The Jack Tayler Airfield (FAKR) in Krugersdorp held its annual break feast fly-in on the 14th of October. With near perfect weather and clear skies, it made for a spectacular day out.
Jack Taylor Airfield was founded in the early nineteen sixties by Mr Jack Taylor, who landed his Piper Tripacer ZS-CEX at Krugersdorp. He was a Krugersdorp resident and businessman and needed to commute from Krugersdorp where there was no airfield at the time. The Krugersdorp Flying Club was formed in the late nineteen sixties as a result of more pilots and aircraft wanting a base at Krugersdorp.
With a very picturesque view over the Krugersdorp nature reserve and surrounds, the airfield makes for a popular venue to fly to for a nice break feast - The 2023 annual fly-in was no exception and certainly did not disappoint. With more than 30 aircraft flying in for the day, it made for a very impressive view over the apron, together with the resident aircraft which the club members parked outside for the event. This is really something which the club needs to be complimented on - Flying clubs should make it mandatory for their members to park their aircraft outside during fly-ins for the visitors and public to enjoy. It is really disappointing when these beautiful machines are kept locked up in their hangers on such a day.
Krugersdorp club has some very interesting and special resident aircraft and the visitors really enjoyed seeing them from up close. Some special aircraft which were seen were a stunning Nieuport 11 WW1 replica, De Havilland Tigermoth, Chipmunk, Pitts S-1, Ryan Navion and a Super Baby Great Lakes to name a few. The Pitts Special had a particularly interesting story - whilst standing talking with Captain Scully Levin of the Flying Lions, he noted that he has actually competed in an aerobatic competition in this particular aircraft many years ago!
Orion Aircraft had their Orion Cub on static display and also flew a nice flying circuit in the early morning, showcasing just how nimble this aircraft is. The Orion Cub is uniquely designed from the ground up which makes for an extremely modern and efficient airframe design with exceptional performance.
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This year also had the Puma Flying Lions as special guests. They flew a few circuits with passengers and then finished off by doing their spectacular flying display. As always, this never fails to amaze and the visitors really enjoyed this.
During the day all the visitors were entertained with a very enjoyable live performance by Kyle September. His renditions of popular covers were really a treat to listen to. Kyle can be contacted via his Facebook page, Kyle September. Whilst listening to the good music, you had a choice of different food options, with a good old boerie roll and pancake always being a favourite.
Another very special flying display was done by a Ryan Navion painted in impressive Navy colour scheme. The Navion is a single-engined, four-seat aircraft originally designed and built by the North American Aviation company in the 1940's and later built by the Ryan Aeronautical Company. Seeing it fly one cannot help butto see some family resemblance to its big brother, the North American P-51 Mustang.
The morning fly-in came to an end and the aircraft steadily departed. This really was a very enjoyable event and should be marked with a large circle on next year's calendar!
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