It seems like eons since we started holding Talk Shows at Rand Airport, every second Thursday of the month, but in actual fact it’s only been two years. On Thursday the 9th of March 2006 we had the very first Talk Show featuring Karl Jensen as the Host and Scully Levin together with Laurie Kay as the guests. That show was immensely funny, setting a standard which we have striven to maintain throughout.
Of course not all shows are as full of comedy as that was. Many have been extremely funny shows and some have been more serious but all of them have been interesting in their own way. Every show is different to those that came before, leaving one not quite knowing what to expect next. Apart from myself there are a few people who have not missed any of the shows. Pottie Potgieter is one of those who, at the SAAF annual banquet on Friday, mentioned to me that he hasn’t missed any yet and would not want to miss one at any time if he can help it.
The format of the show was masterminded by Scully whom I had invited to come and address the EAA members as one would normally get a guest speaker to do. Scully based his idea on what he had seen at Oshkosh before; something that is loosely scripted where the Host prompts the Guest to recall various events and experiences. This has proven to be a very successful formula because not every guest is a trained public speaker. Of course it wouldn’t work either unless you had a Host like Karl who is a seasoned public speaker and “funny man�; someone who is able to extract the funny and interesting stories out of the guests, even when they’re not practiced at speaking in public.
Fortunately we were also able to persuade Scully to step in as Talk Show Host from time to time. This talented man never fails to entertain. As Karl will tell you, preparing to host each show requires quite a bit of research and preparation beforehand; something that is not without a considerable amount of stress. So getting other Hosts in occasionally helps Karl remain fresh and keeps audiences to the shows guessing. We have now also persuaded the well-known Radio & TV presenter (now a B737 Captain) Eon de Vos (who also appeared as a guest on one of our shows during 2007) to appear as Host on a couple of shows later this year; someone that many are looking forward to seeing again.
Advertising of the Talk Shows, Film shows and other auditorium functions is done purely by e-mail before each event. At the moments I have an address book of over 500 names who have asked to receive an “invitation/reminder� for each event. But late in 2006 disaster struck when my computer crashed losing, with it, all the e-mail addresses I had been able to collect up to that point. Consequently at our first show in February 2007, which incidentally featured General Des Barker and was an absolute cracker, was very poorly attended with just under half the auditorium empty. Scully hosted that show and like me was slightly embarrassed to have a speaker of such caliber without the audience he deserved. In March 2007 the numbers were much better, we were almost full, but since then we have been overflowing at each of the shows.
Other than the Talk Shows there were two Lycoming workshops sponsored by Placo that were full to overflowing and a couple of NTCA workshops hosted by EAA’s Chris van Hoof, a number of Fly-ins and a monthly Film Show.
The NTCA (Non-Type Certified Aircraft) workshops had more to do with the problems being experienced with the interpretation of the CARs(and CATS) by CAA and or the people affected by these regulations, than with the aircraft themselves. (See the AWSA report elsewhere in this Magazine) Changes and solutions were listed and then carried through Aero Club to the relevant people at CAA. Whether these efforts have been successful will be determined at the follow-up meeting, hosted by Chris van Hoof, at the EAA Auditorium on the 27th of March.
The Film Shows during 2006 and 2007 were all feature films hosted by Courtney Watson the current President of EAA Chapter 322, the largest of the South African Chapters. Amongst the films shown were most of the classics like Battle of Britain, Blue Max, Reach for the Sky, Aces High, Dam Busters, Memphis Belle to mention a few. The film show evenings are very laid back relaxed evenings. Unlike the Talk Shows, people don’t have to book in advance, entrance is free and people sometimes also bring their children. As with the Talk Shows we usually produce super juicy steak rolls and wors rolls before the shows which are essential for all who haven’t had the time to go home after work first. We have been told by people like Gordon Dyne that he’d rather come to us for supper than any other restaurant in Cape Town.
This year the Film evenings will be slightly different in as much as the films we will be showing are not going to be feature films with actors starring in the rolls, they are going to be reality films and DVD’s where the stars of the show are the aircraft themselves. We started this year with the venerable old Tiger Moth as the star and will continue with other DVD’s that will also feature some of the famous airshows overseas like Farnborough, Oshkosh etc.
As the auditorium is the new head quarters of EAA in South Africa, it has become the final destination in many of the Chapter’s organised Fly-ins, the last of which occurred in November 2007 with 20(+) planes flying in on the Poker Run organised by Courtney Watson from Chapter 322. Fortunately the management of Rand Airport can usually be persuaded to waiver all approach and landing fees for the EAA members on those particular days.
Airshow day at Rand Airport every year also sees much activity at the Auditorium and will do so again at the coming Airshow on Sunday the 4th of May. As many people know, the grass terrace outside the auditorium is one of the best spots on the Aerodrome from which to view the airshow. Once again this year we shall have a large marquee erected there and will provide food and drinks and comfortable seating for members and their visitors.
Just this week we “took on� a lady by the name of Shelagh Anderson who is to perform the function of Assistant Coordinator for the auditorium and EAA national. She is a qualified PPL who at one stage had her own Cherokee six and was the “Dispatcher� in charge of some 130 aircraft during the Rhodesian war. Please give her as much support as you can and make her feel welcome amongst the members.
Some may be asking “what is all this activity in aid of?� Well EAA, as you know, is “the home of recreational aviation� and has a responsibility to its members and the general aviation community to promote general aviation in all its forms and to help it’s members make the most of the pastime of flying, building, refurbishing or designing aircraft. In the USA recently EAA members were responsible for putting the first privately funded manned flight into space, winning the US$10mil X-prize. The first “private� pilot to man the flight was a South African born EAA member, Mike Melvill. But you know what they say about all work and no play? Neither do I really, but I’m thinking you have to have fun as well – hence EAA and the auditorium; providing “Entertainment for Aviators�!
It is intended meant that the auditorium be rented out, to other people who need it for functions and presentations, to raise funds for its development. Contact the Coordinators Jeremy Woods or Shelagh Anderson at 011 888 8495/6 Tel. or 011 888 8497 Fax or 082 883 0436 Cell.
