Greg Casson Memorial Jet Weekend 2016

GREG CASSON MEMORIAL JET WEEKEND 2016

This was the 5th Memorial Event held in honour of Greg Casson and was held over the weekend of 21st to 23rd October 2016.

A total of 17 pilots made the effort to attend this event with most pilots arriving on Friday and a couple on Thursday. When we arrived on Thursday afternoon we were welcomed by a nice thunder shower which was very much needed.

Flying started each day at around 07h00, we flew Friday and Saturday till around 2 as by this time the wind got a bit much. By 14h00 all had had enough of flying and the planes were packed away in the hangar with various groups forming under gazebos sheltering them from the blistering sun. In the afternoon, all dispersed to various watering holes to cool off and relax after a good days flying. On Saturday afternoon we gathered in different places to watch the rugby final between the Cheetahs and the Bulls.

Sunday morning we were met with once again a beautiful day with blue skies and a slight breeze. Normally most pilots leave early but not this time, only two left early and the rest burnt the last paraffin remaining in their fuel cans. By 16h00 we were all packed up and most pilots were on their road back home. 5 pilots opted to sleep another night and depart only on Monday morning.

Pilots who attended came from Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, Gauteng, and Upington. This was one of those weekends where a lot of flights were flown by all with no serious crashes or aircraft problems. Only one flame out was had over the whole 3 days of flying.

Well done to Andre Killian who is a regular at all Jets-r-us events and he finally arrived with a Turbine Jet and he enjoyed himself immensely.

Burt Botha from PE is now bitten by the Jet bug, has gotten rid of his F3A planes and is now enjoying jet flying and mastered the art of landing this weekend. Stan Fincham had many flights and managed to perfect his take offs and landings, and entertained us with his rain dance after his first totally perfect landing.

Pierre Fouche had a new plane to be maidened, on Friday afternoon on start up he experienced a problem with the turbine, but no problem to him he packed all away and jumped in the car and rushed to Bloem to collect a spare and shot back to Gariep. He installed the motor the next day and maidened the plane with no further problems. Now that is dedication for you.

As it was Greg Casson’s weekend even he was there in spirit and giving a helping hand to those who needed a bit of guidance by the angels. On Saturday afternoon we flew the large quarter scale L39 ex Francois Diedrechsens plane now belonging to Sanjay Kana. Half way through the flight the turbine died and a decision was taken to land in the direction of the flight path as that is the longest part of the runway. The runway runs at a slight uphill to the right, the plane was held just off the runway for a little while after it disappeared out of sight and over the hill. Three of us jumped on the back of Francois Kuys bantam bakkie and raced down the runway which felt like a life time until we reached the plane. There it was parked right at the end of the runway after running through the very nicely cut grass veld adjacent to the runway and came to a stop against a fence. The fence dropper caused an indent in the LE of the right wing and a bit of a scratch underneath the right tip tank. The plane flew for more than 100m free flight. The distance from where we were flying from till where the plane came to a holt was 860m.

Thanks Cassie very much appreciated.

From the Jets-R-Us team we would like to thank all attending the event. Many of you knew Greg by name only and had possibly spoken to him on the phone. Thanks guys your attendance in honour of Greg is very much appreciated.

Danie Potgieter who attended the event without a jet came to assist Burt to get his flying sorted out. Danie ended up helping many others. Thanks Danie. On Saturday evening he said something I have to share with all the jet pilots who attended. He said he was extremely impressed with the quality of flying by all throughout the event and enjoyed the company of all.

A special thanks to Theo Marnewick for sponsoring the caps for the weekend.

Till next time,

Cheers

More news of Gariep 2016

Hi All

Have a look at the link below to see a stunning photo of activity at Gariep.

Aircrafts in Flight – Gariep 2016 (The photographer took around 400 photos and has put a whole lot of them together in one photo.)

Here is a link to the article that was published in the Volksblad about Gariep Fly In

Volksblad – Gariep Fly-In Article

Gariep Fly-in 2016

GARIEP 2016

The 9th Jets-R-Us Fly-in took place over the weekend of 6th to 10th July 2016. After an absence of 3 years the event was back at the Gariep Dam Airfield previously known as Hendrik Verwoerd Dam.

