Number 37 – 13 May 2024

“The blue distance, the mysterious Heavens, the example of birds and insects flying everywhere are always beckoning Humanity to rise into the air.” Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

What a superb aviation weekend

Following the significant amount of aviation activities this past weekend, I wish to thank the various correspondents who sent their reports to me in time for this edition of APAnews. What I am seeing is the complete revival of South African General Aviation in its many forms as the various enthusiastic persons keep planning and presenting amazing events for the benefit of their various flying clubs as well as the individual communities in which they reside. We have so much to report on from this past weekend and some of these brief reports are contained within this edition of APAnews.

SAAF Museum airshow 2024 at Air Force Mobile Deployment Wing (AFB Zwartkops)

FlySafair competitors push for aviation licence to be suspended over alleged foreign ownership

Operating 16 aircraft, 2,558 flights and with capacity to fly 457,950 passengers, FlySafair became the country’s largest domestic airline in December 2019, six years after it was founded. This while state-owned South African Airlines (SAA) entered business rescue, after posting years of consecutive losses and receiving R16.5 billion in bailouts in ten years. The central complaint by Airlink and Global Airways to authorities was set for hearing on 10 May, was that foreign investors / shareholders predominantly own FlySafair, thus breaching South African laws and licensing conditions.

Does low-cost carrier FlySafair have an unfair advantage over its competitors, which might have paved the way for it to capture 60% of the South African aviation market? The answer from the vantage point of FlySafair’s competitors is a resounding yes. FlySafair has managed to run a slick business over the past decade, operating in an aviation market in which margins and profits are shrinking.

However, market forces have also led to FlySafair morphing into a big airline. At least 11 airlines have been permanently grounded in South Africa since FlySafair started flying in October 2014. More recently, the pandemic was the final nail in the coffin for SA Express, Mango Airlines, Kulula and British Airways in southern Africa. South African Airways emerged as a smaller airline after its operations were rehabilitated under business rescue.

As these market changes unfolded, FlySafair has mopped up the flight capacity left open by the collapse of its competitors, allowing it to increase its market share. However, its competitors believe that FlySafair’s growth is also attributable to an unfair market advantage, which has made it difficult for them to compete with the airline on an equal footing. Now, FlySafair is under investigation for being predominantly owned (allegedly) by foreign players, which could be in breach of licensing conditions and South African aviation laws.

Aviation companies Airlink and Global Airways (which co-owns the domestic airline Lift) have approached the International Air Services Council and the Air Services Licensing Council, urging the local aviation authority to probe FlySafair’s ownership structure and determine whether it complies with legislation. A company called Safair Operations is believed to be the parent company of FlySafair.

The Air Services Licensing Act requires that holders of aviation licences in South Africa have a minimum of 75% local shareholding. In other words, airlines that fly locally are required to be owned by individuals who are ‘residents’ of the country. The 75% requirement also extends to voting rights over how airlines are managed. The Act was passed by the government to ensure that SA shareholders and investors become custodians of airlines and interests in the aviation industry. The International Air Services Act requires airlines based in the country and flying overseas to have a ‘substantial’ local shareholding. The airline industry has interpreted this to be a minimum of 51%.

Airlink and Global Airways argue that Safair no longer complies with the Air Services Licensing Act because the airline’s voting rights (and by extension, its shareholding structure) are not held by individuals based in South Africa. It is understood that Airlink and Global Airways have detailed the shareholding and voting rights structure of Safair Operations to the International Air Services Council, which they say is as follows: 25% is held by a company called Safair Holdings, 25.14% is held by B4i Safair and 49.86% is held by a trust.

Daily Maverick also understands that Safair Operations has admitted that 25% of the voting rights held by Safair Holdings are not held by residents of South Africa. Airlink and Global Airways believe that the 49.86% that is held by a trust is opaque. They told SA authorities that the voting rights and economic interests in the trust were not clear and directors / associated parties of FlySafair are also trustees in the trust, which does not ensure independence.

Airlink and Global Airways believe that the only applicable local ownership of Safair Operations is the 25.14% held by B4i Safair, which falls below the 75% local ownership requirement. The storm over the ownership of FlySafair / Safair goes back to 2013 when competitors Comair and Skywise dragged it to court. At the time, Safair applied for a licence to run a commercial passenger airline. Comair and Skywise argued that Safair’s Ireland-based owner, ASL Aviation Holdings, did not comply with South African laws about the need to have a local shareholding.

