First Black aircraft flyer at Barnstormers club
Newcomer in the sport, Birchleigh North resident, Solomon Makgoke, has become the first man of colour to join local aircraft flying club, the Barnstormers Model Flying Club (BMFC)
REMOTE control aircraft flying has never been known as a sport, at least not in our immediate surroundings, but its gradual growth, which is seeing it attract more faces, will only make it more recognised.
Widely known as an activity for the white community, the sport has progressed as far as attracting people of all races.
Newcomer to the sport, Birchleigh North resident, Solomon Makgoke, has become the first man of colour to join local aircraft flying club, the Barnstormers Model Flying Club (BMFC).
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Having done training through the Hobby Centre in Kempton Park, the 42-year-old says he has always been interested in flying planes – which led him to joining BMFC.
“I remember buying cheap helicopters and I would try to fly them on my own but I would always crash them more than I could fly them,” he explained.
Asked about how he grew passionate about the sport, Makgoke said: “I once saw a guy flying a quadcopter at a park near my home and it looked very interesting.”
His fondness for the sport can also be attributed to his neighbours and friends, whom he says played a significant role in helping him learn more.
“A number of people have helped me and I have learnt a lot from them. It’s tricky to put a finger on a specific person but Marius, who lives in my neighbourhood, has really been helpful and has taught me a lot, even offering me his flight simulator, a computer simulator for flying model aircraft.
“I can also mention people like Nick, Justin and Willem, instructors from the BMFC, guys with impeccable knowledge in flying, who have also been important in guiding me through the ropes of flying, unselfishly so.”
Although he only began to fly planes recently, Makgoke has made inroads in the sport as a member at BMFC.
“I’ve learnt how to fly in about three months. It’s not easy. Some people have been training for more than a year,” he said.
“I registered with the South African Model Aircraft Association (SAAMA) at the end of August and began taking lessons in September. You can’t legally fly planes without being registered with SAAMA,” he explained.
Makgoke boasts a solo rating under the Hobby Centre.
Gary McDonogh, owner of the Hobby Centre on Monument Road, as well as instructor at the radio control (rc) flying school which runs from the Barnstormers club, said the rc sport was cheaper than golf and drinking.
“There are misconceptions about the sport, but when people come for classes they see that they were wrong,” he said.
Classes, he added, include theory and practical and there is a fixed syllabus that is followed.
