PE's Airforce Museum deserves to be discovered

I am often amazed at how many people didn't know that Port Elizabeth has a South African Airforce Museum.  Located behind the airport in a restored World War II hanger, the museum has a great collection of planes, choppers, equipment, uniforms, models and other paraphernalia.  It's easy to get to, just follow  Forrest Hill Drive through Forrest Hill and around to the back of the airport.  The museum will interest both young and old and is absolutely free with a donation box at the door.  AND they are open on Saturdays. Bonus!

Airshow cockpit footage

A couple of weeks ago the very successful Baywest Port Elizabeth Airshow took place at the PE Airport.  I came across this rad video on the Algoa FM channel featuring some GoPro action from inside the cockpit of one of the planes taking part in the airshow.

The static Albatross

Every day a number of commercial and private planes take off and land at the Port Elizabeth Airport, but outside the airport there are two planes that just hang around, not going anywhere.  The one is a Piaggio P.166, a twin-engine pusher-type utility aircraft developed by the Italian aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aero.  In the South African military the aircraft is known as the Albatross and was used by the South African Air force from 1969 to 1993.

Ready, aim, pretend to fire

The South African Airforce Museum truly is one of Port Elizabeth's most under rated museums. Its so much more than just another museum. In addition to their fantastic collection of planes and other memorabilia, they have also started to introduce more interactive components to their displays. One is a gun torrent which kids just love to try out.

Airforce Museum Mirrage

The South African Airforce Museum in Port Elizabeth has a fantastic collection of aircraft, miniatures, uniforms and other memorabilia for such a fairly small museum.  They receive very little funding from the airforce itself and get a lot of their funds from donations while a lot of the work done there are done by volunteers.  One of the aircraft in the collection is a SA Airforce Dassault-Breguet Mirage F-1CZ which was manufactured in France and first took to the air in 1966.

Welcome Mango

Yesterday (Wednesday, 5 December 2012) was the inaugaral flight by Mango Airline into Port Elizabeth with the airline now offering low cost flights between PE and Johannesburg as well as Cape Town.  I was invited to the launch function at the Port Elizabeth Airport to see the first flight land although I wasn't able to join the pro togs on the tarmac to get some closeup pictures.  The view from the function venue was awesome though when the two fire trucks opened up the water and shot streams of water over her as a welcome.  Plus that sent the pro's running with all their expensive equipment. *snicker*  Anyway, just show how friendly the Friendly City really is.  We even give new arrivals a free "plane wash". 

Sunset from the sky

Flying home from Johannesburg a couple of weeks ago the sun set about 10 minutes before we landed as we were approaching Port Elizabeth over the Addo area.  This pic was taken on the same flight I took the pics of Coega Harbour and PE Harbour from.

Yak at the Airforce Museum

I had to take somebody to the South African Airforce Museum in Port Elizabeth the other day and found the privately owned Yak standing outside.  My problem now is that I know its a Yak (and I have had the fortunate opportunity to go up in one a couple of years ago), but I can't seem to find any information on it on the internet.  I'm sure AJ would be able to help as soon as he reads the post.

Firefly note: Thanks AJ for coming through and identifying it as a Yak-52 Soviet trainer built, as he puts it, in the bad old days.

Museum chopper

One of the helicopters on display at the South African Airforce Museum in Port Elizabeth

Remote control gliders at Maitlands

Some people collect stamps while others play cricket or rugby, but not many fly remote control gliders.  The hillside above Maitlands Beach seem to have become a very popular spot to fly remote controlled gliders.  The weather was very nice last Sunday and we took the kids down to Maitlands for some fresh air.  While we were there two guys were playing around with their toys above us.

Airforce Museum Mirage

I remember when I was small and we saw a. airforce jet overhead we always called it a Mirage.  Didn't matter if it was or not, in our minds it was a Mirage.  Now if you really want to know what a Mirage looks like, visit the South African Airforce Museum behind the Port Elizabeth Airport.  They have a Dassault-Breguet Mirage F1CZ on display which they are busy putting a flight simulator into.  Once that is up and running it would be a boost for the museum and hopefully assist in getting more feet through the door.

Coming or going?

I had to go to Johannesburg for work last week and snapped this pic of the South African Airways plane I returned with on the apron at the Port Elizabeth Airport.

