2023 Thabazimbi Apiesdoring Carnival Fly-In By Bennie Henning 08.08.2023 The 2023 Thabazimbi Apiesdoring Carnival Fly-In was held at the Thabazimbi Airfield on the 5th of August. An entry list of thirty-two plus visiting aeroplanes and helicopters all guaranteed for a great Fly-In event and carnival at the church in town. Thabazimbi Airport Thabazimbi Airport is a small airport in Limpopo, South Africa. The airport is located at latitude - 24.57643 and longitude - 27.41930. The airport has one runway: 7/25. The ICAO airport code of this field is FATI. Nearby other airfields are Marataba Airport, Thaba Tholo Airport, Rooiberg Airport, Mawala Airstrip and Welgevonden Western Airstrip. Thabazimbi Airport does not publish a METAR, the nearest weather station is Pilanesberg International Airport, which is 88 km away. The flight information region (FIR) is Johannesburg (Thabazimbi Airport | FATI | Pilot info (metar-taf.com) . It was a cool and perfect sunny morning at Thabazimbi Airfield with some banks of grey clouds appearing only at midday from the North. The organizers of this year's event, Chris Ehlers, Gert Ehlers & Gerhard Barnard, were all anxious and apprehensive as to how this day would turn out. Silence at the picturesque Thabazimbi Airfield was filled with the fly-pass of the signature Beechcraft Bonanza engine sound and approaching Bell 206B of Chris and Gert Ehlers next to the airfield where I stayed in the superb Thabazimbi Quest House. It was thereafter boosted with the sound of approaching prop engines at constant intervals. The first visiting aircraft parked at 07h50. The annual Thabazimbi Apiesdoring Carnival fly-in had officially started. The morning saw a steady arrival of various aircraft, facing the slight headwind from the South. Once parked in a designated parking spots handled professionally by Gert Ehlers and Gerhard Barnard, all pilots and their passengers were shuttled to the Carnival efficiently for the test the well-known delicatessen of the Carnival like spit roast lamb, pancakes, vetkoek, roosterkoek, tripe and pap and kaiings. The day in sequence of the arrivals and flying over the carnival courtesy by Gert Ehlers in his Bell 206B helicopter, we captured for the day with too many photos to publish all in an online article. Pilot's Post would like to thank and congratulate the organizers of this year's event for their great hospitality and for a very enjoyable and successful fly-in. We are already looking forward to the next one that will set another new record of visiting pilots. To all the pilots, please mark this event with a big red circle on your aviation calendar for next year. Microflyers Fly in Kroon Airfield

Events 2023

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