FLY IN MY PROPWASH..!!!

[Hak]

BLUE MAX you are my kind of pilot, may the force be with you

[JACO]

FANTASTIC !

WISH I COULD BE THERE !

Moerse Geluk

Safe flying and Happy Landing

[Blue Max]

Hi Gentlemen, The prop wash is very pleasant and unpleasant....!!..!!!
First off all, my ground crew (and I will post a picture of them,) is constantly having problems with their memory and concentration....let me not elaborate other that other than saying they are very helpfull at times, but as the day drag on they start losing concentration..!!! And are always late and in a very good mood…!!!..!!!
I had a very pleasant flight. from start to beginning, as far as weather ect. concerns…
A A Z (Garry) from Kathu, joined me for 30 nm. Towards Van Zylsrust.....That is about overhead the private game park where you will find the only runway in South-Africa (if not the world) where Lions might strole over the runway when you are landing...!!!
To me it was so cool to see how vast our country is...,, but with a feeling of fear, cause for many N.M. I was fly-ing in absolute solitude.....not a farmhouse in sight,...no sighn of water in sight...no possible landing site in view for at least 30 nm….and then I saw I farmhouse…and 20 nm further another…!!! That created a feeling of less solitude and for a moment I was feeling more safe..
This carried on until the Molopo River valley came in view…I was then on the southern border of Botswana…To b honest I was not sure if what I saw was the border…It Looked to me like a organized and to well fenced to allow me to think it was the border between S.A. and Botsw…I thought the border was 30 nm. To the north and that I was only looking at the fence of a rich Farmer…!!!!!BIG BIG mistake…for unknowing to me it was the border…!!!I hesitation to cross because I was in doubt....
My GPS co-ordinates witch I got from Google told me I have reached my destination..and I was in doubt about this long landing strip underneath!!!! However it was 11h45 and the thermals scared the hell out of me, resulting in a premature landing…!!!
I was met by a friendly lady with a book in her hand…I asked her if it was S.A. and she replied…NO. It is Botswana.!!! O F*k…I said…stand aside I will leave straight away….No, she said, please enter your name in these 2 books..!!!
To cut a long story short…I was taken to the police station…They put a watch at my trike….They searched myself and the aircraft…I was treated with respect ….and friendliness…It took about 3 to 4 hours after a lot of phone calls and then they warned me not to enter their airspace again and I was released and taken back to my aircraft…!!!This was 3 0 clock in the afternoon and the wind was pushing like hell….
They were instructed to see me off and report that I have left the country..!!! So I got airborned…wind or no wind..!!
I had good conversation with these guys at the police station ( in Botsw.)…., while I was waiting to be cleared and released…I told them that they are not my concern…!!!BUT..I can only guess that there might be a surprise waiting for me in S.A.??????I never thought how true this might be…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will tell you later about this but while my ground crew looks like they have sobered up, let me rather post some pics…!!!

[bryan]

My Vriend Jy is n Ster en n Riem onder die hart vir baie van ons!

My Friend you are a star and a good example for many of us

[Some Afrikaans just cannot be said as well in English]

Fly safe and regards to the whole group especially the Wings Park and Grahamstown lot

Bryan
ZU BFR

[Blue Max]

Shoe.!!!writing this in word not to loose it again…It is taking time cause I try to speak decent English..
The first photo above is ‘how not to do it.’…I flew for about 2 Hrs above that cloudbase and on landing took a photo of the windsock..!!!It was no joke..!!!
The windmill on the koppie is unique cause of it,s size and locality…that was between Kathu and Van Zylsrus..Not plenty water and also very deep if you lucky to find some...The runway is where you will find a non rugby playing lion strolling over the runway if you are willing to pay in the order of R6000. pppn. I am told,.!!!
The aerie lying next to the hanger was that of a non paying club member at Kuruman I was told…!!!! Die boere het nie baie geduld daar nie maar hullle is vreeslik hulpvaardig..!!!
The photo of myself and a Malema look alike was during my brief visit to Botswana..!!!
I had a landing between the Kameeldoring bome close to the lodge after be-ing released by the Botswane Police…Was still a lytlle bit nervous then and thought I was landing on a pan with some trees in it..One of my ground crew members was go-ing to take off with me..!!!
The other Photo is how a pan realy looks..!!!When you land there you loose a lot of depth perspective and I will advise you to land close to the tyres so as to have better judement of hight…Almost like you see when a diver dives from a 5m.diving platform into a pool…the surface of the water need to be disturb as to alow him to relate..!!!(judge)
After returning from my visit to Botswana I made a landing close to the lodge and was hoping to find some-one to keep an eye on my aircraft…having no luck I got AB again and went to land at the pan about 8 miles to the north of the lodge...
I was not surprised when two Policemen and an official from Immigration rolled up ALL THE WAY to come and tell me about the BIG trouble I am in because I have landed in a foreign country!!!!So now Mr van Schalkwyk can I see you Pasport.???and blab bla bla bla…Who has given you the right to enter South Africa without a Passport and clearance, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla,…
looking at them and noticing how the try to make a big deal out of this with alternative motives I reflected on what the logo of the South-African Polce is…”Serve and Protect”. And here I am a stranger to this part of the world and in a way dependant on their goodwill, and what do I get…two police men and a official try-ing their utmost to find something wrong so that they can nail me …
Toe raak hierdie boerseun die bliksem in…… no!!!no!!! they said they don’t want to arrest me!!!!Then get lost you waisting my time..!!! and they left…It took me two doubles to recover from that..!!! …Serve and Protect… Ha Ha…read the newspapers man!!!!
Got news from Larry Mgee..They landed at Upington and will fly through tomorrow..to windy right now..!!!
Thanks to everybody for their contrabution towards my flight…
Why am I doing this…??? To proof to myself I can..!!
I will try to understand my computor better and will try to post more pics...and will try to see how my camara works..!!!

