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19 Squadron SAAF
19 Squadron SAAF is a current squadron of the South African Air Force operating as a transport/utility helicopter squadron. It was formed in 1939 as part of the Air Force airways Wing, flying transport aircraft but was disbanded after a few months. It was re-formed from No. 227 Squadron RAF in 1944 and disbanded again after the end of World War II. It was again re-established in 1970 as a helicopter squadron – a role which it still performs today. History 19 Squadron was formed on 1 September 1939 together with 17 Squadron. It formed part of the Airways Wing at Swartkop Air Station flying ex-South African Airways Junkers Ju 52/3m's but was disbanded on 1 December the same year. The squadron did not participate in the Second World War until 12 August 1944 when 227 Squadron RAF was renumbered as 19 Squadron SAAF at Biferno in Italy. The squadron was deployed flying Beaufighters and was involved in operations in Italy, Greece and Yugoslavia until it was disbanded on 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Air Force
The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II and the Korean War. From 1966, the SAAF was involved in providing infantry support in the low-intensity South African Border War, Border War in Angola, South-West Africa and Rhodesia. As the war progressed, the intensity of air operations increased, until in the late 1980s when the SAAF were compelled to fly fighter missions against Angolan aircraft in order to maintain tactical air superiority. On conclusion of the Border War in 1990, aircraft numbers were severely reduced due to economic pressures as well as the cessation of hostilities with neighbouring states. History First World War After a visit to observe the 1912 military manoeuvres in Europe, Brig. Gen. Christian Frederick Beyers, C.F. Beyers (who was then Commandant-General of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AFB Hoedspruit
Air Force Base Hoedspruit is an airbase of the South African Air Force. It is located adjacent to the Kruger National Park. In the late 1990s an unused portion of the base was converted into a civilian airport known as Eastgate Airport. It was also an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle. Units hosted * 19 Squadron - Helicopter squadron * 101 Squadron - Light transport (reserve) * 514 Squadron - Security services * 7 Aircraft Servicing Unit - Maintenance support * Lowveld Airspace Control Sector - Airspace control * Air Force Command and Control School - Training History The base was officially opened on 1 July 1978. It was designed from the start to be a highly protected wartime base. As such, it has armoured and Hardened Aircraft Shelters, with revetments placed close to the runways for aircraft on immediate take-off standby duty. The base is teeming with wildlife, being surrounded by the 25 km² AFB Hoedspruit Game Reserve. Keeping the runway clear of anima ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit (Afrikaans for ''Hat Creek'') is a town situated at the foot of the Klein Drakensberg (Afrikaans for "Small Dragon Mountains" range), in the Limpopo province of South Africa, on the railway line from Tzaneen to Kaapmuiden. History Pre-Colonialization The Stone Age artifacts and sites from all three periods suggest continuous use by early humans. Early and Middle Iron Age sites near Hoedspruit have been excavated on the Happyland farm, dating between AD 450 and 1000. Colonialization and Settlement Dawid Johannes Joubert became the initial owner of Hoedspruit farm, acquiring the land in 1844 and settling in the region between the Blyde and present-day Zandspruit rivers. On 5 May 1848, Joubert officially registered the farm at the land office in Ohrigstad, granting Hoedspruit its first recognition and registration as a town and municipality. In the 1850s, Ohrigstad grew into the central town of the area, but only older settlers were permitted to live in and a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
19 Squadron SAAF Insignia
Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * ''19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * ''Diciannove'', a 2024 Italian drama film informally referred to as "Nineteen" in some sources Science * Potassium, an alkali metal * 19 Fortuna, an asteroid Music * 19 (band), a Japanese pop music duo Albums * ''19'' (Adele album), 2008 * ''19'', a 2003 album by Alsou * ''19'', a 2006 album by Evan Yo * ''19'', a 2018 album by MHD * ''19'', one half of the double album ''63/19'' by Kool A.D. * ''Number Nineteen'', a 1971 album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron * ''XIX'' (EP), a 2019 EP by 1the9 Songs * "19" (song), a 1985 song by British musician Paul Hardcastle * "Stone in Focus", officially "#19", a composition by Aphex Twin * "Nineteen", a song from the 1992 album ''Refugee'' by Bad4Good * "Nineteen", a song from the 2001 al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in an air force, or naval or army aviation service, is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force. In most armed forces, two or more squadrons will form a group or a wing. Some military forces (including the United States Air Force, United States Space Force, French Air and Space Force, Royal Air Force, German Air Force, Royal Netherlands Air Force, Belgian Air Component and Republic of Singapore Air Force) also use the term "squadron" for non-flying ground units (e.g. radar squadrons, missile squadrons, air defense squadrons, aircraft maintenance squadrons, security forces squadrons, civil engineering squadrons, range operations squadrons, range management squadrons, weather squadrons, medical squadrons, etc.). Comparative organization Germany In World War I, the Imperial Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft and many forms of short take-off and landing (STOL) or short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft cannot perform without a runway. The Focke-Wulf Fw 61 was the first successful, practical, and fully controllable helicopter in 1936, while in 1942, the Sikorsky R-4 became the first helicopter to reach full-scale mass production, production. Starting in 1939 and through 1943, Igor Sikorsky worked on the development of the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300, VS-300, which over four iterations, became the basis for modern helicopters with a single main rotor and a single tail rotor. Although most earlier ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
