Of all the aircraft he could have picked from - all the jets, King Airs, PC12's. he chose the 206.
Matt Preston from Master Chef Australia was in South Africa on holiday and decided that he wanted to fly home from Madikwe - in our Cessna 206.
Knowing that I had a VVVIP on board, I did a bit of homework. I stocked the snack box with all his favourite snacks, as well as truly South African snacks like koeksisters, biltong and meebos, to name but a few. The normally gleaming 206 shone even a little brighter that day.
I arrived early at Madiwe as normal, wiped away every single smudge and re-arranged the seatbelts and cooler boxes inside the aircraft about ten times while I waited for the arrival of my passengers.
Suddenly the tour group boarding the Caravan next door, started yelling and pointing as another safari vehicle arrived. This huge man got down from the vehicle and gallantly helped his wife down as well.
Matt Preston is an impressive and fascinating person.
Not only because of his stature (he is a big guy of over 6ft tall), but because of the way he treats people.
He took the time to warmly greet every person who came up to him, talked to everybody with humility and kindness and took photos with who ever wanted one. His wife, Emma was just as amazing. She introduced herself and chatted to me while she patiently waited, watching all the goings on.
When it became time to depart, I invited Emma to come sit in front with me which provided Matt with the ample space of the middle seats (and aided me with the weight and balance.)
After taking off I asked Matt why he chose to fly with the 206 instead of flying out in the myriads of spectacular aircraft available to him. He said he went gliding once and loved every single second of it. He loves small aircraft and that is why he chose the 206. His wife chimed in and said you can find him either at the airfield or at the pool.
At Lanseria I unloaded their luggage from the aircraft for their international flight back home. Emma was standing a little distance away, talking to the porters in the buggy who come to collect them and the luggage. I held the snack box out to Matt and offered some snacks for the long flight ahead. His eyes lit up when he saw the hand full of Snicker bars. With a smile he said he would love a Snicker bar, but his wife will kill him because he is supposed to be on diet! He took a furtive glance at his wife and winked at me while unclipping the side pocket of his carry-on bag. He turned his back to block his wife's view, and I swiftly snuck all the Snicker bars into that side pocket with lightning speed and silently clipped the pocket closed.
They both thanked me warmly for the flight and boarded the buggy for the short drive to the terminal building. His wife none the wiser.
He turned and gave me a little naughty onspirational smile and a wink.
For our next story we will be returning to the bush for a little impromptu dance party.
