Microlight in the JHB CTR
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Join Date: May 2004
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Microlight in the JHB CTR
I saw a microlight in the JHB CTR yesterday afternoon (at about 16:00). He was approx 10nm South West of FAJS. What happens to these guys that fly into restricted zones, and how are they prosecuted? I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It could've been that he had permission to be there, but that would be kind of hard to swallow. 
Join Date: Jun 2004
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yeah, someone one day is going to make a hood ornament of one. Most of these guys don't talk on the radio and a great percentage of them do not have a flippen clue what safety means.
I was down in Mosselbay this week and saw these guys fly up and down the coast in the mornings. The thing that ALL of them did was to fly not more than 3m above the beach, circling above the caravan park where I was staying with his wheels just above the trees. For crying out loud, it was as good as silly season with lots and lots of people around. If he had an engine out there he would have had to plant the thing in someone's caravan, killing himself and most prob someone on the ground as well. Same for the beach. If he looses the engine at that height, how will he avoid the 100's of people on the beach?!?
Reckless!!!
I was down in Mosselbay this week and saw these guys fly up and down the coast in the mornings. The thing that ALL of them did was to fly not more than 3m above the beach, circling above the caravan park where I was staying with his wheels just above the trees. For crying out loud, it was as good as silly season with lots and lots of people around. If he had an engine out there he would have had to plant the thing in someone's caravan, killing himself and most prob someone on the ground as well. Same for the beach. If he looses the engine at that height, how will he avoid the 100's of people on the beach?!?
Reckless!!!
Gatvol
Join Date: Jun 2000
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Cant stand the things myself, but for my own reasons. However the biggest complainers to Microlights appear to be Pilots of other types of Aircraft who have no clue as to their capabilities and requirements. No excuse for not obeying the Airspace rules, but I think if one looks at their normal enviornment they will find its not as reckless as mentioned here.
Main problem I see is that they are so easy to fly that a lot of the guys flying are not properly trained as to the rules and the dangers of low flying etc. and dont have the experience of flying into or around controlled airspace. Sort of an "Offroader" with wings.
Main problem I see is that they are so easy to fly that a lot of the guys flying are not properly trained as to the rules and the dangers of low flying etc. and dont have the experience of flying into or around controlled airspace. Sort of an "Offroader" with wings.
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It's got absolutely nothing to do with how difficult or easy microlights are to fly. I fly both microlights, as well as fixed wing aircraft, and there's absolutely no difference, apart from the fact that microlights are weather dependant and fly much slower. They are aircraft. The fact that one requires a minimum of 25 hours to get an MPL, as opposed to 45 hours for a PPL, might contribute to the problem. Whether it's an MPL, or a PPL, one requires a radio licence which teaches these basic skills.
One cannot enter the CTR without permission, and a transponder. If it wasn't a serious issue, then there wouldn't have been a CTR.
It is without doubt a very serious issue. What's next? Microlights in the TMA?
One cannot enter the CTR without permission, and a transponder. If it wasn't a serious issue, then there wouldn't have been a CTR.
It is without doubt a very serious issue. What's next? Microlights in the TMA?
Gatvol
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Let me clarify that a bit. A lot of the Micro lights work off of dirt strips away from the major terminals and dont get the exposure of being around what most of us call aircraft. Another difference we have is that SA has a Radio License..... In our world radio procedures etc are part of your Pilots license today. Radio Licenses in the states are pretty much history (I still have an old one)
Its an issue for sure, but Im betting you have a few more serious than that in SA Airspace. Look at the Huey thread. Grab a cool Windhoek.
Its an issue for sure, but Im betting you have a few more serious than that in SA Airspace. Look at the Huey thread. Grab a cool Windhoek.
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I may be wrong (probably am) but is there not the Petit airfield, and a microlight field just out to the South East of JNB, I think Petit is about 8nm out, the micro strip maybe about 10. We used to overfly petit on the old Heidelberg arrival for 21.
Petit's local rules fly circuits away from JNB, and those are "real" aeries.
Petit's local rules fly circuits away from JNB, and those are "real" aeries.
There are a few microlight fields around the CTR. Some plaas jaape have strips graded on thier plots in the Benoni and Midrand areas. Often get reports from acft saying they can see a microlight/even paragliders sometimes, flying low level inside the CTR. Personally seen one from the tower flying over Benoni Clearly in the CTR probably having a nice look at how close the boeings are to his house but there's no way for us to do anything cause we can't contact them and we don't have resorces to send say a Rooivalk out to go for a little chat.
They do seem to be a fraternaty to themselves and a very poorly managed one. No-one seems to respect how dangerous it can be and the microlighting and hang/paragliders seem see how far they can push the limits that confine them. On Hang/paragliding we often get reports that overhead HBV hang/paragliders higher than FL110. And whats the chances that they even have O2 with them nevermind the fact that they are operating in controlled airspace without clearance.
It does seem that this will only be taken seriously when one ends up as a hood ornament or a nice new prop spinner on some other aircraft. unfortunatly they will not be the only casualty.
They do seem to be a fraternaty to themselves and a very poorly managed one. No-one seems to respect how dangerous it can be and the microlighting and hang/paragliders seem see how far they can push the limits that confine them. On Hang/paragliding we often get reports that overhead HBV hang/paragliders higher than FL110. And whats the chances that they even have O2 with them nevermind the fact that they are operating in controlled airspace without clearance.
It does seem that this will only be taken seriously when one ends up as a hood ornament or a nice new prop spinner on some other aircraft. unfortunatly they will not be the only casualty.
Whats next?
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Ha ha, I was flying between Nelspruit and witbank one saturday afternoon. At level 080, busy paging through the POH, when out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a whole lot of vehicles parked up on a hill. When I looked ahead of me there were aprox. 8-10 paragliders about 200m ahead of me. I dunno who sh@t themselves more....me , or the poor guy wearing the casio watch, who I actually saw lifting his legs into a sort of foetal position, to let the Baron through underneath. NO radio calls, nobody with even a hand held, or something, nothing whatsoever. Level 080......come on guys...