The event was the second largest Gariep Fly in with a total of 98 pilots attending.

We arrived on Wednesday lunch time after a good drive down from JHB, with most of the JHB pilots riding in convoy. We had a few PTA pilots driving in convoy who left at around 3am. Arriving at the field the venue was found as usual to be in tip top condition. We arranged to have the grass cut around the taxi way and the further side of the runway which made it more convenient to park trailers and aircrafts and for pilots and spectators to sit. It also gave more space down the taxi way for the public to walk through and not damage planes.

Trailers were parked either side of the taxiway which worked on a first come first served basis. Thursday morning a pilots briefing was held just after 09h00 with around 80% of the total amount of pilots being there with the balance of pilots arriving throughout Friday and Saturday morning. The pit area was quickly filed with pilots and aircrafts eager to get in the sky and enjoy themselves. A local caterer was on hand operating from one of the hangars making breakfast and lunch for all the hungry people. Flying took place from around 08h00 every day till darkness set in with the last pilots leaving the field around 18H00. The event drew a lot of families and friends this time with around 160 people in total attending.

Gariep offers great accommodation which makes it a great mid-year break for the whole family. The town has grown over the past 4 years with the erection of a larger supermarket, some very good restaurants and most of the accommodation being upgraded. The town folk went out their way to accommodate all and make our stay as enjoyable as possible.

Saturday evening all went off to the local bowling club where a braai was organised where around 140 people attended. A local band was supplied playing background music and were taking donations for their efforts. A overhead projector was showing some photos of the last 8 years’ of events. Before supper started a few thank you’s were done by the organisers as well as a prize giving. Every lady who attended the event was given a little gift of appreciation for supporting the man in their lives which was sponsored by Alex Kuys and Tiffe Gouws. A gift pack made up of Annique Beauty products was sponsored by the Lettau family who were most probably the most excited family to go back to Gariep and the first to book their accommodation. The gift pack was given out by doing a lucky draw with all the ladies names placed in a bowl. Around 40 prizes were given to some of the pilots which was also done in the same manner of drawing a name.

These prizes were donated by the following sponsors:
Jets-R-Rs
Dennys Electrical
AMT Composites
Aerial Concepts
Vox Telecoms
Pierre Fouche (3WSA)
Sanjay Kana
Dean Jakins
Mr Anonymous 1
Mr Anonymous 2
LETTAU Family
Tiffe Gouws
Alex Kuys
Corrie Coetzee (Cors-Air)
Marius Lensing (Marko Sweiswerke)
Louis Vermaak (Afridrill)
Paula Denysschen (Bag Lady)
Steven Baartman
Peter Hewitt
Chris Venter (RCT4B)
Tobie Kock (Devine Group)
Darryl Leggs (Aviation artist)

The contributions made by the sponsors helped to make the event more successful and we are very grateful for their continued support.

Every year a painting is created by the renowned Aviation artist Darryl Leggs, this is known as the Adriaan Bakker Memorial Trophy and is given to a pilot after the weekend for whatever reason the organisers feel fit. The theme for every year’s painting is based on an aircraft of the SA Airforce, this year a Cessna was chosen as the subject.

The trophy was awarded to George Van Den Bergh who was ridden by bad luck starting on the Friday evening before the event when he collected his brand new Dolphin Jet. On returning home he took it out the bakkie turned it over and the canopy fell off and shattered. With help from various modellers, family and friends a canopy was found and was delivered from Cape Town to Gariep on Wednesday whilst George was on his way from PTA. But the saga continues, at around 03H30 Wednesday morning the next bad luck struck, the trailer, a borrowed one nog al, came off the bakkie and collided along the side of the road without George realising it was no longer following him. After back tracking on the freeway around JHB the trailer was found, re hitched and ready to go. Only problem the 40 size brand new never maidened Stik was in 3 pieces, the Dolphin Jet had 2 horizontal stabs totally broken. The one third scale Cessna was in 100% condition except for the two aluminium wing spars that were bent. Arriving at Gariep spars were found at the local hardware store, what luck that was, finding 2 odd sizes in the middle of the Karoo and the Cessna was soon airworthy. For the Dolphin it took about 2 nights of him and his helpers drinking time to patch and repair the stabs but by Saturday it was up and flying. Well done to the team.