Safair was then forced to change its ownership structure to have local ownership. In doing so, ASL Aviation Holdings created the South Africa-based Safair Investment Trust in which a large shareholding in Safair was controlled by South Africans, including its employees, who were awarded 25% of the company’s shares. This paved the way for Safair’s aviation licence to be granted and for it to be allowed to operate. In March 2019, the trust was cancelled when ASL Aviation Holdings bought it and acquired its shares.

In its financial statements, ASL made the following disclosure: “Through the acquisition of Safair Investment Trust, ASL acquired additional share capital in Safair Operations and increased its shareholding from 25% to 74.86%. On this date, the group gained control of Safair Operations, ceased accounting for it as an associate and commenced accounting for Safair Operations as a subsidiary.”

The requested remedy

Airlink and Global Airways have asked the local authority to intervene to force Safair Operations to remedy its shareholding structure to reflect more local owners / shareholders. The local authority could cancel or suspend Safair’s aviation licence (effectively grounding flights operated by FlySafair) until its shareholding structure is fixed, impose fines or penalties against FlySafair, or give FlySafair more grace (no sanctions) and time to fix its shareholding structure by possibly selling shares in the company to locals. Airlink and Global Airways want the playing field to be levelled and for the law to equitably apply to all aviation players. They believe that being majority-owned by foreign shareholders gives FlySafair access to international capital that is used by the airline to fund its operations and growth, allowing it to remain competitive.

An industry source told Daily Maverick that other SA airlines should also be allowed to open up their shareholding structure, considering that “international aviation giants such as Emirates and Qatar are keen to invest in local airlines. “Global investors are prepared to unleash capital into local airlines. However, laws currently prohibit them from doing so. Then the laws should be changed to allow us to attract foreign investors,” the source said.

Kirby Gordon, the chief marketing officer at Safair, said the company believed it was compliant with all ownership-related laws and had been transparent about its ownership structure. “How our company is constituted is transparent and the details lie before all parties at the moment. The challenge at hand is for the councils to reaffirm that the structure complies with the regulations that they have before them. I say ‘reaffirm’ because our structure has always, by regulation, been disclosed,” said Gordon, without disclosing Safair’s actual ownership structure or its submissions to the International Air Services Council in response to the complaint by Airlink and Global Airways.

“For the last 10 years, we have built an airline doing good, honest business and offering the best possible value to our customers. We want to continue to do so. While we believe that we are compliant with all requirements, we are also happy to make any adjustments needed to bring all parties comfort so that we can get back to the business of offering a world-class air travel solution,” he said.

Flysafair mega sale tickets at R10 each

FlySafair held its massive annual sale on 9 May in celebration of a decade of flying with heart. The ever-popular sale saw 1.7 million people across the country glued to every screen within reach hoping to grab their share of the 50 000 R10 tickets available. “We are extremely happy with how yesterday’s sale went. This sale is always equal parts exhilarating and nerve wracking as we try to juggle all the moving parts. However, as per usual, our world-class team here at FlySafair handled it brilliantly, from managing the daily ins and outs of running an airline to the high volumes of traffic to our website. We are also grateful to every one of our customers who joined in the celebrations yesterday, it is not a birthday party without them,” said Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair.

This year, a total of 1 713 980 people entered the waiting room during the day, with traffic peaking over lunch time at 973 100. This was up on last year’s figure of 1 425 378 people who visited the waiting room. The R10 sale ended around 18h00 when the 30% off after party sale picked up steam. The 30% off sale was a real after party that went on until 06h00 the following morning.

To entertain the more than 1.7 million visitors, FlySafair had a competition running in the waiting room and shared its X feed, where additional competitions were held just for fun with questions for customers to answer. The free flights for a year competition, a highlight for those waiting, had 237 585 entries confirmed by Thursday morning.

The R10 tickets were spread across the airline’s domestic routes and dates spanning from May to the 30 November 2024. Around 29% of tickets were sold on the route between Johannesburg and Cape Town. The Johannesburg-Durban route also ranked among the most popular with new routes between George and Cape Town and Cape Town and the Kruger giving solid first-time performances. Almost 70% of shoppers accessed the sale from their mobile device with the balance mainly accessing the sale via desktop. It was interesting to see 104 smart TVs joining the sale as well this year. Social media once again played a leading role in getting the word out, with the hashtag trending and customers sharing their experiences during the sale.

