Sling Trainer ZDF

Durban Skyye Flight School has updated it's training aircraft to a new Sling Trainer ZDF. Here CEO Dave Mc Naught poses with the plane in it's new flight school branding. Recalls Dave - "When I was first learning to fly I needed confidence in the aircraft I was training with so I felt it important to have modern aircraft to train in and with the latest updated technology. The Sling trainer has a touch-screen computer EFIS (electonic flight instrument system) as well as backup standard instruments.

Sling delivers 200th aircraft

We are incredibly proud, as Durban Distributors and Agents of the Sling Aircraft,  to be associated with The Airplane Factory which has delivered its 200th aircraft. This is an amazing achievement for this Johannesburg team of guys and it pushes The Airplane Factory to within the top 10 aircraft manufacturers in the world today. I am also proud to be the part owner of two of these fine aircraft on register at our Flight School. They have carried me around Table Mountain and Saldanha Bay in the west of South Africa, over the Victoria Falls in the north of Southern Africa and up Mozambique in the north east of Southern Africa and next year will take us across the Mozambique Channel to Madagascar... nothing like the achievement of the guys from The Airplane Factory who have circumnavigated the world twice in their Slings, but exhilarating nevertheless to be part of this adventure.

Check out the YouTube video clip as they make international history.

The Airplane Factory delivers its 200th Sling on YouTube

Fetching our Flight School Sling from Cape Town

I took delivery today of our Sling ZU-FYA for Durban Skyye Flight School from Jandre at Morningstar Airfield in Cape Town. My pilot mate and fellow Sling owner Louis will be joining me for the flights back tomorrow and Sunday.

At first I took to the air to get the feel of the plane and flew "Yankee" to Stellenbosch where we are staying for the night. In the morning the intention is to fly to Langebaan to see Rainer's Seaplane there and at noon start the trip back from the Cape to Durban.

Jandre congratulates Dave on delivery of the plane for the Flight School

A view of Table Mountain and Signal Hill with clouds on take-off from Morningstar

Morningstar Airfield near the Blouwbergstrand, Cape Town

Selfie flying the plane

A view towards Somerset West on approach to Stellenbosch Airfield

Final Approach runway 19 Stellenbosch

On the ground at Stellenbosch with the Stellenbosch mountains in the background

Just a joke fetching my co-pilot Louis from Cape Town International so he could join me on the trip in ZU-FYA to Durban

We have a Sling on the flight school register

 Whilst visiting The Airplane Factory USA in California this week I put together a deal and bought a second hand Sling which we will use for my new Flight School in Durban. The airplane appropriately registered as Foxtrot YANKEE Alpha and is presently based in Cape Town.

Large MGL EFIS with backup altimeter and airspeed indicator

The colour scheme of the plane is silver and red so I will have to convert our Flight School logo into a red and grey one for the plane which should look quite pretty. Looking forward to flying the plane back to Durban where I will also be able to now do my instructor's rating in the plane and then train my own students for their NPL licence. 

Ready to open

It's been quite a slog getting the Flight School to opening stage.. the biggest sweat being the process for CAA approval. Our audit inspection date has been shifted and is now due in the morning, so we're holding thumbs. The Flight School Operations Manuals covering evety aspect of the Flight School, operations, aircraft, safety, instruction procedures and over 400 pages of documentation... is behind us and we look forward to welcoming tomorrow's inspection so that we can now get up in the air.

Flight School CEO Dave Mc Naught proudly shows our Kiosk in the main Concourse of Virginia Airport.

Flight School Chief Flying Instructor Brad Isaacson shows his personally autographed and congratulatory poster from the Gripen Pilots (more pics here)

We sell South Africa's reknowned Sling Aircraft here in Durban

We'll be the first NPL Microlight and fixed wing Flight School in Durban

Sling WES visits Durban for the Sky Aerobatics festival

Owner of Sling ZU-WES makes cool movies of his escapades and in this short video clip he visits Virginia and snaps some good footage of the Airshow we have enjoyed here this weekend.

From Durban to Botswana and Zimbabwe Skyye!

From Durban Skyye to Botswana and Zimbabwe sunsets, Victoria Falls and thunderstorms - we saw magnificent views on our trip this week in 6 Sling aircraft as part of our Sling Africa Tour 2014 led by James Pitman of The Airplane Factory and myself who organised the event.

Thundershowers en route to Maun, Botswana last week

Clearer skyyes over Nguma Island, Botswana in the Okavango Delta

Sunset on the Chobe River, Kasane, Botswana, before flying to Zimbabwe this Monday

The magnificence of Victoria Falls I photographed flying over it in my Sling ZDL this week

The "Smoke that Thunders" is the name of Victoria Falls famed for the spray that shoots over 1500 ft into the sky

The Victoria Falls Bridge at sunset with the spray from the Falls

Sling TAF which flew around the world flying alongside me

The Sling Africa 2014 Tour group - I took the photos (Dave)

Sling Durban Agents

In addition to offering flight training right here in the city of Durban, Durban Skyye Flight School has been appointed the Durban Agents of the Sling Aircraft, manufactured by The Airplane factory in South Africa.

Durban Skyye Director Dave Mc Naught is the proud owner of Sling ZU-ZDL and will be on hand to show prospective purchasers this fine plane which is based at Virginia Airport, home base of the Flight School.

Check out our Sling Agents page on the menu bar of this webpage for more details. Prepare to be amazed!

Sling ZDL flies out to sea over Amanzimtoti on the Durban south coast