17 Squadron SAAF
17 Squadron SAAF is a squadron of the South African Air Force. It is currently a transport/utility helicopter squadron. * First formed: 1 September 1939 * Historic aircraft flown: Junkers Ju 52/3m, Blenheim V, Lockheed Ventura GR V, Vickers Wellington, Vickers Warwick GR V, Harvard, Sikorsky S-55, Sikorsky S-51, Sud Aviation Alouette II, Aérospatiale Alouette III, Aérospatiale Puma, SA 365N Dauphin * Current aircraft flown: Atlas Oryx, Agusta A109LUH * Current base: AFB Swartkop, Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad .... External links17 Squadron SAAF Unofficial Website [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AFB Swartkop
Air Force Base Swartkop is South Africa's oldest air force base and houses the South African Air Force Museum. It is managed as part of AFB Waterkloof and houses one of the three branches of the South African Air Force Museum. The name of the air force base, ''Swartkop'' means ''Black hill'' in Afrikaans. AFB Swartkop is located in the town Centurion (previously Verwoerdburg) in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, between Pretoria and Midrand (Johannesburg), which is a part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. History Air Force Station (AFS) Zwartkop was established in April 1921 after a private farm named Zwartkop was acquired by the Government in 1920. The Dutch spelling of Zwartkop was retained for the Air Force Station that was subsequently established there. On 1 April 1949, the Dutch spelling was dropped in favour of the Afrikaans spelling and resulted in Air Force Station Swartkop. The Air Force Station was upgraded to an Air Force Base on 1 February 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted into a military transport aircraft by Germany's Nazi regime, who exercised power over the company for its war efforts, over the objections of the company's founder Hugo Junkers. Development of the Ju 52 commenced in the late 1920s, headed by German aeronautical engineer Ernst Zindel. The aircraft's design incorporated a corrugated duralumin metal skin as a strengthening measure, which was a material design pioneered by Junkers and used on many of their aircraft, including the popular Junkers F 13 1920s, the record-setting Junkers W 33, and Junkers W34. The corrugation was both a strength and a weakness; it provided increased structural strength but also increased aerodynamic drag. But more importantly it allowed the practical use of alum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber. The Beaufighter proved to be an effective night fighter, which came into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Battle of Britain, its large size allowing it to carry heavy armament and early aircraft interception radar without major performance penalties. The Beaufighter was used in many roles; receiving the nicknames ''Rockbeau'' for its use as a rocket-armed ground attack aircraft and ''Torbeau'' as a torpedo bomber against Axis shipping, in which it replaced the Beaufort. In later operations, it served mainly as a maritime strike/ground attack aircraft, RAF Coastal Command having operated the largest number of Beaufighters amongst all other commands at one point. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma
The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engined medium transport/utility helicopter designed and originally produced by the French aerospace manufacturer Sud Aviation. The Puma was developed as a new design during the mid-1960s in response to a French Army requirement for a medium-sized all-weather utility helicopter. Powered by a pair of Turbomeca Turmo turboshaft engines, it was designed to transport up to 16 seated soldiers, or a maximum of six Litter (rescue basket), litters with four attendants for casualty evacuation, along with carrying up to 2,500 kg of cargo either internally or using an external sling. The design of the Puma incorporated several innovations, including an automatic Blade inspection method, blade inspection system and relatively advanced anti-vibration measures integrated into the main Transmission (mechanical device), gearbox and main rotor blades. It was also designed to be capable of operating at night, under inhospitable flying condit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AFB Durban
AFB Durban is an airbase of the South African Air Force, located in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The runway is shared with the (now defunct) Durban International Airport (since September 1956). The airbase is at the northern end of the runway. Status following closure of Durban International Airport no replacement site has been provided for 15 Squadron, which is still based at the airport. As a helicopter unit it does not require a large airfield with runways. Aviation * Non-directional beacon - DU393.0 * VHF omnidirectional range - DNV112.5 * Automatic Terminal Information Service - 127.0 It is home to 15 Squadron which currently operates Atlas Oryx and BK 117 helicopters. Their primary role is maritime and landward search and rescue. Two flights of Oryx are based in Durban and C Flight, consisting of four BK 117s is detached to Port Elizabeth. C Flight's conversion to AgustaWestland AW109 helicopters has been postponed due to delays in developing emergency flot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
