On Saturday morning Derek Hopkins and me took of from Eagles Creek for a quick but rather bumpy 20 minutes or so flight to Frankie's at Roodia for their Family Fly-in.
Frankie's? Roodia? You may well ask and so did I. Roodia, close to the Vaal River and Vanderbiljpark, is definitely not your usual airfield and it is well worth the visit.
On the way we met with Quintin Maine in his Christen Husky. Quintin had taken off ahead of us and was also bound to Roodia.
Overhead the field
Even from the air Roodia looked different. The river on our right, the field ahead with its hangars and other infrastructure on the left. One, an imposing church like thatched building caught my attention. Later, after having met Frankie the owner of the building and airfield he told me that it was his personal hanger.
Unique it was, like the rest of the field which I unfortunately did not have sufficient time to explore all off.
Frankie inside his rather unique hangar
There already were quite a few aircraft park along the left side of the runway that needless to say that like everything else was in perfect condition.
Derek next to Mo with Frankie's hangar in the background
We were met by Frankie who gave us our breakfast tickets before taking me on a very brief tour to his hangar. Very few other people were around the aircraft and it soon became evident why; everybody had fled to heat for the cool restaurant and breakfast. We promptly followed their example.
Quintin who shared our table where typically many stories were told, one of the reasons why fly ins are so popular
While waiting for breakfast, the service was prompt and the food freshly prepared and very, very decently priced, I took a quick around the extensive premises that included a number of quint shops and playrooms as well as a small automobile museum.
Lunch done I left Derek and went outside to capture some of the departures. We were hoping to get out and so avoid the midday heat and turbulence that after all wasn't too bad.
The two Ian's posing before skedaddling back home
We too took and headed home. I would have loved to have stayed longer and to explore all that this unique field has to offer as well as the story behind its development and what plans the owners have.
Thanks to Derek for the ride in Mo. The RV8 is my absolute favourite of Van's range of incredible aircraft. Thanks also to Frankie and his friendly staff as well as to all my friend that flew in as well. May all of you have a wonderful festive season and a fantastic 2025.
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