Rand Airport, in the leafy Gerniston suburbs of Johannesburg, is a GA pilot's dream.
The airfield was constructed in the 1930's and is just a fifteen minute taxi ride away from Johanessburg International Airport. There are two runways and some commercial traffic, mostly of WWII vintage. The field is very much dominated by GA and feels like a living, working museum; for here, the Golden Age of aviation is alive and well.
On a morning's stroll around the airport, perhaps on your way to the resident Harvard cafe for breakfast, you will walk past rows of airworthy DC 3, DC 4 and DC 6's, while Harvards, Strearmans, Chipmunks and Tiger Moths bask in the sun, or shelter in the cool of an open hangar.
There are also several aerobatic teams based here and mixing it up with the classics are an aray of modern high performance machines, such as numerous Pitts and Extra. There are even L29 and L 39 jets resident.
At 5, 474 ft AMSL, Rand is certainly high and if you are there to escape some of the UK winter, then it will almost certainly be hot; at over 30 degrees Celcius throughout January.
As a result, the density altitude can sometimes be 9 or 10,000 ft and for pilots used to operating from airfields at or close to sea level, in near ISA conditions, this will take some adjustment to get used to. Of course, your resident instructors fly in these sorts of conditions on a daily basis and provide the guidance needed to get used to flying 'hot and high'.
Rand is a busy, thriving and exciting airport to fly from; a place to really immerse yourself in the romance and thrill of flight, with a friendly atmosphere and excellent facilities ranging from the cafe and on site accommodation if required.
www.randairport.co.za/index.html
Rand provides the ideal base for an unforgettable flying holiday and for the non-flyers in your party, there is more than you could fit into a lifetime of visits in the surrounding area.
Fantastic flying in a fantastic location.
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