Palmietfontein Part II

The Airport Manager

Palmietfontein was probably unique in having only one airport manager during its existence. Maj HH (Harry) Campbell took charge as airport supervisor (as the post was known then) in July 1946. A Johannesburger by birth, he was seconded to the RAF during WWII, where he served with No 216 Sqn based in Egypt with detachments all over the Middle East and even for a period in the Far East. Valentias, Bombays, DH.86As, Lodestars and Hudsons were used till 1943, when the main type in use switched to the Dakota Mk.IIIs and IVs. His experience with transport aircraft stood him in good stead with his new post.

As airport supervisor, he would sometimes have to deal with extraordinary situations. A local cycling down a track to Vereeniging found a barbed wire fence blocking his path. On the other side was a nice wide road heading in the right direction. Lifting the bicycle over the fence he re-commenced pedalling – the going now much improved. Suddenly a Dakota appeared back tracking up the runway. Our hero dismounted, moved off onto the grass and raised his hat as the Dakota passed. He re-commenced his journey, but now the Dakota once again reappeared – going much faster  on its take-off run. He hurriedly moved out of the way and again doffed his hat. It was at this point that Harry Campbell loaded him in to the airport station wagon and put him on the right road.

On another occasion, Harry was called by the ATC to ask him about the new equipment which had arrived on the runway. There was a wagon with sixteen oxen, a driver, a load of hay, a voorlooper, an agterlooper – the whole bit. They were also on the way to Vereeniging. They were duly encouraged to vacate the scene – smartly! Just before the airport fence was improved, Harry had to intercept a gentleman driving a car at breakneck speed down the main runway. The driver then led him on a chase in between the hangars and parked aircraft before Harry managed to head him off. It turned out that he was a mentally unstable individual who had evaded his minders and had borrowed a car for a joy ride.

The Sky Tramps

SAA was not the only operator of internal and external services after WWII. Many ex SAAF pilots and others decided to start air transport businesses after the war. Like tramp steamers of the merchant marine, they plied their trade with varying degrees of success. They were based at various airfields in the Witwatersrand area – mostly at Rand- but also at Benoni, Wonderboom and Randfontein. War surplus Dakotas, Fairchilds, Lodestars, Ansons and Dragon Rapides were the main types operated. A few operators, like the Aircraft Operating Company and Commercial Air Services (today Comair), who operated from Rand Airport managed to turn their fledgling operations into well run airlines/operations. Others, flying poorly maintained aircraft and with perhaps less of a business plan, turned to overloading, smuggling and even gun running and other shady operations to survive. Most of these collapsed within a few years. Those that used Palmietfontein as an operational base are briefly detailed here.

Pan African Air Charter

Early after WWII, a group of ex SAAF pilots, headed by Maj Charles Keary and their associates, purchased a batch of six ex USAAF Douglas C-47s (Dakotas) from the  American Foreign Liquidation Commission in Cairo. They were registered ZS-AVK to AVO and ZS-AYB. Repainted in Pan African Air Charter livery, ZS-AVL left Cairo with 21 passengers aboard, piloted by Capt Stan Clegg and landed at Rand Airport on 22 May 1946. The new company was backed by two Johannesburg businessmen, John & Charles Keyser. A batch of 22 Fairchild Argus IIIs (ZS-BAK – BBB, ZS-BBD – BBH) was also purchased from the FLC plus two more Dakotas in 1947 (ZS-BRW & BRX). Initially services were flown from Rand Airport, the first one being ZS-AVL to Croydon on 11 June 1946. The company’s maintenance base was at Wonderboom but later operations were flown from Palmietfontein.

Air Prospectors & Transport Corporation of SA Ltd

Backed by New Union Goldfields and with directors J ilne, EW Bayliss and Dr ME Long, this company started up late in 1946 with Proctor V, ZS-ATX, (in which the author had his first flight) and six ex SAAF Avro Anson Is (ZS-BGY – BHD) which were converted to civil use by Aircraft and General & Precision Engineering at Port Elizabeth. In the event only two of the Ansons, ZS-BGY & BGZ, were actually converted. ZS-BHD was later rebuilt for Westair Transport, while ZS-BHB, (ex SAAF 4479), remained as a landmark at PE, slowly decaying until the end of the 1950s.

The company acquired a DC-3 ZS-BRX in 1947, but merged with PAAC in the same year, retaining the PAAC name. A proposal for a freight operation out of Palmietfontein using three Curtiss C-46 Commandos (ZS-DBG – DBI) and two Lancastrians (ZS-DBJ – K) came to nothing, but an affiliation with the British company, William Dempster Ltd led to additional charter services being operated with two Avro Tudor 5s, G-AKCC & G-AKCD, which were based at Randfontein, but operated from Palmietfontein. A plan to register them locally in 1950 as ZS-DEW & DEX came to naught and the aircraft were returned to their owners, PAAC being disbanded. Most of the DC-3s had already been sold either to Israel or Burma and the Fairchilds to various local owners. A few of the latter survive today.

One of the pilots for PAAC was an irrepressible character named Syd Excell, infamous for one day walking into the Civil Aviation Council’s offices and firing shots in the office of Col F.C. Elliot-Wilson, demanding the return of his pilot’s license which had been revoked for one or other misdemeanour. On 12 January 1949 he was flying one of PAAC’s Dakotas, ZS-AYB, on a charter out of Geneva, when the weather closed in over the Mediterranean at night and he could not land at Malta, his destination. A diversion to Rome produced the same result, as did a return to Malta. He then decided to try for El Adem on the North African coast. With the fuel almost gone and the coast not yet in sight the order was given to don life jackets. However they were one short - Syd had a girl friend aboard who was not on the passenger list!