“Lucky customers bagging those R10 tickets were also able to see if their lucky streak continued by sharing their R10 booking on X for a chance to win a holiday in Zanzibar. The competition winner was to be drawn on Thursday and winner details shared via FlySafair’s social media channels. This sale brings us to a whopping 265 000 tickets sold from anything between R1 and R10. That is 1 402 aircraft filled with lucky passengers who we have had the pleasure of sharing our love of flying with. We are so thrilled at the success of this year’s sale and look forward to another 10 years of flying with heart.”

As the final SAAF C47’s retirement looms this spells the end of an era in South Africa

Having served the South African Air Force for 81 years, the C-47 Dakota is finally being withdrawn from service. The type is operated by 35 Squadron based at AFB Ysterplaat. The retirement is not surprising since the ‘serviceable’ aircraft have not been flown for the past two years. In September last year Armscor told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) that all eight C-47TPs in the SAAF’s inventory were grounded, with the prospect of them never flying again due to challenges finding a suitable maintenance provider. Last year an official request for maintenance  elicited no valid bids and Armscor was forced to cancel the process for the second time.  

Armscor stated that there have been numerous attempts to get a support contract for the C-47TP Dakota fleet since 2018. The C-47 Dakota entered SAAF service in 1943 and at one stage in the 1980s, the SAAF had the distinction of operating the largest fleet of Dakotas in the world.

In the early 1990s a large number of C47 Dakotas were upgraded to ‘TurboDak’ configuration under Project Felstone. This conversion involved replacing the piston engines of the classic Dakota with two Pratt and Whitney PT6A 65R turboprop engines, lengthening of the fuselage and installing modern avionics. Thereafter, the aircraft were re-designated as the C-47-TP TurboDak. Between 1989 and 1994, twelve aircraft were converted to C-47-TP standard. 35 Squadron has been associated with the Dakota since 1985, when several C-47s were acquired to replace the recently retired Avro Shackleton MR3 in the maritime surveillance role. The actual date of withdrawal is not known, nor are any details of the final flight or disposal plans, although some aircraft still undertake regular ground engine runs.

Lowveld airshow at Nelspruit airfield

Charlie and Fiona Hugo and I travelled to Nelspruit on Friday morning 10 May and because I had an important photographic assignment at the main airport KMIA, we went straight to this airport. Once complete we arrived at the Nelspruit airfield to see how well the airfield had been prepared for the airshow the next day. On arrival we received a warm welcome as the schedule for the airshow was being prepared. The afternoon also afforded me the opportunity to visit some of African Pilot’s customers based at Nelspruit.

On Saturday the weather was perfect all day with relatively clear skies for this time of the year and only a soft northerly breeze. Even though the airshow was only going to start at 15h00, spectators were pouring into the airfield and since several of the display pilots still had to undertake their validations, everyone had the opportunity to view some of the action that would be part of the ‘official airshow’ in the afternoon. I used this time to take a walk around the airfield and I was impressed at the number of vendors already set up ready for customers in the afternoon.

Before the airshow got underway, I had the privilege to interview some of the pilots who would be participating on video as well as take in the excellent airfield arrangements such as litter boxes, toilets, extensive children’s play area and even a ‘baby changing station’. Photographers present were all welcomed by the organisers and all were allocated positions from where they could work, where refreshments were located and how to interact with the organisers.

Sometime before the airshow started the Aero Moddelers were given the opportunity to show off the many types of aircraft models that were present. What was great was that Brian Emmenis of Capital Sounds provided a microphone to the Aero Modeller commentator who spoke to the crowds about what was in the air at any time. Once the airshow started, it was what I referred to an ‘end to end’ extravaganza where the sky was always filled with action. After the brilliant fly over of the Airlink E195 at sunset plenty of action started at the Flying Lions and the SAAF AW109 flew past colourful fireworks explosions to the delight of the crowds that all stayed to see the night’s spectacular fireworks display. I interviewed Brian Emmenis for both his opening and closing statements on video and he was ecstatic about the overall quality and intensity of the Lowveld airshow. Whilst we waited for the crowds to dissipate, we spend some time at the Lowveld Aero Club, which was a great opportunity to debrief with some of the display pilots, organisers and also obtain an idea about how spectators enjoyed the airshow. Although a full report with video and plenty of superb pictures will be published in the June edition of African Pilot, I want to take this opportunity to thank the organisers for what can only be called a ‘superb presentation of an aviation spectacle’.

