Bela-Bela Fly-In this weekend
Light aircraft pilots from various provinces will be landing at the Bela-Bela airstrip in the coming weekend to participate in the Taildraggers Fly In Speed Rally event on Saturday 1 July.
The event will start at 08:00 on Saturday and will be hosted by the Bela-Bela Falcon Flying Club. The club has been managing the municipal airfield and maintaining the grounds and airstrip for many years.
The public is invited to attend the festivities free of charge.
The second round of the ongoing Speed Rally Championship will take place on Saturday.
“The first rally event was held at the Bona Bona Game Lodge in Wolmaransstad. The competition rules state that two aircraft compete against each other, one fast and one slow, and then they have to take off, complete the circuit and land again on the same airstrip,” says David le Roux, organiser.
“If they do not cut corners during flight, both aircraft will land at the same time. Each pilot is told to fly at a certain speed (handicapped speed). The winner is determined by a logging device that will measure the plane’s speed, height and accuracy.”
Le Roux says that they expect a good turnout of pilots to attend the weekend, but only 20 will participate in the rally event.
Most will arrive on Friday, where they will overnight at the airstrip and mingle with other pilots and organizers.
“It is not a typical airshow, but the public is very welcome to enjoy the day with us. These events are a perfect place for people interested in aircraft and they can chat with owners and pilots to obtain technical information on the different aircraft.”
Attendees from other clubs include the Silver Creek Airfield in Rustenburg, Eagle’s Creek Aviation Estate in Centurion, and numerous others.
The rally is sanctioned by the South Africa Power Flying Association (SAPFA). The Fly-In is endorsed by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).
The final two championship events of the speed rally are due to take place later in Soutspansberg and Groblersdal.
