A gem in Middle Tennessee
By Armand Vilches
Tucked into the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee is a flying club that is creating excitement in the local flying community. In the course of a year, the Lebanon Flying Club has more than doubled its membership and has added a third aircraft to its fleet. There is a membership wait list, and it too is growing. The driver of the club’s recent growth and success is the combination of dynamic club leadership and three very well-maintained and -equipped aircraft.
The club’s first airplane, a 1970 Cessna 172K, was purchased in 1978 from the FBO at Lebanon Municipal Airport (M54). The airplane is still in the fleet and flying out of the same airport. Over the years, the Skyhawk has been upgraded. First, a 180-horsepower engine was added, and then glass avionics were installed. Now, the 45-year-old airframe is equipped with an Aspen EFD 1000 PFD, a Garmin GNS 430W, and an S-Tec Fifty autopilot with altitude hold.
In 1995 the club members wanted to add an additional airplane to carry them faster and farther. Staying true to the club’s mission for economical flying, a 1978 Gulfstream Aerospace AA-5B Tiger was chosen. It’s speedy, simple, and fun to fly. The Tiger also had its panel upgraded, and it now has the same avionics as those in the Cessna 172.
At each monthly dinner meeting there is a safety officer briefing followed by detailed maintenance reports. This is a welcoming club, and by tradition monthly meetings are open to any nonmember interested in attending. It is not unusual to have one or two guests at each meeting.
The club found a limit of 12 members per aircraft is the perfect balance. Cross-country trips are encouraged, and members can take an aircraft for up to 72 hours without prior approval.
The club’s leadership dedicates the necessary time to plan for the future. Financial and debt management plans, membership recruitment, and the ability to take advantage of opportunities are always discussed openly. Recently, the club learned of a pristine 1977 Cessna 182Q that was for sale. The leadership, with member approval, acquired the aircraft.
With three aircraft, 36 members, and an active wait list, every member is busy keeping the club moving forward. Club members have a positive and enthusiastic attitude about the future of GA. Club Secretary T.O. Cragwall said of the club’s future: “The sky’s the limit.”
Armand Vilches is a commercial pilot, flight instructor, and member of the Lebanon Flying Club.
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Flying South Africa
A great place to train, explore
By Edwin Remsberg
South Africa offers year-round flight training thanks to its ideal weather patterns, varied terrain, and costs lower than in most of the world, thanks to an increasingly favorable exchange rate. Within the region, Sky Africa in Brakpan is one of the best flight schools around.
“I think standards and flying and airmanship in South Africa are as good as any in the world,” said Karl Finatzer of Sky Africa. “Sometimes better, because of the remoteness.” South Africa’s landscape has a few challenges that a pilot used to flying in a more developed area would not encounter. “That’s one of the reasons why South Africa is a big training ground for foreign pilots.”
The flight school offers a variety of opportunities to those wanting to explore South Africa by air. It has 50-, 100-, and 200-hour time-building packages flying various types of aircraft. The school also offers self-fly safaris, in which the traveler gets to pilot his or her own airplane, and bush pilot training courses that take pilots to areas with long, short, narrow, grassy, gravel-filled, uphill, or downhill runways.
“Africa is filled with big feet and very long teeth,” said Finatzer. “The goal is to make a confident and competent all-around flier. In all locations and in all conditions.”
The school familiarizes pilots with the animal and plant life—how to recognize what is safe, and what is not; when to run and when to freeze in position; and how pilots can protect their airplanes on the ground.
“There is no country in the world, no continent in the world, as versatile and picturesque to fly in,” said Finatzer.
Edwin Remsberg is a Maryland-based photographer currently flying and photographing South Africa.
Flights from Brakpan, South Africa, allow pilots to view a variety of landscapes (top). The “big feet and long teeth” (below left). A Sky Africa trainer (below right).
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