Gerry Broberg

[DualDriver]

Probably going to start a heated debate here, but has anyone seen the article re. the 'Zambian ferry' (p.78) and the advert regarding Gerry Broberg (p.105) in the latest edition (November 2006) in the 'African Pilot'?:yuk:

In my opinion it is BLATENT slander and futhermore, I cannot BELIEVE African Pilot would actually publish such an advert. Personally, I have never had ANY issues or hassles with Mr Broberg. In fact, he has only ever been helpfull to myself and MANY other people I have spoken to.

Any comments.........?

[November Mike]

I could not agree with you more - a fine gentleman indeed. Its a pity that the article was so poorly written as well!!!! And that ad?!!!! How could the editor agree to publish it?!!! This is meant to be a respected and highly sought after industry and yet we want to bash our own people. Gerry, we're on your side mate!

[Balloothebear]

DD, read the same article wondering to myself WTF? cherry on top is the advert on pg105. Sad thing about SA aviation, little boys with big toys, and the mentality to match. Other forums also discussed this topic, and as you rightly said, the CAA gent concerened has been more of a help,than a hinderance, to the fling wing side of the industry.:D
Part 127 operators that do not play by the rules are sure enough going to get their fingers tapped, until they play by the rules !Crying foul over bygones is one way of attracting negative attention from the masses. One wonders what are the motives of the chaps at EH ?::=

[hover4sure]

:\ Is is such a shame that story like that happen in SA.
Shame to African Pilot for printing this ad.....that shows you what people wil do for money. :yuk: . I deal personally with the gent for years and never ever had a problem with him or his attitude. Gerry does it by the book and that is surely what disturb some so called "businessman". I hope that CAA will take it high and strong. Well done Gerry, we are proud of you.:D

[Frogman1484]

Does anyone have a copy of the advert?

[Shockwave Sam]

I have found African Pilot to be a partucularly good publication for starting braais,folded up it can stop a table rocking,something for the dog to pee on and even as paper mashe' but as for editorial content its little more than a reggie spotters little mag of glossy pictures.

[Contract Dog]

http://www.africanpilot.co.za/Img/Issue/H.gifigh Blood pressure from screaming and shouting and aggravation was the order of the day everyday, many e-mails, faxes and lots of irate phone calls, people just don't phone you back, probably at least half of the numerous faxes and phone calls I made could have been avoided if people called me back. To mention just a few of the government departments that I dealt with were, Foreign Affairs, S.A. Air Force Command, S.A. high Comm., in Botswana, the head of the BDF, NCAC, Customs and Excise. Eventually the final piece of paper(permit) was approved and we set sail on Tuesday 12th September from Cape Town at 11h00. It was quite an awesome spectacle to see three Huey's take off together and fly in formation on their way up to Beaufort West (FABW) for refueling. Unfortunately range is always an issue for helicopters and the range/time we worked on was approximately two hours ten minutes flying before landing to refuel. Each helicopter carried 3 x 200 litre drums of jet A-1... so about thirty minutes out of Beaufort West we had to land in a suitable area in the veld, shutdown, get the drums out and hand pump the fuel into the a/c. With only one hand pump from Cape Town for all three machines, the first refueling stop obviously took quite some time, a good opportunity to eat, walk around and relieve the plumbing. We eventually got all three helicopters refueled and headed off to FABW. The guy we use to refuel us in Beaufort West, got permission for us to land on a rugby field close to town, as the airfield is quite far out and he only has a very small fuel browser, any helicopter landing in such a small town attracts hordes of curious onlookers, so you can imagine what three military colour Huey's attracted, lots and lots of onlookers, mainly children. Our upbeat attitude was disturbed by SACAA employee Gerry Broberg, who got the local SAPS to come and harass us because he claimed we never had the necessary municipal authority in writing... to land where we did. After a brief sojourn to the local SAPS office, and producing heaps of papers / permits, etc, we were allowed on our merry way to depart without any further trouble. We were told by a senior SAPS officer that Gerry Broberg was waiting for us in Polokwane, our customs exit point from South Africa. We departed FABW much later than we wanted to due to Gerry Broberg's nonsense on our way to Kimberley, this time with another three hand pumps that were kindly donated to us by Ernst Heydenrych of Engen Truck Stop in Beaufort West, who also gave us ten kilograms of the best dry wors I have ever eaten. Time and light and speed were now becoming an issue... and then lady luck shone on us, we got a tailwind all the way to Kimberley averaging 143 kts ground speed on our new Garmin 296 GPS's, we flew from FABW to Kimberley without stopping to refuel. We landed in Kimberley at 18h30 pm local time just as the light was fading, so despite Gerry Brobergs aggravation we still made it in before dark.



