Tag Archives: Cape Town

Two Turkish Airforce Airbus A400Ms Land at Cape Town International Airport

UPDATE: The Turkish Airforce made four appearances delivering medical supplies to Cape Town International in a matter of days!

A pair of Turkish Airforce Airbus A400M landed this afternoon at Cape Town International Airport South Africa.This isn’t the first time a Airbus A400M has landed in the Mother city, previous years have seen both Royal Airforce A400Ms as well as the German Airforce.

Airbus A400M Atlas

The A400Ms of the Turkish Air Force (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri) arrived at Cape Town International Airport this afternoon 30 April 2020 bringing in donated medical supplies for the war against Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa.

Final Approach into Cape Town International Airport

“This is a gesture of the Turkish government to South Africa. The consignment has been prepared upon the instruction of the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” Turkish Ambassador Elif Comoglu Ulgen had said.

She said the consignment comprises medical equipment and personal protection gear including surgical masks, medical-grade N95 masks, and protective suits ect.

Airbus Military A400M Atlas

The Airbus A400M Atlas is a European four-engine military turboprop cargo aircraft . It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space ) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities to replace older transport aircraft, such as the Transall C-160 and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

Swiss Air Ambulance Challager 650 Lands at Cape Town International Airport

A lone Swiss Air Ambulance Challager 650 landed at Cape Town International Airport yesterday. The reason is not yet known but some sources indicating a possible medical evacuation of a Swiss National with possible COVID-19 symptoms!

Swiss Air-Rescue is a private, non-profit air rescue service that provides emergency medical assistance in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Rega was established on 27 April 1952 by Dr Rudolf Bucher, who believed the Swiss rescue organization needed a specialized air sub-secti.

The Challenger 650 is the updated version of the Challenger 605. The Challenger 650 features 2 additional executive seats to accommodate up to 12 passengers, upgraded engines offering a higher thrust rate to reduce takeoff field length, and larger appliances in the galley to assist with faster meal preparation.

Hundreds of Swiss travellers remain blocked abroad due to Covid-19 restrictions and cancelled flights. Travel operators and the foreign ministry are working to find ways to get them home. 

“We still have several hundred clients abroad who want to get back to Switzerland. We’re doing our best to find flights for them,” Bianca Gähweiler of Hotelplan Suisse told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Wednesday. 

The travel agent is scrambling to find solutions for clients in locations such as Morocco, South Africa, and Ukraine, where travel bans are in place for people from Switzerland. 

The foreign ministry, meanwhile, has called on Swiss travelling abroad to try to return as soon as possible due to the pandemic, but has reiterated that the costs of flights and other expenses must be borne by individuals. There is no legal basis for an organised repatriation. 

22 Squadron to the Rescue-Toitskloof Western cape

Big wall rescue for Base Jumper this past weekend in the Cape. Rescue 37 of 2020 for the Western Cape teams.

Picture by Brett Jennings/MCSA

A foreigner was critically injured after striking a cliff while BASE jumping in Du Toitskloof near Cape Town.

Picture-MCSA

A small WSAR team of 3 (2 medics and a climber) were deployed with the AMS (Western Cape Government Department of Heath) helicopter just before dark on the 14th. They abseiled 170m to the patient, where a Metro ALS Paramedic stabilised the patient overnight on the cliff face.

Picture by MCSA

At first light on the 15th 21 members of MCSA Mountain Rescue team assembled as part of a greater WSAR team.

A South African Air Force (SAAF) Oryx helicopter from 22 Squadron Airforce Base Ysterplaat inserted a MCSA Technical Rescue Climbing team, who assisted in retrieving the patient, the gear as well as the rest of the team on the cliff face.

After extraction the patient was treated at the landing Zone by doctors and paramedics then flown by AMS Air Ambulance Agusta A119 to Cape Town for further urgent treatment.

On behalf of the MCSA and patient we would like to extend our gratitude to the South African Airforce!