EAA Chapter 322 May 2024 gathering

By Neil Bowden

Once again, the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Chapter 322 monthly gathering was held at the EAA Auditorium at Rand Airport on Saturday morning. Normally the first Saturday of the month, it was postponed to the second to accommodate the SAAF Museum Air Show last week, which was a fortuitous decision as it gave us the opportunity to accept Linda Sollar’s offer to address our gathering. Linda happened to be in Johannesburg for this past weekend. Linda, Airbus Captain, adventurer and the first High Wing Sling customer last addressed our chapter just prior to her flight to Oshkosh from Johannesburg in her homebuilt Sling in 2022, one of three Sling HW’s.

Linda’s “Living my Aviation Dream” presentation covered her flight to Oshkosh, a comparison between GA here and the USA and commercial flying in the USA, a very entertaining presentation. Her talk was followed by Karl Jensen’s monthly ‘Kykweer’, a roundup of EAA activities over the past month. As usual, our volunteers delivered, making sure coffee and breakfast was ready for the early 07h30 arrivals, some by air and some by road. EAA encourages all aviation enthusiasts, members and non-members, to attend our monthly gatherings, the next on 1 June, once again at the auditorium

South African Nationals Air Navigation Racing 2024 – Stellenbosch leg

By Pamela Russell

The northern portion of the SA Nationals in ANR took place a few weeks ago at of Brakpan airfield. In order to facilitate competitors around the country, the South African Power Flying Association (SAPFA) took the decision in recent years to offer parallel competitions for major events such as this. At the same time, there is always room for new competitors in the sport. The field at Stellenbosch this year included Protea pilots, airline captains, young pilots who have never entered a competition, a non-flying partner with quite a bit of navigation experience and a young man of 11. The Stellenbosch routes were equivalent to the Boksburg ones in terms of distance, number of legs, number of sharp turns and other metrics. But of course the terrain is not equivalent. The competition area fans northward from the field, constrained by the CTR  on one side and the mountains on the other. Most of it is hilly and even in the accessible area there are mountain peaks.

The weather was very kind to us. May in Cape Town is by no means a sure thing and Friday 10 May, it rained all day. Luckily Mother Nature got it out of her system and competition day dawned gloriously, with ground mist at the airfield, high cloud on the mountaintops and otherwise not much to worry about. The air was still and even by the late afternoon the wind had not picked up very much.

Stellenbosch airfield pulled out all the stops as always. The organisers were welcomed at 07h00, we were offered an office to score in and tables were quickly set up in the adjoining hangar for plotting. A roaring fire had been set in the clubhouse just to get us through the early morning chill. The briefing was able to click off only slightly late at 08h20 after waiting for those competitors who had been delayed by the early mist. Sportsman Class competitors were allowed to enter the planning area when they were ready, while open competitors were held to the 30-minute planning time prescribed in the rules. Once the competitors were all in the planning room, routes were published on the live tracking page with instructions to refresh once flying started. The full feature with the results will be published in the June edition of African Pilot.

12 to 15 May
African Airlines Association 12^th stakeholders convention in Addis Ababa
Contact E-mail: events@afraa.org   

14 to 16 May
Airport Show with ATC Forum, Airport Security Middle East DWTC, Dubai
Contact Jamille del Mundo E-mail: jamm.delmundo@rxglobal.com

14 to 16 May
Airport Show Dubai

14 to 17 May
NAMPO Harvest Day Bothaville
Contact Wim Venter E-mail: wim@grainsa.co.za Tel: 086 004 7246

17 to 19 May
Zuikerkop fly-in 
Contact E-mail: info@zuikerkop.co.za Cell: 083 389 0587

17 to 19 May
BOABAB Fly-In Polokwane Civil Airport
Contact Whatsapp: 083 375 6322 E-mail: info@area51rcflyers.co.za

17 to 19 May
EAA Chapter 322 weekend fly-away to Pyramid airfield
Contact Neil Bowden E-mail: airadventuresa@gmail.com

18 May
Tedderfield Airpark breakfast fly / drive-in 07h00 to 12h00
Sponsored by Sling Contact Alan Cell: 083 702 3680

18 May
SAC Free State regionals at Tempe airfield
Contact Quintin Hawthorne E-mail: pak02496@pixie.co.za

21 to 23 May
Air Finance Africa Conference and Exhibition Sandton Convention Centre
Contact Nick Fadugba E-mail: nickfadugba@africanaviation.com

23 to 25 May
SAPFA President’s Trophy Air Race at Louis Trichardt civil airfield (FALO)
Contact David Le Roux E-mail: David@pilotinsure.co.za Cell: 073 338 5200
Contact Iaan Myburgh E-mail: race@sapfa.co.za  Cell: 082 449 2531

