The Cheetah "Drivers":

Typical modern flying gear of a SAAF fighter pilot. Note life support vest, red helmet of 2 Sqdn & the reverse Cheetah C logo on the aircraft.

To fly the Cheetah C and D is the honour of a special group of South African pilots - called the "Vlammies" (referring to the flame of the afterburner - Mirage III, F1 and Cheetah). Following the hit movie "Topgun", the jet pilots also address each other on their call signs - but with names like "Sandman", "Gabriel", "Panther", etc. who are they really? Unlike other air forces, the SAAF pilots were always kept out of the media. This was done for security reasons and little is known about this exclusive group of the aviator world. The fighter pilots and the other SAAF pilots are among the world's best trained, following a strict and exhaustive training programme - which span a number of years. Most started out in the venerable Harvard, followed by an advanced flying course, before being allowed to step up to the General of the Defense Force, to receive their "Wings". Thereafter, follows a number of courses on various aspects, also simulator training and ongoing flight training. Today, these pilots have the advantage of years of combat experience. During 2000 the first black SAAF pilot qualified as an operational fast jet fighter pilot. He specifically asked not to publish any details of him, as he would not like to singled out and choose to be accepted as just another SAAF fighter pilot.

2 Sqdn Traditions:

The Cheetah cartoon character.

The Sqdn served South Africa proud as a member of the free world from the baking hot deserts of North & East Africa, Europe, the bitter conditions in Korea and the Border War conflict. Such a proud heritage is reflected in the various blocked photos, Sqdn badges and other memorabilia which line the hallways of the Sqdn building. The most famous aspect, which is also internationally recognised, is the Sqdn's gallant efforts during the Korean War in support of the United Nations. During the Korean War the Sqdn received Presidential citations from both the United States and South Korea. The Korean effort is recognised even today and special "Rorke Inn" evenings are held on a regular basis in the Sqdn pub. The "Rorke Inn" was established by Lt Mickey Rorke as a South African pub with its own identify to boost the morale of the South Africans during the Korean War. Through individual efforts by members of the Sqdn, a well illustrated museum was established in the building that hosts 2 Sqdn. It is also called the "Rorke's Inn" and host a wealth of information on every theatre of operations in which the Sqdn served, like North & East Africa, Europe, Korean and the Border War.

As the museum is hosted within an operational SAAF AFB, the museum is unfortunately not accessible to the public on a general basis. When the Cheetah became operational with the Sqdn, the already established exclusive Cheetah community were expanded even further with the use of special Cheetah logos, markings etc.