22 Squadron Oryx Helicopter

We wish the patient a speedy recovery.Thank you to the MCSA for the upbove detailed wording on the weekends rescue operation!

Virgin Atlantic -to start daily flight service to Cape Town in October 2020

Winter sunseekers can head down to South Africa on our new daily service flying from London Heathrow on a 787-9 aircraft.

The new service launches on 25th October and will complement our existing daily A350 service between London Heathrow and Johannesburg. The VS478 will operate as a night flight departing Heathrow at 16:20 arriving into Cape Town at 05:55 whereas the inbound, the VS479, will depart at 08:00 landing later that day at 18:00. Return Economy fares start from £713 per person.

“2020 is an extremely exciting year of continued growth for Virgin Atlantic,” said our chief commercial officer Juha Jarvinen.

“We’re delighted to be flying to Cape Town again, and we’re expecting a high proportion of leisure travellers on this route, taking advantage of the winter sun, the safaris and of course, the world-famous wine region.”

You can book your place on our service from 18th February 2020, which gives you plenty of time to start planning your next trip.

If you need some inspiration, we’ve rounded up our favourite reasons to visit the Mother City, from the world renowned wine farms of the Constantia region to the challenge of hiking up Table Mountain. We’re already counting down the days.

Cape Town, South Africa

We look forward to seeing one of Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787s and Airbus A350 airliners touching down at Cape Town International Airport in October!

United Airlines-Touches down in Cape Town for the first time!

The 16th of December for us as South Africans is the Day of Reconciliation. The day where differences are set aside and we all look towards building a better future together.

Today being the 16th of December 2019, a special event that is proof of this building together and looking to the future, took place at Cape Town International Airport. United Airlines landed for the first time in Cape Town, South Africa. This was indeed a special event as it indicates the tourism market is alive and in fact growing. The welcoming of the United B787-9 was attended by the officiating dignitaries that included United Airlines, ACSA and Wesgro executives, the US Ambassador to South Africa, the Mayor of Cape Town, Mr Dan Plato and the Western Cape MEC for Finance & Economic Opportunity, the Mr David Maynier.

With the new planned expansions that is to kick off soon, United Airlines is one of a few airlines that is looking at Cape Town International as a destination and the potential it has to offer to leisure travellers. Although Johannesburg is the economical hub for South Africa, Cape Town is by far the most popular by tourists. United Airlines use to fly to Africa, Houston to Lagos, but this service was terminated a few years back. The only other options that were left to United Airlines customers wanting to travel from the USA to Cape Town, were to have one stop flights with either South African Airways or Ethiopian Airlines (both being United Airlines partners) or fly with another airline, Delta being the only other USA airline offering direct flights to South Africa. In mid-April this year, United Airlines announced it will offer a season direct service between New York and Cape Town 3 times a week starting on the 15th of December 2019 and ending on 25 March 2020. This will result in a better customer as many direct flights have proven in the past.

These flights will be operated by using the Boeing B787-9 with 252 seats, 48 for business class and 204 economy class. The flights will operate to the following schedule:

UA1122 New York to Cape Town departing 8:30PM arriving 6:00PM (+1 day) [Wed, Fri, Sun]
UA1123 Cape Town to New York departing 8:50PM arriving 5:45AM (+1 day) [Mon, Thu, Sat]

The flight will be covering a total distance of 12 580km making it one of United Airline’s longest flights.

Cape Town International Facts:

IATA: CPT
ICAO: FACT
WMO: 68816

Elevation AMSL: 151 ft / 46 meters

Opened: 1954

Runway 01/19:

Dimensions: 10502 x 200 feet / 3201 x 61 meters
Surface: Hard
Runway 01 Coordinates: S33°59.26′ / E18°36.53′
Runway 19 Coordinates: S33°57.59′ / E18°36.00′
Runway 01 Elevation: 144 ft / 44 meters
Runway 19 Elevation: 147 ft / 45 meters
Runway 01 Heading: 009°
Runway 19 Heading: 189°

