A History of Aviation in South Africa - Part 1

by Nico Henning

Early Days

In 1903, Orwell Wright became the first man to take to the skies in a controlled and powered aircraft. Aviation has since become one of the most sophisticated means of travel and also the safest. South Africa was not left in the dark…

The birth of Aviation in South Africa

On 28 December 1909 French Aviator, M. Albert Kimmerling flew his Voisin bi-plane over the Nahoon raceway in East London. Although his flight only reached an altitude of 6 metres and an average speed of 48 km/h it was the first powered flight in South Africa and the beginning of a very interesting and successful history of Aviation.

The 1910’s saw a lot of aviation records being broken and also the First World War where aircraft was used for the first time dropping bombs, intercepting other aircraft and reporting enemy movements. John Weston broke the South African non-stop flight record in 1911 with a flight time of 8 minutes and 30 seconds in his Weston-Farman bi-plane. He established the Aeronautical Society of South Africa later that year as well as the John Weston Aviation Company promoting Aviation in South Africa.

The very first South African designed and built aircraft was also flown in 1911 by Cecil Bredell, a wealthy timber merchant from Johannesburg. His aircraft’s design was based on Louis Bleriot’s aircraft flown across the English Channel and it was built by Alfred Louis Raison.

In December of 1911, Bok Driver flew the first airmail in South Africa from Kenilworth Racecourse to Oldham’s field in the Cape. His Bleriot monoplane took about 8 minutes to fly the distance of 12 km.

The Great War

10 candidates were selected for military pilot training in 1913. They were trained by Cecil Compton Paterson, founder of the Paterson Aviation Syndicate in Kimberly. A Paterson bi-plane (No.36) was used to train the candidates. It could reach a speed of 80km/h and was powered by a 50hp Gnome engine. One of the students, Kenneth van der Spuy, crashed the aircraft with Paterson on board but no one was hurt. After the plane was rebuilt, Paterson’s co-instructor, Edward W. Cheeseman crashed the aircraft obtaining serious injuries. He later died in a Kimberley hospital. Paterson acquired a new aircraft to continue the training. 8 out of the 10 original candidates qualified in December 1913. They continued their military training and 6 of them were sent to Britain in April of 1914 where they joined the Royal Flying Corps for further training but one pilot was unsuccessful. The remaining 5 were still in England when World War I broke out and they immediately applied to join the RFC. They were sent to France where they participated in the first aerial reconnaissance and artillery spotting missions of the war in late 1914.

A replica of the Paterson Bi-plane in the SAAF Museum at Swartkops AFB in Pretoria.

The South African Aviation Corps was established 29 January 1915. The 5 South African Pilots fighting with the RFC in France was recalled to join the SAAC for deployment to German South West Africa. The SAAC was equipped with 2 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2C’s and 6 Henri Farman F-27’s. Kenneth van der Spuy flew the first sortie of the SAAC on 6 May 1915 from Walvis Bay reporting enemy ground movements to the ground forces of Gen. Louis Botha. More reconnaissance and bombing sorties where flown until the end of the campaign in July 1915.

After the German South West Africa campaign most of the SAAC pilots volunteered to join the RFC and continue their contribution in the war resulting in the establishment of 26 (South African) Squadron. They flew bombing, reconnaissance and communication missions in East Africa.

Major Allistar Miller convinced more than 2000 South Africans to join the RCF between 1916 and 1917. These recruits joined several RCF squadrons and was known as “Miller’s Boys”.

The war ended in 1918 and South Africa went home with 15 Aces. Andrew Weatherby Beauchamp Proctor became the first South African pilot to receive the Victoria Cross for shooting down 38 enemy aircraft and 16 air balloons. South Africa received 113 aircraft from England which they used to form the South African Air Force at Zwarkops in Pretoria on 1 February 1920.

Records and competitions

The South African Government offered a prize for the first flight from London to Cape Town in 1919. The London times also offered a prize of £10 000 by 1920. In January 1920, sponsored by the times, Capt. S. Cockerell, Capt. F. C. Broome and Dr. Chalmers Mitchell left London in a Vickers Vimy for the flight to Cape Town.

Gen. Jan C. Smuts wanted a South African to win the prize and he decided to buy a Vickers Vimy for £4 500.  On 4 February 1920, Lt. Col. Pierre van Ryneveld and Fl. Lt. Christopher Joseph (Flossie) Quintin-Brand took off from Brooklands Aerodrome in Surrey. They had to fly at night to catch up with the competitors and their aircraft where written off in the Sudan during a forced landing by night. A new Vimy was loaned from the Royal Air Force and their flight continued from Cairo on 22 February 1920. The Times’ aircraft also crashed on 27 February in Tanganyika. The South Africans had another crash, this time in Bulawayo. A de Havilland D.H.9 of the South African Air Force where flown up and handed over to them to continue their journey. After 45 days, flying for 109 hours and 30 minutes, van Ryneveld and Brand reached Young’s field in Cape Town on 20 March 1920. They were both knighted for the achievement.

Another air race, this time between London and Johannesburg was announced in 1936 with a prize money of £ 1 000 000. The race started on 29 September 1936.  The winners reached Johannesburg 2 days, 4 hours and 56 minutes later. They were Charles W. A. Scott and Giles Guthrie flying a Percival Vega Gull, the only participants to complete the race. Maj. Allistar Miller also competed in the race but had to retired at Bulgrade due to a fuel feeding problem.

In 1939, Alex Henshaw set a new flight time record from London to Cape Town in a Mew Gull. He completed his flight in 39 hours and 23 minutes and flew back to London in 39 hours and 36 minutes. This was the fasted method of traveling between England and South Africa by the time. Today, a flight from Cape Town to London will take approximately 11 hours.