The Avcom internet community (www.avcom.co.za) organized a breakfast fly-in to Mawala lodge for 3 November 2007. Initially I was not planning on going but a last minute invite could not be resisted ! I have not explored the Mawala area, the furthest I have been in that direction was Rustenburg to attend the EAA Fun & Sun fly-in. The only worry I had was fog, we had a lot of rain recently and the last few mornings I went to the flying field the fog only lifted after 9am.

Because of airspace restrictions, flying from Rhino Park put me on the wrong side of both Waterkloof and Wonderboom airspace, I decided to fly around the top of Wonderboom airspace, I could have obtained permission to cross but as this would not make a huge difference to the distance I decided to take the scenic route. It also allowed me to investigate a runway (PTAFRE on the map below) next to the N1 highway just north of Pretoria that I have seen from the road.

Since most of the guys going were flying planes a lot faster than mine I decided an early start was called for, the plan was that most people would arrive between 8am and 8h30. As things turned out I got there first !

I managed to get to Rhino Park just after 5am and there was no fog at all ! I topped up the tanks, packed a camera, maps and some water, did a pre-flight inspection and managed to take-off at about 5h35. The air was smooth but I had a 10+mph headwind ! Not ideal but at least I knew it should become a tailwind on the way home. Flying at an economical 75mph the GPS only indicated a 60mph ground speed most of the way. I ended up flying lower to get below most of the wind, this allowed a 65mph groundspeed. I flew at an economical cruise because I was a bit worried about having enough fuel for the round trip of more than 200 miles incase the wind turned and I had a head wind on the way back as well.

Early morning just north of Pretoria, most people are still asleep !

Borakalelo nature reserve on the right hand side. I have camped there before !

Here the area was quite flat and I could fly quite low, things were about to change !

The area was nice and green and the rivers full, very different from 6 weeks ago when I flew past here on the way to Rustenburg.

Soon some hills cropped up from the haze, time to climb !

Up till this point I was flying about 500 feet above the ground but with the hills I had to climb higher, both to avoid them and the turbulence they created  due to the wind, at 6000 feet, about 1800 feet above the ground it was not too turbulent but the headwind was stronger. The views made up for it though !

Interesting how the bushveld goes right to the top of the mountain, what a wonderful place to live !

Not many places to land ! At least flying higher allowed me the option of gliding further if I should have engine problems, but, the Rotax performed its normal magic and never skipped a beat !

More cultivated land once I crossed the mountains.

Suddenly things were flat again ! Not far to go now.

Once I had the runway in sight I flew a low circuit to look at the windsock and to see if there were any obstructions, the runway looked good and the power lines on approach were not high. I managed to land without any problems, a quick taxi to the parking area and I could stretch my legs ! It was nice and warm already and I had to get rid of my flying jacket very quickly !

I was met by the friendly owner of the lodge, he told me they have been busy since 5am cutting the grass and getting the place in tip-top shape ! Thanks ! I also met a police officer who told me that they keep an eye on all the flying fields in this area since it is quite close to the Botswana border and can be used for smuggling.

The Rans S12 parked in front of the entrance to the lodge.

I got there first ! So much for the guys with the fast planes, they are not going to hear the end of this for a while ! Soon there was the beat of engines in the air, most pilots flew in from Johannesburg with a few from Rustenburg and Brits.

First arrivals.

It soon got very busy with 3 or more planes in the circuit at a time, it was great to see some old faces again and meet some new ones, it did not take long before the parking area was filled ! A nice collection of planes flew in including a few "hot ships" like the SR22 (worth more than R3mil) and a few Cessna's and a Bonanza. Most planes were homebuilt or experimental though.

Getting busy !

Soon we were all heading inside for a great breakfast and a good chat !

Some of the gang getting ready to eat.

After a good breakfast we headed back outside, only to see some large, and very dark, clouds brewing in the direction of Johannesburg. Quickly many planes started up and prepared to leave. I joined the queue and was airborne in record time. By this time the air was getting very bumpy, there were thermals everywhere !

A parting photo of the runway, the runway is the dirt strip at the back, the tarred road runs next to it.

The trip back was rather bumpy so I did not get time to take many photos, I had to work for a change ! At least the wind was still blowing in the same direction so I could climb to get the best results, now I was seeing 90+mph on the GPS !

Home sweet home ! I was glad to see Rhino again !

All too soon Rhino Park was in sight again, it is always a satisfying feeling that the trip was completed successfully and safely but also a bit sad that it is over.

Here we have the GPS track (yellow) as downloaded after the trip and displayed in Garmin Mapsource. The top track is the way there and the bottom is the return trip.

The total distance traveled was 216 miles, flying time was 3 hours 15 minutes (This included a few slow circuits at Rhino and Mawala) and the total amount of fuel used was about 50l.

It was decided that we will do this more often, I am looking forward to the next adventure !