A record low in pilots competing in the South African Power Flying Association’s (SAPFA) annual National Landing Champions in Stellenbosch could be due to the high cost of the sport.
This is according to Derek Lord, standing in for administration for the day.
“Only four” people participated in this year’s competition at the Stellenbosch Flying Club, held on 26 October 2024, said Mauritz du Plessis, administrator at SAPFA.
The speed at which each aircraft that competed in the National Landing Championships at the Stellenbosch Flying Club landed varied between 35 and 80 knots, or 65 and 150 kilometres per hour, said Mauritz du Plessis, administrator at the South African Power Flying Association. PHOTO: Nicola Amon
Cost of flying “out of reach”
Lord said the steadily decreasing participation in flying competitions is mainly due to the high cost of the sport. “Unless you’re wealthy or have a sponsor, flying has become almost completely out of reach,” said Lord. “It can cost you easily north of R100 000 just to get your sports licence.”
The aircrafts at SFC are rented out at rates from R1500 per hour to R4000 per hour and fuel costs R30 per litre. “Some of these planes use a litre a minute,” said Lord.
Competitors at the South African National Landing championships were required to perform landings from a height of 1000 ft above ground. This is according to the South African Power Association’s landing rules. PHOTO: Nicola Amon
Lord said that the sport of flying is not funded by external institutions and is not recognised as a sport by the department of sports, arts and culture. Without this funding, Lord said the sport becomes inaccessible.
“We are trying to expose [flying] [through] our organisation and up the competitions and encourage the people […] to participate,” said Du Plessis.
No sportsman’s category
The competition is usually split into a sportsman category and open access category, said Deon van den Berg, competition director. However, due to low participant turnout, all four participants competed in the open access category.
Michael Welgemoed, a first time competitor and beginner pilot, opted to take part in the open access category, despite it being more advanced than the sportsman’s category. “There’s no point competing in [the sportsman’s category] if there’s only one person,” he said.
The landing strip at Stellenbosch Flying Club is painted with a series of white lines. During the National Landing Championships, landing on the thickest line, or “bingo”, results in a score of zero points, while the lines in front of and behind it result in penalty points. This is according to Derek Lord, standing in for administration on the day. PHOTO: Nicola Amon
Important for up-skilling
The competition was held both in Stellenbosch and in Brits in the North West Province and is important for pilots to up their skills, said Du Plessis.
GRAPHIC: Nicola Amon
Each participant performed eight landings and aimed to land on the “bingo” line for a score of zero points. Landing at any distance beyond or behind the “bingo” line resulted in penalty points, said Lord.
Landing number four in the National Landing Championships required competitors to steer clear of a banner 2 metres above ground, placed 50 metres before the touchdown line. This is according to the South African Power Association’s landing rules. PHOTO: Nicola Amon
Each landing engaged different skills, including a 2 metre high obstacle, and glide landings which required the pilot to cut power. “[The obstacle] messes with your mind,” said Van den Berg.
Ideal conditions
Weather conditions in Stellenbosch proved ideal, putting Stellenbosch competitors at an advantage over competitors in Brits, in the North West province. “They’re dealing with quite strong winds up there,” said Brent Warren, safety officer.
Christian du Plessis received the best score at the Stellenbosch competition, with 224 points. Welgemoed came fourth, with a score of 1192 points.
Christian du Plessis, the winner of the National Landing Championships in the Stellenbosch competition flew a Declathon aircraft. Du Plessis won with a score of 224 points, according to Deon van den Berg, competition director. PHOTO: Nicola Amon