Most attendees of CC Pocock’s annual fly-in at his airfield near Barberton in Mpumalanga hold this event in an almost mystical awe. This is due to many reasons, the least of which is the culminating pyrotechnic display that CC is renowned for.

This year saw the IPMSSA media team pay their first visit to the Bush Pilots fly in. Arriving in the late Friday evening at the airfield we immediately felt at home. Of course meeting up with other attendees helped. There were large bonfires in drums on the concrete ramp to take the chill off the late winter evening (milder than Gauteng but a chill non-the-less) A slide show was in progress inside the clubhouse and this was enjoyed by all who crammed inside and also on the veranda peering through the windows. After a couple of hours of pleasant chatting with old friends we left for the night.

Heavy metal and a generous Aviation fraternity

This years Durban Wings club airshow appears to have been fraught with controversy if the rumour mill is to be believed. But in the end the plans all came together and a most successful airshow ensued. A long-term sponsor in the form of Chemspec has come to the table and has provided R2.5 million rand in sponsorship over the next 4 years to ensure the ongoing success of this event. Thank you Chemspec.

This year’s airshow was the 51st iteration and makes this event arguably the second longest running airshow in the world. The display programme was fully packed with only the Silver Falcons and the fast jets performing a second show on the first day. In fact the show was so busy that the scheduled performance of the radio controlled aircraft was not performed on the Saturday.

A comment must be made about the entrance fee, although high in comparison with other South African airshows it was worth ones while to attend. Where else in South Africa can one attend a premier sports event of any nature for less?