NEWS & EVENTS - GENERAL
26 April 2002
Pilot dies in Impala crash
General
Captain Brett Burmeister of 85 CFS was killed when his Impala MkII crashed into a hill during a low-level tactical navigation exercise in the Northern Province. The Impala went down about five kilometres east of the Albasini Dam between Louis Trichar...
19 April 2002
New plans for Ysterplaat
General
SAAF BULLETIN19 April 2002: No 10/2002BULLETIN: PROGRESS WITH REGARD TO CLOSURE OF AFB YSTERPLAATSAAF Bulletin 1/2002 dated 15 February 2002 contained the details concerning the migration of AFB Ysterplaat to Air Force Station Cape Town at Cape Town ...
10 April 2002
SAAF pilots
General
The SA Air Force says the availability of pilots is cyclical. It can therefore not always ensure that there are sufficient pilots, it told Erika Gibson, military correspondent for the Afrikaans Gauteng daily, Beeld. The best it can do is to be prepar...
5 April 2002
Government goes ahead with fighter-plane deal
General
The South African government has ignored opposition and civil society calls to cancel the purchase of 12 extra British Aerospace Hawk trainer jets in the second part of a fighter-aircraft deal expected to gobble R24-billion out of the nation's tr...
19 March 2002
63 pilots left SAAF, 30 for better jobs
General
The SAAF lost 63 pilots last year - 30 of them to better job opportunities, Defence Minister Mosiuona Lekota said in Parliament.In a written reply to a question, he said the contracts of 16 pilots expired, six took voluntary severence packages, five ...
6 March 2002
Tooth Rock range leased to abalone company
General
An 111-hectare piece of government owned land, formerly known as the Tooth Rock weapons range near Saldanha in the Western Cape, has been leased to a company for the development of an abalone farm. The property would be leased for a period of 10 year...
5 March 2002
Alouette III accident
General
A SAAF Alouette III was involved in an accident at Welkom after a crime prevention raid. The Alouette landed fairly heavily on a sports field after a cockpit warning was detected by the pilot, Capt Liesl Bennet. The crew were not seriously inju...
4 March 2002
Langebaanweg Fly-In
General
The Langebaanweg Fly In was held over the weekend of 4/5 March 2002. It was aimed at the local private pilots to let them fly their aircraft into the Base. Although attended by a small crown, there were many aircraft on display, ranging from micro-li...
22 February 2002
New commander at 44 Squadron
General
Lt Col Billy Port has assumed command of the 44 Squadron, a transport unit based at Waterkloof AFB. He succeeds Lt Col Hermann Olmesdahl who has been promoted. The unit flies the Casa 235, Casa 212 and Cessna 185.Defence Systems Daily ...
22 February 2002
South Africa's defence budget up 15%
General
South Africa is boosting its defence budget by 15 percent for the next financial year. The budget is being increased by R2.4 billion (US210 million) to R18.4 billion (US1.6 billion) to pay for the SANDF's arms acquisition programme and its "...
19 February 2002
AFB Ysterplaat rethink
General
Ysterplaat air base, until recently earmarked for closure has been given a new lease on life.The air force base is to be used in the short term for President Thabo Mbeki's flights instead of Cape Town International. And if plans go according to s...
6 February 2002
More generals and admirals appointed
General
The chief of the SANDF this week announced the promotion of 13 general officers and six admirals. General Siphiwe Nyanda also announced the promotion to general officer rank of eight colonels and to flag rank of one naval captain. Among the appointme...
25 January 2002
SAAF flies into another shortage
General
Shortly after the air force was given a temporary reprieve for its fuel and pilot shortages, it appears that only three full-time air-traffic controllers will be available as from the middle of February to man the Waterkloof air base, the air force&#...
23 January 2002
Where are the new BBJ pilots?
General
President Thabo Mbeki's new business jet is to be delivered later this year, but manning the jet may become a problem as the Air Force faces pilot shortages.Only six operational pilots (three crews of two each) out of the entire Air Force qualify...
16 January 2002
Generals grounding air force
General
The air force, and the rest of the defence force, must realise there will never again be a defence budget to waste, say military experts. They will just have to cut costs. Departments that want to make use of Air Force planes will have to pay up. If ...
15 January 2002
Fuel shortage grounds air force
General
The fuel supply at the Waterkloof Air Force Base is so low that fuel had to be borrowed for some flights recently undertaken by President Thabo Mbeki. Only certain VIP, emergency and emergency maintenance flights can be undertaken. Training flights h...
