Brandon getting his National Flight Instructor Rating

NPL Microlight pilot Brandon Alleson (back) is learning to become a back-seat-driver ha ha, training with our Chief Flying Instructor Brad (front) for his National Flight Instructor rating. When acting as a flight instructor, the Instructor sits at the back whilst his student is in front. Flying solo you would fly from the front seat. This change of perspective to become an instructor and learning the techniques of instruction form part of the training and we hope to see Brandon in the Durban Skyye as one of our instructors very shortly. 

Brad and Brandon enjoying a unique experience as they were cleared to ascend to 1500ft in the microlight.. "very high indeed and what stunning views of the city", chirped Brad.

Brandon (rear) training to become a National Flight Instructor (WCM - weight-shift-controlled Microlight) with our Chief Flying Instructor, Brad

Dylan takes to the Skyye!!

I love taking someone for a first-time experience and today it was Dylan's turn as we took to the Durban Skyye for a flight down and up the coast. Dylan has been kindly helping with some training and exercises at the Toti Gym and I was able to return some of the favour and show him the basics of flying my Sling 2-seater aircraft. He took to it like a natural and we were soon doing turns and manouvres in the sky!! If he was a bit nervous, it didn't show.

Dylan with my Sling 2-seater with 100 hp Rotax engine

Durban Skyye are Agents for the Sling Aircraft which are designed and manufactured in South Africa and exported around the world. An assembly plant has also been established in California as well as Australia and there are now Sling owners, as well as kit-builders in several continents as the Sling takes centre stage as a popular flight training aircraft. 

Dylan at ease holding the flight controls of ZDL

Taking selfies as we fly on auto-pilot

Umhlanga beachfront from 500ft

Suncoast Casino off the starboard wing of ZDL

Umhlanga Lighthouse

The cockpit of my plane

 I have twin EFIS (Onboard computer, engine flight infirmation systems) installed in front of each of the seats with dual flight controls. This makes it easy to fly the plane from both seats.. perfect for long distance flying and also instruction. The onboard computers are designed and made by MGL Avionics in Cape Town and incorporate a GPS linked to an auto-pilot, so one can load a route programmed from a laptop or home computer and transfer it to the EFIS by SD card. This makes longer trips, such as our recent trip to Victoria Falls, and our coming trip to Madagascar so much easier. The system also monitors engine functions and presents a full display of tempertures and pressures, as well as flight information such as distance to destination, wind speed and direction and all of the airports in South Africa and beyond. 

Around the World in a Sling 

To prove the capability and endurance of this South African designed aircraft, the daring owners of The Airplane Factory in Johannesburg have flown their aircraft around the world twice as well as trans-Africa to Poland and trans-Atlantic to Wisconsin, USA for the world's largest airshow there.

Madagascar

For more about our July 2015 Sling Madagascar Tour, click on this link here.

Baobab trees near Morondava we will be visiting in Madagascar this year

Visiting the home of our flight school Slings

Durban Skyye Flight School visited The Airplane Factory, home of our flight school Sling aircraft today and caught some snaps of the action..

NPL pilot and Durban Skyye PPL student Brandon spreads his wings on the wings of the Sling that flew around the world

Our flight school 2 Slings FYA and ZDL flew up to Johannesburg for maintenance and the annual check for the issue of a new authority to fly.

Dave and Brandon inspecting the factory.. here some new Sling wings are being prepared for the spray booth

We took a flight around the Johannesburg tower just nearby the factory

We're flying to Madagascar this July

 The Airplane Factory and CEO of Durban Skyye Flight School have worked out provisional dates and routing for our Sling aircraft tour to Madagascar this July (24 Jul - 1 Aug). The 9-day adventure will take us in our 2-seater single engine airplane up the Mozambique coast from Durban to Vilankulos, a 5 hour flight, where we clear customs and immigation into Mozambique for the night. The next morning we fly west over the Mozambique Channel to Toliara International Airport in Madagascar... heading out to sea for the 4h 50 min flight over the ocean, bypassing Europa island en route... There should be a group of 4 - 6 aeroplanes flying together each with maritime safety equipment, liferafts etc on board in the event of engine trouble over the sea. 

Our route from Durban over the Mozambique Channel to Madagascar

After landing in Madagascar, we spend another 6 nights touring the east and west coast, taking in the Andasibe National Park, the island Ile St Marie, and Morondava famous for the Avenue of Baobabs.