A break in the clouds created a moonlit patch of water and Syd decided to ditch while still having power. A successful ditching was carried out and when the occupants jumped into the water, the level was found to be about 2 foot high. They had landed close to the coast at Ras-El-Tin, not far from El Adem.

Suidair International Airways

Capt Harry Hill started Suidair in August 1946 with  capital of ₤75000, having purchased two ex RAF Lend Lease Dakotas and a Fairchild Argus III from the FLC in Cairo. The Dakotas, still in military markings (KG513 & FD814) were ferried south, the latter carrying Fairchild (KK561) as cargo. They arrived at Benoni aerodrome on 11 October. The Dakotas were registered as ZS-BCY & BJZ, the Fairchild as ZS-BJK. The purchase by Harry Hill was somewhat of an impulsive buy – he had actually been asked to purchase aircraft for PAAC on commission. Initially based at Benoni, the maintenance HQ was moved to Wonderboom while operations started at Rand Airport, later moving to Palmietfontein. Suidair leased a Bristol 170-2A Wayfarer, ZS-BOM, from March to September 1947 followed by a Bristol Freighter, ZS-BVI/ till January 1948. They were also the first to take delivery of a Vickers Viking, when ZS-BSB was christened “Rex” by the High Commissioner, Sir Evelyn Baring, at Palmietfontein in August 1947.

Eventually Suidair, by this stage under the umbrella of President Motors, acquired two more Vikings, ZS-BWT & DDO, and three more DC-3s, ZS-BXZ, BYH & BYI. Of the latter, only ZS-BYH went into service, BXZ going to Mercury Aviation and BYU remaining unconverted until rebuilt as ZS-DFB for Tropic Airways. An Avro Anson, ZS-BVH, (ex 4483) was never converted for civil use, while plans to acquire a fourth Viking (ZS-BSC) and two Convair CV240s remained unfulfilled and by the end of 1950, Suidair was no more.

Mercury Airways

During 1946, Fillery’s of Johannesburg, headed by one GT Gordon Fillery, tendered for three Avro Ansons as well as eight Oxfords. The former were registered as ZS-BKL – N and the latter, ZS-AUF – I, BOC & D respectively. GT Fillery, who owned a Fairchild F-24R, ZS-BEN, must have been disappointed with his purchase, as only the three Ansons were able to be put into service.

The Oxfords had been standing in the open at 7 AD, Port Elizabeth since 1945 – i.e. some two years inactive. Jack Weinronk, an ex WWII SAAF bomber pilot, had been smitten since he met a Johannesburg girl who was on holiday in P.E. and was desperate to renew the acquaintance. He offered to fly an Oxford from PE to Benoni for its new owners. The aircraft was, however, in poor condition. A run up revealed a mag drop and poor boost performance. There were also missing instruments and peeling paint on the exterior. Ninety miles after take-off, over Middleton, one of the propellors split and Jack had to return to PE for another.

Eventually the dilapidated Oxford reached Bloemfontein. After refuelling, the take-off became interesting, considering the reduced power output of the two Cheetah X radials. The Oxford hit the boundary fence and staggered away. Flying most of the way in ground effect, Jack had to climb to 200 ft AGL before lowering the undercarriage for landing at Benoni. Luckily the brakeless Oxford stopped before reaching the airfield boundary. Upon inspection it was found the bottom RH longeron was broken and the two left ones were cracked. That ended the Oxford Saga. Oh yes – Jack did get the girl – and married her.

The US Naval Attaché’s DC-3/R4D, then came up for sale, which Mercury purchased as ZS-BNB, along with two more Cyclone engined DC-3s in the USA (ZS-BTN & BTO). The first did not last very long and after suffering an engine failure in flight, force landed near Malakal and was written off. The pilot was Capt Swift. Three more DC-3s were purchased ex USA, ZS-BWX, BWY & BWZ in 1947. All were destroyed in crashes the following year. ZS-BWX piloted by Capt Lesueur at Orly, France, in bad weather on 20 November, BWY into Spitzkop, near Vrede on 15 May 1948 (Capt JN “Babe” Smith & 12 passengers killed) and ZS-BWZ between Wadi Halfa and Khartoum after an in-flight fire on 12 October. Luckily all survived the latter.

Mercury’s DC-3s were named Skyliners and were offering excursion fares to the UK and various centres in Europe for ₤220. The low cost fares offered by Mercury and other operators led to a ban on low cost airlines from operating into the UK. The spate of fatal accidents and this ban no doubt had an effect on Mercury’s operations but nevertheless they announced the purchase of two DC4s, ZS-BXS & BYA. The former example returned to the USA and the latter went to El Al in Israel.

An interesting acquisition which didn’t arrive was a batch of three Boeing S-307 Stratoliners, ZS-BWU (1995), ZS-BWV (2003) and BWW (2001). There was also to be a Viking ZS-BWY.

Sky Taxis

Based at Benoni Aerodrome, Sky Taxis started operations at the end of 1946 with Globe Swift ZS-BKO, and a Proctor Mk.V, ZS-BSR. On 20 September 1947, a Handley Page Halton, ZS-BTA (civil version of the Halifax bomber) arrived at ... ClicK here to Read more