Presidents Trophy air race video from 2023:

23 to 27 May
NAC fly-away to Magoebaskloof 
Contact Agnes Phillips E-mail: agnes.phillips@nac.co.za Cell: 082 893 3399

25 May
Tempe airshow Bloemfontein
Contact Conrad Botha E-mail: rowco24cc@mailbox.co.za Cell 082 465 4045

25 May
EAA Young Aviators Pancake fly-in to Heidelberg airfield
Contact Kerry Puzey E-mail: kerry.p@puzey.co.za

28 to 30 May
EBACE business aircraft show Geneva, Switzerland
Website: www.ebace.aero VP Exhibitions Sacha Carey E-mail: scarey@nbaa.org

June

1 June
Potchefstroom airshow
Contact E-mail: sally@creativespacemedia.co.za Tel: 011 467 3314

1 June
EAA Chapter 322 monthly gathering EAA Auditorium Rand Airport
Contact Neil Bowden E-mail: airadventuresa@gmail.com

1 June
SAA Museum Society Specialised Tour limited to nine adults
Contact E-mail: events@saamuseum.co.za Cell: 076 879 5044

6 & 7 June
Drones and Unmanned Aviation Conference Emperors Palace Convention Centre
Contact Ms Maria Ndlovu E-mail: info@bussynet.co.za Tel: +27 11 074 7095

6 to 8 June
France Air Expo International General Aviation Show 
Lyon Bron Airport www.franceairexpo.com  

6 to 10 June
Zimbabwe Air Rally (50 years)
Contact E-mail: zimairrally@gmail.com Website: www.zimairrally.com 

7 to 9 June
Bona Bona annual fly-in
Booking details visit website  

8 June
EAA South Africa Young Eagles day Lanseria International Airport
Contact Neil Bowden E-mail: airadventuresa@gmail.com

15 June
Maputo airshow
Contact Gavin Neil E-mail: gavin@haps.co.mz

15 & 16 June
SAC Event KwaZulu Natal venue TBA
Contact Quintin Hawthorne E-mail: pak02496@pixie.co.za

15 & 16 June
Hluhluwe fly-in to Doornkuil farm near Hluhluwe
Website: www.hluhluweflyin.online

Contact Christiaan Kleyn Cell: 082 945 7362, E-mail: kleyn.ac@gmail.com or
Mike Currie 084 506 7610
Coordinates of the runway: 27°59’22.5″S 32°18’27.1″E

20 June
Rand Airport Safety Symposium at the Harvard Cafe
Contact Dave le Roux PilotInsure E-mail: david@pilotinsure.co.za

28 to 30 June
EAA Taildraggers fly-in to Warmbaths airfield
Richard Nicholson E-mail: Richard.nicholson1963@gmail.com Cell: 082 490 6227

29 June
SAPFA Speed Rally at Warmbaths airfield
Contact David le Roux E-mail: david@pilotinsure.co.za  Cell: 073 338 5200 

29 June
Polokwane airshow at Gaal airport
Contact Robin Tapinos E-mail: airshow.polokwane@gmail.com Cell: 074 117 6384

29 June
FAPE Open Day at Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport
General Aviation Area, Boeing Street, Walmer

TBM 700 crashed while manoeuvring for landing

The NTSB has released its preliminary report on the 30 March crash of a Daher TBM 700 in California, which claimed the lives of the pilot and passenger. According to the NTSB’s preliminary report, the accident occurred while the single-engine turboprop was manoeuvring in IMC to land at Truckee Tahoe Airport (KTRK) and followed a series of autopilot activations and deactivations.  

Flying under Part 91 IFR, the aircraft was returning to KTRK from Denver’s Centennial Airport. The flight was uneventful until the airplane reached the final approach fix. The TBM 700 passed over the final approach fix and FAA ADS-B data showed that, immediately thereafter, the autopilot’s approach mode was turned on and the altitude hold (ALT Hold) was turned off. Some 20 seconds after passing over the visual descent point at about 121 knots and 6,475 feet msl, ADS-B data shows the aircraft passed over the missed approach point at 6,200 feet msl at 100 knots and continuing until abeam the runway identifier numbers (about 1,300 feet east). At this point, the autopilot was turned off. As the airplane began a gradual 180-degree turn to the right and climbed to about 6,750 feet during the turn, the following autopilot selections were made: ALT Hold on, ALT Hold off, lateral navigation (LNAV) on, autopilot on, LNAV off, several altitude selections (ending with 9,300 feet) and lastly, the autopilot was turned off as the airplane passed over Runway 11.

