My bad day

Vintage Air Rally.
The chaps flew from Crete to Cape Town.
Was on the apron/taxiway.


There were scenes of triumph, tears of joy and sighs of relief as a fleet of vintage aircraft arrived at Stellenbosch yesterday after an epic month-long trip from Crete.

Most of the aircraft were pre World War II biplanes, flown by a diverse collection of aviators, and they had many tales to tell of their exploits.

Unfortunately, the Vintage Air Rally made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Maurice Kirk, a skilled but eccentric pilot, had crashed his Piper Cub and was ‘invited to leave’ the event.

Sadly, and possibly as a result of the negative publicity, the other partipants were then held incommunicado in Ethiopia, until various embassies allowed them to continue their journey.

A few days later, there were heart-stopping moments as John and Isabella Ordway’s 1941 Boeing Stearman suffered engine failure and plumetted from 1000ft into a field in Kenya.

Fortunately, the Irish father-and-daughter survived unscathed, though the aircraft was wrecked.

Another mishap befell honeymooners Sarah and Paddy when their Robinson helicopter was badly damaged during a storm in Maun, Botswana when the moorings of a Stampe biplane broke, and blew it into the chopper.

Yesterday, at Stellenbosch, they were hoping a pilot of a similar chopper would grant them a ride, so they could symbolically complete their trip.

Other mishaps involved a tailwheel on one of the veteran aircraft breaking off, and having to be repaired overnight, and an accompanying – though more modern - Pipistrel losing its propeller after hitting a ditch and nosing into the ground after a rough landing in Zambia.

Thankfully for Wolf, the pilot, the accompanying Bushcat team were able to lend him a spare prop, and he was happy to arrive in the Cape in a ‘modified’ aircraft.

One of the pilot, Germany’s Ingo Presser, was elated to arrive in his Bü 131 Bücker Jungmann pre-war biplane. Along with Australian Bob - whose wife was on hand to welcome the intrepid fliers – the duo were amazed at th warm welcome, and looking forward to a few days of relaxation in the Cape.

Presser is no stranger to the area, or flying, having logged over 28 000 hrs in the air since starting his career in the air s a co-pilot of a DC-3 Dakota.

He later flew McDonnell Douglas MD-11wide-body jet airliners and Airbus aircraft to many African destinations.

Now retired, he embraced the idea of the Air Rally.

“I asked my wife, and she said I could go,” he laughed.

Though the Air Armada may seem like a diletante’s excursion, it actually delivered much more.

Many airshows were organised along the route down East Africa, with the vintage craft as the star performers and, because of their low altitude and speed, the craft proved ideal for ‘seedbombing’ various deforested areas with indigenous plant seeds, which will hopefully thrive.

In addition, various charities benefitted from the exposure, including those raising awareness for endangered vultures. The raptors, despite their reputation, keep the spread of anthrax, botulism and many other diseases at .

Unsurprisingly, the mascot for the trip was a plush vulture toy, named Vinnie.