Krugersdorp Airfield Festival and Spot Landing Competition 2018 By Jaco Pitout Jack Taylor airfield played host to this late winter event. It proved to be extremely well attended with near perfect weather conditions. The airfield has its origins in the nineteen sixties when Mr. Jack Taylor landed his Piper Tripacer ZS-CEX at the town of Krugersdorp. His commuting needs as well as the needs of other local pilots for a base in the town lead to the founding of the airfield. The airfield has runway orientations of 08/26 with a length of 729 meters. The airfield also features a perpendicular grass runway. The airfield is situated under the Lanseria TMA and therefore overhead joining of the airfield is restricted to 6300ft. The 26 South Restaurant at the airfield made provision for a hearty breakfast, it was enjoyed by all the visitors and pilots alike. I have it on good authority that the restaurant has some stand out fare that can be enjoyed at very reasonable prices. If restaurant eating was not to your taste there were plenty of stalls to choose from that sold anything from ice cream to biltong and practically everything in between. The landing competition was set to start at 09:00 after a safety briefing and the pilots signing the relevant indemnity documents. Safety was high on the agenda with the rules of the competition and standard procedures being emphasized by Chris Kyle, the safety officer for the event. With all the formalities dealt with the action could start! Participating aircraft and pilots were sorted into groups of four to ensure that the safety of the circuit is maintained and to avoid congestion. This ensured maximum excitement for the watching crowds with hardly any "dead" time between slots. Two types of aircraft stood out in their specific number of participants and static display visitors to the event. A gaggle of Navions A flight of Bathawks The organization of the event was of such a slick nature that arrivals and departures to the field could be accommodated during the competition. Navajo Departing. Seneca Arriving. The visiting crowds had a wonderful day in the late winter sunshine. With all the flying done, it was time for the participants to be awarded for the efforts. And the winners: Overall Winner Greame McCarthy Best Student Pilot Ciara Huntley Best Lady Pilot Celia Lastrucci Greaser Award Roel Stausebach Non-Member Winner Karl Jensen By all accounts it was an enjoyable day in the sun with high levels of airmanship display by all crews! The day was closed by the Krugersdorp Flying Club Chairman John Addis assisted by the club secretary, Cecile Ferreira. The KFC Spot Landing is a long-standing event on the aviation calendar and it has grown from strength to strength and long may it continue!

Events 2018

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