Storm over pilot on Mbeki-jet
Date: 8 December 2005
The following is a (very) rough translation from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:
Airforce pilots are angry over the part time appointment of a SAA pilot as co-pilot on Presdient Mbeki's jet, Inkwazi, expecially over what they describe as 'favoratism' which did not follow normal airforce channels. Furthermore, after a few days of 'basic military training' and 'officer orientation', the pilot was awarded the rank of Luitentant-Colonel. This rank is normally only awarded after a attending courses and staff training lasting a few months.
This rank means that he, as a junior pilot, outranks his seniors on the presedential jet. Lt Col Nhlanhla Dube (33) was a first-officer at SAA on the Airbus jets and not on the Boeing fleet. The preseidential jet is a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ). Earlier, Boeing qualified the pilots on the aircraft. Before his part time appointment, he only tested on the Boeing simulator.
He received his gold airforce wings from the Chief of the airforce, Lt Gen Carlo Gagiano, at a parade in Pretoria.
An airforce pilot normally proceeds from bronze to silver (500 flight hours on a particular aircraft type) to gold wings (more than 2 500 hours on a particluar aircraft type). According to the pilots, Dube does not make any secret of his family's promininent polital positions and that there was political pressure to appointment his to this post.
Shortly after the BBJ was delivered, there was a shortage of qualified pilots for the aircraft and several SAA pilots, who flew the Boeing 737, announced that they were like to help the airforce on a part time basis. They were turned away because of a ruling between the airline and the airforce on matters such as difficulties with schedules and that it was not pratical. Dube now flows part of the month for SAA and for the rest of month in the airforce.
Normal pilots, both white and black, who want to end up in the VIP squadron, begin on the squadrons smaller Citations, then to the Falcon 50, the Falcon 900 and then they will be considered for the BBJ.
Dube has been with SAA since 1996, where he was a student on the cadet programme. According to an article in the defence force magazine SA Soldier, Dube has been flying for Mbeki since August. He had earlier undergone various flying training courses in the United Kingdom and completed his 'aircraft typewriting' (most proberly his type rating) on the presidential aircraft in September.
At an event in Cape Town, a group of airforce pilots were so incensed over Dube's gold wings that they pulled off their own gold wings because it no longer held any special value for them. One pilot said that 'we totally acknowledge that remedial action is needed, but it irritates us with the manner in which this situation was handled'.
According to Gagiano, the strength of the SA Air Force lies in the diversity of its people and the the various cultures to perform competently.
The following is the article that appeared in the December 2005 issue (Vol 12, No 12) of SA Soldier:
Presidential jet pilot received his wings
By Sgt Lebohang Letaoana
Photo: F Sgt David Nomtshongwana
The Chief of the SA Air Force, Lt Gen Carlo Gagiano, was the chief functionary during the SA Air Force Wings and Medal Parade which was held at 68 Air School in Pretoria on 21 October 2005. This parade was different from other parades, because on this occasion one of the recipients was the pilot of the Presidential jet (President Thabo Mbeki), the Inkwazi. He has been flying this aircraft since August this year. Lt Col Nhlanhla Dube is an SA Air Force Reserve Force member who is also a pilot for the South African Airways (SAA), flying international flights on the Airbus A380 (sic).
Lt Col Dube underwent various flying training courses in the United Kingdom and completed his aircraft typewriting (sic) on the Inkwazi in September 2005. He is currently undergoing Military Basic Training at the SA Air Force Gymnasium. Lt Col Dube was born in South Africa and was raised in Swaziland by his relatives. At the age of 18 he was reunited with his parents in South Africa upon their arrival after they had spent a lengthy period in exile.
"The strength of the SA Air Force lies in the diversity of its people, the diversity of the various cultures it embraces and the diversity of the tasks which its members are competent to
perform. Training is a key factor in the achievement of such competence and the importance of the contribution made by 68 Air School in this respect cannot be overestimated," concluded Lt Gen Gagiano.
Reprinted with permssion of SA Soldier