The petty nature and writing skill in this one leads me to believe it was wrttten by a 10 year old.
any of you have a copy of the ad?

[Shockwave Sam]

Petty and unprofessional is about the sum of it! Both the writer and the magazine for publishing such drivel.

[DualDriver]

The ad is as follows:

"ARE YOU A 'BROBERG' VICTIM

IF YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HARRASSED, INTIMIDATED, THREATENED BY GERRY BROBERG OF THE SACAA, THEN PLEASE CALL OR E-MAIL ME.

GERRY BROBERG HAS ABUSED HIS AUTHORITY TOO MANY TIMES TO MENTION, WE ARE GOING TO BRING HIM TO BOOK.

CONTACT:yuk: :mad: :yuk: :mad: :yuk: :mad: :

0:eek: :oh: :eek: :oh: 6
OR
E-MAIL: :suspect: :suspect: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz .COM"

Names and numbers accidentally ommited.......:cool:

[Shockwave Sam]

Unprofessional , childlike tantrums should really not be entertained by a publication that would have itself taken seriously by the SA aviation community. As for the advert -the author and magazine should be a little cautious about the legal consequences of publishing this kind of slander.

[Tokoloshe]

What a load of rubbish!!:yuk: :yuk: I am glad I did not waste any money on that magazine, I was shown the article the other day. Seems like the writer has forgotten ye old story about pointing a finger at someone else and forgetting about the three pointing back at you. :=

Go Gerry! I know you will have the support of the moral majority on this one.

[4HolerPoler]

Completely agreed - Alan Fanaroff & his cronies have gone way OTT on this issue & I can only hope that someone in authority applies the requisite amount of pressure on his painful parts.

For those not familiar with the circumstances, Gerry Broberg is a senior helicopter aviator who has been the SACAA helicopter guru for some years now. His position has brought him into direct conflict with those, such as Mr. Fanaroff & Van der Merwe who quite clearly have flouted the regulations for a considerable time now behind some cock-eyed court edict that completely ignores the tenets of what the CAA stands for.

Believing that by throwing money at something it will eventually come around to your way of thinking they've now had the gall to place this advert. I cannot believe that Athol Franz from African Pilot is that desperate for the revenue or that blinkered that he would allow a ropey outfit such as this to place a challenge such as this to an officer of the regulatory authority.

Hey, if this was bureaucracy gone bad I'd be the first in supporting the miscreants outing but I am 100% certain that in this case it is the those who flout the regulations on a regular basis who are attempting to further their controversial existence by challenging the very authority which is meant to control their divergent business.

As a mod it's not often that I voice my opinion on such sensitive issues but when I see a figure of authority, charged with regulating the safe existence of an industry being attacked in this puerile fashion I have no hesitation in speaking out in his support. I've know Gerry for over twenty years now, more as a fellow aviation professional than as a mate and I have only the greatest respect for both his flying abilities as well as his ability to regulate an industry that he has developed and grown in.

Shame on you Athol Franz; I expected more from your publication. I can't see Tom Chalmers stooping to this level.

4HP

[Frogman1484]

Does anyone know the story behind the ad. What happened to provoke the ad.

:}

[warloc67]

I have been dormant on this site since the Afrikaans debacle, however, I must add my bit to this discussion.

African Pilot as a publication will never be on my shopping list, ever again. I cannot agree more with 4holerpoler, Gerry has and will always be the complete profesional and a slanderous article like this should never be published. He went after the rotten apples when nobody else, including the CAA legal department had the guts for it.

