Thank you!
Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 9:33 am
At the Aeroclub of SA awards evening last night I received a golden wing award with guys like Weidie amongst others for having the privilege of being involved with sport flying! We are a vain spesies and enjoy awards. But awards are so much more special if it involves recognition by your peers. If you stand in a crowd of people and an aeroplane passes overhead, your peer is that other guy who also looks up to the sky to see what aircraft it is. If by chance you make eye contact you may quickly exchange some trivia about that which you have in common..." Its a Seneca, 220 hp lycoming turbo charged powerplants..." " nope thats an E55 Baron, 285 continentals, normally aspirated..." And if its a gyro passing overhead you may both go for Rotax and chances are you are correct. But you still mention it to acknowledge the fact that you are peers! Your peer is the guy who like you has experienced the sheer terror of being confronted by a line of vicious CB's loomin up ahead and the resultant turbulance which makes you regret that you are not on mother earth rather looking upwards than frantically looking earthwards to find a landing spot. Your peer is that guy who like you has experienced the utter thrill and exhilaration of flying in smooth air above the inversion layer with fair weather cumulus floating by. Your peer is that guy who also lost a close friend or knows of someone who lost a close friend to an aircraft accident. Your peer is that rare breed, that special individual, that other privileged guy who also like you has the honour of calling himself ... A pilot. 