Bad Attitude

Next to the South African Air Force Museum building the museum also has a active workshop in one of the big aircraft hangers.  Some of the planes in the hanger belong to the museum while others belong to aircraft enthusiast and is in for maintenance and repairs.  I recognised one of the planes in the hanger (Bad Attitude, a Hawker Fury FB11) as one of those used during the recent Port Elizabeth Airshow and featured on Max's blog.

Gun turret

One of the new additions at the South African Air Force Museum in Port Elizabeth is a gun turret that was constructed for visitors, probably mostly the kids, to try out.  They are also busy putting a flight simulator into the Mirage that is on display.  Once that is up and running it should be quite awesome to try it out.

SAAF Museum Impala

One of Port Elizabeth's most under rated museums must be the South African Air Force Museum behind the Port Elizabeth Airport.  Its a little off the beaten track and to get to it one has to follow Forest Hill Drive around the airport perimeter which means not nearly as many people get there are it should.  The museum has an fantastic collection of planes and helicopters and is surprisingly kiddie friendly.  One of the planes on exhibit is the Atlas MB-326M Impala Mk1.

Port Elizabeth Airport

The first flight to land in Port Elizabeth, long before the airport was even built, was also the first flight to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town made by Major Allister Mackintosh Miller in 1917.  The Port Elizabeth Airport was established in 1929 and opened in 1936 and was founded by Lieutenant Colonel Miller who needed an airfield to operate his postal service between the city and Cape Town.  During World War II, the airfield was extended to accommodate 42 Air School for the Royal Air Force and 6 Squadron South African Air Force on the southern and eastern sides of the field.  Commercial operations were conducted from the northern side. Construction of the permanent terminal buildings, runways and an air traffic control building began in 1950. The commercial operation was moved to an airfield at St Albans, some 25km from the city centre, for the construction period. The new buildings were officially opened in 1955. In 1973 the apron was extended to accommodate larger aircraft and a new departures terminal was opened in 1980.

The airport has three runways. The main asphalt one 08/26 is 1,980m long, the second asphalt one 17/35,  1,667m long and the third grass one is 1,160m long. There are also 13 aircraft parking bays on the apron and the terminal building measures 8,700 square metres. This facility caters for domestic flights but can be screened off to operate a fully compliant International arrivals and departures section.

Info obtained from Wikipedia

Another plane load coming

We are currently right in the middle of the summer holidays and thus our peak holiday period.  This means that every plane flying into the Port Elizabeth Airport brings us more visitors and more visitors means more money for the tourism trade.  Pity tourists don't realise how wonderful a destination Port E:izabeth can be out of peak season, because we can really do with more visitors then as well.

Airport plane

There are two planes on display outside the Port Elizabeth Airport.  The first one is an Impala on top of Aviators Bar and Grill and the second one which is situated next to the parking lot is an Albatross.  The Albatross was a maritime aircraft used by the South African Navy for patrols.

Plane on a pillar

One of the slightly unusual sights outside the Port Elizabeth Airport is an Impala MkI sitting on top of a pillar next to Aviators Pub and Grill. It kinda looks like a scene from a SciFi movie with a spaceship docked at a space diner. The Impalas were used as training aircraft by the SA Airforce in the past and this one got a prime spot to retire at.

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For more pictures from cameras pointing upwards, visit Skywatch.

Last day of the World Cup

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is over. Actually, as I post this the final between Holland and Spain still needs to be played, but by the time most people read this it will have been something of the past. Before the World Cup the doom profits predicted that the event would be an absolute failure, that overseas supporters shouldn't come to South Africa cause they will be robbed and murdered and that the stadiums would be empty. How all of them have been proven wrong. Yes, there were a few incidents that will be pointed out by these folk to try and prove their earlier statements, but the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa was a resounding success. South Africa proved to the world that we don't have to stand back for anybody when it comes to hosting big events. Black and white stood together cheering for Bafana Bafana, and after their exit from the tournament adopted other countries to support without abandoning the event. Before the start of the World Cup the international media was looking for anything bad they could find to report on, but during it they realised how great this country is and gave it the kind of exposure it deserves, with publicity that money can't buy. We have received new stadia, new infrastructure and a renewed sense of togetherness and nation building. SOUTH AFRICA ROCKS and the legacy lives on!!!

Monday morning the soccer supporters that are still in the country would be packing their newly discovered vuvuzelas, head home and our lives would start to get back to normal. But would it ever be what it was before the tournament? Probably not quite. Let's hope all of those who visited South Africa (and in particular Port Elizabeth) would go back home and spread the word on how awesome a destination this is and to tell their friends and family to come back (home).