I hope this time round they hang these individuals out to dry and get them out of our sky. Arthole is an idiot.,:mad: :ouch: :ugh: :=

[JetPark]

Guys - you've heard the saying "take it from whence it comes" - Gerry is a man who does it by the book - like most of us try to do and, for sure, as my operation does. I, too, am surprised that AP published this but when you look at who placed the ad - should we be surprised? That crowd - and they all stick together - are an accident waiting to happen and it's a pity the CAA does not have a few more Gerry Brobergs around. Our skies would be safer.

[121,9_za]

This sounds soooooo familiar. Old AF up to his tricks again, silly duck. Don't pay too much attention to his rantings and ravings, or his acceptance of such blatant defamations. If I were you, I would get Mr. Gerry to sue the pants off the writer and:ugh: African Pilot. That's the only thing that will stop him publishing such nonsense!!

[alwaysinverted]

Reading the opening sentence of Fanaroff's article, one can only assume that this is indeed the self described character of this man. A raving lunatic!

These guys have swamped themselves in with so much turd, and have absolute zero credibility in the aviation industry.

By soliciting support from the aviation industry in such an unscrupolous manner, is a clear indication of how desperate this guy is. He committed an irregularity, got his license revoked and re-instated, and now wants to take his revenge on an official who acted within his rights with full support of the Commissioner.

Athol Franz is an absolute wooz by allowing the publishing of such rubbish. I will not buy his magazine ever again, and I think he owes Broberg an apology for allowing the placement of such rubbish.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Fanaroff made a few threats on another forum. I think this ad is the result of those threats and a weak attempt to garner support for what is turning out to be a personal vendetta against those who don't support his overstepping of the mark. This amounts to taking careful aim at his foot. Personally, I'm waiting with bated breath to see when he's going to squeeze the trigger....

GB is the consummate professional and operates on a level to which both AFs could only aspire.

[Deskjocky]

Completely agreed - Alan Fanaroff & his cronies have gone way OTT on this issue & I can only hope that someone in authority applies the requisite amount of pressure on his painful parts.
For those not familiar with the circumstances, Gerry Broberg is a senior helicopter aviator who has been the SACAA helicopter guru for some years now. His position has brought him into direct conflict with those, such as Mr. Fanaroff & Van der Merwe who quite clearly have flouted the regulations for a considerable time now behind some cock-eyed court edict that completely ignores the tenets of what the CAA stands for.
4HP

Pardon my ignorance- are these the same guys running that clapped out old Huey out of the waterfront in Cape Town?

[Solid Rust Twotter]

That would be them, Mr Jockey...:ok:

They've moved now but the operation appears to be ongoing.

[Deskjocky]

Hang those Zambians must really be desperate….I can see the headlines now… search continues for the missing Zambian air force helicopter....

[JetPark]

Correct - the whole circus is now being conducted fom a site located to the west side of the N1 Highway into downtown Cape Town. Close to Culemborg site on the Foreshore. The clowns there have an additional Ringmaster which is why I said in an earlier post "ake these things from whence they come". And what a circus that lot are. And of course GB is onto them and that's what they don't like. He's closing the loop holes out of which they operate.

[Deskjocky]

Lets hope he closes all those loop holes sooner rather than later- when (not if) all that’s left of a bunch of tourists is an oily patch on the ocean/Smokey hole in the ground- its going to be bad for aviation as a whole in this country. Foreigners already lump us with the rest of Africa- lets not give them cause to believe this is true:ugh:

[Ned-Air2Air]

For those that dont know me I publish the worlds largest civil helicopter industry trade magazine Heli Ops. I met Gerry a number of years ago and ALL my dealings with him, including our flight from JoBurg to Nairobbery along with 8 other helicopters, have been of the utmost professionalism. EVERYONE who I was with including Arthur Walker, Deon Roussouw, Vaughan Gows, Gary Arthur etc spoke very highly of Gerry and the work he does to help take the SA helicopter industry up a notch. To even suggest he would be anything but leaves me speechless.

How a piece of **** rag like African Pilot could run an advert like that makes me ashamed to be an aviation publisher. I hope that Gerry sues your ass for everything you have and I would suggest that EVERYONE in the SA industry boycott that rag and get SA Flyer instead.

Gerry - You have my utmost respect and if you want someone to start a fund to sue that rag just drop me an email and I will start the ball rolling. I have met a LOT of people in my travels and you rank there at the top.

Keep your chin up mate.

