Huey saga set to land in court

[carnivoruslegallus]

Just been to the airport to see for myself......

The Huey is locked up in the ABC Helicopter hangar where the SACAA Accident investigators have been going through the machine. They have made some horrific findings. The machine, for sure, ain't gonna fly no more if the investigators have their way.

Yes, and it was all for money! Dave Mouton broke all the rules for a couple of grand to give 3 conversions to Gary's cronies. John Gird, Gary Fox & Chris Bohnen was lined up for type ratings. John Gird has previously burnt his hands with Gary, but keeps on coming back for more. Just shows you the power of money huh? Gary Fox is alledgedly a Huey expert, but we all know the truth behind that lier. Beats me that van der Merwe still allows him around. Chris B has a good job with Base4 as a pilot/instructor. Beats me why he wanted in on the Huey. Must be to satisfy his ego. (bigger, better, best......Kiwi.)

Now from this scenario it is pretty much clear that Dave Mouton is in deep dwang with the CAA, and will probably have his licenses pulled, which is the right thing to do, and is only fair. (Go for it SACAA. Dave deserves that after displaying his total disregard for the law.... and that for a couple of grand. Dave is known as a goodpilot/instructor/DE, but is also known to have a weakness for money, and wil do anything for a coupla greenbacks. 'Tis a shame.)

Eddie the Kennel Keeper has gone quiet........ no more defensive postings from him, and rumour has it that he warned Van der Merwe of the engine & compressor problems, and notified van der Merwe that something was gonna go wrong. Very noble gesture....... warning the hand that feeds him...... but still unethical and immoral to succumb to pressure from the boss, fitting unservicable parts and components..... all because of money.

These so called professionals have turned into a fully fledged back yard circus. Mr. Gary van der Merwe.... entrepeneur par excellence, man with so called vision vision, man with so called courage and balls..... respect....... have dwindled into a pathetic, irrational individual. He's for sure lost the plot. This IS NOT the Gary I have known for 20 years. Its a shame. Maybe his problems have made him crazy..... or the greed????? Who knows, but he's for sure not the same anymore.

Long live the memories of the Huey

[BAKELA]

Huey, seems like it's bloody hot in Cape Town. Never mind the weather. Does any one know if "Elvis" has composed a song for this one...? Jailhouse Rock comes to mind...if the above is to be believed.

[clipboard]

Bakela, thank goodness this is a rumour network!

Ol Elvis Macdonald can't sing to save his life and had to sell his taxi business to fund his helicopter operation and his law suits with the Huey.

What comes to mind thinking about him is "I'm all shook up"

[josh sitanga]

After reading this thread with interest, it appears that what was predicted came true.

Gunzz my bro, it looks like your brothers in SA are in deep s t.

South African Pilots have the habit of critisizing West African Aviation, especially pilots, airplanes, regulations and airports.

I can assure you though that in my country, our CAA will not tolerate behaviour that was displayed by the Instructor-DE in this case. As ICAO certified, our CAA will pull his license so fast, he would not know what have hid him.

I stated during previous postings that West African Aviation in general was becoming more and more concerned about the actions of the SACAA.

Rules are da rules my bro, and if you break them, you should face the consequences. Rules are for all, not only for the elitists, royalists or the well connected.

I rest my case.

[BAKELA]

The worst is...for the Huey...

"Are you lonesome tonight"

[Gunship]

Lo Josh Bru ...

The popo really hit the fan bru.
I have no bro's left on the Huey - they all left

So RIP Huey.

Sad to read re Dave Mouton.

Hope it is untrue though.

Have a great week all.

Dumela BAKELA ... love your chirp ... linesome tonight ...

[carnivoruslegallus]

Gunzzz, what you read about Dave Mouton is very true! He should have his licenses pulled immediately.

Latest on this is the fact that on Saturday night after the Accident/Incident investigators got the Helicopter into the ABC Hangar, Mr. Gary van der Merwe and his mechanic Mr. Eddie de Jager broke into the hangar and unlawfuly removed the engine from the helicopter so that the Investigators could not get their hands on it. I mean, this is criminal. Interfering with an accident/incident investigation is a serious criminal offence, and I hope the DOT, SACAA & SAPS will pull out all the stops to prosecute these criminals. Can you imagine, breaking into a hangar and removing the key evidence. Jail for these boys is ALL I can suggest. They must have lost the plot big time!

Rumour has it that the compressor disintegrated. Now for a compressor to disintegrate, it must have been running out of balance for a very long time. So its not a fresh problem. I mean... are these guys not competent enough to pick up a compressor problem? Surely the N1 would have warned them?

All I can do is shake my head in disbelief.

