Geoff Dyer
Grade "A" Instructor on Light sport aircraft and
CFI for Light Flight
His flying background stems from hang gliding when it first came to South Africa in 1974. In 1987 Geoff bought his first Windlass Trike while he was a game ranger in Botswana. Not long after, he moved to Durban and began teaching people to fly trikes.
In October 1988 Geoff started Light Flight Flying Services, a full time microlight training organisation based in Cato Ridge airfield. Three years later, Geoff bought a 200 acre farm in Cato Ridge and named it Light Flight Farm. A runway 500 meters long was cleared, a 12 by 24 meter hanger erected and the flying school moved to the farm. Geoff’s dream of a full time microlight flying school complimented by eco friendly farming activities was becoming a reality.
Besides flying, the main thrust at Light Flight Farm has been to restore the original grasslands. To date about 30 acres of invasive alien vegetation in the form of lantana and bugweed have been cleared and indigenous grassland reclaimed. Wildlife is encouraged and a herd of indigenous Nguni cattle established. In may 2004, the Killarney valley Conservancy was formed with Light Flight Farm as the Northern boundary.
Today Light Flight Farm has four large hangers that can accommodate up to 35 microlights. There is accommodation for students who would like to stay on the farm at R50per night and all the necessary infrastructure for full time training. Geoff Dyer’s microlight hours have passed 6500 with over 5000 hours instruction. Ten years ago he began teaching 3-axis microlights. He enjoys training people to fly the "best microlights in the world" based on his farm, the amazing Aquilla Trike and the Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat.
Geoff holds an Air Services licence No. G631D and Aerospace Industry Education and Training Board Accreditation Certificate ATO 000021 which authorises Light Flight to train students and instructors. Over the past twelve years Light Flight has trained some 500 students to fly. Geoff has trained about 100 microlight instructors some of them from surrounding territories of Namibia, Zambia and Malawi.
Geoff has been extremely privileged to have met so many interesting people and to have had such varied and exciting flying opportunities. Geoff has two other instructors that fall under him, namely Noel McDonogh and Brad Isaacson.
|
Noel McDonogh
Grade "B" Instructor on LSA, weightshift, conventional controlled microlights, and WCM open and test pilot rating.
Started flying hang gliders in 1993 and continued his hang gliding flying in Gauteng and Capetown where he was based with the Airforce. Noel participated in numerous hang gliding competitions in Capetown (Porterville) Gauteng (Hartebeesport Dam) and Nelspruit (Ngadwona) and came 2nd in SA Nationals in Graafrinet in 2000.
Noel has accumulated +/- 1000 hang gliding hours. In 2003 Noel then started powered hang gliding for an advertising company of which took him round the country. Noel accumulated +/- 250 powered hang gliding hours. To check out my powered hang gliding interview click here
Noel Started microlighting towards the end of 2003 in Lamercy then moved up to Pietermaritzburg where he continued his microlighting through Cato Flying School where he obtained his “C” grade microlight instructors rating. Noel then moved to Light Flight where he is now a “B” grade instructor on weightshift and fixedwing microlights. Noel has over 650hrs instruction on Weightshift and 330hrs instruction on fixedwing to date.
Noel has now 10 fixedwing types on his Instructors licence. He Has: A-22 Foxbat, Sting, Bantam, Skyjeep 701, Shadow and Streak Shadow, Bushbaby(nose wheel), Zenair 601, Jabiru and Savanna. Noel obtained his open rating and test pilot rating on Weightshift control microlight through RAASA and continues to test fly for Solowings.
Click here to see his open and test pilot Rating.
Noel had the opportunity to go to Jordan where he taught members, from the Royal Aero sports club of Jordan, to fly weightshift microlights. Click here to see my photos of Jordan.
Here is an article I wrote for the Midlands Life Magazine…
FLY LIKE A BIRD: Have you ever yearned to be free as a bird, feel the wind in your hair and experience an adrenalin rush like no other…then you should definitely give microlighting a try. And what better place to do this than in the Midlands where the rolling green hills, forests, rivers and the majestic Drakensberg forms the perfect backdrop. Noel McDonogh, a microlight instructor for Light Flight, says that flying with a qualified instructor in a microlight makes it possible to admire the scenery and the area from above. “We can fly people to some great locations for breakfast or a coffee stopover, to places like Wartburger Hof or the Howick airfield, which is alongside Midmar Dam. We take people over some breath-taking sights, which they cherish for their lifetime, and some people get so hooked that they decide to learn to fly a microlight themselves.” Noel says that contrary to popular belief, microlighting is not only for the more adventurous. “It is for anyone with motivation for exploration with a difference.” He adds that if you don’t have a fear of heights, you are sure to enjoy the flight of your lifetime. Noel explains that microlighting is an all-year-round sport but the best season for flying is during winter as the weather is more predictable and there are long, fantastic flying days, usually all day. Don’t let the fact that the cockpit isn’t enclosed put you off – safety is the number one priority, assures Noel. Not being enclosed is one of the best parts of microlighting, “because you feel like you are a part of the scenery you fly over, says Noel. It’s like touring on a motor bike instead of an enclosed car and, because you are high up in a different world, it’s 10 times more intoxicating than riding a motorbike through the countryside.”
|