Runway 16/34:

Dimensions: 5581 x 151 feet / 1701 x 46 meters
Runway 16 Coordinates: S33°57.68′ / E18°35.85′
Runway 34 Coordinates: S33°58.34′ / E18°36.63′
Runway 16 Elevation: 143 ft / 44 meters
Runway 34 Elevation: 151 ft / 46 meters
Runway 16 Heading: 159°
Runway 34 Heading: 339°

General B787-9 specifications:

Cruise Speed: 560 mph (901 kph)
Propulsion: Two General Electric GEnx engines (GEnx being General Electric Next-generation)
Wingspan: 197 feet, 4 inches (60,14 m)
First Flight: 15 December 2009

N24973 specifications:

B787-9

Serial Number (MSN): 40941 LN: 661
Age: 1 year (February 2018)
First Flight: 6 February 2018

Welcome United Airlines! May we see many more flights gracing our skies!

Eagle Air-The Fly Away March 2019

Eagle Air-The Fly Away March 2019

By Marcelle Nienaber – Grade 2 Instructor at Eagle Air.

Its early morning Friday, the 27th of March.

There is a slight chill in the air as 20 pilots assemble with luggage, flight plans and positive attitudes around a fleet of 9 aircraft. Fueled and ready to take to the skies for eagle Air’s first Fly-Away for 2019.

“Cleared for take-off” echoed in all the headsets as we routed to Kruger International Airport. One hour into the flight we had to divert back to Wonderboom (FAWB) due to inclement weather at Kruger. Our fleet met up and re-fueled at FAWB.

With the weather keeping its head up high, our pilots took to the skies again. This time to Bloemfontein (FABL) on route, clear skies greeted us.

After a well-deserved rest at FABL, flight plans were filed for our route to Port Elizabeth via Beaufort West.

Spectacular views of the Indian Ocean ensured excitement among all. PE welcomed Eagle Air with signature windy conditions.

With great anticipation on day 3 of the Fly-Away, the fleet departed for Cape Town via George. Touching down in George revealed adverse conditions and aircraft were secured for the night.

The skies cleared for day 4 as or journey continued on to Cape Town. More spectacular views of the mountains and sea stunned the Eagle Air fleet. We descended into Cape Town International Airport slotting seamlessly between commercial carriers. With a few hours of daylight left, the Eagle Air squad explored the streets of Cape Town, taking in all it has to offer.

Energized by the scenes of the Mother City we set off to Bloemfontein (FABL) to settle in for the final night before heading back to the Eagle Nest.

Midday on the 3rd of April, the Eagle Air fleet safely arrived back at home base.

“Six days, a dozen cities, thousands of nautical miles and immeasurable memories and experience gained” quoted by Percy Rudman.

Photo credits: Eagle Air

Click to enlarge photos

Silver Falcons Aerobatic Team Ready for the first Airshow of 2019

The skies over Stellenbosch are getting Busy with the Big airshow this coming Saturday, 23 March at Stellenbosch Flying Club in the Western Cape.

Stellenbosch hasn’t hosted an airshow since 2015,the Cape aviation enthusiast’s are sure hungry for an airshow.

Silver Falcons

The Silver Falcons will be displaying at their first airshow for 2019 at Stellenbosch this coming Saturday under the leadership of Major Omphile Matloane.

Major Omphile Matloane receives his golden wings from Major Sivu Tangana September 2018

The team recently displayed at the past Armed Forces Week in Cape Town in February 2019.

Falcon 1 Background
Falcon 2 Tiaan Stander
Falcon 3 Corne van Deventer
Falcon 4 Bheki Shabangu
Falcon 5 Sivu Tangana
Silver Falcons over Cape Town during Armed Forces Week February 2019
Silver Falcons

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THE SANDF SALUTES CAPETONIANS FOR THEIR PATRIOTIC SUPPORT

THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE (SANDF) SALUTES CAPETONIANS FOR THEIR PATRIOTIC SUPPORT

The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) would like to extend its sincerest gratitude to the residents of the Mother City and the surrounding areas in the Western Cape for their rousing welcome and support throughout the planning and execution stages of this year’s Armed Forces Day event.