We return to Vilanjulos again crossing the Mozambique channel. Some of the participating pilots will be coming from Johannesburg and Durban and the tour will be under the umbrella of The Airplane Factory, manufacturers of our fine aircraft based in Johannesburg, and whose directors have successfully completed two trips around the world in their Sling aircraft and two cross-Africa trips to the United States and Europe, proving the handing and endurance capabilities of their totally South African designed and built aircraft.

The "Avenue of Baobabs" near Morondava, Madagascar

Lemurs in the Andasibe National Park, Madagascar

Itinerary

The full itinerary for the trip can be downloaded off my skydrive at this link. Anyone wishing to join us should email me at slingfans@gmail.com although booking decisions for accommodation need to be made now as it is peak season then in Madagascar and Mozambique. Dave 083-7033329

Shorter route

An alternative shorter route for those not wishing to fly the full distances in Madagascar has also been provided for with the pilots of the respective groups meeting at Vilankulos to fly across the Mozambiique Channel together, then separating for a slightly different and shorter route within Madagascar. Enquire if you are interested in this option.

Places we will be staying at include : Vakona Forest Lodge, Andasibe, Zombie Cucumber, Vilankulos, Boraha Village, island Ile St Marie, possibly Le Jardin du Roy, Isalo National Park, Auberge de la Table, Toliara and Pallisandre Cote Ouest, Morondava.

The runway at the hotel Le Jardin du Roy

The runway on the island Ile Sainte Marie, off Madagascar

The Airports we will be landing at can be seen here: (click on the links)

Vilankulos

Toliara

Andasibe

Ile Sainte Marie

Morondava

Le Jardin du Roy, Isalo

Boraha Village on the Ile Sainte Marie, Madagascar

Palissandre Cote Ouest hotel, Morondava

Le Jardin du Roy hotel, Isalo National Park

Sling Africa Tour 2014

And if you missed our Sling tour to Botswana and Victoria Falls last year, click on this link to check out the photos and story of this amazing adventure with 6 Sling Aircraft.

A photo I took of Victoria Falls as we flew around it on our tour last year

If you want to read more information on the maritime safety equipment needed, click on the link to the thread below - Sling Madagascar Tour 2015 - and scroll down to read the various previous posts that have been logged here.

Microlight licence

Our Chief Flying Instructor Brad has been flying non-stop with UK student Bill Tomlinson, out for a short 3 weeks to earn his microlight licence (NPL - WCM .. weight-shift microlight) with Durban Skyye Flight School - Durban's only flight school offering both NPL (light sport aircraft and microlight) as well as PPL licences.

Our CFI Brad (back) with Bill in our flight school microlight

Bill flies the microlight along the Durban beachfront

Seen from above

Not everyone has the good fortune to be able to pursue their dreams, and not everyone takes the bull by the horns to go about fulfilling those dreams.. not Bill Fereday who has taken up a lifelong ambition to fly with Durban Skyye Flight School. Welcome Bill and here's to many happy hours flying.

Bill at the flight controls of our Sling fixed wing aircraft FYA

Instructor Dave and Director of the Flight School

Beautiful photo of Durban's Stadium at the wing-tip of our flight school aircraft

The city and harbour in the background as we zoom along the coast seawards of the Bluff

Durban's Bluff with the harbour taken from 1000 ft

Afternoon makes great flying

The setting sun provides a great backdrop and offers a cooler breeze as our National Flight Instructor, Dave, puts student Bill through his paces as he takes up a life-long ambition to become a pilot.

Bill (right) in the pilot's seat as Dave instructs

Umhlanga lighthouse from 500ft as we head north

Left forces in play on take-off

Accelerating down the runway, one needs to apply right rudder to keep the plane on the centre line. Here's why - click on this link.

The spiralling slip-stream from the propeller strikes the left side of the tail and pushes the tail right and the aircraft heads left unless right rudder is applied - one of the 4 "left-forces" in lay during the take-off run

Durban Skyye

A view from our Flight School Sling light sport aircraft which we use to train our NPL and PPL students.. breathtaking views over the rolling hills of KwaZulu-Natal, our training ground. In the photo is our NPL student Frederico who aims to obtain his licence this month.

Managing the aircraft stall speed

Potentially a time when the stall speed of aircraft increases as you bank the aircraft to turn for landing, here's some tips avoiding disaster when you're at this low height.. (click on the link)

The freedom of the skyye

Enjoying the freedom of the skyye are these potential pilots in our microlights with our highly skilled instructors Brad and Kyle as they soar over the Durban beachfront. To book your flight either click on the online booking link or call us on 082 820 4840.

Umhlanga beach and lighthouse

Our Flight Instructor Kyle gets ready for another flight

Stunning views of Umhlanga beach from 500 ft above the waves