The West Coast Saldanha Airshow
Produced by African Pilot's GA Team - Jared van Bergen and Timothy Homan - Photographs by Jared van Bergen and Timothy Homan - Edited by Phillippa Dean.
Now in its third year, the West Coast Airshow, held at Saldanha Airport, 140 km north of Cape Town, promised a fantastic variety of displays for the event on Saturday, 22 March. During its first two years, the airshow was held at the end of September or early October, with wet and dreary weather hindering flying during the 2023 edition. With that in mind, the organisers decided to move the event to much earlier in the year in a bid to avoid the wet and rainy season that the Western Cape is prone to during the winter months, which sometimes spills over into the beginning of spring, as happened in 2023.
With favourable weather leading up to the show, anticipation and excitement were building for the only airshow scheduled for the Western Cape region in 2025, vindicating the organisers’ decision to move the event’s dates. However, during the Thursday evening before the show, a weather front moved in over the west coast (stretching as far down as Cape Town), bringing with it low cloud and heavy precipitation.
Friday: Airshow Prep Day
Unfortunately, this poor weather carried over into Friday, the preparation day, when most of the participating display aircraft were expected to arrive at the airfield to validate their respective displays with the Airshow Directors and safety personnel. This precluded a large number of displays, as aircraft were unable to reach the airport from various parts of the country, including Andrew Blackwood-Murray in the Nashua Extra 300LP, Mike George and Reyno Coetzer in the Navions, Nico le Roux in the Jonker JS1 sailplane, and the Kishugu Working on Fire team. Grant Timms was also unable to bring both the Aero L-29 Delfin and Yakovlev Yak-52, and Alewyn Burger was unable to bring the Piper J3C-65 Cub.
Thankfully, a brief window in the weather appeared during the afternoon, allowing a few of the participating aircraft to reach the airfield. Most notable among them was the sole remaining airworthy ex-South African Air Force Aermacchi MB-326M Impala MkI left in South Africa, ZU-IMP from TFASA, piloted by James O’Connell. Other arrivals included Derek Lord in the ex-South African Air Force Aermacchi AM.3CM Bosbok, Alewyn Burger in the beautiful Antonov An-2 “Daizy”, and Gareth van Kets in the stunning ¾ scale T-51D Mustang “Talk to Me Goose”. The ever-present André van Zyl, the top gyrocopter display pilot in South Africa, had arrived earlier in the week.
Saturday: Airshow Day
Showgoers were greeted by even more inclement weather on Saturday morning, with mist and light rain dampening spirits. The RC club entertained the crowd with their model aircraft, including a Hawker Sea Fury, Eurofighter Typhoon, an aerobatic biplane, and a custom-designed RC jet. Conditions improved just enough midway through the morning to allow a display by André van Zyl in his Magni M16 gyrocopter, energising the crowd and raising hopes for more flying. The Marksmen Aerobatic Team were also able to reposition their aircraft from Morningstar Airfield, just outside Cape Town. A South African Weather Service representative briefed the crowd shortly before the planned lunch break, indicating that better weather was expected by 14:00.
During the lunch hour, show organisers and Air Show South Africa allowed the crowds to cross the runway and inspect the participating aircraft up close, lifting the spirits of those who had braved the weather in the hope of seeing some aerial displays.
Just before 14:00, flying acts began preparing to take off as the cloud base lifted to a safe height above the airfield. André van Zyl amazed everyone again with his gyrocopter display.
Derek Lord showcased the Bosbok, a favourite among enthusiasts, putting it through its paces in a brilliant low-level display.
Mark Hensman, Eugene du Preez, and Gary Glasgow performed a sublime, high-energy formation display in their aerobatic aircraft, thrilling the crowd with switchblade and heart manoeuvres around the clouds. Mark Hensman impressed with a low-level inverted pass along the runway, with Eugene du Preez following shortly after with an even lower sideslip manoeuvre in the opposite direction.
Shortly after the Marksmen landed, James O’Connell started up ZU-IMP and taxied down the runway, much to the excitement of the expectant crowd.
The Impala took off from south to north, passing low and fast in front of the crowd-line. It then flew to the east and performed a high-speed pass overhead. From the west, the aircraft was configured for a “dirty roll”—performed with flaps and landing gear extended. During the manoeuvre, the Impala rapidly lost altitude, resulting in a crash just past the hangars to the east of the airfield, away from the crowds, tragically resulting in the death of the pilot. Emergency services responded swiftly, reaching the crash site within moments.
Tribute to ZU-IMP
The loss of Impala 479, ZU-IMP, closes a significant chapter in South African military aviation. As the last airworthy ex-South African Air Force Impala, and one of two examples privately owned by the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA), ZU-IMP's presence at airshows evoked nostalgia and fond memories for veterans while inspiring young pilots and enthusiasts. Its destruction could mark the end of the continuous flying legacy of South African Air Force Impalas, which began in 1966.