Ned

[francois marais]

I was not going to be drawn into this, but I think I better set the record straight by providing the true facts on a couple of issues. I have not posted here since I left the Huey Company, and decided when I left, that I was not going to be provoked into getting involved. I have however, received so many emails regarding accusations made by some people at the Huey Company, and since Gerry have now publically been drawn into this filth, I've decided to tell it like it is, once and for all.

1. I was the Director of Flight Operations at the Huey Company (WIN, HAMS & Huey Club) from September 2002 to October 2004. During my time there, we ran a professional company with no problems, and I fiercely defended the Huey during the "initial dark days".

2. The Huey came on line on 26 December 2002 after the initial certification process started in November of 2002.

3. Gerry Broberg did all the initial test flying for CAA certification purposes, and got paid for his services. A cheque was cut in my presence. Nothing sinister or underhand.

4. After the test flying stage, the SACAA certified the helicopter for flight, issued it with a C of A, and Gerry then converted the owner and a number of pilots to the helicopter, for which he got paid.

5. We then enjoyed 12 months of incident and accident free flying, all done within the scope of the law and with the blessing of the SACAA.

6. During December 2003, the owner flew the machine, had a FOD which resulted in a "forced landing". Thats when the trouble with the engine, the maintenance, the maintenance engineers and SACAA started, and everything became an issue. I continued to fly the Huey up to a point, court order and all.

7. After 12 hydraulic failures, 2 main drive shaft failures and one tail rotor failure, I decided that there were too many safety issues involved, and I left the company with the blessing of the owner. There was no fight or argument about it. I simply told him that I thought the helicopter was unsafe at the time, that I felt uncomfortable to fly it, and I resigned. He accepted my resignation, signed my copy in acceptance, and I left, and have not been back since. In my opinion the helicopter was simply not maintained correctly, as there were no qualified engineers to maintain it at that time. (Oct 2004)

8. Since I left the company, I have not been back, (not even to visit) and know absolutely nothing about the current operation or it's people.

9. What I can however with all truthfullness say, is the fact that Gerry at no time whatsoever, was bribed to do anything illegal or underhand, or accepted bribe money, as stated by some members of staff. He offered his services at a fee, the owner agreed, and Gerry honored his side of the agreement. At no time did he act out of line or engaged himself in anything underhand or illegal. It was in fact due to his support, that the Huey flew incident and accident free during the first 12 months. The operation was audited twice in that year, and passed with flying colors.

10. At no time whatsoever did Bert Sousa drop a pole on anybody. The stories that he did, was all fabricated by Latent Heat. Nothing of the sort happened. He came to fly the Huey in July 2003 on a slinging exercise at Chapman's Peak, and after releasing the pole, thinking it was secured, but it was'nt, the pole slid down the mountain onto a closed off road. No one was involved or injured. The engineer on board at the time, can also confirm that no one was involved or injured. These rumours were told to slander old Bert, and probably to take revenge on his criticism of the Huey.

11. At no time whatsoever did I go to jail for any "license fraud" as the Huey crowd so many times posted on these forums. I was involved with the CAA in a court case in 1997 about the validation of my FAA license, but at no time did I go to jail for 5 years as indicated by Fanaroff and others at the Huey company.

12. Also at no time did Gerry Broberg sell me or organise my licences for me as previously stated by Latent Heat and Fanaroff. Gerry has got nothing to do with exams or licencing at the CAA, and he's got no access to the curriculum or the system.

12. Lastly, I have known Gerry for 35 years, and we've done an awfull lot of aviating together since the mid 70's. From spraying crops to general aviation. Gerry is a true professional and on top of it, he's a gentleman. He has an impeccable safety record and he is fair and to the point. The rumours spread by these people are done in anger (for their own reasons) and it certainly shows their lack of class or integrity. It is easy to make statements and say things, but fortunately what they're saying, has no substance. It's all just a malicious act.

13. It's sad that Athol Franz have become so desperate to allow the publishing of such one sided rubbish, and I won't be buying his rag anymore. I feel sorry for Gerry that he's had to take the brunt of this rubbish, simply because he was doing his job. Don't worry about it Gerry, we all know the facts.

Fly safe out there guys, and give Gerry the necessary recognition and support he deserves.

