Captains Log - A Summary of September 2012 By Juri Keyter The Africa Aerospace and Defence Expo held at AFB Waterkloof was one of the long-awaited events on the calendar this year and apart from being a huge success for the organizers and the public, it also presented magnificent opportunities for the aviation photography enthusiasts. The air show was directed by the master of air show safety “Francois (Hosepipe) Hanekom” and I was very happy that Hose had a team rubbing shoulders with him to ensure that his skill and experience will not leave with him one day when he decides to hang his gloves. I also want to note the commentary during the event by Brian Emmenis and the Capital Sounds team. Their commentary was first class as always and although it makes my video recordings somewhat tricky, their commentary is specifically for the public who appreciates being informed and update during the show. The small international component was a little disappointing and we were all hoping for the F-16, B-52 or even an Osprey as the rumours indicated a month before the event. Never the less, we still took good photographs and we share a few photographs received from other Pilot's Post friends. September also featured the “Barberton - Lowveld Air Show”, making it two of the most anticipated events on the calendar in a single month. It was rather unfortunate that the weather deterred many visitors as torrential rain poured down days before the event. As always CC put up a magnificent show and this event will remain one of the favourites of every year. I thank Cheryl Smit for representing Pilot's Post during the event as I was one of the idiots who expected the rain will hamper the event and missed it once again. “My tande het geklap” when I arrived at a -3°C Bethlehem on the 1st of September for their annual air show. The wind was blowing at least 35Kph throughout the day making it challenging for the display pilots. However, we have pilots who rank right up with the world's best and from a spectator view everything appeared normal. Scully Levin performed the truck-top landing with a one-wheel touch and go to close his display. Nigel and Deon flew the MX2 & Cirrus close formation just as good as it can be done in extremely poor conditions. Guys, you are the best!!! On a safety note, it was inspiring to see how many took interest in the weekly Aero Club of South Africa's “Safety First Aviator” publications. We have published part 5 of the series last Wednesday and will publish the rest of the series every Wednesdays over the next 5 weeks. So what is scheduled for October? 5 to 7 October: Swellendam Fly-In NEW FLYING SCHOOL! Plan to arrive at the Swellendam Airfield from 14H00 on Friday the 5th, flying or driving! You can expect a fun filled, action packed weekend including basic mountain flying training, whale watching intro flights and more! Most importantly though, they would like to show off their NEW FLYING SCHOOL! An aviation party the way only pilots can throw them! There are lots to look forward to then! 13 October: SA Flyer Magazine and the Kruger Flying Club Spot Landing Competition at the Jack Taylor Airfield (FAKR). Go and put your own landing skills to the test. It is always an exciting event with lots of prizes, food, stalls and fun. Arrivals from 07h00, Unmanned procedures for arrivals and departures, Avgas will be available, Aviation stalls, Breakfast and lunch will be sold, Snacks and drinks will also be on sale, Competition to begin at 09h00, Prize-giving and braai to be held at the FAKR Clubhouse at 16h00, To enter the Spot Landing competition please e-mail your details to sam@bbprojects.co.za. 13 October: Bela-Bela Falcons Flying Club Family Fly-In. Fly-in for radio controlled model airplanes and full scale aircraft. Entrance is free and refreshments will be available. 27 October: Port Elizabeth Air Show 27 October: Sports Aerobatics - Cape Regionals - Saldanha - FASD This month's winner of a signed copy Johan Lottering's book “Avoiding Fatal Flying Traps” is Riaan Kruger and he will receive his book in the next few days. To stand a chance to win one of these highly recommended books, make sure that you have registered your email address with Pilot's Post on our home page. Your email address will not be used for anything other than updating you with when new articles are published. ATNS CUSTOMER SURVEY Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) is currently conducting a customer satisfaction survey through Plus 94 Research Company - which will assist ATNS to better understand and meet the needs of its customers, who are in this instance, the pilots. The survey is two-pronged. There is an electronic format as well as face to face interview sessions. The Survey will end on 5th November 2012. ATNS understands that the delivery of quality services is important in creating satisfied customers. Each successive interaction a customer has with ATNS, is a meaningful experience and has an impact on the overall satisfaction levels. As a customer centric organisation the understanding of customer satisfaction levels and identification of service level gaps will prepare ATNS to be true to its mission of providing safe, expeditious and efficient Air Traffic Management solutions. . The objectives of the study are primarily to: #Determine customer service base line; #Identify customer service gaps; and #Determine corrective measures to be taken to close the identified gaps for improvement. The results of the study will help ATNS to: #Create an information base that will guide future strategy development and highlight areas of weakness; #Create an understanding of customer needs from ATNS; and #Create and understand satisfaction levels with specific focus on service and product delivery. The services that will be measured are: #ATC to Pilot Services: measuring the interaction between air traffic controllers and pilots. #Airline Operators and the CAMU office: measuring the interaction between airline operators and the CAMU office. #Finance to Billing Office: measuring the experience between users and the billing service #Slot Coordination: measuring the experience with slot management and slot coordination services managed by ATNS. #Pilots and ATNS Briefing Office: measuring the experience involved in the briefing services. To make this research a success we kindly request that you participate in the research and provide as much information as possible. Here is the link to the electronic survey: http://www.atns.co.za/operations/level-4 . Please visit our website: www.atns.com, for more information. The study is motivated by ATNS' commitment to service excellence. For more information on the research please contact Thandi Mosupye at thandim@atns.co.za or 072 437 0659 Rozelle Mc Kenzie rozellem@atns.co.za or 011 607 1305

Captains Log

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