[Deanw]

Geez, I'm a little shocked at the latest developments

We all knew that the Huey was living close to the edge, but was it teetering so far over the edge for the last year

I hope the problems are sorted out once and for all now. Ground the Huey (and prosecute) if there has been any illegal or neferious activities.

Despite what the Huey has done for helicopter tourism in the Mother City, let's hope it does not kill off the industry as well!

Man, I really loved that Huey

[clipboard]

Its Official...... The Huey's days are over...... for now!

The Dept. of Transport's investigators today moved the Huey from the ABC Hangar to another hangar where it will remain behind lock & key whilst it is being "disected & inspected sans" engine though. Apparently it has now been formally impounded.

Rumour has it that the engine exploded and had a total melt down in flight. Van der Merwe alledged that the engine suffered a compressor stall, but on demand from the investigators to start it, he refused, as of course it could'nt.

The investigators have alledged that Mr. van der Merwe has not been very co-operative in the matter, and this could delay the process of returning the Huey to its owner.

I find it really difficult to understand van der Merwe's actions, as it will be real shame if the Huey is going to be permanently grounded, which appears, is now almost a certainty.

Sad, real sad!

[B Sousa]

Amongst all the mire consider if what is mentioned here did happen to the Huey, I was correct in that Dave Mouton is a good Pilot. He got it down without breaking it.........That aside.......
Consider this little tidbit. As Pilots we abide by rules and back when things were fun, Huey was smiling and all was well. One of the very first rules as licensed Pilots is that we fly an aircraft with certain documentation. Originally it was blessed by the CAA. Certificate of Airworthiness was issued and everyone was happy.
Underneath all this the aircraft had problems that came to the surface and the war was on.
CAA pulled the Airworthiness Certificate, the fight ensued and a Court said no you can still fly.......OK. Im confused, who knows more or at least is supposed to know more about whether an aircraft is flyable...
Either way the bottom line is that it had NO Airworthiness Certificate. So all you boys and girls out there who put that tail number in your Pilots logbook based on your License issued by the CAA have now technically commited a flight violation.
So whos to say that should they desire too, they have a pretty well documented case against many of you who thought this was a great deal. You agreed when you got your license to abide by the CAA Rules. I dont give a hoot what a court says, the court did not issue your license..
Something to ponder while your out having fun.

[twomember]

Huey

There is most definitely a sting in this ‘tale” – maybe from the Scorpions? I have been following the saga of the circumstances surrounding the operation of the Huey in Cape Town, and have urgent need to comment. There has been such a lot of sucking up to Gary van der Merwe on this website that it is unbelievable. It is also quite clear that some of the contributors never read a newspaper, and that some don’t know a single thing about Helicopters, The Aviation Laws, or Safety. It is also clear that some of those same contributors should be writing children’s fairy stories.

The Huey operators appear to blame others for the fact that the CAA has grounded them, and for the bad press, (first Andy Cluver, and then Ernest Macdonald). However, any reasonably intelligent being would realise that they do not need any help from their neighbours to cast suspicion upon themselves. It is their own blatant disregard for the laws which has cast the spotlight upon them.

Mr van der Merwe has constantly appeared in the media over the past few years; Running an illegal gambling venue; Defrauding his investors; Attempting to carry R1.5 million in cash through the Airport; Crashing two Jet rangers on the V&A Helipad; Beating up some members of his staff; Bulldozing a sand dune in an ecologically sensitive area of Milnerton beach in order to extend his garden; Attempting to take foreign currency out of the Country through Cape Town Airport; Tax evasion; His ships were attached; His Jet rangers were repossessed; His Auditors resigned: and he is operating illegally out of an Industrial area next to the freeway; not to mention the fact that he has been flying a Grounded helicopter for 9 months now, and charging the passengers for the “pleasure” of flying with Private Pilots and no Insurance. He apparently has neither conscience nor sense of reality, as he appears to exist in his own private world where the law does not exist.

His second in command, Mr François Marais, apparently also has a fairly chequered history; as he forged an FAA Commercial pilots license and then attempted to use it to fly in this country; he was sentenced to community service for this, (at Ysterplaat; some punishment!) but he should have been banned from flying altogether and all the other private pilots who fly the grounded Huey should have their licences revoked.

Considering all the facts regarding the integrity of both Mr van der Merwe and Mr Marais, the two heads of the Huey “Club” operation, and Mr van der Merwe also being the main shareholder of Helicopter & Marine Services, which “hires” it’s helicopter to the Huey “Club” the burning question would be:- how did this Huey obtain it’s Certificate of Airworthiness in the first place?

