Hazyview Fly-in

Ufudu’s aircon had stopped working while we were still on our year-long trip; a pipe had broken off so Roger had it repaired just before this trip. No sooner were we on the road when it stopped working again. In Nelspruit, after we spent the night at the Lakeview Lodge caravan park, we spent 2 hours at ASA Auto Services getting it sorted out. This time the “O” ring seal on the pipe which was replaced in Jo’burg had been damaged on installation! We eventually left for Hazyview at 2:30 pm on Friday (19th). There was a weekend of fun flying to be done and we were anxious to get going…

Our first visit to Hazyview together was to take part in the Bantam World Record in 2011. Roger did not have his own aeroplane at that time so we hired one from Alec Green in Nelspruit. The record was set with 48 Bantam aircraft at one venue. That was such fun that we decided to buy our own. The Bantam was later sold and Roger bought a BatHawk, affectionately known as Buzz. This time, once again, Buzz was not there. Due to weather predictions the guys that were going to fly in from Gauteng decided not to come. The plan was that we would arrive in Ufudu and Buzz was going to be flown down by Gavin. No problem; Andrew Papas kindly allowed us to use his BatHawk for the event. Thanks Andrew!

We had a pleasant evening meeting new friends and catching up with old ones and after a buffet dinner turned in relatively early. It rained during the night and early Saturday morning we woke up with trepidation; was it going to clear sufficiently to fly?

After breakfast we proceeded to prepare for the events and by the time everything and everyone was ready the weather had cleared. Events for the day included: flour bombing, spot landing, toilet roll cutting and a poker run.

The last event for the day was the Poker Run. Individual cards are placed in envelopes and sealed before being dropped off at nearby airfields. The participants then collect a hand of cards by visiting these airfields. The last card of the hand is selected at the evening event before all are opened. Each player pays a nominated amount into a kitty and the best hand takes the spoils.

Our fuel was running low, there was a storm brewing and the wind was picking up so the decision was taken to skip the last leg to Bagdad Café and go straight back to Numbi. Bobby went to Bagdad and collected the bag of cards on behalf of all of us. Next problem: Mike’s battery was flat! Just then we got lucky as a helicopter pilot who operates from Mercy Air came to see what the problem was and in no time they had the battery connected to his car. Problem solved.

We had a great party in the evening, from prizes for the different events to live music and a sumptuous set menu. Fun was had by all!

I was lucky enough to have three (yes, 3) Aces and won the Poker Run kitty!

We left for Kruger National Park in the mid morning on Sunday. Until next year…