South Africa boasts "The Flying Lions", an aerobatic team based near Johannesburg. They fly five former South African Air Force trainers, the North American T6, known variously as the 'Texan' or the 'Harvard'.
I remember growing up to the growl of Harvard engines as the trainers did their circuits over Cape Town, South Africa. First they flew from Youngsfield, a large grass field about four or five miles from my home. Later they moved to Ysterplaat Air Force base (an Afrikaans word meaning literally 'iron plate'), a small World War II airfield nearer to the Atlantic Ocean. In their orange-and-silver paint they were a familiar sight (and sound) over the whole city.
The SAAF retired its Harvards in the 1990's, replacing them with modern aircraft. The retired planes were in huge demand all over the world, as South Africa had been the last country to operate them and had several dozen in very good condition available for purchase. Quite a few came back to the USA by this means. I'm pleased that the Flying Lions managed to save five of them to keep the memory of this classic trainer alive in South Africa.
To give you an idea of their flying skills, here are a few photographs of four of the Lions "waterski-ing" on the Klipdrift Dam near Johannesburg. A report on the day's flying (and more photographs) may be found here. As always, click on the pictures for a larger view.
Some spectacular flying. I'd have loved to have been there to see it!
If you ever find yourself near Rand Airport in South Africa and want to see these and other veteran and vintage aircraft up close and personal, the team offers an overnight stay at the airport, surrounded by Harvards, Dakotas, Tiger Moths and other fascinating planes. They also offer flights with the team. Highly recommended for aircraft enthusiasts!
EDITED TO ADD: I found this video clip of the waterski-ing on YouTube. Even more amazing!
Peter
2 comments:
Some flying is right! I looked at the "water skiiing" photos and then had to look again to confirm they had no pontoons on those babies. They're just skimming the surface with their wheels. One little downward bump and their cartwheeling across the surface if their lucky.
Amazing.
Some bush pilots in SuperCubs use that technique to extend the runway on gravel bars. The trick is to slow the plane down by hydroplaning until reaching the gravel, and not break through until the last minute where the water is very shallow (less than a foot). Unlike many planes, the SuperCub has enough power that it can take off in a shorter distance than it can land.
(tallpine)
Post a Comment