Krugersdorp Spot Landings & EAA Chapter 973 Monthly Meeting
By Willie Bodenstein
08.08.2026
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Visiting Jack Taylor Airfield at Krugersdorp is always a pleasure. The airfield is invariably in pristine condition, the runways superbly maintained, and the people hospitable and friendly. Saturday, 8 August, was no exception.
I had the honour of flying in with Captain Karl Jensen in ZU-VAL, his pride and joy, a Cessna 170. There were already quite a number of aircraft parked on the apron, and the airfield was extremely busy, with numerous food outlets, stalls selling various knick-knacks, and a kiddies' play area. The recently renovated restaurant, with its large outdoor seating area, was packed.
FAKR is also now home to EAA Chapter 973, which held its monthly meeting on the same day and hosted Trevor Ralston, development and test pilot of the Rooivalk. Regular readers may remember that we previously reported on Trevor when he was the guest speaker at the South African Air Force Association's monthly meeting held on 26 June. For those who missed it, the report can be found at www.pilotspost.com/PsPpyarn3829
A regular feature at FAKR is the club's annual Spot Landing Competition. This year, it attracted 32 entries, the largest field that I can remember. What makes this even more impressive is that the grounding of a significant number of aircraft due to the controversial 12-year engine overhaul requirement remains unresolved, more than a year after the issue first arose.
"To take off is optional; to land is compulsory" is the well-known saying, and the purpose of the competition is to see who can touch down the main wheels of their aircraft as close as possible to a painted line or designated target on the runway. Penalties are assessed according to the distance the aircraft lands before or beyond the target, with the lowest score winning.
Best Student and Greaser Awards
Braving the bright sun and cold wind in the demarcated judging area were Tobi Weber, Dave Lister, Roger Smith and Ricardo de Bonis. With eagle eyes, they carefully watched each landing and recorded the results.
My thanks go to Dale de Klerk, who so kindly and promptly supplied me with the results and additional photographs. Thanks must also go to everyone involved in organising this combined event.
It really was a pleasant morning spent catching up with old friends and enjoying the activities at Jack Taylor Airfield. What was particularly heartwarming was seeing the number of youngsters taking part in the Spot Landing Competition and, judging by their performances, some may well have a promising future in aviation!