What the SANDF has achieved in Cape Town would not have been possible had it not been for the authorities and people of this marvellous city. It was through their support that the SANDF successfully managed to commemorate the sinking of SS Mendi, honour its heroes and heroines in the largest military parade in Cape Town since 1994 and conduct real-time mission readiness training to showcase the readiness of the SANDF.

As we mark 25 years since the establishment of the SANDF as a defence force for the people, we are reaffirming our commitment towards the maintenance of a diverse national defence force that serves not a select few within the population of South Africa but the entire citizenry, united in their diversity.

We reaffirm our constitutional pledge to never allow horrific events of yesteryear to happen again with tanks and Casspirs rolling into our people’s residential areas and causing untold mayhem, killing and terrorising our people. We understand our position in a constitutional setting and have pledged total commitment towards remaining apolitical and steer away from the charged political domain interrogated in our public discourse.

As the SANDF, we serve the people of South Africa and shall under no circumstance harm their interests and constitutional aspirations.

The SANDF is a constitutional creation that sources its existence, structure and functions from our world-renowned Constitution, Act 108 of 1996, and will always strive to defend our democracy and a unified South African nation.

Revered American civil rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King Jr once advised that: “Those who love peace must learn to organise as effectively as those who love war,” and as the defence force of a peace loving nation we heed those wise words and always ensure that our troops are thoroughly prepared for any eventuality regardless of the shape of the battlefield, hence our force readiness operation conducted in Cape Town through the Night Shoot and Capability Demonstration.

AFD 2019 provided us with an opportunity to flex our military muscle and also test our logistical readiness to sustain a force engaged in a domestic operation with elements transported from across the length and breadth of our country. It is through these force preparation exercises allow us to play such a valuable role on our continent in Peacekeeping Operations. These exercises allow us to silence the bone-ravaging guns of the M23 in the DRC and bring lasting peace in Burundi and other conflict ridden areas across our vast continent.

The Cape Town terrain also allowed us to test the operational readiness of our technical service corps who shown their rapid reaction capability recovering a Kwêvoël Samil 100 from the sand at Sunrise Beach during the massively attended Capability Demonstration.

Unfortunately, no matter how great a job the SANDF does, there are some sectors within society – those who are conceited and undermine the gains made since the advent of democracy – who will find or even fabricate issues to malign the good name of the SANDF. One such example was an instance where an apartheid era image of a Ratel Infantry Fighting Vehicle half-submerged underwater was falsely assigned as an SANDF vehicle with the writer suggesting that it shows the disdain and incompetence of our soldiers, to manage expensive state-of-the-art military hardware. As we all know, that accusation was conceited, misleading and served to propel a narrative that seeks to discredit our defence force without cause.

There is a saying that “A picture is worth a thousand words.” But when that picture is a misleading one about the country’s armed forces, there is a great danger that the people might turn against the very same military that was created to defend them, and for this all patriotic South Africans must condemn advocates of such fallacies and divisive innuendos with the contempt they deserve.

There were also isolated incidents where some residents felt our presence in the Western Cape would harm the marine eco-system and biodiversity. We can ensure the citizens of South Africa and especially Cape Town that as the SANDF we confirmed that the city stakeholders dealing with these stated fields of interest were consulted and all by-laws adhered to with the necessary permissions and remedial measures provided. The SANDF adheres to all laws of the land including environmental health and safety and animal welfare statutes. We have done this in all cities we have hosted AFD, especially at the coastal cities of Port Elizabeth and Durban with their vast marine life. The City of Cape Town was not going to be an exception to the norm.

The SANDF adhered to all restrictions from the City of Cape Town and acquired the necessary permissions in as far as all the AFD activities were concerned. We have done in Cape Town what we have done during the previous installations of AFD in Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Potchefstroom, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Kimberley.

