Week of airshow fun ends with showstopping flying

SECUNDA – After a week of airplane-fuelled fun that kicked off with the Flying Lions Harvard’s airshows, the navigation rally, skydiving opportunities and chopper flips, the Secunda Airfield hosted the Pitts Special Airshow by the Torre Aerobatic team on Saturday afternoon.

These small and devilishly fast little airplanes might resemble aircraft from a bygone era, but the nearly 70-year-old Pitts Specials are capable of executing just about every maneuver in the aerobatic catalogue.

Impressive flips, spirals and break-neck speed low flying maneuvers had spectators breathless, but wanting more.

The four pilots made the most of the typography, coming in low over the greenbelt and Lake Umuzi and leaving billowing white con-trails behind them.

The Torre Aerobatic team, under the masterful leadership of renowned South African aerobatics pilot Scully Levin, has chosen to stay with the Pitts Special S2B airplanes which he has been known to call the Ferrari of the skies.

This aerobatics team has forged a strong bond through nearly 20 years of flying together and those watching them perform on Saturday, could not help but realise that they were witnessing some of the best flying available today.

Many local residents watched from Lake Umuzi, but there were also spectators parked on the road between the greenbelt and the Secunda Airfield, at the Sasol Recreational Club and at the upper parking area of Secunda Mall, making it clear that an airshow performed with this level of skill really is entertaining for all and a wonderful way to get the community excited about a single event.

The precision, consistency and daredevil formation flying of the team made their one-hour show fly by in what felt like mere minutes.

And this longevity has worked in their favour. Sponsors look for consistency and continuity, both of which the Torre Aerobatic Team have delivered on.