Also considering that when WIN still owned it’s Jet rangers, they caused the first crash on the V&A Helipad by tying two helicopters together, and when the bank repossessed the remaining Helicopters, they were in a very sorry state: they were uninsured and had missing component cards, were sporting parts pirated from other helicopters and several Unserviceable parts; why would anyone imagine that the Huey would suddenly be run as a legal, airworthy and up-and-up business? And judging from the fact that their previous Auditors threw them out, what guarantees are there that the books are being kept correctly?

Seeing that the Huey is currently grounded due to missing component cards and legitimate records for certain parts, it follows that these records were never correct. At the time of the “club’s” inception, Mr Trevor Abrahams was the Commissioner of the CAA. This man needs no introduction, but perhaps he could be tracked down and asked how the Huey got its Airworthy in the first place? I have no doubt that Gary van der Merwe has the “Gift of the Gab”; all those sorry Investors prove it; how many CAA Inspectors are currently embarrassed over the fact that the Huey’s operation is not a “club” after all, and the Helicopter is unsafe?

The Huey “Club” grossly overloads their Helicopter, for which the law allows a maximum of 9 passengers (if they were operating legally). But they are regularly loading up to 16 passengers per flight.

They take off and land over water without either floats or life vests, contrary to the V&A Waterfront Helipad’s Standard Operating Procedures, which make Floats mandatory. Once they picked up a plastic bag on their rotors and they narrowly made it back to the pad Maverick style, what if they had come down in the water? On at least 2 occasions smoke was seen billowing out of the Helicopter and they had to land and have the passengers disembark in a hurry! They have had forced landings and engine outs more than once, and only one of these reached the media, thanks to the quick thinking of Ernest Macdonald of Sport. They reportedly had a cracked tail boom at a Stellenbosch air show, what was done about that? How many of these near misses have actually occurred since the “club’s” inception, and how many have actually been reported to the CAA?

They sell flights from the V&A Quayside in the same way as all of the legitimate Commercial Operators do. They are not recruiting Club members. The flight is a novelty, therefore a once-off trip.

The passengers receive a “certificate” after their flight, this has a “membership number” printed on it. Should that same “member” come back later and wish to fly again, he has to pay another fee, and receives yet another “certificate”, printed with a new “membership number”.
Having spoken to several of the passengers who have flown on the Huey, not one of them has ever received a newsletter; nor have they been asked to supply their addresses. Also, some of them have said that they did not even know that they were supposedly joining a “Club” until they had received their “certificate” after the flight. The whole scam is a farce.

They have no Public Liability Insurance on this Helicopter, and the passengers are signing away their legal rights on an indemnity form. Several Tour Operators have reported that they have asked the Huey “Club” for proof of Insurance, (which is standard practice for most Tour Operators, prior to booking their tourists for flights, etc), to no avail. What happens to the Helicopter operations in Cape Town after this man dumps his paying (foreign) tourists in the sea?

Private Pilots are flying fare paying passengers in contravention of several Aviation regulations.

As far as one can establish, neither The Huey Club, nor Gary van der Merwe, nor Helicopter and Marine Services has a valid Air Services License.

In his papers before the Court when the V&A Waterfront attempted to force him into complying with his Grounding Order, Gary van der Merwe stated (under oath) that he has 3000 hours flying time as a pilot on the Huey. At that time, he had owned the Huey for approximately 1 year. Thus 3000 hrs divided by 9 months over the year, works out to 333 hours per month, and therefore 11 hours per day. (Given the winter weather and all the times the Huey has been down and out of commission, and given that he did commercial work with the Huey at Chapman’s Peak for a month, and used Commercial pilots.) That means that he would need to fly the Helicopter as the sole pilot, every day, all day! Besides being impossible, this would also be illegal, as Pilots’ flying hours are strictly regulated for obvious reasons. Perhaps Mr van der Merwe could explain how he managed to obtain all these extra Huey flying hours? This is the way in which they continue to mislead the public and lie to the Court and the Judges.

In the V&A case he claimed that the Huey’s Main Rotor Grips have a mandatory life period of 9000 hours. This is definitely not true, the manufacturers of the Huey, Bell, give these Grips a life of 1200 hours or 2 years, whichever comes up first. Should the Helicopter not be flown for 1200 hours within the 2 year period, Bell will provide the owner with a pro rata rebate. In this Court case van der Merwe argued that Bell simply gives these component times in order to sell Aircraft parts. The fact is that the rebate is in place precisely to discourage the owner from attempting to continue using parts which are no longer deemed to be safe.