The airplane then climbed to about 6,850 feet (1,075 feet agl) while making a left turn. The turn tightened and the final ADS-B returns showed a rapid decrease in altitude and speed. The last return indicated the airplane was at about 280 feet agl and 170 knots. That return was about 200 feet northeast of the first impact point. An aviation weather report for KTRK issued about two minutes before the accident stated: wind calm, visibility 3/4 mile in light snow, ceiling overcast at 900 feet agl and temperature / dewpoint 30/30 (deg. F).

FedEx pilot lands Boeing 767 cargo plane without nose gear in position

On 8 May the FedEx Boeing 767-3S2F was coming into land from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) shortly before 07h50 after a three-hour flight when emergency services were pictured at the airport waiting for the plane. After pulling off the incredible landing the front of the plane eventually lowers onto the runway causing clouds of smoke to rise from the aircraft. Photos released following the emergency landing showed the FedEx 767 with the front of the aircraft resting on the runway.  The FedEx pilot would have been trained to execute this type of emergency landing, but the incident reflects an incredible level of competency on their behalf.  According to local media reports, the Boeing 767, registered FX6238, reported problems with the landing gear and performed a fly past for the equipment to be manually inspected. 

Transair Senegal B737 runway excursion on take-off

A Transair Senegal Boeing 737-300, registration 6V-AJE performing flight R2-3043 from Dakar (Senegal) to Bamako (Mali) with 73 people on board, was accelerating for take-off from Dakar’s runway 01 at about 04h30 local time when the crew rejected take-off due to a hydraulic defect but veered left off the runway. The aircraft came to a stop on soft ground next to the Presidential Pavilion, the left wing briefly caught fire. All occupants evacuated via slides and there are reports of some minor injuries including one of the pilots. An Air Senegal Flight HC-2009 from Abidjan (Ivory Coast) to Dakar (Senegal), was in the initial descent towards Dakar at about 04h37 when the aircraft turned around and diverted to Banjul (Gambia).

FAA launches investigation into Boeing 787 production line

The FAA is investigating Boeing’s manufacturing practices on the 787 Dreamliner, following the company’s admission that its inspection records for the wing-to-body join process at the final assembly site in South Carolina may have been falsified. “The FAA has opened an investigation into Boeing after the company voluntarily informed us in April that it may not have completed required inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes,” the agency said in a statement. “The FAA is investigating whether Boeing completed the inspections and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records.” The FAA noted that Boeing is in the process of “reinspecting all 787 airplanes still within the production system and must also create a plan to address the in-service fleet.” According to the company, the potential issue was discovered and reported by an employee at the South Carolina 787 final assembly plant.

Scott Stocker, vice president and general manager for the Boeing 787 programme, sent an e-mail to all employees praising their teammate for speaking up when he saw ‘something’ in the factory that he believed was not being done right. According to Stocker’s e-mail, “the teammate saw what appeared to be an irregularity in a required conformance test in wing body join. He raised it with his manager, who brought it to the attention of executive leadership. I wanted to personally thank and commend that teammate for doing the right thing. It is critical that every one of us speak up when we see something that may not look right, or that needs attention.” Stocker said the company investigated the matter and learned that “several people had been violating company policies by not performing a required test but recording the work as having been completed.”

Boeing has a zero-tolerance policy for not following quality and safety protocols, Stocker said, adding that company officials informed the FAA about what they found and dispatched an engineering team to assess the impact of the misconduct. The team determined that although it didn’t create an immediate safety-of-flight issue, it will impact customers because the test “now needs to be conducted out of sequence on airplanes in the build process.”

New Emirates A350 spotted for first time emblazoned with full fuselage colours

A photo believed to show a new Emirates Airbus A350-900 emblazoned with full fuselage colours for the first time has surfaced a day after the airline announced the destinations to be served by its A350 aircraft. On 7 May the brand-new Airbus A350, registered A6EXA, was spotted during night-time at the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France, in the famous Emirates livery.  While the impressive looking A350-900 featured the Emirates livery it was without its two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 engines. 

While it is the first time a new Emirates Airbus A350 has been seen publicly it is not the first time that A6EXA has been spotted during its manufacturing journey. The aircraft, also identified as MSN684, was photographed earlier in the year with just its tail painted in the Emirates colours and in January 2024, photos were shared online of the aircraft fuselage in parts during the production process. 