9 January 2002
SANDF trainees don't cut it
General
Erica GibsonAt least 70 of the 152 officers in training at the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Gymnasium in Heidelberg passed this year despite the fact that they had failed the final exam.According to the SANDF, each trainees' average marks fo...
9 January 2002
Pilot training standards high as ever
General
The SA National Defence Force says its pilot training standards are as tough as ever following reports that standards are being manipulated along racial lines.The SA National Defence Force on Wednesday said its pilot training standards were as tough ...
9 January 2002
Pilot training standards are as tough as ever
General
The SA National Defence Force on Wednesday said its pilot training standards were as tough as ever. The statement follows concerns expressed in media reports that on one hand training standards were being dropped in order to qualify more pilots from ...
1 January 2002
No jet in Mbeki's Xmas sock, yet
General
President Thabo Mbeki's new jet, worth more than R600 million was not ready to be piloted in by Santa this year, but will be delivered late next year. The cabins of the jet will be decorated in a "modern-day African theme" and the aerop...
15 December 2001
Stellenbosch Airshow - 2001
General
The Stellenbosch Airshow was held at the picturesque Stellenbosch Airfield over the weekend. I only managed to attend on Saturday 15 December, and then I spent most of the day working in the SAAF Museum hanger! I did, however, manage to take a few ph...
14 December 2001
New SANDF rank insignia to be released
General
Following up from the news update on 10 May 2001, the new rank insignia is scheduled to be released on 26 April 2002....
11 December 2001
Thales signs new co-operation agreement with South Africa
General
Thales Avionics has signed a co-operation contract with the South African firm AMS (Aerospace Monitoring and Systems (Pty) Ltd) for the development of the vehicle management module (VMM) on A109-LUH helicopters. This contract is part of the offset ag...
6 December 2001
Clipping of wings ends SAAF's role in Antarctic
General
The SAAF has pulled out of South Africa's research programme in the Antarctic, ending 22 years of involvement.The SA National Antarctic Programme, run by the Department of Envoronmental Affairs and Tourism, has had to contract a provate company, ...
4 December 2001
Arms deal spending may face cutbacks
General
Financing the multi billion-rand arms deal would have no effect on the projected 2002/03 budget deficit of 2,6 percent, but the department of defence might have toreassess whether it could afford all tranches of the deal given its budgets for the nex...
Pilot dies in Impala crash
General
Captain Brett Burmeister of 85 CFS was killed when his Impala MkII crashed into a hill during a low-level tactical navigation exercise in the Northern Province. The Impala went down about five kilometres east of the Albasini Dam between Louis Trichar...
New plans for Ysterplaat
General
SAAF BULLETIN19 April 2002: No 10/2002BULLETIN: PROGRESS WITH REGARD TO CLOSURE OF AFB YSTERPLAATSAAF Bulletin 1/2002 dated 15 February 2002 contained the details concerning the migration of AFB Ysterplaat to Air Force Station Cape Town at Cape Town ...
SAAF pilots
General
The SA Air Force says the availability of pilots is cyclical. It can therefore not always ensure that there are sufficient pilots, it told Erika Gibson, military correspondent for the Afrikaans Gauteng daily, Beeld. The best it can do is to be prepar...
Government goes ahead with fighter-plane deal
General
The South African government has ignored opposition and civil society calls to cancel the purchase of 12 extra British Aerospace Hawk trainer jets in the second part of a fighter-aircraft deal expected to gobble R24-billion out of the nation's tr...
63 pilots left SAAF, 30 for better jobs
General
The SAAF lost 63 pilots last year - 30 of them to better job opportunities, Defence Minister Mosiuona Lekota said in Parliament.In a written reply to a question, he said the contracts of 16 pilots expired, six took voluntary severence packages, five ...
Tooth Rock range leased to abalone company
General
An 111-hectare piece of government owned land, formerly known as the Tooth Rock weapons range near Saldanha in the Western Cape, has been leased to a company for the development of an abalone farm. The property would be leased for a period of 10 year...
Alouette III accident
General
A SAAF Alouette III was involved in an accident at Welkom after a crime prevention raid. The Alouette landed fairly heavily on a sports field after a cockpit warning was detected by the pilot, Capt Liesl Bennet. The crew were not seriously inju...
