And the weather has its final say

From the start of the airshow the weather was poor. Early on the day we had some light rain then high winds which caused the cancellation of the SANDF paratroops from the Hercules. In the afternoon a dust storm blew to the south of the airfield (fortunately not affecting the airshow itself) and at around 16h30, just before the culmination of the show with Jurgis Kairys and his Air Bandits, a severe rain storm with high winds hit the airfield. This caused major disruptions and damage to umbrellas in the VIP area (although no aircraft were damaged) and subsequent cancellation of the rest of the events. CC Pocock, as a safety measure set off the wall of fire (to an almost non-existent crowd as everyone was taking cover from the downpour) as the SAAF Cheetahs departed. This was a major disappointment from our point of view as we were unable to view this highly acclaimed aerobatic display.

Treat for those who stayed on

Or rather those who did not wish to battle the traffic.

After the rain storm had passed we hung around the airfield and took a walk down the Mafikeng Flying Club house for some refreshments (and to find something to do whilst the heavy traffic sorted itself out.) During this period the Snake Microlight formation took off and performed their display to the small crowd who remained. In the post storm clear blue skies and the late afternoon sun this was a treat. Jurgis then departed for a photo sortie using the wonderful stormy skies as a backdrop. Upon his return we were treated to a “donut” smoke display before he powered down and the aircraft was returned to its hangar.

During this period the little Robbinson R22 flown by Danie Terblanche did his impressive display within the hardstand area in front of the terminal buildings.

As we left, a tired and satisfied group, the grand finale of the airshow, a magnificent fireworks display was fired off. Pity that there were almost none of the crowd around to view it although the residents of Mafikeng would have been able to view it clearly from their homes.

The Mafikeng airshow is surely one of the top rated airshows on the South African circuit and for those who make the effort to attend (both from a display and a spectator’s point of view) is always in for a treat. Just a pity about the weather.

Thank you NorthWest Province Government and Rickie Rennie for this event and all the best for the next show.

Open photos: C. Hugo, F. Hugo. Photo manipulation: A. Dyason.

All photos: C. Hugo, F. Hugo, A. Dyason & P. van Schalkwyk.

Visit Jurgis Kairys official website.

  Gallery opens in new window.