A couple of weeks ago, I received a call from my friend, Kroonstad resident Hennie Roets, who asked if I would want to join him flying in his Envirocopter EV 4-a helicopter he built in 2020 from the parts of a Robinson R44. I, of course, said yes.
Hennie began flying in 1982 and did his helicopter conversion in 1997.
That same year, he built a Mini 500 kit helicopter, followed by an HR2 made from Robinson R22 parts, which he flew until 2020. In 2009, he built a Helicycle and was appointed by Helicycle to test fly all Helicycles then being built in South Africa. He even test flew two units built in Australia.
In 2013, Hennie participated in his first Heli Safari to the Wild Coast as part of a group and has been a regular ever since.
That's why, on a bitterly cold Wednesday-21 May at 06:00-I met with Charles Fuller, Reinier Nienaber, Emile van Heerden, Johann Grimbeek, Gary Freeman, Graham Mephius, Alex Akron, and Rob Osner at Rob and Charles' hangar in Brakpan for the first leg of what was, for me, a dream to be ticked off my bucket list.
The Brakpan contingent in front of Rob's Allo III
Charle's Lama
My luggage went with Rob in the III while I was to fly in Lama with Charles. Flying in the Lama was a dream come true. (The Lama combines the lighter Alouette II airframe with Alouette III components and a more powerful engine, excelling in high-altitude performance. Notably, a Lama set the absolute helicopter altitude record in 1972-a record that stood until 2005.)
We departed southward toward the Vaal, where we were joined by two R44s: one flown by Hennie Roets and the other by Peet Mostert, who was flying with his son Dawid. Now a four-ship formation, we were soon joined by Mark and Dan in a Gazelle, completing our group.
Our first stop was the even colder Bona Bona Lodge for fuel and breakfast. The breakfast was surprisingly affordable and absolutely delicious. With full stomachs and aircraft pre-flighted, we departed for Kuruman in the Northern Cape, where we were to meet Marinus Hugo, who was transporting our fuel for the rest of the trip.
Unfortunately, Marinus had a puncture and was going to be late. Instead, we made a halfway stop in a flat open veld next to the road-one of the many perks of helicopter flying-where we passed some time before heading to a much warmer Kuruman.
When we received word, that Marinus was fifteen minutes out from Kuruman, we took off and flew in loose formation to the historic Northern Cape town, which had hosted some delightful aviation events in the past. While there, I ran into Dr. Fritz Odendaal, a local doctor and hangar owner who was attending to a glider he had recently acquired. He had also been one of the aviation events organizers in the area.
Now in the cockpit of Hennie's EV4, my ride for the majority of the safari, we flew in loose formation over the increasingly barren dunes. The clear air and minimal turbulence allowed for some great close formation and individual shots before we broke formation to fully appreciate the vast barren Kalahari landscape below.
We arrived at Goerapan after a total flight time of 4 hours and 54 minutes from Brakpan. After ensuring all aircraft were refuelled, we settled into our chalets and then headed to the bar with its outdoor viewing deck to watch the sunset.
Everyone was in high spirits and looking forward to the rest of the journey. Supper, like all meals at the lodge, was excellent.
Most of us turned in early. Thursday promised to be a hectic day with approximately 136 nautical miles of flying and visits to numerous pans. And believe me-there are more pans in the Kalahari than stars on a clear desert night. Each pan, however, has its own unique character and story.
Pilot Aircraft Fuel Burn Flight Time
Charles Lama 329 litres 4h 54min
Dan Gazelle 286 litres -
Peet R44 83 litres -
Hennie R44 70 litres 4h 06min
Rob Allo III 351 litres 4h 54min
As the sun dipped below the horizon and the desert air cooled, the sense of adventure was unmistakable. Day One had already surpassed expectations-and with the vast Kalahari still ahead, we knew the journey had only just begun.
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