MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Mossel Bay Aero Club will be hosting the Experimental Aircraft Association of South Africa's (EAA) 2016 National Convention.
This is a coup for the Club and this region, as it is the first time this prestigious event is being held in the Western Cape.
Gauteng and KwaZulu/Natal have traditionally hosted the event repetitively, however, in 2014, it was hosted at Wings Park to the north west of East London, breaking with custom.
Local aviator Hartog Blok used the 2014 Convention in East London to lobby and motivate that EAA members countrywide should adventurously travel to Mossel Bay for the 2016 EAA convention.
Mossel Bay Aero Club boasts infrastructure such as a clubhouse with catering facilities and operates a fuel service to all aircraft irrespective, which includes MOGAS (Motor Gasoline), AVGAS (Aviation Gasoline) and Jet A-1. Furthermore, the airfield has a tarred 1 150 meter length runway with a gravel taxiway, lighting for night operations, a large apron and many hangars. Local members have displayed wonderful hospitality by offering some hangarage to visiting aircraft of all shapes and sizes. Some members will be travelling large distances such as from Modimolle (previously Nylstroom) and Barberton. These visiting pilots will make full use of two convenient public holidays, namely Freedom Day and Worker's Day for an excursion to Mossel Bay.
The Microlight & Light Sport Aeroplane Association of South Africa (aka MISASA) will also have a smaller contingent of their members visiting the region with their fly-in taking place on Saturday, 30 April.
The Mossel Bay Advertiser asked the Secretary of the Mossel Bay Flying Club, Hartog Blok a few questions:
What is the (EAA) 2016 National Convention and Fly-in?
It is a gathering of like-minded aviators who fly in from all over the country to attend lectures and educate themselves with respect to matters aviation in order to make our pastime technically stimulating, satisfying and also safer. We wish to share knowledge, participate in and attend educational forums presented by acknowledged experts, gather aviators who have strong interests in flying aircraft types that take exceptional passion to keep airworthy, or have talent and patience to construct aircraft from plans, or refurbish rare or even rebuild warbirds back to flying condition. There is no limit.
At this juncture, I think its helpful to assist your readers with some elementary knowledge. One gets Type Certified Aircraft (TCA) and Non Type Certified Aircraft (NTCA). Type Certified Aircraft are aircraft such as the ubiquitous Piper, Cessna, Beechcraft, Robinson and Bell helicopters (and others) for which spare parts are readily available. As aircraft age, older Type Certified Aircraft models for which there are no longer components available are then welcomed and absorbed into the EAA community and fly on a Non Type Certified Aircraft certification or register. The spare parts required for these platforms are often sourced from a third party or after market manufacturers. In some cases, components are manufactured by owners who have exceptional skills. The manufacture of a propeller is one such item. The EAA lobbies (amongst other tasks) with our regulator to ensure we are heard when members need support when confronted with somewhat unconventional circumstances.
What does this mean for Mossel Bay?
It means an injection of guests countrywide who normally wouldn’t make a somewhat testing journey of this duration in some rare and elderly machines unless there was a sense of adventure along the way - visiting other rural towns in the interior who then also share in the joy of their hotels being fully booked and eateries benefiting from our aviators patronage. We plan visits to outlying areas for fly in breakfasts and to this end, Riversdale springs to mind. It’s a cash injection for the region. Its a package - profiling our region and aviation in the area.
It’s a wonderful purposeful destination in this case for people who wouldn’t normally fly coast-wise for example, between the interior and the Southern Cape. Local entrepreneurs and businesses have generously supported the event and in return, occupancy of hotels is 100%. This year we’re expecting a large turnout of fixed and rotary wing aircraft and at the last count, registered aircraft numbered close to 70 different platforms. The weather though has the final say so numbers could be impacted negatively. We subscribe to a Safety First culture and crossing mountain ranges in poor weather with associated bad visibility is a practice we strongly discourage.
What can visitors expect?
As you use the word visitors, I’ve addressed aviation visitors so I assume you allude to the public. We do not want to create expectations amongst the public so I thinks its fair and respectful towards them that they should know this is not an airshow. It's a convention. The public may visit the airfield and enjoy in the scrumptious foods and beverages that will be available but they ought not be disappointed because our purpose is not that of an airshow as witnessed at our annual Dias Festival. I think its fair to advise the public that they won’t be allowed to mingle amongst the aircraft. There are reasons which may not be obvious or apparent but history has shown, its diligent and in everyone's interest to abide by our national EAA's safety decision. Marshall’s will be on hand to ensure we have a safe event.
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