My other passion.....

[Rudi Venter]

Ok, one of my other passions

When I am not taking photos I can often be found in the workshop building, fixing or modifying an aircraft. I have so far build 4 complete aircraft and I have two building projects going at the moment.

But building is just 50% of this hobby, the other 50%, flying, is even more fun! Other than just going on a Sunday morning for the traditional breakfast run to some remote field with a restaurant we often go to fly-ins as a group all over Southern Africa, often landing on small bush strips and sleeping under the wing. I often pick these destinations with my camera in mind

One of my home build aircraft, a Bush Baby, parked at a large airport outside Johannesburg

That is me next to a recently completed and test flown bush plane called a Savannah, this time at a field close to the town of Groblersdal

My bush plane parked at an overnight spot, Kunkuru Lodge South Africa

A current project, soon I will be zooming around in this little speedster

Thanks for looking!
Rudi

 

[Chris Dodkin]

So that's how you get to all of these locations!!! LOL

Man, that's one hell of a hobby - in fact two hobbies.

I've got to hand it to you - the skills to build a plane and the balls to fly it afterwards - amazing!

 

[Rudi Venter]

It helps with the locations Chris!

I don't know, maybe it just needs a good measure of stupidity

Hey, I would rather fly a plane I build myself than one someone else did. I have to say that first flight on a new plane is an experience you cannot explain!! Mixture of joy, anticipation and fear in varying degrees.

 

[Bryan Hunt]

That is what you call a hobby .
How long does it take you to build one and what sort of range do they have ?

 

[Rudi Venter]

Depending on the plane, if it is a "fast build" kit or scratch build, you can expect between 2 and 5 years of spare (most weekends) time.

The range varies, you can, and people have, flown planes like this around the world, normally, with a ferry tank, you can get 4000km+ range on some models.

I will be flying a home build plane (if all plans work out) later this year from the USA (Miami) to South Africa going via Canada, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland and then down the west coast of Africa, allowing for bad weather and red-tape I am allowing around 10 days for the trip.

 

[Mark Grant]

You have some expensive hobbies Rudi, but why not

One of my customers who works as a carpenter/Joiner by day repairs and builds aircraft like that as his hobby.

I have been to his hanger and workshop, the aircraft look so flimsy, just bits of wood.

He often buys aircraft that have been damaged in a hard landing and the owner bottles out of flying and gives up.

Repairs them over a year or two, flies them for a while then sells them on or swaps them for something else.

I cant imagine what it must be like on the first flight of a plane that has been self repaired after crash damage.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Depending on the plane, if it is a "fast build" kit or scratch build, you can expect between 2 and 5 years of spare (most weekends) time.

The range varies, you can, and people have, flown planes like this around the world, normally, with a ferry tank, you can get 4000km+ range on some models.

I will be flying a home build plane (if all plans work out) later this year from the USA (Miami) to South Africa going via Canada, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland and then down the west coast of Africa, allowing for bad weather and red-tape I am allowing around 10 days for the trip.

any room for me?
sound amazing Rudi ... any your latest build looks amazing!
what a hobby!!

 

[Glen Roberts]

That's some Hobby, are you able to get any shots from the air or are you always too preoccupied with knobs and dials???

 

[Rudi Venter]

Thanks everyone!

Mark, yes, I have restored a few planes as well, but wood is not really by preference, I work mostly in metal tube and sheet as well as fiber glass.

Hamish, I can always take you for a flip when I am in your part of the work

Glen, yes, I have MANY photos of "The world from above", I am busy working on a book on the subject, will post a few here on the forum.

 

[Paul Lange]

I must say Rudi that Africa is piquing my interest more and more these days. So far the only part of Africa I have been to is Libya. I used to know a guy who grew up in Rwanda many years ago. He said it was so remote that sometimes he would get a lift somewhere and have to wait a few days until someone got in radio range so he could find someone to give him a lift back. Seems crazy that you just hang around for an unknown amount of time in the middle of nowhere on the basis that someone will pass through eventually. The UK is tiny really and you're always close to a pub no matter where you are.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Hamish, I can always take you for a flip when I am in your part of the work

YES PLEASE!