The ground crew are here. Donald flew in and Alan drove down with Jenya Zozulya last Saturday. The weather has been the worst it has been (from a flying point of view) in a decade and the Ozone "Hotel" will be kept open for an extra week. Those that are confirmed "2011 Gagglers" may delay their arrival if they want to do so by up to 5 days.
After the turnoff onto the dirt road at Elliotdale please take the leg to Madwaleni - this is now tarred from the right fork to the Haven/Mbanyane just after the tar road commences to the Madwaleni hospital.
Breaking News : Awesome, fantastic, what a place: Watch for more on Mozambique 2010
To view some of my more cherished aviation moments on a picture file ( 150+ pictures)
To view my most recent trip to Port Edward
To view a video of our Wild Coast Fly-Aways - ask me how you can get a copy?
To view my fly-about calendar
See another fly-about option at the foot of the page - both video's feature Massimo Gureni who is joined in the bottom one by Sias Dreyer. The next video is a demo of what to be careful of. The "getting caught with wet feet" video was filmed by a professional photographer who was invited to attend the Gaggle Galaxy to film the "in memorium" video that was distributed to all MISASA members. SEE THE LINK TO A SEGMENT OF THE VIDEO REFERENCED IN RED ABOVE. At the time of filming it was decided to film this sequence to illustrate the need to A: have someone walk the soft sand before taxiing onto it. What was hard sand before the time can change to soft sand after the tide. Also as is the case here, crossing a stream breaking its banks, requires extra caution. B: Extreme exposure to salt water requires extreme cleansing, oiling and double checking - not only to aircraft but also to vehicles that do not even go near the soft sand. Parking at the coastline off the sand is extreme exposure that enduces rust. Hundreds of pilots have attended Gaggle fly aways without incident. Let us keep it that way.
The 2010 Wild Coast Gaggle Galaxy Fly-away: Beware the Tide
Write up on the 2010 Wildcoast Gaggle Galaxy Fly-Away
Dates: 05th to the 13th June 2010
If you have the skill and the aircraft to perform the short field take off and landing demonstrated below then you will know that due caution is called for when landing and taking off in NTCA aircraft at anything but non-registered airfields.Please take care and follow up with cleaning your aircraft so we may keep the years of incident free pleasure on the gaggle galaxy intact.
Wildcoast Gaggle 2011
Proposed Dates:To be advised
This annual pilgrimage has now found a place in many microlighters calendar as an annual “must do” event. Book early to confirm your spot.
Please NOTE:We are restricting the gaggle this year to only those that fly in, and only until the main house and Beckerman cottages are full.
Arrive and depart any time between the above dates. All are welcome, just let us know your plans.
The available entertainmentoptions while at the cottage are:
·local flight destinations
·rock and surf fishing
·parking off with a book
·bird watching
·hiking up the beach or through the forest
·visiting the local crafters
·visiting the waterfall
·horse riding
·beach soccer, rough field lawn tennis
·swimming
·eating seafood and having a few beers
·sun tanning etc
Who can come?
We limit attendance on a first come first served basis depending on accommodation availability. As indicated above, it is a fly-in, so all visitors to please come by plane.
Map / getting there.
·Ozone is 80km south of Port St Johns and 80km north of Kei Mouth.
·Some trailer to Emoyeni (Cato Ridge) or Port Edward or all the way.
·Some fly from Grahamstown, East London, Cato Ridge, Port Edward or from Johannesburg.
Fuel:
You should order fuel in advance but please give three weeks’ notice as it is trucked in from Mthatha. The fuel will be available for you at the Mount Pleasant Store which is a 10 minute flight from Ozone. Last year we had plenty and all ran smoothly, so to ensure the same please confirm your order timeously. The alternative is to fly to Mthatha (for avgas) which are 50 miles away.
To order fuel from Mount Pleasant you need to phone Bernard McDonald, (the owner), on 082 783 3276 or email him on mountpleasant@telkomsa.net alternatively you can call Vernon Mitchell on 083 459 8673 or email Vernon on vernon11@xsinet.co.za . Bernard or Vernon will give you the cost detail which you will need to pay in advance to Standard Bank Account Number:053293371 Margate Branch Number:
Food and Other expenses:
R250 per night per person, (irrespective of age, gender or religious persuasion). There will be a cash bar for soft drinks and beer. Please bring your own wine and spirits. Important to note, the beer options are limited to Lion and Castle and soft drinks, Coke, Sprite and Cordials. The above cost covers food, gas, staff gratuities and other incidentals. Rooms are allocated on a first come first served basis and are secured only after payment is received.
Please make payments to:
Donald Hicks: FNB Westville Code: 223526
Cheque account
Account Number: 58880030341
Please use your name to ID the deposit and e-mail the payment confirmation to me.
·The Haven Hotel is fully catered and is about a 5 minute flight south: see www.havenhotel.co.za. The tie down areas are relatively protected.
·Bulungula Backpackers Lodge is about a 10 minute flight north. The tie down is on the beach. Over night wing removal is recommended: seewww.bulungula.com
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