Regarding other mishaps there were only 2 prop planes damaged and some stab and nose damage on 2 jets. Overall an excellent weekend was spent with good weather and good friends. A special welcome to the 19 new pilots that made their first trip to a Jets-R-Us event and a special thanks to all who helped to keep the venue clean of litter, stompies and bottle tops.

All are looking forward to Gariep 2017 which will be our tenth year so we have to GO BIG or GO HOME and all of this JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT!!!

Till next time

Gariep Fly-in 2016 Info

Hi All Gariep Pilots,

Thank you to all for registering for Gariep 2016.

The closing date was last week Monday, as of this morning we have a total of 73 registered pilots for Gariep 2016.

We visited Gariep last Monday to sort out a few things for the event. We received a very hearty welcome from many businesses and people, who are as excited as all the rest of us that we are going back. A few exciting changes have happened in town over the past 3 years; the local supermarket has been upgraded to OK’s food store, with a butcher, bakery, hardware store, bottle store etc. So you can now purchase everything you would require for the weekend in one place. In addition, there are quite a few good restaurants in the area . You can visit the Gariep Dam website to get a full list of family activities that are on offer in the area.

The Saturday evening function will be held at the local bowling green. Catering will be provided from Thursday to Saturday at the flying field. Please support these local businesses as they are going to great lengths to accommodate us. Food and beverages will be served from around 10am each morning.

We would like to thank our sponsors who have so generously come forward to help with sponsorship.

• Aerial Concepts
• Mr Anonymous (The Man)
• Marius Lensing
• Corrie Coetzee
• Sanjay Kana
• Dennys Electrical
• Jets-R-Us
• Vox Telecoms
• Lettau Family
• Dean Jakins
• Pierre Fouche
• RCT4B Hobbies
• Darryl Legg

Thanks to our Vox Telecoms sponsorship we will have fere WiFi available for all, at the field.

For anybody else who would like to offer sponsorship please let me know.

Darryl Legg, renowned aviation artist, will once again be at Gariep doing paintings of your aircraft. On arrival, please book your spot for your painting, as it is a tedious job and he can only do a certain amount per day.

For those of you who would like to purchase our Royal Blue Dry Mac with a Jets-R-Us logo embroidered on the back,  can place orders now. Sizes range from Small to 3XL and the price per jacket is R420.00. Upon placing your order, please make the full payment into the Jets-R-Us account. Orders need to be in by latest 10th June.

Most importantly, please note that the owner of Gariep Airfield has stipulated rules and regulations with regards to our return. The most important stipulation is to avoid littering – namely bottle caps, broken aeroplanes and cigarette stompies. Free standing ashtrays will be provided along the pit area and all smokers are urged to please make use of them and not flick your stompies into the veld. Each and everyone’s support towards this issue will be gladly appreciated, as this will determine our future relationship with the owner.

Look forward to seeing you all there.

Cheers
Team Jets-R-Us

Gariep/Bultfontein 2016

Thank you to those who have completed their entries and payments for Gariep. For those who have entered and not yet paid, please do so as soon as possible. If you have not yet entered you can find the application form HERE. lease note the entry form is in an electronic format you just need to fill it in and click submit at the bottom of the page.

A special thank you to our sponsors for sponsoring cash and prizes, this is greatly appreciated.

Please take note that the Bultfontein weekend in July has been cancelled and that Gariep Fly-in 2016 is now being hosted in place of it.

Please note that the Gariep fly-in, is a general fly-in and not Jets only.

For a list of accommodation, please follow this link

Just a reminder that the closing date for entries and payment is the 16th May, all late entries and payments will not be eligible for prizes.

Team Jets-R-Us

How to Enter for the Gariep Fly-in 2016

Back by popular demand!

Gariep Fly-in hosted at Gariep Dam Airport from 7 July to 10 July 2016.

Entry Fee – R300.00 per pilot.
Entries close – 16 May 2016 (Late entries will be accommodated but will not be eligible for prizes)

Each paid up participant will receive a free meal ticket for the Saturday evening get together.
Additional meal tickets R75.00 per person.

To enter click HERE

Gariep Fly-In 2016 is happening!