In the papers before the court for their Interdict Application to stop Ernest Macdonald from filming their illegal operations, Gary and Francois tell several blatant lies. (under oath) (As the case has run, this case is a matter of public record). One being that they claim to have flown rescue work as the Huey “club” for the NSRI. It is common knowledge that such bodies as the NSRI are governed by strict regulations, and therefore they would never be allowed to utilise a Helicopter without floats and specialised lifting equipment for sea rescue work. Gary has tried to mislead the Court, as the Huey “Club” has never been involved in any form of sea rescue work, they simply do not comply with the requirements.

In those same papers, Both Gary and Francois insist that the fact that their operation is illegal is “Irrelevant”. Yet that is the whole crux of the matter, and the reason for Macdonald’s filming! The fact that they and the Court do not find it relevant that they are operating illegally is frightening!

They continually tell anyone prepared to listen, that the Court ruled that the second Grounding Order was invalid. Anyone with reasonable intelligence would realise that this is yet another con. The second Grounding Order has not yet been challenged by van der Merwe. How could a Court rule over a Grounding Order which has not happened yet? Should the Traffic Department issue a motorist with a speeding fine, and the motorist overturns the fine in Court on a technicality, does this mean that the Traffic Department may never issue him with another speeding fine?

The Huey Operators’ constant attempts at fooling the public are beyond belief, and the fact that the Huey is still flying is also beyond belief. It is really high time that one of the legal operators in the Waterfront bought a Huey, and showed them how to do it, as it is a great machine, and it is criminal (no pun intended) to see how what was an excellent idea has been so badly abused.

The Huey had another Engine failure last week, and now has finally had one at the Airport where it could not be covered up, despite that ridiculous statement to the Cape Times this morning! Apparently, van der Merwe’s staff sneaked into the AMO’s hangar in the dead of night and stole the Huey’s engine, and when the CAA came to investigate the forced landing, there was no engine to investigate. What kind of behaviour is this? Why is this man not behind bars? So far he has been more than lucky; he has crashed and patched that Huey over the last 2 years, just keeping it going well enough to make more and more money, and has not yet crashed with paying passengers on board! Will this man only ever give up once he kills himself and a Huey full of passengers?

Seems quite a few ppruners have egg on their faces now. I cannot believe that so many (presumably Intelligent) people fell for van der Merwe’s lines, and no one, (besides me, and I’m just an interested spectator) actually ever bothered to investigate whether “Rotorhead” was speaking the truth or not way back in December 2002. And how many of you actually asked the other operators (Cluver & Macdonald) why they were so against the Huey Operator from the beginning – just accepted Gary’s story about jealousy. Maybe some of you are going to accept Gary’s story that they were “practicing” forced landings at the Airport?

I am aware that this is a rumour network, but seems as though some of those rumours are really far fetched – some of you should be writing children’s novels! Come on, altogether now, one large collective apology to Rotorhead as well as Ernest and Robert Macdonald. (Obviously not such a pair of nuts after all!) Van der Merwe has certainly caused a lot of damage to the Cape Town Aviation scene; here’s hoping it will all fizzle away soon!
There is another interesting little forum on http//ikiteboarding.com go to – forums – Chill out Lounge – Huey Cowboy, for anyone caring to read it.

[Deanw]

The Cape Times article

Cape Times:

Helicopter operator defies grounding order

November 23, 2004

By Babalo Ndenze

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is investigating a Huey helicopter operator in the city for flying without permission following an accident earlier this year, but the company says it will continue to do so.

The CAA grounded the Huey on January 7 because the Huey Extreme Club would not allow a safety inspection of the aircraft after it was stranded near Bloubergstrand. The club claims the grounding was invalid and has continued to fly the helicopter.

On Saturday the helicopter was involved in a forced landing at the airport.

Following this "precautionary landing", CAA spokesman Moses Seate said the helicopter was grounded in January and as far as they were concerned it was not supposed to have been flying.

"They are defying our grounding order. We are still investigating the matter and we can't tell what the outcome will be. When there is an accident we will not allow any aircraft to fly. If there is an accident the authority to fly immediately becomes invalid."


Operators had to re-apply for a permit to fly after an accident, he said.

The Huey's owner, Gary van der Merwe, said the CAA had no idea what it was talking about and he had every reason to fly the helicopter. The club won a high court interdict against a CAA grounding in December.

"They are talking nonsense, that's bogus bulls**t they're feeding you. We have a high court order against the CAA allowing us to fly."

"Anyway, all we were doing was performing a precautionary landing exercise. It's quite normal. You know, people are always trying to blow things out of proportion," Van der Merwe said.

[clipboard]

[B]TWOMEMBER

Great first posting TwoMember. You sound just like the whining Rotorhead.

Now if this is not a bitter and twisted comment to defend Rotorhead's initial thread, then I don't know.

So what is your point exactly?

You sound like you've been briefed by "ol Elvis the hound dog and his kid judging by the comments you make with regards to the Court papers. A Court case that Ol Elvis lost with punitive costs, as well as the appeal.