[bryan]

Hi friend
You have proved a great deal and may you fly safely and enjoy the time up there!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards
Bryan
ZUBFR

[JACO]

Cool man, Cool !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alpha]

WOW!!!

I have had the pleasure of meeting and flying with Oom Paul, and let me tell you what a lot of fun and talk about passion. Oom Paul, thank you for the friendship and the wonderful experience, I am glad you made it all ok and I am totally depressed that I could not join in the last 2 legs to Molopo, however I am glad that I managed the 30 or so miles with you.

I will be joining your circuit at Elandskamp very short for that Karate Water and coke....

Have a ball Paul and fly safe...I am enjoying the posts..

Regards

Gary
AAS....

[Blue Max]

Hallo to everybody who is reading my notes...
I am still enjoying myself bigtime....Sorry if I am a lyttle to descriptive but it is mainly because I know my children in Canada is also reading this thread..!!!
Everybody from Grahamstown has arrived..Others from Capetown, others from Aliwal North and P.E...
In total we are 5 trikes, a Gyro and about seven fixed wings..sorry I cant remember all the names but I will try and post them..
Yesterday we flew to a very large pan of about 300 to 400 HA..Hakskeen Pan....I was taught ( ek is nie seker van die spelling)how to tie my trike down and not worry to mutch about it afterwards..!
Today, we flew to a place called Twee riviere..That is where the SA gate to the Ghalaghari Gemsbok park is..The Nossob and the Aub rivers join here..You have to look very careful to spot the rivers and the locality where they join.,..
Everybody landed safe..One trike landed on a patch of gravel on the landingstrip and picked up a few gravel pebbles...The tips of the prop is dammaged and might need some repairs...
It was the first time that I have flown at a 100 to 200 ft continiously for 25 nm..Two reasons..1. Tere was less wind on the surface and 2, it was wonderfull to spot and see the game and mother earth underneath at close quarters..!!!
Tomorrow, wheather permitting, we will go to Augrabies where a kind gentlemen will allow us to refill on his runway,, and from there we will proceed to the well known town of Pofadder...!!! I am to lazy to post pics now and will do it after supper...If you dont see the foto,s then you must know I have forgotten what my son tought me!!!!

[Blue Max]

I will try to post some pics..
Some crafts and pilots on this outing is..trikes, Maiex (?) Ralp from Grhmstown, piper, jabiru, whisper,kitfox, ctsw, and few others...Some of the Pilots you might know..Larry From Grhmstwn, ( flight commander) Ralph from Grhmstown, Kevin, Christian, Micheal, Wouter, Peter, Mike, Johan van A. Noord, Piet en sy chommie, van Addo, Ron, Patrick, Erika,( Lady Pilot), dan was daar nog so ander wilde ou van Oudshoorn..and a few others of whome I have forgotten the names.. Sorry forgot to mention..and a few lovely ladies..!!!
Lets try the Pics. Ek kom nie reg nie, kan nie kleiner kry nie!!!

[Tobie]

Oom Paul, jy kan maar skryf net soos jy skryf, ek geniet jou storie vreeslik, dit is uit die hart uit, have a ball.

[Grumpy]

Ja Oom, Ek lees lekker aan al jou stories........ en ek wou ook daar wees, Maybe next time. Eish

[Blue Max]

Hi,
Today we left Molopo Lodge for Pofadder via Augrabies..We flew over the Falls and enjoyed spectacular views...105 Nm. with a tailwind taking our groundspeed to up to 70nm ph. 1 hr 40 min fly-ing time..Our second leg was 56 nm. and it took us 1 hr with a slight tailwind...It was bumpy as hell and I was surprised to see that the two lady- pilots ( Sharon, who is also an Instructor and Erika) took it in their stride whilst myself was almost wetting my pants...
On landing I was told that the trike wont brake and that I wont fall out of the craft and that the Jesus Bolt was tested up to a point of 14 G,s and only bend slightly after the test..!!! I suppose I wil get use to this..Tomorrow we flying to Springbok on route to Port Nolleth and co-incidently I noticed two days ago on the weather site that Springbok was the most windy-est place in S.A...
I heard a very true remark made by a fixed wing pilot over the radio while fly-ing over the vast Kalahari vlaktes. He said "I am sure that those chaps in the trikes are enjoying them more than we do..!!!
We left the fixed wings behind, thus were able to land on the gravel road next to our lodge and taxied in right next to our bedrooms..
We are only five trikes in the group now and noticeably I am amongst experienced pilots of whome three are instructors...
Will Bla Bla again tomorow..tired now..I will need a day to practise on how to post a pic...be patient..

[bryan]

Hi Oom Paul
Fly safe ans enjoy. Believe me those two Anties CAN fly and I think you are in good company to have the experience of a lifetime. Regards to Larry and the rest of the crowd . Watching your progress daily ,keep up the writing and please take a group photo of you all
Regards
Bryan Erasmus
ZU BFR

[nicow]

Paul
Dankie dat jy jou trip met ons deel!!!Jy maak ons sommer jaloers.
Geniet dit,en neem baie fotos-jy kan dit wel later plaas,of selfs 'n boek met dit uitgee.
GENIET DIT