Dundee this year lost out on the right to host an air show following the highly successful and popular first-ever aviation jamboree held here in 2014. However, there are moves afoot to right this wrong and to ensure that Newcastle airshow is not the only game in town.
Local aviation enthusiasts, Sibusiso Ketwa and his colleague, Paballo Makgato, both officials from the Directorate of Civil Aviation, attended an exploratory meeting in Dundee last week to discuss the reintroduction of an air show.
The meeting was hosted by Paul Coetser, himself a local pilot, at The Lapha Bed and Breakfast. The Director of Civil Aviation has indicated that a career exhibition will form part of the proceedings, and they plan to involve at least 500 learners from rural areas.
Mayor Thulani Mahaye, who also attended, expressed his support for the show, saying Dundee “needed this.” Civil Aviation plans to get all possible stakeholders involved in this plan to expose learners to careers in civil aviation. The office of the Mayor will facilitate local and district authorities to get involved and buy into this effort as much as possible, with the objective of turning this into an annual event.”
This will certainly be a blessing to local pilots who have fought a long battle to keep the much-maligned airfield free of livestock, people and general disrepair. A high-profile show, they feel, would go to great lengths to stiffen support for the facility which is of major importance to the medical, business and tourism industries,