To date, the Huey has'nt killed anyone, or has it? Your facts are so way out of line, it borders on pathetic. Maybe you should get educated on the facts first before writing a novel about your hatred towards the Huey. Shame, poor man! It's enough to make one cry.

The Huey was up until Saturday, Cape Town's helicopter industry's premium money puller, and your comments about the Huey is clearly a case of bitterness. Why? Because you could'nt fly it, and because your employers did'nt make enough money, so you lost out on some of your part time revenue???

Its amazing that people like yourself always have lots to say about others, but you yourself lack the balls and the initiative to do something for your self. Come on man, stop whining, get a life, go out and try and make some money for your self, and leave those that know how to do so, out of your idiotic philosophy.

[B Sousa]

Clipboard......Come on now........ "To date the Huey hasnt killed anybody" What kind of comment is that......
Is the CAA designed to wait for that before taking action??
Two member has only made one post but certainly sounds as if he is close to the pulse.
Unfortunatly most on this rumor network remain anonymous.........Consider though that could change if someone has a lawyer in their pocket. Folks here are only superficially anonymous.
Further, "Until saturday, the Huey Capetown's helicopter Industry's premium money puller." Yes it probably was....Street Hookers make a lot of money on the waterfront, but that does not make it legal...

[carnivoruslegallus]

Twomember, as a "interested spectator" you seem to know an awful lot about the Huey, the Waterfront SOP's, Cluver, Elvis and the lot, which makes me think that you are none other than the original "whiner" that first posted issues about the Huey way back in December 2002.

You mention of a lot of things, like breaking the law, the Waterfront SOP's, flying without floats etc. Well mister, Have you noticed that your part time boss Cluver operates one of his Jetranger's without floats and have done so for nearly 18 months. Have you noticed that both Elvis & Cluver subcharters the Agusta 119 without floats to fly from the Waterfront from time to time. Have you noticed that your other part time boss Elvis charters Airport based helicopters from time to time, also without floats. Because they're your buddies and employers, they're legal? They're not breaking any SOP's or laws are they? Yeah right!

Gary van der Merwe personally never tied two helicopters together and pranged them. His pilots did.... out of a pure act of stupidity. Bear in mind that the very one now works for Elvis, and can't get employment anywhere else due to the accident he was the cause of. These are your buddies..... the ignorant and the stupid... with ego's ten times higher than their IQ's, and these are the guys that have never achieved anything in their lives, other than to critisize those who have. They themselves have never gone anywhere themselves. Remember... there's a lot of professional jealousy out there, and YOU are most certainly one of them. The bitterness in your posting confirms that. It's amazing that whiners like your self are in aviation. Can you cope under pressure my man?

You asked how the Huey got its original Airworthiness Certificate? How do you think? Oh I forgot.... you're just an innocent spectator with no knowledge of aviation, so yeah right... you would'nt know, but maybe you should find out. You mention the previous Commissioner and states that this man needs no introduction. What are you implying? Are you implying that Mr. Abrahams is corrupt or incompetent?

You also mention that an other operator should buy a Huey. Well why don't they? Elvis alledgedly bought a Huey in March this year, but to date it has'nt arrived. Any reason for that? Money problems???? Paperwork problems???? Export/Import problems? Elvis hates the Huey, and have fabricated many a lie about it. He has also tried everything in his power to get it banned from the Waterfront, but in spite of all that, he is quite willing to buy a Huey and operate it from the Waterfront in spite of the fact that he has alledged to the Waterfront Company that a Huey is too big, its blades are too long etc. But its OK if he operates one huh??? What a bunch of jokers you are!

We have all flown in the Huey, know the operator and the people involved, and I can honestly say that the Huey was always operated professionally and within the parameters of the law. Why would the Supreme Court, after hearing argument, rule in its favour three times? Are the judges according to you, also corrupt? The stories and the rumours about the Huey was/is/are fabricated by people like yourself..... the jealous and the ignorant, only because you did'nt think of the idea and could never be part of it.

As for B. Sousa, he critisized me when I first posted in favour of the Huey, but like the Kennel Keeper said, he came to SA to fly the Huey (as a 2000 hour Huey pilot) but could not perform on basic slinging at Chapmans Peak, and because he could not perform, he blamed all his own personal mistakes and incompetence on the Huey. He then started sending out PM's to a number of pprune readers, as well as to his mates at the SACAA, bitching about the Huey. Sick huh? The Huey got the wrath of his incompetence.

Anyway, I have not always agreed with what the van der Merwe did, or how he went about conducting his business, and I have openly critisized him for it, but I am a fan of the Huey and will always be. The Huey has been great for Cape Town.

