Where have you been? What have you seen?
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By Irv Lee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1739754
malcolmfrost wrote:You’ll come across “car park security” all over the place, a guy in a grubby hi viz. he’ll look after your car for a tip of ZAR5 or so. About 25p.

Oi, I wasnt grubby, I just hadn't shaved that day.
@Lefty Again the warning: places can change very quickly and of course if they are small and unlucky, they go downhill and reviews mean they get less money at the time they need it most so it can be a spiral dive. Also there have been huge water shortages along the whole south coast too which may have had effects on the "just surviving" parks.
Main places: Addo (elephants) and Shamwari
Medium: I always liked Schotia for non resident tour, but havent been recently. "Obviously" evening tours tend to be much more productive as animals become much more predictable as to where they are. The range of animals was good, and I was once right by a scene I will never forget - when the lazy do-sod-all male lion saw his 3 or 4 lioness returning after a hard day's work - the greeting ceremony of hugs, licks, and "chat" between them right by the vehicle was unforgettable. https://www.schotiasafaris.co.za/
Small-medium: Garden Lodge Game Park. Not huge numbers of animals but they had cheetahs and enjoyed staying a night and great food. Have also dropped in for just coffee cake when didn't have time for much.
Small places for 2-3 hours: to follow
By malcolmfrost
#1740013
For anyone else thinking of going I’ve just pmd this to Wicksay on what Tod do in CPT.
Other itineraries are available!
Where do I start! Sea Point is a good area for Airbnb or bnb, lots of options, the food around there is excellent, lots of options and the area is safe to walk around in daylight. Not much in the way of beaches but a very good old school 50m pool right on the sea. Camps Bay also has lots of options and a much nicer beach. The tour bus goes through both. Between the 2 is Clifton which is also a nice beach area. If you want to do Table Mountain, the first time you can see the top do it! It can fog in for days. A drive up to Signal hill, and if you’re very energetic and comfortable with scrambling, Lions Head is awesome. You can walk up Platteklip Gorge, takes 2 hours. 1km past the lower cable car station.
The drive down to Cape Point is fantastic through Hout Bay and on to Scarborough. Come back through Simonstown and have lunch at the Olympia Cafe in Kalk Bay or fish and chips on the jetty. Some eclectic little clothes and antique shops there as well.
There is a nice local pop up food market at the Blue Bird Garage in Muizenberg On Friday evenings, or for a full on experience the Old Biscuit Mill just North of the city on Saturday mornings/early afternoon.
That should keep you busy!
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By Wicksay
#1749210
Just arrived in Cape Town with 3 more nights in South Africa. Its been a completely amazing trip so far.

Based in Hout Bay now with a long list of to do's. Hopefully we'll get up Table Mountain tomorrow as it's too windy today.

While in Stellenbosch I popped along to the airfield to say hello. I could organise a flight but found it a very nice, clean, organised members club.

Thank you all for your tips and suggestions. They've been a great help.
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By Irv Lee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1749348
If you cross over to the east side, Kalk harbour has two extremes of “good eating” on the jetty itself - the fish and chip shack Kalky’s, and the Harbour House restaurant, both worth it in their own different ways, and there are always seals in the harbour but that is true of Hout harbour as well. The World of Birds and Monkeys just inland from Hout was good for a couple of hours (not for eating, you understand)
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By Wicksay
#1749402
Thanks Irv, visited the Botanical Gardens and took the cable car up Table Mountain today. Had a cocktail in the Dunes bar in Hout Bay. Might visit the birds tomorrow along with a drive over Chapmans Peak to Fishhoek and take the train to Simons Town. On our return we'll head up to Kalk Bay...

Looks like we'll have to come back as can't fit everything in...
By G-FASH
#1752116
I'm a member of Stellenbosch Flying Club (fly their lovely 172 fleet) and live on the Peninsula, south of the City. If anyone ever needs an intro at the club for a T60 flight, let me know.

Also happy to share the more local gems....First Thursdays, the brilliant Friday market scene and some lekker local pubs, bars and restaurants in and around the City and suburbs.

As well as Stellie and the flying club at FACT, there are also flying clubs at Morningstar and Fisantekraal, both shortish drives from the CBD.

Oh and don't forget to drop into Ysterplaat on a Saturday morning to get close up with some wonderful old classics including SAAF Shackleton, Pelican 22.

Typical "local flight"
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By Lefty
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1754164
Just got back from 19 day holiday to the western Cape. Fantastic country. Visited Stellenbosch Flying club and did a sightseeing flight with a friend in his SR22.

The chosen day turned up to be 36-37 degrees C on the ground, and unfortunately my friend hasn’t got around to getting an AC system fitted.

Fabulous trip from Stellenbosch, past Cape Town Intl and down to The Cape of Good Hope then up the western side of the Peninsula - all at “not above 500’ “ !

Then a loop round Franschhoek and the mountains before returning to Stellenbosch.

It was so hot, that immediately after landing we opened both doors to get some fresh air whilst taxying back to the hangar. Unbeknownst to us, when we opened the doors, my mate’s iPad fell out onto the taxiway. We didn’t realise this until about 30 minutes later (after we had put the aircraft to bed in its hangar - and were clearing our belongings out of the aircraft). A search of the taxiway proved fruitless, but we were then told that the iPad had been picked up - undamaged, by a flying club instructor. I was already working out the cost of replacing it, but thankfully not needed.

SD log of my flight
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By G-FASH
#1755584
Lefty, glad you enjoyed the wonders of a peninsula flight. That clearance from FACT Tower at "not above 500ft" coastwise along False Bay is a thing to behold.

I had to do my revalidation a few weeks ago on a similar day to the one you describe, with the thermometer punching its way towards 40 degrees at FASH

"Calculate the density altitude" my instructors says with a smile and "can we take-off with X, Y, Z numbers in the W&B?"

FASH sits at 320ft AMSL. The density altitude was 3,300ft and it was a no-go on the numbers he had given me. We went....with W&B appropriately calculated and take-off performance checks double done........and the climb out being a tad flatter than normal!
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By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1755649
G-FASH wrote:FASH sits at 320ft AMSL. The density altitude was 3,300ft and it was a no-go on the numbers he had given me. We went....with W&B appropriately calculated and take-off performance checks double done........and the climb out being a tad flatter than normal!


I've flown from Capetown and Stellenbosch, but also when I was working in Johannesburg I was working opposite Grand Central Airport, so took a flight from there. It's at 5,327 ft AMSL before you start adding in the temperature. Luckily it wasn't too hot and it has a long runway!
By G-FASH
#1755796
PaulS, haven't made it up to Jo'burg yet, but agree, density altitude is part of a flyers way of life here rather than a passing subject in the PPL exam.

For when this mess is over and the chance to visit and fly in SA presents itself again, would thoroughly recommend this place, which combines a fly in and stay experience at a true Karoo gem....and all just an hour and a bit or so by air from Stellie:

https://www.kaggakamma.co.za/runway-details.php
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By Irv Lee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1755855
G-FASH wrote:PaulS, haven't made it up to Jo'burg yet, but agree, density altitude is part of a flyers way of life here rather than a passing subject in the PPL exam.


As part of a spot landing competition out of the main Bloemfontein airport, we had to do a touch and go at New Tempe. It turned out the spot landing was the easy bit, the " climb" bit of the climb out was the skill tester.