United Kingdom experiences nationwide issues with Border Force e-gates at airports

According to the UK Home Office, a wider system network issue was detected at 19h44 local time and a ‘large scale’ contingency response was activated within six minutes. All e-gates were back online shortly after midnight. The Home Office also said there was ‘no indication’ of malicious activity behind the outage and border security was not compromised.

E-gates use facial recognition to check a traveller’s identity and allow them to enter the country without having to be processed or spoken to by a Border Force officer. During the outage, airport staff resorted to manually processing passengers. The incident came at a peak travel period with many travellers returning home from a long weekend. A number of passengers took to social media to upload photographs and video footage of the almost-five-hour ordeal and the chaos experienced at airports across the country. Airports affected by the outage were London-Heathrow Airport (LHR), London-Gatwick Airport (LGW), London-Stansted Airport (STN), Edinburgh Airport (EDI), Birmingham Airport (BHX), Manchester Airport (MAN) and Bristol Airport (BRS).

Turkey’s KAAN fighter jet successfully completes second test flight

The first prototype of Turkey’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN, has completed its second successful test flight. on 6 May the news was announced by the head of the nation’s Defence Industry Agency, Haluk Gorgun. “Our national combat aircraft took off from the runway at 08h46 and remained in the air for 14 minutes, reaching an altitude of 10,000 feet (3 kilometres),” Gorgun said. “With confident steps towards mass production, our skies are in good hands thanks to our local and national technologies!” The initial prototype’s maiden flight took place on 21 February 2024. A second prototype is currently under construction.

KAAN is a fifth-generation fighter aircraft designed with low-observability features. It is planned to carry weapons inside and outside the fuselage, have an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system, and advanced data link capabilities. The KAAN programme seeks to update Turkey’s fighter aircraft fleet and improve national defence capabilities to meet the strategic requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces. The development of the TF-X began in 2010 but faced several disruptions and delays. The process gained momentum in 2019 after Turkey was removed from the F-35 programme.

Autoflight starts eVTOL aircraft certification process in China

Chinese regulators have approved AutoFlight’s application for a Type Certificate for its Prosperity eVTOL aircraft. The Prosperity five-seater eVTOL Prosperity is a lift and cruise eVTOL aircraft with a range of 250km (155 miles) and a maximum speed of 200km/h (155mph). The aircraft uses eight propellers mounted on booms that extend from its wings and two pusher propellers. Autoflight is also developing a cargo variant of Prosperity called CarryAll, which has a payload capacity of 400kg and a firefighting version. The company said it has more than 900 pre-orders across all three of its aircraft models. The CarryAll was certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in March.

In February, Prosperity also made the world’s first cross-sea and intercity eVTOL flight from Shenzhen to Zhuhai in China. The 50km (31 miles) flight across the Pearl River Delta was to demonstrate the potential of a plan that could see thousands of vertiports open and hundreds of eVTOLs operating in the Greater Bay Area of southern China.

Lilium partners with UrbanLink to introduce eVTOL jets in South Florida

Lilium, the creator of the eVTOL Lilium Jet, has unveiled its collaboration with advanced air mobility (AAM) operator UrbanLink to deploy Lilium Jets in South Florida. As part of the agreement, UrbanLink will procure 20 Lilium Jets, with pre-delivery payments scheduled, becoming the inaugural airline in the US fully dedicated to integrating eVTOL aircraft into its fleet. UrbanLink, spearheaded by Ed Wegel, a seasoned airline executive with 40 years of expertise in financing, operations and distribution, is the newly launched entity behind this venture. Wegel has secured over US$1 billion for aviation endeavours and spearheaded FAA certifications for two US Part 135 airlines and several US Part 121 carriers. Notably, he achieved the 2014 certification of Eastern Air Lines’ 737-800 fleet in only eight months. Wegel’s most recent role was as CEO and founder of GlobalX, America’s fastest-growing charter airline. Furthermore, Wegel has held board positions for private and public airlines, including Atlantic Coast Airlines, BWIA International Airlines and Eastern Airlines and played a pivotal role in developing JetBlue’s initial business strategy.

Lilium’s partnership with UrbanLink represents a significant stride in accelerating the adoption of AAM in South Florida. UrbanLink’s foray into the region includes utilising the network of Florida vertiports, a project Lilium and its partners have diligently cultivated over the past five years. UrbanLink views eVTOL jets as crucial in fostering sustainable regional connectivity across South Florida. The Lilium Jet, with its projected range upon launch, is poised to realise this vision by connecting major cities such as Miami, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale, seamlessly extending across the peninsula to Marco Island. The service launch is slated for 2026. This procurement follows the initiation of assembly of the first Lilium Jet towards the end of last year, with the inaugural piloted flight test of the Lilium Jet anticipated to take place in late 2024.