Long live the memories of the Huey

[Dave Mouton]

Fact or fiction

As Mr P Volland of CAA informed me about the site today I decided to become a member immediately and share in the fun. I will attempt to give you fact and fiction to keep this topic alive.

Fact

1. After the incident I immediately called a CAA official and was quickly reminded about my legal position and the possibility of losing my licence and DE status. Before I received a letter from CAA on Monday morning one of our members posted the questions verbatim on the web. FICTION- Any relation to par 4 and 5? YOU Guess. End of fiction
2. Dave Mouton does fly for money. R2000 a day if the client requires me to leave my office. The travel, meal and accommodation will also be for the clients account. This time round I was kind enough to wave the meals and accommodation as the weekend gave me the opportunity to visit my father (diagnosed with terminal cancer recently) and yes to fly a 205.
3. Please forward the professional pilots details that are flying for free. My company would like 10 of them (I will pay meals but no accommodation).
4. All legal training in South Africa takes place on a Part 141 licence. These licences are not helicopter registration specific but only specify the type of training a qualified instructor can give. The training on Saturday complied with all the requirements of my Part 141. FICTION-“Previous training on the 205 to the owner was given by a CAA official and I would like to know which Part 141 was used in that instance. Did CAA have the same concerns at that time regarding the safety of the helicopter? Did that official ensure that all documents were in order? Was it even necessary because that official helped Gary to set up the operation? ” End of Fiction
5. If CAA revokes a C of R or C of A what is it still doing in the owner’s possession? I always thought the Supreme Court is the highest authority in South Africa. A pity your friend did not tell that to the people who know me and my love of money so well.
6. I always had the impression that CAA was there to protect pilots and passengers. So if all you guys that hate the 205 and its owner are indeed correct about the 205 I wish CAA acted sooner and also won the legal battles. If given a choice I would prefer being on the ground on Saturday because CAA did a better job/ had better legislation or legal aid. If CAA fails again and Gary continues with a safe operation I wish him and our 205 lovers many happy flying ours.
7. If Saturday had a fatal ending for 6 people who was my wife going to blame? My love for flying, my urge to fly the 205 and a helpless CAA.

[B Sousa]

Carnivore
Just to set the record straight. I did do some slinging at Chapmans, and immediately told Francois that he should use a precision sling pilot for the job that was required. Capetown has one and he was busy at the time.
I was not using vertical reference and also not using a Cargo hook made for the Huey and not used to this method. Slinging is easy, but placing steel on a spot while relaying through three different people is not. Chapmans peak was not Basic Slinging. Im sure I can put out the fire in your Braai with a Bambi Bucket.. You do that??
Nothing to blame the Huey for, its just a different kind of work. Im not ashamed of admitting it was a bit much for me so your not slinging mud in my face.. I would ask you though what Personal mistakes did I make??
You obviously are typing for someone else as the problems mentioned about the Huey had nothing to do with Sling work, sounds as if Eddie has his hand up your rear wiggling your lips..
Maybe you should post your name , its easy if your honest.
Im sure there will be more fun as this progresses.....

[bladestrap]

Wow, let the show begin. The Huey is more newsworthy than the mercenaries in EG, and the Sheik & Zuma's saga.

I have read all the threads regarding the Huey, and going back to the original thread posted by Rotorhead in December 2002, Rotorhead eventually, due to pressure from Cluver, identified himself as Pete Hanes, an ATP (H) who "works for most of the operators". Now since the world knew who Rotorhead was, Pete Hanes NEVER posted anything again under the name of Rotorhead. His last posting was in march 2003.

Now, 18 months later, TWOMEMBER, a man with a big urge to comment, albeit "an innocent spectator" posts a thread, again with so much bitterness. Some of the issues raised are exactly the issues Pete Hanes raised during his initial threads, airworthiness, fake parts, lost logs, insurances, the Cluver & Elvis comments, its the exact duplicate of the previous postings. So I'm prepared to bet my last bottom dollar, that there is a connection. He even suggests a "Huge apology" to be made to Rotorhead.

Be that as it may, TWOMEMBER has written exactly what Elvis wanted him to write. Elvis has even supplied him with copies of court papers from his matter with the Huey (which he lost), as TWOMEMBER quoted these. The plot thickens, and soon we'll know who this man is. Keep on writing TWOMEMBER.

It amazes me that the "Huey Haters" have stooped to the levels they have. Fabricating stories about tailbooms cracking and falling off, numerous engine failures, pirate parts and whatever else. These are the guys that are so envious of the Huey, but they DON'T have the courage to acknowledge that the Huey has been a big success. I mean, this man asks how the Huey got its original C of A? Now what kind of an ignorant question is that? That whole issue was addressed in the original thread in detail! Shows you the lack of brain power here, or is it pure malice, trying to implicate the previous Commissioner, always looking for another stick to beat the dog. These people are sick, sick with envy, and its burning them up.