Gariep 2016 is a reality! After a three year absence we have finally struck a deal to reinstate this prestigious fly-in at one of the best venues in the country.

The event will take place from the 7th to 10th July at Gariep Dam which is between Colesburg and Bloemfontein.

The news has got a lot of modellers, who attended previous events, very excited. Many pilots have already started making arrangements and even gone as far as to book their accommodation. The top accommodation is very sort after so if you would like to attend you need to get cracking and book your accommodation asap.

Hangar facilities as well as caterers will be available throughout the weekend. Click HERE for a list of accommodation. Saturday evening a supper will be provided for all pilots, helpers and family. Final details to follow shortly.

An entry form will be posted shortly.

In the past various items of memorabilia and prizes were handed out to all participating pilots. A call is made to all to assist in whichever way possible with sponsorship towards making Gariep 2016 a memorable event. Any form of sponsorship whether it is prizes or cash will be highly appreciated.

Anybody interested please contact Boet on 082 449 4623 if you are able to assist.

BREAKING NEWS!!!

BREAKING NEWS!!!

YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT ZUMA MUST FALL, YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT FEES MUST FALL!!

NOW YOU WILL HEAR SOME GOOD NEWS FOR A CHANGE ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS ON THE RISE!!!

To find out more about this exciting news stay tuned into www-jets-r-us.co.za

Whilst you are here you can take the time to register on the site and you will get automated notifications that will keep you up-to-date with all the news and happenings.

On the swops and smalls page, under “place add” you can log in and place your own add plus photos on any modelling related items you have for sale.
If your club is planning an air show or fly in please email us details and we will post it on the site.

Corsair Camp & Fly

Corsair is a flying field on the eastern side of Pretoria on the R51 Bapsfontein road where Lynwood Road joins the R51.

The club is built on a private farm belonging to Corrie Coetzee. The club is beautiful, well laid out and has all the necessary facilities for flying as well as for the whole family to enjoy.

A camp and fly was arranged on the weekend of 29th – 31st January 2016. Camping facilities are adjacent to the air field. There is a dam for fishing and for the young ones to play on with RC boats.

Most of the pilots arrived on Friday afternoon and flew untill sunset. On Saturday we had perfect weather and visitors arrived early from various parts of Gauteng. A few pilots arrived from Witbank and the club got very busy however everyone had lots of fun.

Saturday evening a braai was lit at the camp site and all enjoyed a great evening. The pit area is lit up with flood lights and was used by a few pilots to do some night flying, with some discus hand launch gliders.

Cosair is suitable to fly almost all types of aircrafts. Quite a few jets burnt up the sky as well as various large scale planes.

The highlight of the weekend was Dirk Visser’s maiden flight. A large Constellation painted in the original South African Airways colours. The plane has an approximate 5m wing span and weighs well over 30KG’s. It is equipped with 4 electric motors with 3 bladed props. Each motor is equivalent to a 50cc petrol motor. The power of these 4 motors is absolutely awesome. He had 2 flights and all went well with both. It looks awesome in the sky due to it’s large presence. Good luck Dirk and well done.

At around 12 on Sunday most of the campers packed up and departed for home as it was very hot and tiring weekend.

Visitors are welcome to to visit Corsair to camp or fly. Please contact Corrie on 0833056017 to make arrangements. There is a small fee for camping as well as flying.

Happy New Year from SAMJA

Happy New Year to all you Jet Jocks!

Just a quick notice of the first two jet events for 2016. Jon Hancock has arranged the JOMAC facility for the 31st January for our first club visit for the year.

Terry Hamilton has arranged a trip to Newcastle where the full size runway will be used. Terry has also arranged special tarriffs at Majuba Lodge. Please mention that you are attending the Model Jet Meeting when you book – 034 315 5011. Terry provisionally booked 20 chalets. The Majuba Lodge has a great resturant on site as well as a bar so no travelling required. The proposed dates are 25 – 28 February. Newcastle is only 300 km from Johannesburg and the new road to Ermelo makes it easy and safe but a little further. This will not be jets only but some prop planes to allow the locals to participate as well. Hangar space is available for plane storage at night.

We will circulate further events shortly, just need to contact all the clubs that offered their facilities to SAMJA.

Have a wonderful flying 2016!

SAMJA