Langebaanweg Fly-In
General
The Langebaanweg Fly In was held over the weekend of 4/5 March 2002. It was aimed at the local private pilots to let them fly their aircraft into the Base. Although attended by a small crown, there were many aircraft on display, ranging from micro-li...
New commander at 44 Squadron
General
Lt Col Billy Port has assumed command of the 44 Squadron, a transport unit based at Waterkloof AFB. He succeeds Lt Col Hermann Olmesdahl who has been promoted. The unit flies the Casa 235, Casa 212 and Cessna 185.Defence Systems Daily ...
South Africa's defence budget up 15%
General
South Africa is boosting its defence budget by 15 percent for the next financial year. The budget is being increased by R2.4 billion (US210 million) to R18.4 billion (US1.6 billion) to pay for the SANDF's arms acquisition programme and its "...
AFB Ysterplaat rethink
General
Ysterplaat air base, until recently earmarked for closure has been given a new lease on life.The air force base is to be used in the short term for President Thabo Mbeki's flights instead of Cape Town International. And if plans go according to s...
More generals and admirals appointed
General
The chief of the SANDF this week announced the promotion of 13 general officers and six admirals. General Siphiwe Nyanda also announced the promotion to general officer rank of eight colonels and to flag rank of one naval captain. Among the appointme...
SAAF flies into another shortage
General
Shortly after the air force was given a temporary reprieve for its fuel and pilot shortages, it appears that only three full-time air-traffic controllers will be available as from the middle of February to man the Waterkloof air base, the air force&#...
Where are the new BBJ pilots?
General
President Thabo Mbeki's new business jet is to be delivered later this year, but manning the jet may become a problem as the Air Force faces pilot shortages.Only six operational pilots (three crews of two each) out of the entire Air Force qualify...
Generals grounding air force
General
The air force, and the rest of the defence force, must realise there will never again be a defence budget to waste, say military experts. They will just have to cut costs. Departments that want to make use of Air Force planes will have to pay up. If ...
Fuel shortage grounds air force
General
The fuel supply at the Waterkloof Air Force Base is so low that fuel had to be borrowed for some flights recently undertaken by President Thabo Mbeki. Only certain VIP, emergency and emergency maintenance flights can be undertaken. Training flights h...
SANDF trainees don't cut it
General
Erica GibsonAt least 70 of the 152 officers in training at the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Gymnasium in Heidelberg passed this year despite the fact that they had failed the final exam.According to the SANDF, each trainees' average marks fo...
Pilot training standards high as ever
General
The SA National Defence Force says its pilot training standards are as tough as ever following reports that standards are being manipulated along racial lines.The SA National Defence Force on Wednesday said its pilot training standards were as tough ...
Pilot training standards are as tough as ever
General
The SA National Defence Force on Wednesday said its pilot training standards were as tough as ever. The statement follows concerns expressed in media reports that on one hand training standards were being dropped in order to qualify more pilots from ...
No jet in Mbeki's Xmas sock, yet
General
President Thabo Mbeki's new jet, worth more than R600 million was not ready to be piloted in by Santa this year, but will be delivered late next year. The cabins of the jet will be decorated in a "modern-day African theme" and the aerop...
Stellenbosch Airshow - 2001
General
The Stellenbosch Airshow was held at the picturesque Stellenbosch Airfield over the weekend. I only managed to attend on Saturday 15 December, and then I spent most of the day working in the SAAF Museum hanger! I did, however, manage to take a few ph...
New SANDF rank insignia to be released
General
Following up from the news update on 10 May 2001, the new rank insignia is scheduled to be released on 26 April 2002....
Thales signs new co-operation agreement with South Africa
General
Thales Avionics has signed a co-operation contract with the South African firm AMS (Aerospace Monitoring and Systems (Pty) Ltd) for the development of the vehicle management module (VMM) on A109-LUH helicopters. This contract is part of the offset ag...
Clipping of wings ends SAAF's role in Antarctic
General
The SAAF has pulled out of South Africa's research programme in the Antarctic, ending 22 years of involvement.The SA National Antarctic Programme, run by the Department of Envoronmental Affairs and Tourism, has had to contract a provate company, ...
Arms deal spending may face cutbacks
General
Financing the multi billion-rand arms deal would have no effect on the projected 2002/03 budget deficit of 2,6 percent, but the department of defence might have toreassess whether it could afford all tranches of the deal given its budgets for the nex...
