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Old 8th May 2019, 16:47
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TCU
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: On BA58/59
Posts: 313
Received 3 Likes on 2 Posts
Register and post your question on avcom.co.za and i'm sure you'll get lots of advice from the FAWB locals

I've just recently gained an SA PPL, having let my UK PPL expire following a move down here a few years ago. I fly in the Western Cape and the key differences from bumbling around the UK home counties:

1. Weather....you quickly earn respect for the South African weather patterns, particularly around mountains; turbulence is par the course at low level
2. Density Altitude....it does exists! My first take off on in a C172 from a gravel strip in 35C heat at 3,500 AMSL was a thing of wonder! Boy we ate up the runway before the ASI decided to register something. It certainly brushes up your performance calc skills and my whizz wheel now accompanies me on every flight, rather than gathering crumbs at the bottom of my flight bag
3. Radio. Welcome to the land of TIBA (regular identity, position, altitude and intention reports). No clipped English on the radio either and I'm slowly learning how to say some of those wonderful 15 letter place names
4. Navigation. Lots of nothing between places. Brush up on dead reckoning and 1:60's
5. In 15 odd years PPL flying in the UK I maybe made a flight level every now and then. I'm now often up beyond FL060, even on a local run (FL095 highest so far)
6. Oh and of course your compass will do all the things it did in the Northern Hemisphere, but in reverse
7. Flight Plans and SAR.....again, lots of wild open and rugged terrain, so FP's and SAR notice are par the course
8. You can mix it with the big boys....I do touch and goes at CPT just for the fun of being told I am number 2 behind an Emirates 777, report traffic in sight

There probably isn't a better place to fly in the world....just enjoy the differences and of course the views
TCU is offline