Report and photos by Ricky Fouché.
Prizegiving pictures by Danette Vermeulen.
From the 15th the Phalaborwa airport started buzzing with the sound of roaring engines and a steady stream of arriving aerobatic aircraft. The event was hosted by the Bezuidenhout family and all their friends and sponsors. Without sponsors these events would not be possible.
Thank you to the following sponsors;
Dirk and Hannerie Schnettler of D&H Industrial Supplies
Jaco Malan from Ten Four Energy
Survival Tyres
Darne and Phillip Joubert at Selati River Ruins
Erens Breedt of Airlink Phalaborwa
Fernando and Charlotte
You are all amazing supporters of the Sport Aerobatic Club.
I have to thank my own personal anonymous benefactor. I have no idea who you were but thank you for keeping me well fed.
Machiel du Plessis was kind enough to offer me a seat in his beautiful RV 7. We flew from his farm, just outside Theunissen, to Phalaborwa in just over two hours. As we planned to leave at sunrise, I decided to drive through to Theunissen on the Tuesday and spend the night on the farm.
At 06:30 on Wednesday morning we were all loaded up and waiting for the engine temps and pressures to get to operating range. Soon we were in the air and heading North. Final approach to Kruger Park Gateway Airport. What a fun trip.
The contestants would vie for the silverware and the prestige of becoming national champions in their various categories. The trophies, up for grabs, were for Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced and Unlimited classes. Eventually the number of contestants taking part were eleven which was slightly down from the 2024 competition. Elton Bondi came through for the first competition day and flew a Program in order to renew his aerobatic rating.
Pilots taking part in the various categories were:
Sportsman;
Dean Houghton Yak 52 ZU-AMC
Mitchell Wright Yak 52 ZU-AMC
Machiel du Plessis Vans RV 7 ZU-WMW
Intermediate;
Ingmar Bezuidenhout Zlin 50 ZS-WWJ
Aldo Naude Yak 55 ZU-DYD
Alewyn Burger Zlin 50 ZS-WWJ
Quentin Taylor Extra 300 N30PZ
Roger Deare Extra 300 ZS-OLR
Advanced;
Warren Eva Yak 55 ZU-DYD
Unlimited;
Barrie Eeles Extra 330 SC ZS-XBE
Tristan Eeles Extra 330 SC ZS-XBE
Every competition day was started off with a briefing in Ingmar's hangar. Topics discussed were weather, density altitude, emergency procedures and Flight order. At the end of day 1 and 2 the unknown programs were compiled for the next day. Pilots in each class would get together and take turns in selecting a figure and then compiling it in to a program. For classes with only one or two entries, judges were roped in to add figures in order to obtain a full program.
Each competition pilot flew four programs. One known program and 3 Unknown programs. The two Unlimited competitors also flew a Freestyle program on Saturday morning. Intermediate, Advanced and Unlimited each flew one program on Wednesday and Thursday and two programs on Friday. The three Sportsman contestants flew two programs on Thursday and Friday.
The judges, consisting of Quintin Hawthorne (Chief Judge), Johnnie Smith, Helm Ludwig, Nadine Brooker and Maritza Boswell, had to set up their judging positions before each set of flights. The mornings were spent on a staff soccer field inside the Kruger National Park. Owen Dixon-Paver was the man to arrange the permits for us to enter the park.
The afternoon session was judged from inside the airport grounds and the Freestyle flights were judged from the hardstand in front of the main terminal building.
On Thursday morning we managed to round up just about all the people involved with the event. Ingmar supplied each of us with a hat, Golf shirt and a goody bag. We gathered in front of the terminal building for a team photo with everybody kitted out in their new shirts.
From Left to Right were:
Maritza Boswel (Judge), Alewyn Burger, Leon Bouttell (Contest Director), Quintin Hawthorne (Chief Judge), Machiel du Plessis, Ingmar Bezuidenhout, Monika Bezuidenhout (All round Helping hand), Nadine Brooker (Judge), Warren Eva, Mitchell Wright, Quentin Taylor, Barrie Eeles, Tristan Eeles, Roger Deare,Dirk Schnettler (Sponsor and Braai master), Dean Houghton, Aldo Naude, Johnnie Smith (Judge), Tertia Smith (Scribe) and Helm Ludwig (Judge).
Pilots, judges, scribes, ground crew, assistants, community support and sponsors all form part of the whole and all plays a key role in making it all happen.
Being on the edge of a game park brings the added element of wildlife joining in and sometimes disrupting proceedings. In the sky, the presence of Eagles and Vultures, would be seen as a safety concern and flights were interrupted on various occasions. On the ground though, Impala buck volunteered to assist our judges while judging from the soccer field.
Some amazing flying was witnessed during this competition. This is evident by the high scores achieved by many of the pilots. Judging was done to International CIVA standards and still these guys performed brilliantly.
The results were:
Sportsman:
1 Mitchell Wright 85.757%
2 Machiel du Plessis 78.950%
3 Dean Houghton 75.237%
Well done to all the pilots for flying well and also flying safe. Small little lapses in concentration and focus can have a major impact in the final results. Congratulations to Barrie for being National Champion once again. Well done my friend.
During the Saturday program we were not only treated to outstanding Freestyle flying but also to some amazing formation flying. The first formation consisted of a Yak 18t (Ingmar), two Yak 52's (Mitchell and Dean) and a Yak 55 (Aldo). We also witnessed a formation display consisting of a Yak 55 (Warren), Zlin 50 (Ingmar) and an Extra 300 (Quentin). After this Warren and Ingmar flew their airshow routine. Fun times at a fun place.
The whole group then made their way out to Selati River Ruins to get ready for the evening's gala function and prizegiving. The venue is around 40 km outside of Phalaborwa and is well worth a stay over. Darne and Phillip Joubert pulled out all the stops to make it an evening to remember.
Warren as Chairman of the Sport Aerobatic Club and Ingmar as Vice Chairman handed out certificates to all members of the team. Nadine and Maritza handed out fun prizes to various well deserving participants. Ingmar and Aldo were the recipients of the coveted “Pink Tu-Tu's” for their professional renditions of their sequence walks, Machiel received a blanket to cover himself for next time he takes a nap under the wing of a Yak 52 and Quintin received a clock to improve his time management at briefings.
I wish to thank Danette Vermeulen for taking photos while the prizes were being handed out.
Till the next one I wish all the people, involved with the Sport Aerobatic Club, an awesome year and see you through the viewfinder. Take care and Blue Skies.
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