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August Newsletter
With the amazingly sunny weather of last month, we have been flying almost every day, which has been fantastic for everyone. One would have thought it was the middle of summer, apart from the bitter cold. It is hard to believe that more than half of the year has passed - before we know it, we will be fueling the aircraft and departing for Swellendam for the annual Fly Away!
Thank you to those involved for making it a great month. HELI continues to prove that we are the Western Cape’s aviation training school of choice.
We are in the process of resurrecting some aspects of the business, such as this newsletter, which were neglected in the recent past. We welcome all suggestions for improvement – if you have any requests please contact Charlie at
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NEW FACES
We would like to welcome the following new students to the HELI family :
- Hope Smith
- Grant Reid
- Marc Pickard
- Elena Kraemer
- Louis Engels
- Robin Hunt
- Gerhard Breedt
- Guillaume Viljoen
- Francois Strydom
- Stuart Wilson
- Karyn Williamson
ACHIEVERS
Congratulations to the following Pilots on reaching new personal milestones :
First Solo
- Kane Prinsloo – Helicopters
- Robert Teschmacher - Helicopters
- David Leslie – Helicopters
- Sebastian Kilb – Fixed Wing
Instructor Rating
- Anel van der Spuy – Helicopters
- Ché Freese – Helicopters
Commercial Pilot
- Anel van der Spuy – Helicopters
- Ché Freese – Helicopters
- Howard Curran – Helicopters
- Charlie Mossop – Helicopters
Night Rating
- Dustin Metcalf - Fixed Wing
- Tom White – Fixed Wing
NEWS
What’s happening?
- We had an incredibly successful Wings Party and social in March, with over 100 people in attendance. The next Wings Party will be in September this year, and we will provide advance notice of the date soon.
- As many of you are aware, the school is in the process of transition to new management. Dave Pearce, a graduate of HELI, has agreed to take over the business from Jannie Matthysen, and the handover, which started in March, is under way and is expected to be complete by the end of the year. Dave can be reached on 083 2645792 or at dave @heli.co.za
- Abri is leaving Heli at the end of the month to fly at the Waterfront. We wish Abri all the best!
- We welcome Michiel Besier and Ché Freese as Heli’s new Grade III Helicopter instructors!
- Chantal Enever is expecting a baby boy soon, and is on maternity leave. Anel van der Spuy will be helping out in reception and the in the shop while Chantal is away.
- The simulator has been sold, but will still be available at the airport for us to use for training from September.
- The HELI annual Swellendam Fly Away weekend is on again. Watch your email for the notice, and be sure to book in advance. We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.
Safety meetings
We were glad to see a full house turn out for the first Safety Meeting of the year. Nick Vallendgoed had the full attention of the audience with his entertaining yet highly relevant “war stories” and it was clear that these discussions are well worth having. We plan to hold these events at least 3 times a year, so look out for your invitation to the next session.
Winter Special
For the month of August, we have been offering reduced hourly rates for training and Hire and Fly, for both Helicopters and Fixed Wing clients. If you haven’t made any bookings, do so now!
Updates on previous staff
- Bastein Ruwiel is leaving to Dubai for a permanent position on the Bell 412, and recently got married – congratulations from all of us !
- Stephen Merry is flying for Sport helicopters at the waterfront. He recently completed a conversion on the Huey.
- Sheldon Goodger is in Afghanistan, where he is flying as co-pilot on the Bell 412, following a six week tour in Ethiopia, where he was PIC on a Long Ranger. He is gaining valuable experience and hopes to fly as PIC on the 412 by January 2012.
- Sebastian Barnard is working in Johannesburg as a pilot in the RH-44 for a vehicle tracking company.
- We are extremely proud of all these pilots and their achievements.
Flight Shop
We have a fully stocked Flight Shop that carries a variety of study material and pilot supplies. We can also order Headsets, GPS units, Handheld Radios and Personal Locator Beacons. Please support our shop and tell fellow aviators about us! For any assistance please speak to Anel or Chantal at reception. A catalogue is available on the HELI website.
SAFETY
Recent General Aviation incidents and accidents, some fatal, are yet another reminder to all of us to operate well within the aircraft’s operating limitations and, especially, our own capabilities.
Pilots that occasionally Hire and Fly, especially new PPL’s, should be especially vigilant and always complete proper planning. We have developed a checklist for all pilots, forming part of the Dual Check process, aimed at reminding you to make sure you have completed key items including :
- A proper aircraft preflight
- An accurate mass and balance calculation
- Landing permissions and information of departure, arrival and diversion airports, joining and landing procedures and operational hours
- Fuel planning and flight log preparation
- En route planning, including charts and NOTAMS
- Weather forecasts (Departing and Landing) and Sunrise and Sunset Times
- Notifying HELI staff regarding your ETD and ETA
- Communication and navigational frequencies
- We encourage all pilots to talk to an instructor about planning cross-country flights, in advance, and to :
- Phone the destination airport to get as much information as possible
- Take enough money to refuel the aircraft, and for accommodation if a stopover is the safest option
- Let your instructor review your planning for the flight if possible
· Make sure the HELI staff member on duty knows where you are going, and keep us informed of what is happening at all times
We hope to see as many of you as possible at the Swellendam Fly Away!
Enjoy the flying and ALWAYS be safe.
The HELI Team
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