCAs have left the

register as exports this month, including

our president’s favourite aircraft, the VIP

Boeing 727, which has been sold in the

USA. Who knows what he’ll use now if he

continues to refuse to use the BBJ 737, ZS-

RSA. I wonder why the Air Force doesn't

sell this aircraft if it isn’t being used – that

would make more sense than having the

aircraft standing around doing nothing.

Fastjet’s EMB 145LR, ZS-BBH, has been

exported to Zimbabwe.

Two helicopters have been exported,

one to Guernsey and one to Australia, and

a venerable old Twin Comanche, ZS-JCJ,

has been scrapped – a great pity.

The NTCA and RPAS sections of the

register have both lost one aircraft this

month, with a Jabiru being exported to

Botswana and a DJI being withdrawn from

use.

TAIL PIECE

This month we celebrate the 70th

birthday of the last DC4 built, ZS-BMH, and

yet she is still very much alive and flying out

of Rand Airport. Happy birthday young lady.

JULY 2017

Register Review

Ray Watts

Tecnam P2002, ZU-ECK, has returned to the

SA register from the USA registry.

Fastjet's EMB 145LR, ZS-BBH, now exported

to Zimbabwe for the same company.

Ray Watts

Ray Watts

Ray Watts

Timothy Connor-Brand

j

Airlink has taken delivery of its second E190.

This is ZS-YAA, Airlink's first E190.

King Air 1900D, ZS-PJF, now returned to SA as ZS-CMN.