Flyout - Cape Town / Durban

[On the Spot]

Any suggestions for flyout locations one or so hours flying time from the above ?
Her who must be obeyed and I will be on vacation in the next month and I will rent a 172 locally.
Thanks for any help.
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[XXPLOD]

Stellenbosch airfield is worth dropping in to. Very friendly and great scenery.

[Flying Lawyer]

Some ideas in the Cape Town area.


Cape of Good Hope, from False Bay looking out over the Atlantic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/CapeGHope.jpg


Stellenbosch airfield - in the winelands close to Cape Town
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/C210Sbosch.jpg
The surrounding mountains are stunning.
The pic gives an idea but doesn't do justice to the scenery.


Western Cape coastline - north of Cape Town
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/Westcoast.jpg


Plenty of scope for playing - legally
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/SaldanhaBeachweb.jpg


Robben Island
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/Robben.jpg

The prison - now a 'Mandela' tourist attraction
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/Prison.jpg


Table Mountain and the Lion's Head
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/TableLion.jpg


The Twelve Apostles, just South of Cape Town
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/12A.jpg



Kersefontein Farm - near Hopefield, about 90 nm N of Cape Town
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/Kstripapp.jpg

Heavy rain a few days earlier - but puddles shallow as per landing info
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/Ksfonteineb.jpg

Kersefontein is a wonderful old Cape Dutch homestead which is a working farm and a guest house. The owner is a keen pilot, very knowledgeable aviation enthusiast and excellent host.
We had lunch but will consider staying overnight on another visit to the Cape.


Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo
We drove (on our way from CT to Jo'burg) but there is an airport and I think a flight would be worthwhile - wonderful scenery on route and the traditional Afrikaans town has the the world's largest ostrich population with a few breeding farms open to visitors.
I'd recommend returning along the coast. It wouldn't add much to your overall flight time and the coastal scenery is spectacular.


FL


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[Molesworth 1]

Nice photo of the Cape of Good Hope - but where were you planning to land if there was an engine failure?

[Der absolute Hammer]

Would you please be kind and pass on the name of the nearest town to your wild and wooly west cape coastline photo?
Thank you.......

[Flying Lawyer]

Molesworth 1

I can't remember the detail of the flight now - the pic was taken in 2005.
If I couldn't make it to a beach, then the same place as if I'd had an engine failure when flying a single across the North Atlantic some years ago - but a lot closer to land. ;)


Der absolute Hammer

The first picture was taken not far from Saldanha.
The second somewhere along '16 Mile Beach' between Langebaan and Yzerfontein.

FL

[Der absolute Hammer]

Thank you for the infomrati0on, A stimulating place for a walk on the beach, I should imagine.

[TCU]

Molesworth 1

I agree with flying lawyer, except also to note that given the SA naval base just a few miles away at Simons Town, one could expect to be in the officers bar with a pint of Windhoek before the damp even reached one's underpants

A couple of other great spots within a couple of hours of CPT:

Cape Agulhas...officially the Southerly most airfield on the African Continent. Let one of the restaurants in L'Agulhas know you are comming and they will pick you up from the strip

Tanqua in the Karoo national park Tanqua Guest House (route 355) - Tanqua Guest House (route 355) seelf catering accommodation in the Tankwa National Park near Ceres Western Cape (http://www.countryroads.co.za/view.php?cid=2006). Private strip but with excellent guest house and unbelievably beautiful flight from CPT

Enjoy your SA flying

[Molesworth 1]

I guess the False Bay water is a bit warmer than the English Channel. Are the sharks friendly too?

I do hope our SA aviators have a better attitude towards safety than SA road users! (No offence meant - I'm a South African myself!)

Personally I would hesitate to fly over a rocky coastline at 45 feet at 140 knots.

[beatnik]

Not being a Cessna 172 driver (I'm a Piper man myself) - in the photo of the cockpit panel (at 45ft), what is that instrument/gauge just under the a/c reg, and to the right of the clock. The one with the red bars and the numerals 1 2 3 2.

What does it do?

[Jofm5]

I do believe thats a Graphic Engine Monitoring system (GEM) e.g. GEM SERIES Graphic Engine Monitors (http://www.to-avionics.com/insight/gem1.html) - It is not cessna specific - the first PA-28 I flew in had one of these installed

[Flying Lawyer]

Molesworth 1 Personally I would hesitate to fly over a rocky coastline at 45 feet at 140 knots.

Then don't do it. :)
Particularly as you've only held a PPL for less than a year. ;)
(I wouldn't either, BTW.)

"rocky coastline at 45 feet at 140 knots" ?
You've merged two different photographs taken at different locations and with different camera settings.
The "over a rocky coastline" pic was taken with some zoom, making things appear closer to the aircraft than they really were.
The "45 feet at 140 kts" pic was taken while flying along '16 Mile Beach' - SA's longest uninterrupted sandy beach. The part where the picture was taken was completely deserted. We didn't fly the entire 16 miles at 45 feet.

