Aviation competition hosted at Lowveld Aero Club
The club is a non-profit organisation that was established in 1956 and is the social hub for flight training in the Lowveld.
The Lowveld Aero Club hosted its aviation competition on Saturday morning. The small-aircraft pilots prefered to help and encourage each other rather than being competitive.
”These types of competitions are very important to pilots. It serves as a practical way to test the skills you have practised,” said Etienne Oosthuizen, a pilot with more than 25 years’ experience.
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Johan Jansen van Rensburg flies a Bush Baby explorer, which he named Dusty. He pulled off the best spot landing, one of the categories of the competition.
”Spot landing is when you have to land your aircraft as close to a specific white line on the runway as possible,” Jansen van Rensburg said.
Jurie Piso also has a Bush Baby and has been flying for almost ten years. “Flying is my occupation and I think it is important to take part in competitions like these. You learn something new every time.”
The pilots had to bring their A-game with the short-field landing, where they had to cut their power and land with a full stop without complications.
Oosthuizen and Piet Roux, also a pilot that competed at the event, both agreed that this type of flying is not for the “adrenaline junkie”, but for someone who appreciates the view from the top.
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They invited everybody to attend their next event.