The man even had a go at Francois. Rotorhead did that in his previous thread also. The man is clearly confused, as the info posted on Francois is so far from the truth, and varies everytime he says something. The man is so ignorant, as he still refers to Francois as Gary's second in command. This after Francois left the Company in September.

Since Francois left the Huey organisation, Gary basically took control of everything there, and although some of us supported him, we also openly critisised him when he did things we did not agree with. Owning the helicopter is one thing, and operating it is another thing. What Gary does, or have done, does'nt mean that we as Huey lovers should stop liking the helicopter. In spite of all the fabricated stories that have reached the ears of all sorts of people, the Huey has been flown without causing injury to soul. TWOMEMBER mentions all the problems and the alledged failures, but he neglects to mention all the problems and the failures of the other operators. Engine cut in a Jetranger which resulted in the tail being chopped off in the ensuing forced landing, doors flying off in flight due to poor maintenance, but to mention a few. Come on TWOMEMBER, wake up my man, these are mechanical things that can fail. Are you telling us that everytime you have an incident, mishap, or problem on your A340 it is due to poor service or incompetent mechanics? What an Einstein!

The situation that Gary now finds himself in, may be self inflicting, who knows. We are not involved in the day to day running of his business, so we won't know, but we support the Huey, and will do so to the end. Gary may be a maverick, but at least he had the courage to face up to believing in his dream, which is clearly what the other envious operators could not stomach, including Rotorhead, A340-CoJock, Twomember and the rest who have gone out of their way to malign the Huey.

As with Dave Mouton's posting, welcome to the pprune Dave. Your first post makes a little bit of sense in some ways, but I would say that it is rather defensive, and in it you're "fingering" a CAA Official, who if I remember correctly, was at one time also your boss in another organisation, and rumour has it that also there, you were always trying to have a go at him. Bottom line is that as a DE you have certain responsibilities towards safe flight, and the way I look at it, you broke all those responsibilities. Difference of opinion? Yeah sure, there will be, but lets leave it at that. Let the SACAA here be the judge.

With regards to B. Sousa's defensive posting, come on Bert, don't be so sensitive. The boys are only giving you a bit of your own medicine. Tooo many pprune readers received PM's from you about the Huey, and not all of them kept it to themselves. They shared it with the Huey boys. They all know your sentiments on the issue, especially the information you sent to your friend at the SACAA. So what you sow, you will reap.

Don't become bitter now. See the lighter side of it. There may soon be, according to TWOMEMBER, "a legal Huey to fly" in the Waterfront, Ol Elvis'. Then TWOMEMBER can get a type rating and show us all how to do it. (Having watched him fly an Alo3, with his rock ape departures and low level beat ups and turns, I'm not so sure if he'll survive in a Huey) Then maybe you'll have a chance to fly a "legitimate" Huey, and then you can compare the difference between a "legitimate and an illegal" Huey, and give us your comments which we will of course digest with glee.

Hee Haaa, long live the Huey!

[Kennel Keeper]

Eddie De Jager alias the Huey 'Kennel Keeper' wishes to make the following statement without hiding behind names:-

Qualifications:

Qualified at Atlas Aviation 1975 as an Airframe & Powerplant mechanic after a legitimate trade test and apprenticeship beginning in 1972.

4 years post apprenticeship training at the expense of the SAAF.

2 years in small commercial aviation before going back to Armscor until 1994 in research and development. Official secrets act prevents any disclosure of work done during my entire career and therefore makes it look as if I came out of the woodwork.

Since 1994 worked as a contractor for various companies under the wary eye of well known inspectors who were happy to sign for my work.

No I do not have an AME licence as I have never had the need for one in a management role. I have always had other people willing to sign my work when required. Luckily I also gathered vast experience in car repairs and panelbeating which certainly fed my family when aviation could not.

Privately I have built many aircraft for various roles all of which were done with a great deal of pride and as a result my workmanship international and local magazines published stories of this work. The Huey is in fact the culmination of one of these projects.

The Huey:-

The Huey was rebuilt exclusively by me at a private field in Johannesburg to the original military spec and the addition of civilian specs.
All the parts were stripped down, inspected and re certified by legitimate organisations .
Parts were only purchased fron NAC or Bell factory authorised suppliers.
Copies of ALL the log cards and maintenance records were obtained and in fact were always available from the original Ethiopian shipment.
CAA in fact have copies of all these records but still like to imply forgery etc.(although I think more of the implication has come from the likes of jealous opposition )

Everybody and I mean everybody has always been more than welcome to come to my workshop at Helibase to look at the Huey project and ask questions including the SACAA.