Sharks??
We each make our own decisions about what risks we are (or are not) prepared to accept.
My companion, a local professional pilot (and FI), was happy at all times with what we did. If he hadn't been I wouldn't have done it.

Anyway, back to the topic. The pics were suggestions for flights from CT in response to a request, not suggestions about how the poster asking (or anyone else) should fly.

.

[Sultan Ismail]

Well then, I see no votes for Durban!

Not surprising.

I spent many years in Worcester amid the scenery of the Cape mountain ranges. To open the curtains in the morning and see the Matroosberg or Brandenberg mountains against a clear blue sky was stimulating and then a day amongst the vineyards and orchards of the Breede River and Hex River Valleys, magic.

It was a regular outing on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to take our Cessna 172 from Worcester Airfield at 630ft msl up over the Du Toits Kloof Mountains, climbing to 6,500ft before a gentle descent over Paarl into D.F. Malan Airport, what was, now Cape Town International.

The aircraft would be directed to the main apron next to a SAA 707 or 727 and we would walk across the apron to the terminal building for tea and cake. No security, no Hi-vis vests, no drama.

A beautiful part of the world to fly in with dramatic scenery in every direction.

As Flying Lawyer has demonstrated with his pictures, not only is the flying spectacular but also the freedom to enjoy it, unfettered by regulations and jobsworth.

One word of warning, the Cape Winter extends right into December, so don't expect sunny skies every day, more like rain and some fierce winds. The Cape Summer starts on December 25th and extends to end of May. Been there, many times.

[Molesworth 1]

Flying lawyer

Ok. I won't ruffle any more feathers:cool:

Sounds like "Landing on a beach" is the Cape Town equivalent of the UK "Landing on a field". No doubt you have to accept some risks flying around the Cape Peninsula else you wouldn't be able to fly at all.

I think the biggest hurdle to flying in SA for UK pilots is the paperwork and having to write exams etc. I believe it's now easier than it was.

You are being a bit unfair implying that SA regulations are freer than other countries (such as UK). In many ways SA regulations are a lot tighter (probably for good reason) - you can't go off flying anywhere you like without a flight plan - which you can do in most of the UK. The UK also allows you to fly here on your SA license - but it doesn't work the other way round!

SA has a more European attitude to regulations (and always has) - the UK tends to be more pragmatic.

[Flying Lawyer]

Molesworth 1

Not a single feather ruffled. :)
I thought pressing your various 'safety' points deserved a gentle tease but hoped the ;) would show it was good-humoured.

You are being a bit unfair implying that SA regulations are freer than other countries (such as UK). I didn't imply that, and am surprised you inferred it from what I've written.
Perhaps you are confusing me with Sultan Ismael?
He described flying in SA as being "unfettered by regulations and jobsworth." He clearly intended it as a compliment, not a criticism.
I don't know how their volume of regulations (or their percentage of 'jobsworths') compares with ours in the UK so can't comment.

Or perhaps you inferred it from my comment about "plenty of scope for playing - legally" ?
I was referring to the ample uncontrolled and very quiet air space over unpopulated/sparsely populated areas near CT and, just in case anyone was thinking of suggesting otherwise, added that the low level shot was legal. (As it would it have been in the UK.)
The RSA equivalent differs from our Rule 5 in that it is a 'minimum height' rule but you are allowed to fly below the minimum height provided you can do so without hazard or nuisance to persons or property on the ground or water. [CAR Part 91.06]
The FAA has a similar provision which includes a specific exception relating only to helicopters. [FAR Part 91.119]


FLhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/FlyingLawyer/touchngo.gif

[Molesworth 1]

Flying Lawyer

Yes I must have got the posts a bit mixed up.

Actually there is no minimum height rule in the UK either - just that one has to be more than 500 feet away from any person or building.

Actually I do hope sometime to get the chance to fly in the Cape. Cape Town is in fact my home town and much of my family (including my daughter and son) still live there.

Have you ever flown over the Essex marshes?

http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq182/DavidHoul52/20090704_1040.jpg

[Flying Lawyer]

Actually there is no minimum height rule in the UK eitherI know.
That's why I said the RSA equivalent differs from our Rule 5.

I've been to your home town a few times and like it very much. I spent three weeks in SA in Feb - the first and last near Cape Town and the middle week in the Kalahari Desert - recommended.

Yes. I've flown a helicopter over a part of the Essex marshes and (under supervision) a microlight, but not a fixed-wing.

BTW, the holiday was timed to coincide with a Dinner I helped organise at AFB Ysterplaat. Thread here may be of interest to you: http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/265662-alex-henshaw-rip-2.html#post4789504


Tudor

[beatnik]

Thanks Jofm5.

One learns something new everyday!!