Sincerely

Francois.

[reptile]

Thanx for the information Francois, it's good to get an objective view for a change.

For those of you who are pi$$ed of at AF, why not drop him a e-mail and tell him what you think of his rag: [email protected]

-His e-mail and cellphone (082 552 2940) is in the public domain and can be found on the magazine's website-

[jetjoke]

Nice one Francoise even if a jetjock has to admit that to a chopperjock!

Mr AF, you stooped to a new level by publishing unprofessional trivia that does nothing constructive for our profession.

I'm done with your mag and any further involvment in photoshoots etc. Contact 121.5- good luck and good day dear Sir.

[JetPark]

And to think that I placed an expensive advertisment in the last edition as well :yuk: - never again!

[118.9]

Looking at both the advert and the article there is, prima facie, plenty of material to bring successful libel charges against the author and indeed against the publisher for printing a clearly libellous advert.

Slamming someone's reputation in printed word is very risky, it is a gift for the victim's lawyers. But then looking at the style and content of the article, the slanderer is not your brightest penny.

This is just so unproffessional and my response is that today I have cancelled my subscription to AP.

Gerry, if you are reading this, have a go at suing them. If the Authority aren't keen on litigation then I am sure many readers here would be happy to chip into a pot to go towards your legal fees. I would gladly contribute.

[Woof etc]

Bought the last issue of African Pilot and was amazed to see the personal attack on GB in the ads section as well as in the article itself. Very, very unproffesional - won't be buying this Rag again. Never met GB and know nothing of the saga, but the ad says more about the publisher and the author than anything else.

Having read the article, I have to concur that the author doesn't strike me as the sharpest cookie in the jar.

[B Sousa]

I have not posted here for sometime, but recent events have brought out a bit of anger on the "Helibase Gang" and their continual lies.
So, after signing the PPrune "I wont be a bad boy Rules" Im ready to fire off another salvo.

I received an email from Gerry, it contained a couple letters and photos. They can be seen on the Africa forum, but I have not got the right connection to post them here.

Heres Gerrys letter and another item which he asked me to share with you.

"Yo Bert,

Now that we have the truth from Francois I have to show the supporting docs to prove his statement, by the way, Francois took the photo of Gary and me. As you know, where I work requires a State Confidential Agreement so I may not post on any of the Sites, however, I can write to my friends and they may quote me. Not only did I convert those who Gary asked me to, I also recommended Francois to Gary to manage the Huey for him, which Francois did very well and when Francois left it fell apart. As for the advert in Efrikin Paairit, the public only witnessed one of his rantings and ravings. Attached are some more of the junk mail he sends out at regular intervals to all and sundry, and in which he even took a stab at Carnie and Richard. Do I work for payment?, of course I do, and every year I fill out a “Declaration of Interest” from which I am authorized by the CEO to do this work. As for helping others get through the bureaucracy, thanks for the compliment, I am proud of that. As for the “Hate the Huey” campaign, nothing could be further from the truth, I love the Huey,I enjoy every minute flying it, I helped Bernard when he brought the first 205 in, I helped Gary and will help any other that come along, ask Louis Venter who converted him, up to Mark Jackson, who I did not convert but greatly respect for his honesty and integrity, and I will bend over backwards to get the Hueys to fly, but only if they are legal. Gary knows this and I told him that personally not more than two weeks ago. We are judged by our peers such as Ned, who travels the world and sees what it should be like and has the guts to put it on paper, as well as the many professional folks who post on the prune . So when folks like 4HP and Gunss and the other many pros give their opinion we sit up and listen. And criticism, we should take it equally with the advice. However, when the amateurs get to throwing their toys out, the pros get off the fence and make a stand, as they have now, and that is what makes for less smoking holes in the ground with the melted aluminum lying scattered around. I have chosen my side of the fence and am proud of it, I have opted to listen to advice from the pros and will defend it, that way I don’t have to sleep with one eye open and don’t have to remember what I said yesterday, because my today and tomorrow talk is the same. Thanks to Francois for his straight talk, I salute him, thanks to the forum for setting the base line, I respect them, and thanks to the professionals who keep us from having to stand at that graveside and ask ourselves why was this really necessary. Let Arthole and his new found customer publish the names of the “Broberg Victims” and I will gladly stand under judgment from my peers, however, when Arthole publishes their statements we would like the whole story and the full facts, not just the condensed version as I will gladly fill in the blank spaces.

