Airweek Middelburg 2025 The ultimate GA Event of the year
By Willie Bodensstein
Photos by Willie Bodenstein and Quintin la Grange
09.03.2025
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This amazing photo was taken by Jason Beamish on arrival in his Extra for his display at Airweek
The Aeroclub Airweek is officially done and dusted and what a spectacular event it was! The Club’s vision of making this the premier general aviation event of the year and our own version of Oshkosh in the USA is now just about a reality.
More than two hundred aircraft visited and the field was packed from end to end with aircraft that flew in from all corners of the country. Loads camped under their wings while more rented one of the pitched tents. More opted to stay in town in one of the numerous bed and breakfast establishments.
I was one of those. When I arrived on Thursday morning there were a number of vendors there busy establishing pitching their gazebos and getting ready for the expected visitors.
This year, the seventh year that the Airweek has been hosted at Middelburg Airfield is now firmly established as the permanent home of the event. , As an added attraction an afternoon airshow open to paying visitors was added that turned Airweek into an adrenaline-fueled weekend not only to Aeroclub members but to others as well.
Not only does this contribute to the cost of hosting an event the size of Airweek but it also gives the public the opportunity to get close to aviation and that will hopefully plant the seed of love into many a young hart.
The fourship Navion team with families and friends
I'm not sure how many visitors there were at the show but the grounds were packed with many long lines at most of the vendors.
Another spectator friendly event, first tried last year and very successful, was the STOL competition this year held on the main runway.
Another popular attraction at Airweek is the presence of the BAFSA section who early every morning set out in their balloons for flights that largely depends on the winds and the expertise of the pilots. Most night they also treat the visitors to a night glow at the entrance to the hangar.
A number of very informative workshops were held most of which were extremely well attended. These included among other Sling Co-CEO, Andrew Pitman, High Wing Hero, Linda Sollars all the way from the USA and Niren Choki, SA Rotax agent and owner of Comet Aviation Supplies.
Entries were open for the EAA Aircraft Judging Competition. Categories included military, homebuilt, restored, rotorcraft, ultralight, classic and veteran aircraft. The judging team, headed up by Paul Lastrucci, was made up of highly experienced personnel from the aircraft industry. A first place in any category will add huge value to the winners aircraft!
Below is a compilation of the winners in the various categories.
The following were acknowledge by the Aeroclub for their contributions to GA during the last twelve months
Outgoing Chairman Rob Jonkers & Incoming Chairman Goitseona Diale
And so we come to the end of a wonderful celebration of a fantastic event. Make sure that you don’t miss Airweek 2026. It promises to be even bigger and better.
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