In our quest to stay true to our constitution and what it enjoins us to do, there have always been doomsayers who never wished us well but faltered us even where fairness does not warrant it. It is at times unfortunate when the said criticism is presented in a condescending manner and borders on issues of race and politics – in ‘they and us’ kind of arguments which are a domain we as the armed forces are not empowered or interested in to navigate.

The SANDF is an apolitical organisation that is passionate about serving the people and harbours no ambition to be embroiled in political machinations of the day, either with politicians or civilians.

Having said that, we commend the overwhelming support by residents of Cape Town and surrounding areas towards making AFD 2019 a huge success. These residents commended the good work that our men and women in uniform do and also praised us for a magnificent display both during the Fan Park activities in Khayelitsha, the Ship Open Days at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, the Night Shoot at Sunrise Beach as well as the ultimate parade and Capability Demonstration at Bloubergstrand with the President of the Republic of South Africa and Commander-in-Chief of the SANDF, President Ramaphosa officiating. The people of Cape Town came out in their numbers from diverse backgrounds – befitting of a true rainbow nation – to support their national defence force and that is affirmation enough for the great work the SANDF is doing.

The SANDF’s presence in the Western Cape also served as an economic stimulus as most, if not all services, to sustain AFD 2019 were being locally sourced.

Lastly, we appreciate the support given by the community of Malmesbury and all Capetonians in general to the family of our fallen soldier, Corporal Randal Jacques Krynauw from 1 Special Service Battalion, who passed away during an accident on his way to the Mother City for this year’s Armed Forces Day. The SANDF and our principals in government stood side-by-side with his family in their time of need and rendered the level of support in accordance with his ultimate sacrifice.

He is a hero that will be added to the roll of honour of our sons and daughters who served their country with pride and a high degree of patriotism. We wish those injured with him a speedy recovery.

British Airways and the B747 BOAC Liveries

By Niel Swart

We all have our special airplane, the one that makes you stop and look when you here the rumbling of an engine but there is only one that is truly the queen of the skies… the Boeing 747.

The month of February will be a special one as the 9th will see the 50th birthday of the queen. She appeared in movies, series, printed media, social media, toys, puzzles, balloons, birthday/retirement cakes and many will remember the 1995 Ruby World Cup final, Ndizani, 3 Boeing 747’s over the Union Buildings, their first Boeing 747 flight or the first time ever they saw a Boeing 747. She is basically everywhere and this shows the impact she made on everyday life as we know it. To make things more special, every now and then, we as aviation lovers are treated to a special livery Boeing 747.

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Not only is February the birthday of the Boeing 747 but also the birthday of an icon. A nation’s pride, an airline… British Airways. Yes, they will be celebrating their 100th birthday this year. Of course, the British will celebrate like only the British can with special uniforms, official celebrations and the cherry on top for us, a special livery Boeing 747. Not just any special livery… an BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) livery. Yes, you read it correctly… an BOAC livery. This means that G-BYGC will be gracing the skies in BOAC colours as of 18 February when she will leave Dublin as a newly painted Boeing 747 to return to scheduled service as of 19 February until she retires in 2023. As if this is not enough celebrating, G-BYGC will be 20 years with British Airways. At present she mostly does the transatlantic legs but British Airways did hint at the fact that she will be sent on scheduled flights to as many as possible destinations. So there is a chance we may see here either at Johannesburg or Cape Town.


One of BOAC’s original 747-100s in the 1970s
BOAC Retro Liveries

If you thought that was the end, guess again. British Airways announces new 100 year related bits of information often and it is said that at least another 2 Boeing 747’s are to receive retro liveries until they retire. This has not been confirmed as yet but the grapevine is suggesting G-BNLY and G-CIVB will also receive retro liveries until their retirement. G-CIVB being a frequent visitor to the Cape.

So definitely set alerts on your favourite live flight tracking app for these airplanes as you do not want to miss them if they visit and they have a retro livery.

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