Regards

Gerry Broberg "

And then:

"From: Alan Fanaroff [[email protected]]
Sent: 04 October 2006 02:20 PM
To: Luvuyo Bali
Cc: Gerry Broberg
Subject: CASH RECD. BY BROBERG TYPE RATING
MR. BALI , Gary v d MERWE will state under oath in the form of an AFFIDAVIT with full responsibility for committing perjury and furthermore offer himself at his expense for you ( SACAA ) to put him on a polygraph ( lie detector test ) with you ( SACAA ) posing the questions that he paid Gerry Broberg R 5000 cash for a type rating , Gerry Broberg signed off this rating without doing the flying , he got someone else to do it ……

THIS IS A BLATANT FRAUD !!! JUST LIKE GERRY BROBERG’S FRIEND FRANCOIS MARAIS WENT TO JAIL FOR A PILOT’S LICENCE FRAUD , SO WILL GERRY BROBERG , WHEN HE IS FOUND GUILTY , HE HAS CROSSED THE LINE AND NOW HE IS GOING DOWN !!!!!!!

WE URGE YOU TO COMMENCE AN INVESTIGATION A.S.A.P HE – THAT IS BROBERG MUST ALSO UNDERGO A POLYGRAPH TEST .

I HAVE ONLY MET HIM ONCE HERE IN CAPE TOWN WHEN HE CAME HERE TO DO A PRT. 127 INSPECTION I WAS POLITE AND CORDIAL TO HIM , NOW HE COMMENCES AN ATTACK ON ME , AS I SAID HE STARTED A BIG PARTY NOW , WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS PARTY FOR A LONG TIME ……….

SIR I WOULD APPRECIATE YOU REVERTING BACK TO ME , THANKING YOU ALAN FANAROFF 88888888 wrk / 88888888888 CELL "

[118.9]

Nice context Sousa, it makes one thing crystal clear (assuming the email from AF is real) i.e. the state of mind of the author.

The following words quickly spring to mind; demented, psychotic, unhinged - all no go traits in professional aviation.

[MBDriver]

I only sumit a post when something really P-----s me off. I have never read such absolute drivel as the supposed email from AF.
Gerry is one of the nicest and most professional people I have met in and out of aviation and this is after knowing him for over 40 years. He is a credit to the CAA and is one of the few people there who is willing to tryn and help, when the papermill becomes bogged down with incompetence.

I would be more than willing to contrabute to a fund to help him get justice in a court of law.

Gerry you have more friends than you know.

[skymark]

Well gents, I am amazed to hear the slander that is being directed at Gery! I am not a helicopter pilot, but met Gery quite a few years back whilst flying for a common aqauintance. I left SA in 2000, and am now sitting in Sydney on a flight.
Any dealings I had with Gery,( some subsequently at the CAA), have confirmed the reason why the man has so much support on this forum.

I salute you Gery and hope these idoits who are trying to put your reputation on trial, get what is due to them!
If you read this Gery send regards to DW.

[Beta Light]

Part of my e-mail, cancelling my A.Pilot sub.

"A lot of your magazine seem to cater for the rich , who fly expensive toys, normally helicopters, to boost their own ego's, and not work for the betterment of the aviation industry.

The last straw was the attack on a C.A.A. inspector. I feel the S.A .C.A.A. that is in such disarray, need every dedicated man and woman who want to better aviation for all us professional pilot's, and that your magazine should support these individuals, and not protect the people that can afford to buy aviation and try to claim it for them self's.

Thank you

[RunwayBlueOne]

Whatever happened to the concept of Editorial integrity?
It would appear that Athol Franz and African Pilot have done the unthinkable and stooped to a level so low that it threatens to smear the good name of the South African Aviation Industry and all the good and worthy people who work in the South African Aviation Industry at the expense of a few rotten apples. It is with interest that I note that another SA aviation magazine had declined the offending advert.
Cancelling subs is just one measure of showing disapproval, and it's a potent one, but the Magazines depend on their advertisers for their existence. The advertisers need to know that their money is being used to propragate rubbish at their expense and advertisers do not normally wish to be associated with controversy as this would imply indirect support for a publication.
And Gerry, if you are reading this, as has been mentioned above, not only do you have more friends than you ever thought, and more people prepared to assist you in ever way, but you have the admiration and respect of many, many an airman, some of who you have never met.