Oh and by the way I dont even work for Gary anyway so it cant be the for the money. I am passionate about the Huey and any other warbird and will pledge whatever it takes to keep it flying safely, simply to give ordinary people the chance to fly a legend.


FINALLY
I invite all of you to please not be cowards and come and see for yourselves if all you alledge is true.

I also do not agree with some of the things Gary has done and have not been shy to say so. I admit I have had a good fight sometimes to get things done properly.

I also spent my aviation career in an environment where the rest of the world abandoned us to the threat of Soviet agression and learned to make a plan. We south Africans can be proud that we developed aviation and other products which still make the yanks jealous!! So what if we make a plan with local parts. Why should I not rather pay local engineers and suppliers and create employment than support an overpriced american market.
I remind you all that we built the worlds best combat helicopter from LOCAL PARTS we made ourselves. Therefore the ROOIVALK should also be grounded because we made it in a back workshop from local parts???
I am very proudly South African

Email [email protected] if you have the guts to come forward from behind your aliases!

[marc perkins]

War Bird Euphoria

Interesting to watch all the previous War Bird euphoria rocked to it's foundation, by recent events and some revealing comments by Bert.

It would seem that he is by far the only trully qualified expert on Huey's on this forum to date; there is no doubting his experience, and his comments on this forum have always been well measured and left plenty of food for thought. What amazes me is the ridiculous and really childlike comments relating to his so called inability to conduct the sling work at Chapmans Peak. I personally carried out some of the work at Chapmans, and it was anything but mandatory. On numerous occasions I turned more opportunities to work the Peak down, regardless of how lucrative, due to lack of proper equipment or personnel. I don't know Bert from a bar of soap, but I can assure you his attitude and comments come accross as Professional. Isn't this what we all should be striving towards !

Wrt Dave Mouton I know him, and respect him to be a complete professional in every sense when it comes to flying. He for one would definately have checked all the aircraft documentation regarding the Huey. Like he says, if this aircraft really was grounded as the CAA claims, then why are these documents still in the aircraft ! If the CAA grounding order was in fact valid, then it would seem that there is a chronic void in the policing of these urgent matters.

Re the entire float issue at the Waterfront pad: this has been flogged to death and debated about so often. Firstly let us all admit that the Waterfront is a confined area Heli Pad, surrounded by water. Most aircraftapproaching or departing this site, wether float equipped or not, should be planning their routes in such a fashion that should they experience any problems, they can make it back onto the pad. Not entirely easy for newcomers, but with some suitable base checks by qualified persons, then quite possible. Not so some detractors might say; well explain that to John Pocock with whom I flew the various possible profiles, under the different wind conditions to prove this very point.

Secondly the present law allows for flights over water for single engine helicopters without floatation gear for purposes of take off and landing. The new Waterfront SOP's compiled in conjunction with the SACAA representatives does not allow for this, and all helicopters are expected to have floatation gear. This in spite of all objections from most of the Operators.

Thirdly the law specifies that for periods of intended sustained flight over water, then all forms of floatation devices for aircraft and persons, is mandatory. At the inception of the Hueys flying, I was one of the critics for their sustained low level routing well behind the "backline" minus the necessary gear for their aircraft and people. On numerous occasions, in my opinion well beyond any hope of succesfully autorotating to land. Their routing was subsequently adjusted, and they routed at a height of 1000' amsl and at all times within safe distance of land. Never mind the noise saving which was also a bonus. End of criticism, no problem and congratulations to them seeing the wisdom at the time.

My point is we don't need to reinvent the law, if we all adopt a professional outlook to what it stands for. If we all look behind the fineprint, there is wisdom in there to be found believe it or not !

This has become quite a mouthfull, but one last point. Earlier in this thread someone mentioned the effect a tragedy would have on peoples perception of a particular aircraft type. Bare in mind that 90 % of all tourists are completely ignorant on technicalities regarding aircraft. If something were to happen ( which is bound to in our industry), and all matters aren't squeeky clean then the International world will not be specifying a Huey, or a Jetty, or an Alo or Robby for that matter. What they will do is label "Helicopters" and "South Africa", and that affects us all.

We have a jewell of a helicopter industry, and we all need to take it apon ourselves to safeguard it. There is no doubting the genious of Gary's concept, but my only wish is that he and all other Operators, do whatever it takes to get in line with both the law, and what is in the best interests of a safe and prosperous industry.

Just my Pounds worth after sitting on the sidelines for sometime now.

Regards to all, and safe flying

MP