Airbus finalises acquisition of Aerovel and its UAS Flexrotor

Airbus has finalised the acquisition of US-based Aerovel and its unmanned aerial system (UAS), Flexrotor, in a move to strengthen its portfolio of tactical unmanned solutions. Flexrotor is a small tactical unmanned aerial system designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions at sea and over land. “We see more and more armed forces and parapublic agencies around the world looking to investigate how unmanned aerial systems can strengthen their intelligence and surveillance capabilities. The Flexrotor, as a vertical take-off and landing UAS, fits into our strategy to expand our UAS offerings. Together with the VSR700, we will continue to develop manned-unmanned teaming to offer our customers the enhanced and expanded mission capabilities that they require to monitor and safeguard their communities and critical infrastructure, while preserving essential assets such as helicopters,” said Mathilde Royer, Head of Strategy and Sustainability at Airbus Helicopters.

The Flexrotor, a modern Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aircraft with a maximum launch weight of 25 kg (55 lbs), has been designed for ISTAR missions for more than 12-14 hours in a typical operational configuration. It can integrate different types of payloads including an electro-optical system and advanced sensors to suit customers’ unique mission needs. With the ability to autonomously launch and recover from either land or sea requiring only a 3.7 by 3.7 m (12 by 12 ft.) area, the Flexrotor is ideal for expeditionary missions requiring minimal footprint. Through the support of the US Department of Defence (DoD) and contracted deployment in a variety of maritime security exercises, the Flexrotor is a mission-proven, force multiplier for operations in harsh, high-threat, GPS-denied environments. The Flexrotor is also being operated for parapublic missions such as forest fire surveillance (providing firefighters with critical images day or night) and can address other demanding mission needs, including ice navigation (helping guide naval vessels through ice in the Arctic ocean), law enforcement and border patrol. Aerovel currently employs more than 30 people and presents a significant growth trajectory. It will continue to design and manufacture the Flexrotor in Bingen, Washington in an existing and mature UAS ecosystem.

‘Mach Loop’ drone operator warning

Some of our regular followers will have noticed that we have had to place new warning signs around the Machynlleth Loop area. This we are sorry to say is now a necessity, as there have been two reported near misses in recent weeks that could have had catastrophic consequences. Most drone pilots know to behave with appropriate caution, but it only takes the action of one reckless individual to cause a fatality.

Military aircraft from both the UK and our NATO Allies have made valuable use of the Machynlleth Loop area for decades in order to practise the vital skills of safe low flying in a designated area, that permits our aircraft to go below 400 feet and drones used in such a location present an obvious hazard. The legal position is very clear: namely, that ‘a person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft (drones included) to endanger any person or property.’ We will be replacing and updating similar warning signs around RAF Valley and RAF Mona in the near future.

Finally, a thank you to those drone pilots who fly their drones safely in safe locations and a special thanks to those individuals amongst our many followers who have on occasions stepped in and firmly and politely asked others to desist from dangerous behaviour on those occasions they have witnessed it. It is very much appreciated by us all.

About African Pilot and Future Flight:

After 24 years of continuous publishing there is no doubt that African Pilot provides the finest overall aviation media reach on the African continent and now throughout the world. All African Pilot’s and Future Flight’s monthly editions are easily read on any digital device including smart phones

Our team is positioned to provide professional video and stills photography, website development, social media platforms, company newsletters as well as several other important media services to customers.

The two monthly magazines are available as a digital edition where ALL advertisers enjoy the direct routing to their websites at a touch on a smart phone or tablet as well as a click of the mouse on a computer screen or tap on any smart phone device.

This twice weekly APAnews service has been part of African Pilot’s line-up since the inception of the magazine 24 years ago.

African Pilot is the third best English language aviation magazine in the top ten magazines in the world: https://blog.feedspot.com/aviation_magazines/

African Pilot Website: www.africanpilot.co.za
Future Flight Website: www.futureflight.online
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AfricanPilot
Twitter: www.twitter.com/africanpilot
Instagram: www.instagram.com/african_pilot_/

Should you miss out on any edition of APAnews, please visit the website: www.africanpilot.co.za and click on the APAnews link on the front page. All past weekly APAnews publications have been archived on the website.