[Life'sShort-FlyFast]

Thanks ladies and gents for bringing this saga to light. My subscriptions to email versions of African Pilot have been cancelled and I will not purchase another AP off the shelf.

My association with Gerry goes back 25 years and I too have only experienced professionalism and a genuine desire to assist the aviation industry going forward. This is what the industry requires. He is also expert in his field and determined to make the industry better. Given the current skills level within the SACAA, the Gerry Brobergs of this world are what the industry needs for the future if we are to be taken seriously. Gerry, you have my support.

[ERASER]

African Pilot Newsletter Vol.5 No.46

The Gerry Broberg saga explained
Much has been said about the article on the delivery of three Huey helicopters from Cape Town to Livingstone in Zambia by a team from Executive Helicopters. The story, written by Alan Fanaroff and the placing of a quarter page advertisement by Alan has solicited much criticism from certain readers. This article was edited in order to remove many of the unnecessary references made to Mr. Broberg, but then a little gremlin got into our works and the un-edited version was placed in error. However, the fact remains that Mr. Broberg did try to stop the export of three Huey helicopters from Executive Helicopters to the Zambian Air Force. The question that people should be asking is why did he take such drastic action? And what did he have to gain from not allowing a normal business transaction from taking place? According to Executive Helicopters all the required paperwork was in place for the export of military equipment to one of our northern neighbours. Once these helicopters were out of South Africa they are no longer the responsibility of the SA CAA.
African Pilot agrees that the placing of the advert could have been prevented, but then this was a normal business transaction, which was paid for. There is no doubt that where there is smoke there is usually a fire and according to Alan Fanaroff this particular advert has solicited many complaints from far and wide about the person in question. African Pilot does not wish to become embroiled in a squabble between two organisations or persons and therefore we wish to disassociate ourselves from the argument.
Since acquiring the Huey operation, Executive Helicopters have done everything in their power to normalise Huey operations in South Africa . Indeed, there are several other Hueys already operating within South Africa and more are going into operation in the near future. All the machines have been through vigorous refurbishment at the Executive Helicopters base in Cape Town and are being returned to active service in a variety of commercial roles in the normal course of business. Our December edition contains an article on the history of the Bell 205 Huey written by assistant editor, Mark Mansfield. The cover picture is a great head-on shot of one of the Cape Town Hueys also taken by Mark.

and

Abusive thread on AVCOM
It seems that the article and advertisement attracted abuse including foul language from an individual who obviously felt he had to take out his vengeance on the AVCOM forum. African Pilot applauds the moderators of AVCOM and Chris Booysen in particular for having what it takes to remove offending postings.
The following is a direct quote from Chris Booysen on AVCOM:
“There is a huge difference between criticism and abuse. When a poster has to resort to the type of language that was used then it is a moderator's duty to remove that post.

You have been around long enough to know that Avcom was self moderated until the character assassination got out of hand. After that the majority of Avcommers agreed that we need to appoint moderators and that those type of posts be removed.

Self moderation on Avcom - what a joke! I have had to remove two posts this week of full frontal nudity. Both male and female. On an aviation forum? Some people just don't know how to behave!”
To make matters worse a certain person who calls himself ‘ Goga ' keeps making unfounded statements about African Pilot, simply because he probably has a personal axe to grind. For the record SIR, the latest ABC statistics clearly show African Pilot's continued growth in this highly contested market segment. What is abundantly clear is the fact that African Pilot is selling more magazines every month; a growth curve which is exciting for our team.

Mhhhhh................Goga, you naughty boy :E

[Contract Dog]

This article was edited in order to remove many of the unnecessary references made to Mr. Broberg, but then a little gremlin got into our works and the un-edited version was placed in error.


You think they would be so kind as to share the "edited" version with us? or maybe the gremlin took it to Zambia with him?:E



African Pilot agrees that the placing of the advert could have been prevented, but then this was a normal business transaction, which was paid for.


Well, I guess that settles it boy's, we can all go home now, close this thread and start buying AP again, as long as the cr:mad: p they print is "bought and paid for" it seems they have no responsibility in the matter what so ever. WTF?

Dog

[RSQ]

I have also dealt with Mr. Broberg for a number of years. Although I operate in the fixed wing area, I have found him to be firm but fair. If you break the rules with no good justification, he stomps on you pretty hard, but always within the boundaries of the regs and in a non personal manner. HOWEVER, if this article was penned due to the frustration of dealing with the largely ignorant and incompetant persons who pass themselves off as CAA inspectors, I can sympathise with the frustration, but not the manner in which this was done. Not in defence of the writer of the article and ad, but on many occasions inspectors are merely the instruments of those who rule. I have had the unpleaseant experience of throwing CAA inspectors out of my offices, only to find out they were the unwitting instruments of a person with a grudge deeper in the CAA.

[Beta Light]

"For the record SIR, the latest ABC statistics clearly show African Pilot's continued growth in this highly contested market segment. What is abundantly clear is the fact that African Pilot is selling more magazines every month; a growth curve which is exciting for our team. "

Might be pre Oct. edition ,
Watch this space!!

[RunwayBlueOne]

What is abundantly clear is the fact that African Pilot is selling more magazines every month; a growth curve which is exciting for our team. "



Adds whole new meaning to the term: Dead man's Spiral;)

[goga]

Yes Erazer when it comes to that disgusting LITTLE man i just love being as naughty as possible

[Shockwave Sam]

"but then a little gremlin....." Are you kidding me?!You telling us you don't proof read before publication?!No wonder everyone is cancelling their subscriptions.

[Vertical_Reference]

I just had a guy walking into my office asking if I had work for him. I haven't even asked him anything when he started telling me his past working experience. 90% of the time he was going on about how he dislikes Gerry Broberg and that he was one of the crew members that were stopped by the police at Beaufort Wes. What an idiot!
Sorry to say, but people like him is not on my A-list. You can't believe how he went on telling me what a bad person Gerry is. Lucky for him I wasn't in the mood for an argument. I just felt like telling him to p--s off. :*

Anyway, good luck Gerry. Hope things are ok.

[RunwayBlueOne]

Ol Arthol has put his foot in it again. :ugh: He loves to joke about 9/11 and dead South African aviators. Where is the respect?

[118.9]

He loves to joke about 9/11 and dead South African aviators Yup Blue 1, he sure does.

African Pilot Weekly Newsletter

Aviation Humour – I am probably going to get into trouble for this one, but I did not make it up!
Bin Laden meets Hansie Cronje in the queue at the Pearly Gates.
Hansie recognizes Bin Laden, and pleasantly surprised, he exclaims:
"Bin Laden!! Good to see you Sir...How have you been?"

To which Bin Laden responds: "Don't speak to me Hansie...you've let me down"
Hansie asks: But, what do you mean Binnie? Bin Laden replies: You idiot!!!
I asked you to fly the plane into the house of George Bush, not into a Bush near George!

[TownshipDog]

One would think that with all the comments on this post and in general AF would be a little more cautious with what he prints. Looks like he's just opened his mouth to change feet...

[Jangys]

I will never, ever buy that magazine again

:mad: :yuk: :ugh: :\ :yuk:

[B Sousa]

Rumor all the way over here in Vegas is that AF got a verbal F O from folks at Rand the other day.........

[goga]

Rumor all the way over here in Vegas is that AF got a verbal F O from folks at Rand the other day.........

Can U believe that he actually gate crashed the SA Flyer orphans party

[starcrest]

Can U believe that he actually gate crashed the SA Flyer orphans party

Those who know AF will not be surprised by this apparant arrogance. In his mind he is a hero for many reasons, not least of all because he genuinley believes he is rescuing African Aviation by putting it on the world map.

[TownshipDog]

He's only a legend in his own underpants...

I will for one never buy his magazine again.

TD

[B Sousa]

"he was one of the crew members that were stopped by the police at Beaufort Wes. What an idiot!"

Not much news lately from old Fort VDM by the sea. I think they may be hunkered down and passing around the last tins of Bully Beef and Biscuits from within the walls.